Would say that God had me already predestined/elected unto eternal life, as he knew that he would save me, but that 'actual reconcilation" to him was when the Holy Spirit indwelt me, and when he made me a new creation in Christ..
And I agree with that entirely.
Hebrews 4:3-7
King James Version (KJV)
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
The works were finished from the foundation of the world, yet Christ still had to come and offer Himself up.
David foretold this, and there is given the general warning to those in the First Century not to replicate the unbelief of their ancestors, and is a general warning to all (though we specify this in it's context).
To me , the biblcal tension between us already from viewpoint of the father reconciled back to him, and yet needing us to receive jesus thru fact and become reborn again, highlights to me that tensionbewteen Soverignity of God, and how faith works into this
Receiving Christ is the Reconciliation, for God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. He is Sovereign, and He accomplished this through Christ.
So, in real sense of the term, at least as I would experience this, dead to god before the coming of the Holy Spirit into me at time of salvation...being dea
And that is the simple truth, my friend. You were in a natural condition, that which you were born into at birth, and you have been born again by the washing (cleansing) of New Birth and the...renewing...of the Holy Ghost.
Note Paul writes "God saved us" by these things, which specifies a salvific context which cannot be construed as referring to progressive sanctification (meaning God "renewing us as we go, as opposed to our relationship to God, which was lost in Adam, renewed by His salvation effected in our lives).
So in a real state of being enemy of God before salvation, and now the beloved in Christ!
Correct. He saved us while we were yet sinners, which makes sense, lol, for if we were not, what need then would there be to be saved?
So those to whom hos atonement was made for are only those whom God intened to get saved by it, correct?
I think it is a little bit of a given that God knows those who are His, and that the Elect can only be described as those who are/will be saved. We do not discount the fact that God has chosen us, and drawn us, which should further emphasize His Sovereignty. We see the example of Israel set before us, most often called "the Chosen Nation," yet seldom spoken of as the "Created People of God." Israel is the direct result of God's promise to Abraham, and resulting Israel was known well in advance of the first son being born to Abraham (through Sarai).
I think we see this issue debated and extremes gone to when there are some simple truths that greatly impact our understanding of the issue. For one thing, we see that the Ministry of the Comforter is directed at unbelievers, those who do not believe on Christ. In that ministry we see that God is providing that which is necessary for men to repent and believe, and this through enlightening the natural mind that it might understand truth. So I think that while it is a given that the Elect stand apart from the lost, we shouldn't take the extreme that the lost are "destined for Hell," or that God denied them that which would have saved them. Even within the framework of the Law, the Law and the Prophets are said, by Christ, to be enough to keep a man from ending up in Hades and torment. He makes it clear that not even a resurrection from the dead would change the minds of those who have rejected the revelation previously given. I see it as a matter that God gives to all men the opportunity to be saved, and does not restrict that provision from the non elect. He knows they will reject His will, yet that doesn't change the fact that Christ taught, when the Comforter came, He would convict the world, unbelievers, of sin. We do not put this into a context of judgment, in my view, because the Comforter does not impose judgment on unbelievers, just as God did not impose judgment on sinners every time they sinned. Instead, because He is Just and Holy, He has always given men enough to obey His will and subsequently escape eternal judgment. We see in Romans 2 that Gentiles, who did not have the Law (neither the Covenant or Scripture), fulfilled the works of the Law which were written on their hearts. This is but one means of revelation by which, when men stand at the Great White Throne, they will have no defense, and will not be able to say "but...you never told me!"
Again, it is a bit of a given that the Atonement applies only to those who are and will be saved. They are known to God from before the beginning of the world. That does not mean the Elect are born in relationship to God, nor that they will not have to respond to God. The terms are much harder in this Age than they were for Abraham, in my view. Just as James taught that teachers will receive the greater judgment, and the Writer of Hebrews teaches that men who reject Christ and the New Covenant will receive greater punishment than those who rejected Moses' Law, in this Age in which the Mystery of the Gospel has been revealed to men, and revealed to men directly from God Himself (the Comforter), those who reject Christ will be more severely punished.
This is the Blasphemy of of the Holy Ghost, in my view.
Hope you and all here have a blessed day.
God bless.