“If the saved are predestined to be saved and the lost are lost and nothing is going to affect that, why evangelize? Aren’t we working against God by preaching the gospel to those He “passes by” by His choice? Why would Jesus say to “go out into all the world”? Why waste our time evangelizing if all is predestined. After all, those who are elect will be saved no matter what and those who God has chosen to “pass by” will never respond anyway. Why does God have us preach to people who He “willed” not to respond? Why would anyone listen to your message anyway? If they are one of the elect they will be saved without it”
Why evangelise? Because we are commanded to. Because that is God’s chosen method to reach the elect.
Romans 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
So all doesn’t mean *all* does it?
It means some of all. Or all of some. Or all of the the elect.
Or something.
But it CAN’T mean *all* all.
Don't you mean to reach the lost?
But Jesus did say..
Jesus told him, "Follow ME, and let the dead bury their own dead."
You may not have noticed that the post you just responded to was in answer to this statement. “I fail to see the danger of which you speak.” The danger of the Calvinist position that those who are elect will be saved no matter what anyone does and those who are destined to be lost will never be reached was that too often the attitude is “why spend great amounts of money or time on evangelism”. And that is pretty well evidenced by the disparity in the amount of time and money Calvinists spend on evangelism and other churches or denominations. I have been in many Calvinist churches where the time spent on evangelism or calls to repentance is woefully absent. That’s the danger I was speaking of. Not that I question whether to “go into all the world”.