Again, you are missing the IN CHRIST part.
By way of analogy, consider Noah's ark. The wickedness of men was great in those days, and God, in his foreknowledge, was not caught unaware of the same. Instead, he foreknew, from before the foundation of the world, that it would eventually be so. At that time, God's Spirit was not only striving with men, but we also know that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. In other words, God was actively seeking, via his Spirit and the preaching of righteousness, to save everybody. Furthermore, God provided a "chosen" or "elected" means of escape, which he foreknew from before the foundation of the world, or he chose Noah's Ark. In his foreknowledge, he knew who would favorably respond to the promptings of his Spirit and the preaching of righteousness, and he also foreknew who would unfavorably reject the same, but he still genuinely strove with everybody. Those who got on the Ark did so of their own freewill choices, and those who did not board the Ark chose not to of their own freewill choices. With these things in mind, we could rightfully say that God foreknew who was going to be found "in the Ark" before the foundation of the world, and, similarly, God foreknew who was going to be found IN CHRIST before the foundation of the world. This does not mean that God chose who was going to be in either the Ark or Christ, but simply that he foreknew who would be.
I honestly cannot believe that we even have to have such a discussion. Can I tell you, plainly, what this whole discussion reminds me of?
Before I got saved, I spent some time at the racetrack. One night, a man placed a $100 bill on the floor with a hidden invisible wire attached to it. He then stood there for about an hour while sadistically and gleefully watching people bend over hastily to grab the $100 dollar bill, only to have it snatched away from their grasp at the last second. I actually saw one man go for it with such fervor that he did a somersault on his head before crashing his body onto the floor as the $100 bill was snatched away from his outreaching grasp at the last second.
This is Calvin's "god."
He puts the gift of salvation before certain unsaved people via the preaching of the gospel, and then he sadistically and gleefully pulls it away from their grasp because they never really had a chance to lay hold of it. Calvin's "god" is not the God of the Bible, and he is certainly not my "god." I REPUDIATE Calvin's "god" with every fiber of my being.
This really is how I feel too
“I honestly cannot believe that we even have to have such a discussion.”
“Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
Hebrews 13:8 KJV
to know him we need to start here
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;”
Mark 1:1 KJV
“And
we know that the Son of God is come, and
hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Little children,
keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”
1 John 5:20-21 KJV
to believe in him we need to look here to the witnesses he sent out to reveal him to all
“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in
this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;
and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
John 20:30-31
“As thou hast sent me into the world, even so
have I also sent them into the world. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
( nt of the Bible is thier word through which we believe )
that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
John 17:18, 20-21
faith comes from there the message of the gospel creates it in the hearts of believers
To have faith we have to listen here
“But what saith it?
The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
that
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness; and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the scripture saith,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is
no difference between the Jew and the Greek:
for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in him of whom
they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And
how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For
Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God.”
Romans 10:8-17 KJV
even Isaiah was proclaiming faith in Christ then to them beforehand
“
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? ….Surely
he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But
he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and
the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah 53:1, 4-6 KJV
Still after he came they preached repentance and faith in him through Gods word
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that
ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not;
but
committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are
now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
1 Peter 2:21-25 KJV