"Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth...Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, even us , whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved" Romans 9:18,21-26 (emphasis mine)
Clearly in the OT God showed partiality to the Jews, but thanks be to the Lord, that is no longer true as we see that God in this very passage chooses to make some vessels to honour and chooses to make some vessels to dishonour for his glory and in this very same passage He claims that there are no preferences other than his own good pleasure so that I, a stinking filthy rotten gentile also he has called to himself.
Jean
Jean, the above is the statement that started this discussion about God showing favoritism or not showing favoritism. I said that the bible says "God does not show favoritism."
Doc replied in post #464 -- False. The Bible does not say that God does not show favoritism.
I replied with the scripture from Acts 10:34, that shows that the Bible does indeed say "God does not show favoritism."
The issue was whether or not the Bible SAYS, "God does not show favoritism." It clearly does.
Your question is different. As opposed to asserting simply that the bible doesn't say such a thing, you are asking whether it supports the arminian concept of "universal opportunity" for salvation.
Our answers would be different to that questions if you are a calvinist, wouldn't they?
Acts 10:34 establishes a basic principle: "God does not show favoritism." It's in the context of Peter explaining how the gospel of salvation has now gone to the entire world of gentiles. (That in itself says, "univeral opportunity" because once you've got Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles, then you've covered the entire range, haven't you?)
Romans 2:11f says, 11For God does not show favoritism. 12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
In this passage Paul connects the same phrase, "God does not show favoritism" to everyone.
Those who deny universal opportunity deny a straightforward interpretation of "whosoever will may come."