If an Arminian asks you how God can require saving faith from people when they are unable to exercise it, you may reply that under the covenant of works, prior to the fall of mankind, there was nothing that could prevent Adam from believing in the second head of the trinity and obeying the moral law perfectly. Now although through the fall man lost both of these abilities, God has not lost His authority to require from man what he owes Him. Consequently man is still responsible to repent and believe. Besides, the reprobates still have an ability to exercise a historical faith in Christ and an outward, legal repentance; yet many are too hardened to do this little bit that they are still able to do through God's common grace.

In regard to God's universal love, low calvinists will say yes, high calvinists will say no. It may be said that God loves all his creatures as creatures, and that he is good to all, even the worse of devils (as Jesus allowed a legion to go into a herd of pigs), and even the worse of reprobates (like king Ahab). Jesus also loved the rich young ruler, but this does not mean that God the Father loved them with an everlasting love and had purposed to save them.

Beside, when semi-Pelagians/Arminians use John 3:16 to teach that God loves everybody soooo muchhhh, they err since they are merely making an emotional appeal to people. Their approach basically appeals to man's self-love and self-worth and fails to deal with man's sinfulness. You should read Jonathan Edwards "A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections." It's an excellent classic which shows how people can mislead themselves in hypocrisy over a conversion experience, and think that they are saved when they totally aren't.

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Jean-David Jutras
URCNA
Alberta