God's Love for the Non-Elect

Previously on this blog, I have written about God's love for His enemies. Recently, there has been some conversation about God's love for the non-elect on the Reformed Baptist Discussion List. One of the contributors to that List, David Ponter, recently wrote the following re: God's love for the non-elect, and I commend it to anyone reading this blog:

Does Scripture speak of God having any volitional or emotional disposition of favor to any who we can identify as non-elect, or whom it is clear God has identified as sinners who shall never be saved? Yes: Rom 2:4-5, John 3:16 with John 12:47-47. Clearly in Romans 2:5 the subjects of the long-suffering, given to direct them to repentance, are the vessels of wrath, who have stored up wrath for themselves for the day of wrath. And John 3:16 (with John 12:47-47) by obvious implication, the world of apostate humanity is loved, including even ultimate 'rejectors.' This world is subject of Christ's redemptive activities. And we have the passages where God-incarnate speaks to sinners as desiring and seeking their salvation, sinners who finally reject Christ and were not saved (Matt 23:37 and Jn 5:34).

In reading the statement above, I was especially struck by the use of Romans 2:4-5. Those addressed in these verses are hypocrites who will NOT escape the judgment of God (verse 3); they will face God's wrath on the day of judgment (verse 5b). AND YET verse 4 speaks of God's kindness, forbearance, and patience toward these individuals, and these aspects of God's disposition toward those destined for wrath are intended (in some sense) to lead these people to repentance.