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And what would you think if it were revealed to you that you were not one of the chosen? How would you respond if you knew that God had created you purposely for eternal damnation and that there was nothing you could do about it? Would you describe this as a God of love and mercy?

And what would you think if it were revealed to you that you were not one of the chosen?

First of all, this is an unrealistic hypothetical, as the state of anyone's election is God's businesses and His alone.

Second, the non-elect would rejoice, as they are enemies of God prior to conversion (as are the elect).

Finally, our human response to the doctrine is not the issue. When we try to make it the issue, we end up twisting scripture to align with our feelings. God owes us no apology or explanation for His sovereignty. As Paul explains in Romans 9:

19One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ”h 21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? 22What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

And what would you think if it were revealed to you that you were not one of the chosen?

God is so loving and kind that He does not do so, yet leaves door open. But as you have seen from my last posting, no one does without His intervention.

The rest see without seeing, and hear without hearing of His sacrifice every time they eat meat and every time they eat from any green plant. They see Him (without seeing) in His marvelous order of creation, in how they have their conscious, and the laws on which they base their lives but do not pay attention to.

And we do not know who the elect (Christ's word) are so the Gospel must be preached to everyone.

The elect are predestined in His marvelous love. The reprobate are left to themselves on the hope that the misery of sin will cause repentance. We only know the difference by their fruits.