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The fact that some sinners are not elected to salvation is no proof that God's attitude toward them is utterly devoid of sincere love. We know from Scripture that God is compassionate, kind, generous, and good even to the most stubborn sinners. Who can deny that those mercies flow out of God's boundless love? It is evident that they are showered even on unrepentant sinners.

Surely His pleading with the lost, His offers of mercy to the reprobate, and the call of the gospel to all who hear are all sincere expressions of the heart of a loving God. Remember, He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but tenderly calls sinners to turn from their evil ways and live.

I will agree that the offer of mercy to the reprobate and his call of the gospel to all who hear are sincere expressions of God's love, but only if the offer is sincere. In order to make the offer sincere, God must grant to all to whom the offer is extended the ABILITY to respond to that offer. Otherwise the offer is illusory. If the offer of salvation is illusory, then the expression of love is equally illusory.

So what exactly is MacArthur trying to say?

I will agree that the offer of mercy to the reprobate and his call of the gospel to all who hear are sincere expressions of God's love, but only if the offer is sincere. In order to make the offer sincere, God must grant to all to whom the offer is extended the ABILITY to respond to that offer.

What does ability have to do with the sincerity of an offer? I don't see how the two are linked. The offer is the offer irrespective of anyone's ability.

Otherwise the offer is illusory. If the offer of salvation is illusory, then the expression of love is equally illusory.

That's true only if you accept the premise that sincerity depends on ability. A premise I have yet to see proven so I don't accept it.

He is on the horns of the absolute foreknowledge dilemma.

Yet, we, too, are confronted by that same dilemma. If God foreknew those who would fail and be destroyed, then from the beginning He knew those on whom His love would ABIDE and REMAIN. From the beginning God knew of the fall and of His plan to offer Christ as the remedy for sin, and this was before the sin ever took place.

Our answer is that those who received the fullness of His love were worth it to Him. That all the lostness truly caused our Lord grief, but that the promise of those who received His abiding love made it all worth while.