The difference? The willingness to exercise one's free will and agency by throwing oneself at the foot of the cross.
If the only difference between the two is that God has chosen one to throw himself at the foot of the cross and not the other, then there is no merit in doing so, because God makes the choice and not the man. If this were not so, then the man who chooses to not do so would be blameless, because it's not his choice.
Do you think anything we do has any merit to a Holy God? What merit was there to you in your natural birth? We all deserve hell..merit is not an issue!
Psalm 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
There is no merit in our sin, He came while we were yet sinners,servents of sin.
The question still stands . How is it that one sinner is suddenly able to hear and respond to the gospel, and the other remains blind and deaf. Both hear the same message but only one responds to the grace of God. Why does one choose yes and the other joke about hell?
Man has made his choice and declared "I hate God":
Romans 3 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth; there is none that seeketh after God. They have all gone from the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." "Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit." "The poison of asps is under their lips," "whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes."There will be not one person in hell who does not hate God. For His own Glory, God has given grace to some of us who don't deserve it and we will all cry out for His mercy. You assume by your response that Salvation is for the benefit of man. It is not; Salvation is for the display of God's glory.Isaiah 64 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee; for Thou hast hid Thy face from us, and hast consumed us because of our iniquities.
What if God, choosing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction; and this, that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, whom He had prepared before unto glory, even us whom He hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?Mormonism attempts to rob God of His glory by exhalting man to the status of God. God is infinitely jealous of His glory. You stand on the edge of eternity with the wrong goal and you will most certainly see a display of God's zeal for His own Glory as will all of us.
I cried to Thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication:
"What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise Thee? Shall it declare Thy truth?Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me; LORD, be Thou my helper!"
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever.