Acts 17:4 (ESV) And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout oGreeks and not a few of the leading women.

Many of the devout Greeks believed, and so did many of the prominent Jewish women. But not everyone received. Why is it that some hear the gospel and respond yet others hear the gospel many times and never respond? Well, Jesus taught that nobody can receive Him apart from the drawing action of the Father.

John 6:44 (NKJV) No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him

That the Bible speaks of the election of believers is undeniable, but whether belief secures election or election causes belief is a debate that continues today. In regards to the individual believer, this changes nothing because if you believe then you must be elect. In regards to who we share the gospel with, it changes nothing because while God knows who will receive and who will not, you and I are not privy to that information, so it is best that we cast the seed wide even as the Sower in Jesus’ parable of Matthew 13 slung the seed wide enough to fall in the gutter, in the thorns, on hard ground and on good soil. Either that Sower was really bad at sowing or He intentionally sent seed into every area without discrimination.

Now, there are those who believe that election means some who want to be saved will not be because they are not among the elect. That idea is absolutely alien to the Bible. The Bible makes it very clear that nobody seeks after their salvation on their own accord. 2 Corinthians 4 goes so far as to say that Satan has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. God is the One Who opens a person’s mind to their need for salvation and no man can repent unless God grants them repentance. At the same time, a person must by their own free will respond or he can choose to reject Jesus. Many theologians have tried to define how free will and election work together, but none have ever done so satisfactorily. So, what we must do is be okay with it, knowing that God is love, and is not willing that any should perish, yet God knows who will receive and who will not and He has known that from before the foundation of the world. Nobody goes to hell because Jesus rejects them. People go to hell because they reject Jesus.