Reformed,
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. This one is a bit longer...sorry. That’s the problem with “debate forums.” Sometimes you run into people like me that may not articulate well. Perhaps I did not take enough care in choosing my words. I was trying to answer the question about how my view did not dip into Arminianism.
I would start by saying I believe all men can be saved, but all men reject that salvation. But God draws the elect to Himself. So I would reword your question to be “How can Christ’s death make salvation possible to all men when all men won’t be saved?” Which I would view as an irrational question. (Think of Spurgeon’s - they could if they would, but that’s not the question. The question is they won’t).
I do not know of any soteriological scheme that denies the potency of the Cross. I do not understand why you are throwing this out there…although it does seem to get tossed out a lot. It is a response to an objection no one is stating.
If faith is necessary for salvation, then your conclusions are taking into many assumptions not related to Christ’s death on the cross and your statement is a deductive fallacy (apart from faith, Christ's death is not effective towards salvation of the elect either). If, however, you believe that faith is a product of salvation (one is saved and then one believes), then we are working off entirely different definitions…which is another issue altogether.
Although we disagree, I may be able to help here. It is not fence sitting, but rather rejecting the notion that there are only two views (from, BTW, the same root theological system)…that is a strict post-Dort Calvinism vs Arminianism. My disagreement is that I do not believe Christ’s death of itself saves the elect (which would make faith unnecessary). We differ on the “why” more than the “who.” I see two purposes in the Atonement. First, to secure and make certain the salvation of the elect. Second, to … as Calvin put it … “cut off excuse from unbelievers.” It is not that I see two conflicting “who’s,” but that I see two rather distinctive “whys.” It seems to me that you see only one… securing salvation to the elect, which it actually effects in and of itself - apart from faith.
BTW...and to clarify...by post-Dort Calvinism I mean that Limited Atonement was rejected in much of the writings of the Reformed Church prior to Dort. It was not that they were on the fence or hadn't thought it through (although it was less an issue, I suppose). I already mentioned Calvin's writings, but also the Heidleberg Catechism (1563)... in part II.
http://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/heidelberg-catechism