SemperReformanda (Marie), I like your name. Does it mean “always reformed”?
You said, “God doesn't save people with ‘potential blood.’ Jesus did not ‘potentially’ shed His blood. God doesn't have to provide for things that ‘potentially can happen,’ as God has no Plan B.”
I agree with you that God doesn’t save people with potential blood and that Jesus did not potentially shed His blood. I also agree with you that God doesn’t have to provide for things that potentially can happen. He knows exactly what will happen in the actual world. God does, however, have knowledge of how things could and would happen under non-actual circumstances. An instance of this is found in 1 Samuel 23:10-13:
“Then David said, ‘O LORD God of Israel, Thy servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Thy servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Thy servant.’ And the LORD said, ‘He will come down.’ Then David said, ‘Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?’ And the LORD said, ‘They will surrender you.’ Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.”
God knew exactly what would happen in the actual world. He knew that David would leave Keilah before Saul arrived. God also knew exactly what would happen under non-actual circumstances where David did not leave Keilah before Saul arrived.
You said, “The fact of particular redemption does not mean that the gospel should not be preached to all mankind.” When we preach the gospel, we offer it to everyone in the audience. We don’t know who is elect and who is non-elect. God does not prevent a non-elect person from surrendering to Jesus in repentance and faith. Jesus blood is potentially available to cover that non-elect person’s sins. God knows, however, that the non-elect person would never surrender to Jesus under any circumstances, actual or non-actual. Thus, God only provided enough blood to cover the sins of the elect.
