Of course. John tells us that God IS love.
Love is a component of His character (as we understand character to be).
What I meant is that God certainly foreknew all that would be saved.
He did not arbitrarily pick them, as calvinism believes.
Their salvation is indeed conditioned on the fact that they choose to believe and be saved.
And that God knew this from the beginning....
I cannot agree, Calvin was right agreeing with scripture that Divine Election was not predicated upon what we do or desire in this life:
11 (
for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),
12 it was said to her, "The older shall serve the younger."
13 As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."
14
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion."
16
So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. (Rom. 9:11-16 NKJ)
Most object to this because it seems arbitrary, unjust. But that criticism rests upon a logical fallacy, that those not elected cannot be saved, cannot choose to believe in Christ and be saved, which is clearly wrong:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever (3956 πᾶς pass) believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (Jn. 3:16 NKJ)
For "
whoever (3956 πᾶς pass) calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." (Rom. 10:13 NKJ)
(3956 πᾶς pass) = all, everyone.
As Paul says, there is no unrighteousness with God. Paul proved via God's Sovereignty and the fact He is the Creator and its His to do with as He pleases---God's right to elect some and not all, however He wants.
But I have an additional proof there is no unrighteousness with God that is implicit in Paul's soteriology
God is not partial. The non-elect can be saved also, if they believe in Christ. The contrast "Jew vs Greek" implies "Elect vs Non-Elect" because God elected the Jewish nation, not the Gentile nations to be His people:
the righteous judgment of God,
6 who "will render to each one according to his deeds":
7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness-- indignation and wrath,
9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
11
For there is no partiality with God. (Rom. 2:5-11 NKJ)
All must believe in Christ to be saved, including the elect.
Hence there is no partiality with God.
Anyone who dies without Christ goes to hell, including the Elect. Paul clearly teaches that here about Elect Jews who died disobedient, even enemies of the Gospel:
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
26 And so
all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,
31
even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! (Rom. 11:25-33 NKJ)
All have equal chance to repent and believe in Christ, in this life and in Hell:
For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. (1 Pet. 4:6 NKJ)
That is why some of those who died and endured a divine trial according to what they done in the flesh, [who repent] and live according to God in the Spirit, then EAGERLY wait for the Second Coming of Christ for their Resurrection:
27 And as
it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who
eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Heb. 9:27-28 NKJ)
28 "
Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which
all who are in the graves will hear His voice
29 "and come forth--
those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (Jn. 5:28-29 NKJ)
"Hear His voice" is Jewish idiom for "obey Christ", all who obey the Gospel of Christ preached to them in hell will rise to the resurrection of life. Read it again, "all in the graves will Hear His voice", when they are in hell.
