When and why did God choose us? Are some not chosen? The act of election came before Christ earned o ...

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When and why did God choose us? Are some not chosen? The act of election came before Christ earned our salvation when he died on the cross for us. The election is chronologically the beginning of God’s dealing with us in a gracious way. Therefore, it is rightly thought of as the first step in the process of God’s bringing salvation to us individually. Other steps in God’s work of applying salvation to our lives include our hearing that gospel call, our being regenerated by the Holy Spirit, our responding in faith and repentance, and God forgiving us and giving us membership in his family, as well as granting us growth I the Christian life and keeping us faithful to himself throughout life. Several passages in the New Testament seem to affirm quite clearly that God ordained beforehand those who would be saved. Luke writes, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of God; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). How many believed? “As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” In Romans 8:28-30, we read: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. For those who he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those who he justified he also glorified”. Regarding the fact that some of the people of Israel were saved, but others were not, Paul says: “Israel failed to obtain what it sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened” (Rom. 11:7). In Thessalonians, Paul goes on to says that the fact that the Thessalonians believed the gospel when he preached it (“for our gospel came to you…in power…and with full conviction” (1 Thess. 1:4-5)) is the reason he knows that God chose them (“we are bound to give thanks to God…because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13)). God chose us simply because he decided to bestow his love upon us. It was not because of any foreseen faith or foreseen merit in us. This understanding of election has traditionally been called “unconditional election.” It is “unconditional” because it is not conditioned upon anything that God sees in us that makes us worthy of his choosing us.