What is double predestination?

Double predestination is a theological term which is useful when discussing nuances of what somebody believes by the biblical term predestination. It does not mean predestination happened twice, nor that each person was predestined two different ways.

Instead, consider double predestination as a contrast against single predestination.

If a person believes God predestined the elect as vessels of mercy and simply passed over sinners, we call this single predestination. Whereas if you believe God predestined both the elect to be vessels of mercy and reprobates to be vessels of wrath, then we call this double predestination.

While this term is helpful for discussing biblical concepts, it's important to put it in its right place. The Bible emphasizes that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), God so loved the world that he sent his only son that whoever believes in him will be saved (John 3:16), and he died as propitiation for not just our sins but the whole world (1 John 2:2). Therefore, we ought to preach the repentance Christ and the forgiveness of sins to all people.