Every single human being is either God's or not God's by their own choosing.
Some choose outright to verbally announce their God denial for all to hear, and yes, God will allow them to choose not to be His. He isn't secretly snatching them up to belong to Him against their will. He isn't bending their will in His direction. He won't force a single person to choose Him to be the God of their entire life over all other would be gods. If someone says they don't believe in God, God will not force them to believe. He will give them opportunities to know Him- a multitude of opportunities, but never force a belief- He doesn't work that way.
Others choose to acknowledge God verbally but their lives are contrary to His will. He won't denounce these people for all to know the truth of their deceptive lives, God allows them their choice to be a deceiver. God allows people to hold fast to false beliefs, to traditions of men, all the while knowing their hearts are not really His. He won't stop trying to reach their hearts with truth, but again, God will not force a single person to follow His truth.
We live in a world so convoluted with deception, with people calling on God but not in truth. Thy truly believe they are His, so caught up in their own lies they don't for a moment believe they aren't His. These people, just like those who choose blatantly to denounce God- are NOT going to belong to God- all by their own choice, their own actions, their beliefs. They may even be judging those blatant God defying people as being lost even while they themselves are lost to God.
We cannot judge a single person's eternal life, not ever! We can see actions we know are outright condemned by God and judge that action to be wrong, but then as soon as we judge that action we HAVE to extend our deepest sympathy, the depths of our love towards the person committing that action- NOT our condemnation. And if our knee-jerk reaction is condemnation we NEED to repent of that action as soon as we realize our response was not one of love, but of dark nature. We need to extend our prayers to include their being forgiven and to their coming to know the love of God in truth. We must LOVE them, all the while Satan would have us despise them. We must not judge their eternal life, not ever, not in the slightest. We must forever hold out hope for them, just as we desperately need hope held out for us! All are worthy- Christ died for ALL mankind- and He will know those who are His, and those who are not. All are worthy of Christ, but NOT all will choose Christ.
God help us all, help us to choose Christ!
(Excerpt- EJ Waggoner)
Romans Chapter 1- Brief summary- Condition of those who do not know God. How they lost their knowledge, and are without excuse. And any who claim superiority over them are cut down by God for judging them.
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To the Jew First.
This statement is sufficient to show that God is no respecter of persons. Indeed, the apostle states as a necessary conclusion that "there is no respect of persons with God."
Rom_2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
"First" does not always refer to time.
Rom 2:10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
We speak of a man as being the first man in the country, not because there were no men before him, but because he is the chief man. In school a certain one is the first one in his class because he is the best scholar. The Jew is the one who has had the greatest revelation made to him, and therefore it is just that he should be chief in the judgment.
The text shows, however, that God has no special favor to the Jew over other men. If glory, honor, and peace come to the Jew first, so also do indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. The question is not, "What is the man's nationality?" but, "What has he done?"
God will render to every man according to his deeds, "for there is no respect of persons with God."
A few words may suffice to bring to mind what we have already studied.
The first chapter of Romans may be briefly summed up as setting forth the condition of those who know not God, and the way in which they lost their knowledge, together with the fact that they are wholly without excuse.
Then, just as we are ready to hold up our hands in horror at their wickedness, and to launch forth severe condemnation upon them, the apostle turns to us, and shuts our mouths with the stinging words, "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest; for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."
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