Did God Elect People By Name Before The Foundation Of The World?

A congregation in my area says on their website – “The salvation of humanity is fundamentally the work of God. Before the foundation of the world, God elected His people, setting His affection and grace upon them (Rom. 8:29-30). In love, God predestined His people for adoption (Eph. 1:4-6). Faith is a gift of grace that is given by the mercy and pleasure of God, so that no one may boast. Apart from the intervention of God, humanity cannot choose of his own accord to worship God and pursue righteousness (Rom. 3; Eph. 2:1-3). God’s sovereignty in salvation is comprehensive: from first to last, all of salvation is the work of God.”

Normally when people say “Before the foundation of the world, God elected His people” (with an explanation similar to the above), they mean the Calvinist view of predestination – that God has decided from the foundation of the world the names (as opposed to the character) of who will and won’t be saved, and so we don’t have any choice in the matter our salvation (called Unconditional Election), and that Jesus only died for those thus chosen (the Limited Atonement).

My daughter and I were talking about this and she called Calvinism “abhorrent.” She is so right. According to this doctrine (as asserted above) not only are certain ones picked for heaven not really having a choice because faith is forced upon them (“Faith is a gift of grace that is given by the mercy and pleasure of God”), but others are destined for everlasting punishment with no chance to change that destination (no matter how much they want to serve God) because Jesus didn’t die for them. But the below verses against the Limited Atonement and Unconditional Election are super clear to me.

against Limited Atonement:

Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

I Tim 4:10 … God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

I John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

I Tim 2:6 who (Christ Jesus) gave himself a ransom for all …

against Unconditional Election:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

II Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, … but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Heb 5:9 … he (Jesus) became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him

II Pet 1:10 brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure

Mark 16:16a He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved

II Chron 7:14 If my people … shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin

Is there anything hard to understand about the above passages?

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