Pilgrim said:My position, in case you hadn't gathered it by now, is that God ONLY
loves those sinners whom He has predestinated to salvation in Christ. For it was "in love" that He predestinated them. (Eph 1:4). Those who were not chosen to receive saving grace were predestinated to eternal damnation. They were not "loved" of God but rather "hated"; denied His good pleasure to save them. Personally I do not think that my view vs. Brad's view is one of semantics since I believe to use the word "love" in regard to the non-elect is indefensible and cheapens grace. The non-elect do receive God's beneficence, general blessings in temporal things, etc., but they are decidedly not objects of His love.
Secondly, there is a vast difference between God being
angry/wroth with men and
hating men. My understanding of the biblical teaching is that God's anger can be temporal and thus apply to all men without exception. However, when God is said to
hate, it is representative of His eternal decree to pass by in regard to salvation or as it is better known as preterition. The doctrine of "Common Grace" is the outworking of God's beneficence upon all men regardless of their eternal end. And this is what Brad has correctly described. But again, I do not find anywhere in Scripture that teaches that God "loves" all men, for I believe God's love is strictly and magnificently salvific. It
may be correct to categorize beneficence as a form of love, but to speak of God loving all men is confusing at best and heretical at its worst. I choose to avoid such problems and maintain the strict distinction between love & beneficence and hate & anger. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
In His grace,
