It is certainly true that when children of believers reach the age of discernment [who never repent or believe] they will have alienated themselves from God and destroyed utterly the truth of baptism.
But this is not to say that our Lord has not elected them
and separated them from others
in order to grant them His salvation.
Otherwise, it would be in vain for Saint Paul to say that a child of a believing father or mother is sanctified, who would be impure if he were born of and descended from unbelievers (1 Cor. 7:14).
~John Calvin Treatises Against the Anabaptists and Against the Libertines pg. 52
What does that mean?
i.e. How is:
“elected them and separated them from others in order to grant them His salvation”
and
“they will have alienated themselves from God and destroyed utterly the truth of baptism”
both true of the same individual?
Thanks for the answer. I think what confuses me with the Calvin passage is my understanding of election is that it is unalterable. (perhaps I misunderstand?) Yet Calvin indicates the individual in question is elected in order to grant him God’s salvation yet that individual is also able to alienate himself from God and destroy the truth of his baptism. If he is elect how is he able to do that. My understanding is that when a covenant child is baptized they are part of the covenant. (Doug Wilson has just laid out a summary in his blog indicating the same understanding) They may, or may not, be part of the elect. But Calvin seems to be indicating that all baptized children are of the elect yet some will be alienated from God. What am I missing?
It would be the same as Paul in Romans 2.3-5:
“Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”
So of the same person it is said that God is giving them time due to “kindness…meant to lead you to repentance” and it is for “storing up wrath for yourself” which would be according to God’s eternal decree.
Elect (chosen) for what? Elect for the visible church apparently, without settling the issue of whether they are elect to more than that.
Ah, that makes sense. I tend to default to elect for salvation when I hear elect.