I have studied Calvin and Luther and Augustin - and I reject the premise that we do not have free will and in my view the cynical view that some of us are elect and some are not irrespective of our actions and thoughts, principles and heart - G-d is not the head of a lottery - God put us on this earth with a virtuous soul and the ability to choose good over bad and He asks and encourages us to choose good and when we don't he asks us to return to him - and to repent - He is both merciful and judges us - and loves us all - we are not pawns in some random game.
God Bless
“some of us are elect and some are not irrespective of our actions and thoughts....”
I agree, and such is a dreadful unbiblical idea—never taught by Calvin, Luther or Augustine.
As far as human beings are able to see and understand, we do make real choices uncompelled....freely...with real consequences...freely based on our actions and thoughts. Calvinism properly understood has always taught that.
This is why preaching the gospel has always been vitally important—as the good news that Jesus saves—and people having faith and believing that....is the means by which God is calling people to Himself.
However, for God’s free grace to be FREE grace—there is nothing in us that deserves His favor—and God being God has utterly complete freedom of choice, higher than ours...
Romans Chapter 9 spells it out very convincingly—and people who deny God freely choosing a people for Himself—based only on His own secret council—with nothing in us at all deserving...must deny (or usually just ignore, or try to say it doesn’t apply to us now...) Romans 9. Reading that chapter humbly...must make a man bow his head.
There are no robots or machines in this—merely the idea that our freedom does not bind or limit God’s higher freedom—and our free choices are ultimately within His own higher (highest) free choices and ultimate final will...since God is God.
We assume that EITHER God chooses us (and we are robots...) OR we choose God (without being compelled)...anything else is a contradiction, whereas the bible teaches both—God does choose us, and we do choose to follow Him. Both choices are real, and one does not contradict the other. How to resolve this seeming contradiction? You don’t. Any more than you can understand how God can be one Being AND three Persons...from all eternity. Mystery in God’s ways is part of His glory.
No one can say in Heaven, “Wow Lord, this is fantastic! I’m so happy that I was wise enough to choose you, that’s the best thing I ever did!”
Any more than someone else can say in Hell: “Oh, wish I had the chance to choose Jesus, but I never got that opportunity...I was just predestined to be here...”
BOTH ARE WRONG!!!
Rather all in Creation is to His glory alone, and all crowns in Heaven are laid at His feet.