Why Does the Bible Emphasize the Importance of Spreading the Gospel If Some Are Predestined to Believe and Others Aren't?
1) Direct Answer
Because preaching is God’s ordained way to call His chosen, to witness to all, and to separate faith from unbelief. Predestination doesn’t cancel preaching—it guarantees a harvest through it.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Commanded: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). “Teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19–20).
- God’s method: “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? … faith cometh by hearing” (Romans 10:14–17). “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21).
- Election responds: “As many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me” (John 6:37). “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27).
- Assurance to preach: The Lord told Paul, “I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:10), and he kept preaching.
- Witness and separation: “This gospel … shall be preached in all the world for a witness” (Matthew 24:14). The Word is “a savour of life unto life, and … of death unto death” (2 Corinthians 2:16). “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost” (2 Corinthians 4:3).
- Sowing to all: The sower scatters the seed everywhere; the good ground receives it (Matthew 13).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Election determines who will truly respond; preaching is the voice that reaches them. Without the call, the sheep don’t hear; with the call, they come.
- God foreknows the harvest, but He uses our preaching as His tool to bring it in.
- Preaching also leaves a clear witness. The same sun that melts wax hardens clay; the same gospel that saves the believer exposes the unbeliever.
- We preach because He commanded it, we love souls, and we trust God to quicken His own.
4) Reinforcing Statement
So we preach to every creature, calling to repentance and faith. The elect will hear, and all will be left without excuse. Predestination makes the mission certain—not unnecessary.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Experiences
48-0302 §79
I'm not very much of a song leader. But I do know in my heart that you have to believe it. Is that right? All right. Now, brother, give us a key on it and we get it. All right. Everybody again now. Only believe, only believe, All things... The Bible said so, didn't It. Didn't God say so? Didn't He promise you the gift? They're here. Others are being healed, can't you? You? You? Can't you? ... only believe, All things are possible, (Praise God. Yes they are.) Only believe. Lord, I now believe (Do you?), Lord, I beli...
The junction of time
56-0115 §65
"Only Believe," if you will, sister. How many's to be prayed for, could we see your hands, that wants to be prayed for? I wonder if you'd line up over on the right side here, as many as can. And those on this side lines the middle aisle, here, if they can. Those in this aisle, line over on this side and the ones in the middle aisle here. All right. Let's sing now. Only believe, only believe, All things are possible, only believe; Only believe, only believe, All things are possible, only believe. How many has ever b...
Expectation
51-0930 §46
...rs ring, come on. Now I believe, now I believe, All things are possible, now I believe; Now I believe, now I believe, All things are possible, now I believe. Now, as we... Softly, let's hum it. [Brother Branham begins humming.]
Hebrews, Chapter 7, part 1
57-0915E §88
You say then, "What's the use of preaching the Gospel?" Now I will say to you this: Paul answered that ... or Jesus did, rather. Here's Jesus; He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that went to a pond or a lake and throwed in the net. He pulled in. Out of there he had turtles, he had terrapins, he had serpents, he had lizards, he had frogs, he had spiders, he had scavengers, he had fish." Now, the man's just seining. That's like the Gospel. Here it is now, I'm preaching the Gospel. I just throw the net...
Questions and Answers on Genesis
53-0729 §22
And then, God, before there even was a star, knew that this world would be. And He knew that I'd be William Branham preaching the Gospel from the pulpit and you would be John Doe sitting there listening to it, before the world ever began. Hallelujah! Now, that's where people sometimes---the legalists and Calvinists ---get all mixed up, see. They say, "Why was some ordained to be lost?" God's not willing that any should perish. He don't want no one to perish, but yet, being God, He knows there's some that won't acce...