Question
Does Romans 9:22 teach that God has predestined some sinners to hell?
Answer
The Scripture in question states,
"What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction"
The word "fitted" is the perfect participle which describes past action with a continuing result or state. It is in what Greek grammarians call "the middle voice" i.e. they prepared themselves for destruction by their sin and rebellion. God prepared His vessels of mercy for glory but never chose men to be damned for the word of God makes it clear that He is not willing that any should perish. This would not be true if He had willed them to perish. Those who are saved and will spend eternity in heaven can only thank God they are there and those who perish have only themselves to blame.