Does God hide His Freedom in a mist of uncertainty?

Great piece by Alan Kurschner over at Pros Apologian concerning the road block of mystery that many will throw up at the mention of predestination in Scripture. Is God unclear in His Word?

“If you have been a Calvinist for some time, you have heard the objection ‘Predestination is a mystery,’ or some version of that. Often it is a good-intentioned pious remark, and other times it is intended to blunt discussion on the certainty that God has spoken with clarity of his freedom in saving a people for himself. Recently someone responded to me, ‘I’m not a complete fan of Calvinism...because I feel it’s a little too boxy for such a huge, deep spiritual truth [predestination] within a Spiritual realm that we cannot completely comprehend.’

Not sure what is meant by “completely comprehend”? If he means by that we cannot completely comprehend God’s unfathomable love for us rebel sinners that he would elect us unto salvation, then no one is going to disagree with that. But if he means that we cannot have certainty that God has spoken with clarity of his free grace to bestow on undeserved sinners because that truth is too “deep” then I completely disagree since the apostle Paul is absolutely clear in Romans 9 that election does not depend on what we do but on his freedom and wisdom.”

It is uncanny that those who will throw a “pitch-fork rebellion” to oust liberals (ok, given what’ going on in the ECUSA we can call them “moderates”) who doubt the clarity and veracity of Scripture would turn around and argue that (a) we just don’t know what it means when it uses terms like “predestined” and “election” ; or (b) it does not say what it clearly says. I do not think it gets any clearer than Romans 8:28-39.

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, I ask. If all things (I do mean all) work together for those who love God and are called according to His purpose; if all of those He foreknew (meaning fore-loved, see Amos 3:2, or Genesis 4:1) He called; if all of those He called He justified; if all of those He justified He glorified; if He completed that work such that nothing, according to verse 39, can separate those called ones, elect ones, from God, then how can anyone say He loves, died, and chose every person exactly the same? Did Christ die savingly for those in Hell right now?

I like the way John MacArthur asks the question, “Did Christ die for a potential salvation or an actual salvation?” Did He die to leave the eternal destiny of His Church in the hands of men while He sits in Heaven wringing His hands in the hope that some would benefit from His death and resurrection? Or did He die saying, “It is finished”?

I realize that I have veered off into limited atonement, or actual atonement really, and the origininal post by Alan was on predestination. However, all of it is clear. Scripture is not confusing on Who saves us in spite of our sinful nature.

What is scary to me is that anyone embracing the name of Christ, given the clarity of His Word on these matters, would call Calvinism “a different religion.” What religion are they following? Where are they learning about it? It certainly isn’t the Bible.