Many churches teach God called certain people because the New Testament has places where it talks about those who God called. I think God called everyone and only certain people answered the call. In Ephesians 1:4, it says God chose us in Christ beforehand... and in Revelation 17:8, it says certain names have been written in a book from the foundation of the world. It's the group, the body of Christ that is foreordained from the foundation of the world, and not specific individuals selected by God for salvation.
May I present you with this:
A country of 55 million has an air force. Every year, about 3,000 men and women apply for pilot training. The air force, having long years of experience, sets up a selection process. At the end of this selection process, the air force finds abut 120 men and women who fit the criteria for being successful pilots. This is the result of the "foreknowledge" after years of trial and error. All 3,000 are allowed to apply and are taken seriously. 2,880 will, if allowed to fly, at some time, crash and kill themselves and others. The air force "calls" the 120 as "chosen" without prejudiced against the 2,880.
God extends His offer to all men. God does not need "trial and error". In His omniscience and unlimited foreknowledge, He calls those He knows will respond. The rest would, and do, refuse. God has not prejudiced anybody. God has not violated free will. If He did anything else, He would violate free will.
But now we must set aside contempory Christian belief and see God's heart. Contemporary Christian doctrine holds that men must believe in Jesus and they will go to heaven at death. Those refusing are condemned to hell. All retards and children fall under a special regulation which is not found in the whole Bible. But what does the Bible actually say? It says in Isaiah 66:24, and in all reports of the various judgments, that ONLY those who actively transgressed against God will land in the Lake of Fire. So what happens with the retarded, those who never heard the gospel and children who die. The answer is God's COVENANT with Abraham.
In this Covenant God, among other Promises, promises that (i) the seed of Abraham would "possess his enemy's gates", and (ii) would "bless all the families of earth". Without writing a book, the meaning of this - for it speaks for itself, is clear that at some future time, Jesus Christ and the Church (seed of Abraham - Gal.3:29) would set up a Kingdom in place of present Gentile rule and because this rule would be administered by the most trusted servants of Jesus, it would bring great blessing and equity to all men. Added to this, the most remarkable point of this Covenant is that in order to fulfill it, God would be the God of RESURRECTION. That is, the benefits of God's Kingdom ON EARTH would include the resurrection of ALL men. This is confirmed by 1st Corinthians 15:22.
This Divine Rule, that is still future, solves the problem of death - for all men are resurrected. It solves the problem of justice - for the "transgressors" end up in "perdition". The innocent and the non-transgressors, end up as subjects in this new Government over the earth, and are "blessed" by its rule (Pr.29:2). And the "called" and "chosen" administer heavenly type of rule over all men. You can at once see how much glory this gives God. Without violating free will, He blesses even those who did not choose Him, but in no way excuses the evil done by men of free will.
Our worst enemy to giving God His due is our manufactured doctrine inherited from the Roman Church. But if the Bible is taken literally, and in its entirety, a picture of a glorious God emerges and this glory is all achieved (i) without violating free will, but (ii) with God using His foreknowledge and sovereignty to bring blessing on mankind and the earth.
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