There is a point of interest I hold onto that resolves the problem of ‘God‘s love for all’ and ‘his choice of some in election’, that surprisingly both Luther and Calvin express in their own way and goes largely untoiced.
It is important to allow apparent contradictions in our reason to fully grasp the gospel by our faith. How can any believe the gospel if they do not believe the gospel is offered to all? Preaching the gospel to an unbeliever is a form of deception in my mind, if it is not offered and believed without any consideration of the doctrine of election. Sinners believe Christ died for them because they believe he died for all. Also, how can we deny God‘s individual election of souls from eternity when it is so clearly stated in so many parts of scripture? We can believe God loves all men and only saved some by recognising the way both Luther and Calvin allowed it in faith. The truth is finally not in a balance of two extremes but in both extremes. God loves all extremenly and God will only save the elect, without a chance of an exception. This I can believe by faith in he that is so much greater than my mind.
Calvin expresses it in the sense of God having ’two wills‘. Here he iis talking about Chrit‘s longing to save the Jews that reject him:
The will of God, which is here mentioned, must be judged from the
result. For since by his word he calls all men indiscriminately to
salvation, and since the end of preaching is, that all should betake
themselves to his guardianship and protection, it may justly be said
that he wills to gather all to himself. It is not, therefore, the
secret purpose of God, but his will, which is manifested by the nature
of the word, that is here described; for, undoubtedly, whomsoever he
efficaciously wills to gather, he inwardly draws by his Spirit, and
does not merely invite by the outward voice of man. If it be objected,
that it is absurd to suppose the existence of two wills in God, I
reply, we fully believe that his will is simple and one; but as our
minds do not fathom the deep abyss of secret election, in
accommodation to the capacity of our weakness, the will of God is
exhibited to us in two ways. And I am astonished at the obstinacy of
some people, who, when in many passages of Scripture they meet with
that figure of speech (ἀνθÏωποπαÌθεια) which
attributes to God human feelings, take no offence, but in this case
alone refuse to admit it. But as I have elsewhere treated this subject
fully, that I may not be unnecessarily tedious, I only state briefly
that, whenever the doctrine, which is the standard of union, is
brought forward, God wills to gather all, that all who do not come may
be inexcusable.
Calvin, J., & Pringle, W. (2010). Commentary on a Harmony of the
Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Vol. 3, p. 109).
Here he is talking about John 3:16
That whosoever believeth in him may not perish. What a praise of
faith, that it delivers us from eternal destruction! Christ means
clearly that even though we are born for death, by faith in him we are
offered a sure deliverance from it; therefore, we ought not to fear
the death which still awaits us. And now he adds a universal call,
inviting all men without exception to share in life, and leaving
unbelievers without an excuse. The word world, in the previous phrase,
has the same significance. Even though there is nothing in the world
worthy of God’s favor, he shows himself gracious toward the whole
world, and he invites all men without exception to faith in Christ,
which is nothing less than entering into Life.
On the other hand, let us remember that while life is promised in Christ to all who believe, only a small part of the people are
believers. Christ is indeed presented to all, but God opens the eyes
of the elect alone, and enables them by faith to seek after him. The
wonderful effect of faith is also seen in our receiving Christ from
the Father, who has in Christ truly freed us from the punishment of
eternal death, and made us heirs of eternal life; for by the sacrifice
of his death, Christ has expiated our sins; and now nothing keeps God
from acknowledging us as his sons. Since therefore faith embraces
Christ, together with the efficacy of his death and the fruit of his
resurrection, it is no wonder that by faith likewise we obtain the
very Life of Christ.
Haroutunian, J., & Smith, L. P. (1958). Calvin: Commentaries (pp.
193–194). Westminster Press
Here he is talking about how God doe snot delight in the death of the wicked:
Besides, it is not surprising that our eyes should be blinded by
intense light, so that we cannot certainly judge how God wishes all
to be saved, and yet has devoted all the reprobate to eternal
destruction, and wishes them to perish. While we look now through a
glass darkly, we should be content with the measure of our own
intelligence. (1 Cor. 13:12.) When we shall be like God, and see him
face to face, then what is now obscure will then become plain. But
since captious men torture this and similar passages, it will be
needful to refute them shortly, since it can be done without trouble.
God is said not to wish the death of a sinner. How so? since he wishes all to be converted. Now we must see how God wishes all to
be converted; for repentance is surely his peculiar gift: as it is his
office to create men, so it is his province to renew them, and restore
his image within them. For this reason we are said to be his
workmanship, that is, his fashioning. (Eph. 2:10.) Since, therefore,
repentance is a kind of second creation, it follows that it is not in
man’s power; and if it is equally in God’s power to convert men as
well as to create them, it follows that the reprobate are not
converted, because God does not wish their conversion; for if he
wished it he could do it: and hence it appears that he does not wish
it. But again they argue foolishly, since God does not wish all to be
converted, he is himself deceptive, and nothing can be certainly
stated concerning his paternal benevolence. But this knot is easily
untied; for he does not leave us in suspense when he says, that he
wishes all to be saved. Why so? for if no one repents without finding
God propitious, then this sentence is filled up. But we must remark
that God puts on a twofold character: for he here wishes to be taken
at his word. As I have already said, the Prophet does not here dispute
with subtlety about his incomprehensible plans, but wishes to keep our
attention close to God’s word. Now, what are the contents of this
word? The law, the prophets, and the gospel. Now all are called to
repentance, and the hope of salvation is promised them when they
repent: this is true, since God rejects no returning sinner: he
pardons all without exception; meanwhile, this will of God which he
sets forth in his word does not prevent him from decreeing before the
world was created what he would do with every individual: and as I
have now said, the Prophet only shows here, that when we have been
converted we need not doubt that God immediately meets us and shows
himself propitious.
Calvin, J., & Myers, T. (2010). Commentary on the First Twenty
Chapters of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (Vol. 2, pp. 247–249).
Here he is refering to the verse you are asking about:
Hence we see the childish folly of those who represent this passage to
be opposed to predestination. “If God,” say they, “wishes all men
indiscriminately to be saved, it is false that some are predestinated
by his eternal purpose to salvation, and others to perdition.” They
might have had some ground for saying this, if Paul were speaking here
about individual men; although even then we should not have wanted the
means of replying to their argument; for, although the will of God
ought not to be judged from his secret decrees, when he reveals them
to us by outward signs, yet it does not therefore follow that he has
not determined with himself what he intends to do as to every
individual man.
Calvin, J., & Pringle, W. (2010). Commentaries on the Epistles to
Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (p. 54).
Even beter to me is the way Luther describes the same thing, God‘s hidden will or himself and his revealed will or his word. In fact you see his method of thinking across many parts of his writings and is a fundamental character of his faith. Luther was preaching before Calvin. Some of Calvin’s ideas probably have actually come from Luther but we will never now to what degree.
He is here arguing against Erasmus who was trying to oppose predestination:
Diatribe, however, deceives herself in her ignorance by not making any >distinction between God preached and God hidden, that is,
between the Word of God and God himself. God does many things that he
does not disclose to us in his word; he also wills many things which
he does not disclose himself as willing in his word. Thus he does
not will the death of a sinner, according to his word; but he wills it
according to that inscrutable will of his. It is our business,
however, to pay attention to the word and leave that inscrutable will
alone, for we must be guided by the word and not by that inscrutable
will. After all, who can direct himself by a will completely
inscrutable and unknowable? It is enough to know simply that there is
a certain inscrutable will in God, and as to what, why, and how far it
wills, that is something we have no right whatever to inquire into,
hanker after, care about, or meddle with, but only to fear and adore.
It is therefore right to say, “If God does not desire our death, the fact that we perish must be imputed to our own will.” It is right,
I mean, if you speak of God as preached; for he wills all men to be
saved [1 Tim. 2:4], seeing he comes with the word of salvation to all,
and the fault is in the will that does not admit him, as he says in
Matthew 23[:37]: “How often would I have gathered your children, and
you would not!” But why that majesty of his does not remove or change
this defect of our will in all men, since it is not in man’s power to
do so, or why he imputes this defect to man, when man cannot help
having it, we have no right to inquire; and though you may do a lot of
inquiring, you will never find out. It is as Paul says in Romans
11[9:20]: “Who are you, to answer back to God?” Let these remarks
suffice for that passage of Ezekiel, and let us go on to the rest.
Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 33: Career of the Reformer III (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.; Vol. 33, p.
140). Fortress Press
Here are some similar thoughts in Romans:
This understanding of which he speaks is faith itself, or the
knowledge of the invisible things and the things which must be
believed. Therefore it is an understanding in concealment because
it deals with those things which a man cannot know of himself, as we
read John 14:6: “No one comes to the Father but by Me,” and again
(John 6:44): “No one can come to Me unless the Father … draws him,”
and to Peter (Matt. 16:17), “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For
flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in
heaven.” How, therefore, can those on the left, the ungodly and the
sensual, know this, because they regard only visible things? And how
can those on the right, who consider only their own opinion and give
weight only to that? Both groups put up a barrier for themselves and
establish a foreign obstacle blocking out the light of a clear
understanding of this matter.
Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 25: Lectures on Romans (J. J.
Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.; Vol. 25, pp. 224–225).
Concordia Publishing House
For thus Is. 64:8 says: “Yet, O Lord, Thou art our Father; we are the
clay, and Thou art our potter; we are all the work of Thy hand.”
Therefore these people who do not have the Spirit flee and do not want
the works of God to be done but want to form themselves. But those who
have the Spirit are helped by Him. Thus they do not lose hope but have
confidence, even though they are aware of what goes contrary to what
they have so sincerely prayed for. For the work of God must be
hidden and never understood, even when it happens. But it is never
hidden in any other way than under that which appears contrary to our
conceptions and ideas. Hence Gabriel says to the Virgin: “The Holy
Spirit will come upon you,” that is, He will come upon you in a way
which is above what you think, “and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you” (Luke 1:35), that is, you will not understand, and
therefore do not ask how it will come to pass.
Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 25: Lectures on Romans (J. J.
Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.; Vol. 25, p. 366).
Concordia Publishing House.
