Live 4 The LORD

God Wills Himself For All People

God’s universal salvific will means that He wills the ultimate gift (union with Himself) for allpeople—though not all freely receive it, and only those who are saved are called “the elect.”

God truly wills salvation (and thus union with Himself) for everyone

The Church teaches that God’s will reaches everyone:

• “God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” and therefore “God wills the salvation of everyone” (through truth). 1
• God “ceaselessly offered helps to salvation … in view of Christ.” 2
• “All men are called to belong to the new people of God” and “indeed the whole of mankind, for all men are called by the grace of God to salvation.” 3

So your conclusion “He wills Himself only for the elect” does not match this: the Church says God calls all men to salvation.

God loves all things, but “friendship” is for the capable

Two layers:

• God loves all existing things because, in willing their existence and goods, He wills good to them. 4
• “friendship” in the strict sense requires rational creatures capable of returning love: “Friendship cannot exist except towards rational creatures, who are capable of returning love.” 5

This does not mean God intends friendship for only some people; it means the realization of friendship requires that the beloved be capable and actually respond. God’s love is universal in its offer; the “friendship” of final union is realized only by those who cooperate with grace.

“Elect” means those gathered and conformed—free response included

“Elect” in Lumen Gentium refers to God’s foreseen and gathered saved people:

• “All the elect … [the Father] ‘foreknew and pre-destined to become conformed to the image of His Son.’” 2

But the same chapter stresses God’s universal salvific intent: the Father “ceaselessly offered helps to salvation” in view of Christ. 2

So election describes who will finally be united with Christ, not a restriction that God initially wills salvation only for that subgroup.

Bottom line

• God wills the salvation of all, which includes willing the highest good: life with Him through Christ. 1 2 3
• Not everyone freely attains that final union, so only the saved—“the elect”—reach the definitive participation in divine life. 2 5

So the correct Catholic way to state it is: God wills Himself for all people in His saving intention; the elect are those who finally receive and live in that union. 

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