Limited Atonement: Let's set the record straight.

True - God sovereignly chooses "free will" which means that He would not be following each of his children around programming them to say each exact word he wanted said. (for example). And once you let someone else "choose" you have by definition voluntarily released some degree of micro-manage-control.

IF He was dictating "every word" then He "dictated blasphemy of His own name" at the trial of Christ and "Dictated" rebellion

That level of Calvinism does not survive even the basic facts of the matter.

 

No person knows who is elect....this is a complete non issue.
The gospel is preached to all. Sometimes it seals the destiny;
14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

 

Pastor Bob,
Those that did look lived. Those who hear the gospel and believe will live eternally. Many will never hear the gospel and go to second death.
God has elected a multitude to believe, to look and live, and he has provided all the means to accomplish His purpose.
Not one more, or not one less person will be saved than those ordained by God.
We are not able to see heart condidtions, so we preach to all.
the unseen work of the Spirit will draw and give new hearts to each and everyone who God has purposed to save.
No one keeps the others out....they have no desire for it, and those who never hear of it...love their sin and go to second death justly for their sin.

 

I believe scripture teaches Jesus died a Covenant death only for the elect.
he bought the rights to all men by virtue of His death on the cross....but he has purposed to save All the Father has Given to Him;
jn17;
17 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh,

that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Heb2;
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

 

2 Tim 2:24
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

A healthy reminder for us all;

 

This is, as I said, a rather extreme form of hyper-Calvinism.
The Gospel goes out to everyone without distinction and the Lord Jesus says, 'The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out' (John 6:37b). The greatest preachers (Bunyan, Whitefield, Spurgeon etc.) were Calvinists and they pleaded with men to come to Christ.
But the sad fact is that men will not come to Christ. This is not because God prevents them, but because they have wicked, unbelieving hearts. There is a great number of texts showing this: John 3:19; 10:26; Romans 3:10-11; 8:5-8; 1 Corinthians 1:22-23; 2:14 come to mind immediately. But if they would come, Christ would not cast them out.

Foreseeing man's hardness of heart and wickedness, in eternity past God the Father decreed salvation for a vast number (Revelation 7:9) of guilty sinners (2 Thessalonians 2:13; Titus 1:2). These He gave to the Son (John 6:37a, 39; 10:29; Ephesians 1:3-6) who has redeemed them at measureless cost, and the Holy Spirit has sealed them until the day of Redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14) and they will come. 'My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me' (John 10:27).

That is why the great crowd of Revelation 7:9 are singing, 'salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb.' How blessed it is that it doesn't belong to us, because we would inevitably refuse it.

 

Will you please define 'a special efficacy'? Either the atonement is efficacious or it isn't.

 

1. If I only had a nickle for every time a Calvinist called a fellow-Calvinist or non-Calvinist "ignorant"
2. As noted in post #2 #2 - when Calvinists are not allowed to redefine terms found in 1 John 2:2 to 'fit into Calvinism' they argue the false-alternative that only "'universalism' is allowed as the other option.

They are of course wrong on both counts