The word all means...all. All things leaves nothing out. All means all in the Gospel message too. Everyone, All, can understand and respond to the Gospel. That is why the Gospel is offered to ALL people everywhere and whosoever believes. We know from Romans 1 that everyone knows the truth and are wthout excuse. I disagree with Dr. James White, Romans 9 doesn't narrow down the scope of election to just those few people that God desires to abitrarily save or still does it this way and you just don't know why. So, you mark it up to His sovereignty. I too believe in a sovereign God, but I don't serve an abitrary God. One who doesn't act according to His nature. So, I believe that Dr. William Lane Craig is correct and that the scope of election reffered to in Romans 9 is exactly the opposite. It's broader that some believe.
The Jews in Romans think that they have a leg up on salvation, but they don't. The ethnic Jews found it unthinkable that God woud reject his chosen people and allow the gentiles in. Romans 9 shows the broader scope of God's sovereignty in electing whom he choses--meaning the gentiles too. The chapeter tells us that no one has a right to question His good character. We can certainly question ones doctrine of limited atonement because it is contrary to the character of God. He did not pre-program humans to desire or not desire and to respond or not respond to the Gospel. It is the supremely omnibenevolent, loving character that Christians ascribe to God. He is not a discriminator and will chose any and ALL people of any and ALL ethnic backgrounds based on their faith alone. A faith that they freely exercise.
The Calvinist view, as much as I love Jeff Durbin, James White, and one of my earliest guides Francis Schaeffer...limits God's all knowing, all powerful, and all LOVING nature. I believe that Dr. White, again whom I respect, has misrepresented Dr. Craig in his videos. We will likely not settle these issues this side of Heaven, but a few friendly exchanges and debates are allows beneficial to iron sharpening iron.
I believe that anyone who makes an excuse (Romans 1) is making a free choice. Act 17:26 says that God marked out our appointed times in history and the boundaries of our lands. God did this so that we would seek him and "perhaps" reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. This desire to seek is a curiosity of human beings. It is not limited to only those tagged to have certain desires.
Yes, God knew who would believe, but he did not cause them to believe or have the desire not to believe. In my mind that would be a weaker, manipulatvie God. Sovereign, yes, but not one I desire to follow. That sort of sovereign would be like an evil Pagan king who decided to save or punish his people arbitrarily because he could.
As I read Scripture, I don't believe that our ability to respond to the Gospel isn't a work. Again and again it speaks of recieving and accepting. I do not believe that is some power we have that deminishes God and bends Him to our will. No, His providential plan will be achieved. Assenting to the truth or help isn't a work. It's a response. It's something you freely recieve.
I believe it is actully our free human choices which most glorify God's supreme sovereignty and illustrate the greatest provision of love. Love cannot be forced. That's why there is a time when some will be separated from God. Separation from all God and all that is good will not be desireable, regardless of your concept of hell. But Heaven will not be forces on anyone. It seems obvious that love must be free or it is not love. God is the greatest conceivable being, so how could He not manifest the greatest conceivable love? The God who can, in His foreknowledge, providentially elect, ordain, create, and achieve His purposes with free creatures is a greater being. A God who entered history and offers salvation to everyone is the one I serve. He is a truly sovereign God.
His sovereignty is manifest in creation, but but designed in his foreknowledge logically prior to creation. He didn't look into the future to see what we would do. He knew what any free creatures he created would do in any circumstance. He created a world that would most glorify Him.
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