VERSES ON OR REFERRING TO ELECTION

1. Acts 2:39 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Response:

The Lord our God will call all either in the church age (referred to as the first fruits, James 1:18; 2 Thes. 2:13; Rev. 14:4) or in the judgment age. He desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and Christ said he will draw all people to himself (Jn. 12:32).

2. Acts 13:48 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Response: Greek says, “as many as were appointed. “Were” is imperfect indicative active that reflects continuing action in the past and “appointed” is a perfect participle, middle passive, nominative masculine plural. The whole phrase would therefore be: “all who were being appointed for eternal life believed.”

3. John 6:39-65

Response: Verse 39 is about the disciples. Verse 44 says that no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws them. Verse 45 says that everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. These are the ones who heard the Father’s drawing during the church age. Maybe the Father does not draw some in the church age, but will in the eonian judgment when Christ will consummate the kingdom to turn it over to the Father (First Corinthians 15:24-25).

4. Romans 9:15-16 10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[a] 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[b]

14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[c]

Response: God initiated salvation by his grace in that Christ was chosen to die as a sacrifice once and for all to pay the penalty of sin, which is death, for all mankind (John 3:16-17; 1 Tim. 2:6). He chose a line of descendants through which Christ would come. This is why Galatians 3:6-9 says that those who believe are children of Abraham (spiritually speaking). God loved the world and in his grace put his Son over all things to save the world.

5.Romans 11:7 7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened,

Response: Romans 11:12-15 says 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring! 13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save [subjectively] some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

The fall of the Jews was to bring the Gentiles to Christ and his grace. Then it is said here, that glory will be brought on the Jews when they all will be converted and join the Gentiles whom he addresses here. The argument used in Ro. 11:12 proves the future conversion of the Jews.

According to the metaphor, the branches broken off represented the Jews and those engrafted were the Gentiles. Therefore, the Gentiles were beholden to the Jews, not that the Jews were beholden to the Gentiles. The thing is that all will one day be converted and experience the kingdom of heaven on this earth though some of both Jews and Gentiles will have to go through the Judgment age to be made perfect.

6. Hebrews 9:15 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Response: Those having been called (Verb – Perfect participle, middle or passive, nominative masculine plural) were called through the gospel and may receive the promised eternal inheritance. His death was also a ransom for those of the Old Covenant to set them free from their sins (objectively). Since they are dead now they will come to belief (subjectively) in the judgment age (John 5:28-20; Hebrews 6:2).

7. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits[a] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Response: “…God chose you in the church as firstfruits to be saved [subjectively[1]] through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” in the church age. Objectively[2], all are saved by Christ’s atoning sacrifice of his life in payment for our sins (First Timothy 2:6) and to allow him to release us from the curse of death at the resurrection from the dead. God’s calling is through the hearing the gospel in the church age.

8. 1 Corinthians 1:27-30 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Response: It is because of God we are in Christ because in God’s grace he planned for Christ to die and atone objectively for all the sins of mankind. We can only answer the calling when we hear the gospel news, whether in the church age or the judgment age.

9. Romans 8:28-30, 33 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose [His purpose and will is to save all mankind] (First Tim. 2:4-6). 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Response: Did God only foreknow some of mankind or all of mankind? God knows all and foreknew all and of those he foreknew (all mankind) he predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. He created mankind in his own image and planned or predestined mankind to be called according to his purpose, which was to save all mankind (1 Tim. 2:4) that they would ultimately be conformed to the image of his Son. This is a general statement regarding all of mankind regardless of when they would be called by the gospel.

As for bringing a charge against God for choosing some whom some people might think unworthy or too evil to be chosen, it is God’s sovereign prerogative to save whomever he chooses, even if it means all of mankind. It is God who justifies since he has through Christ reconciled the world to himself not counting their sins against them (2 Cor. 5:18-20).

10. 2 Peter 1:3, 10 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,

Response: A reference to their calling in verse 3 and verse 10 says for them to make every effort to confirm their calling and election which refers to their lives of overcoming and standing in the faith during the troublesome time in the end of the Jewish age when this was written. That will confirm or validate their [subjective] calling and election, not that they would lose it.

11. 1 Peter 2:8-10 8 and, 8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”[a]

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Response:

“But you are a [subjectively] chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…” A chosen people are those who have accepted the calling of the gospel and have become believers of Christ.

This was in reference to the church as the elect bride[3] of Christ during the last days of the old Jewish age. She was to become the bride and wife of Christ, her head (Ephesians 5:23). With the destruction of Judea in A.D. 70, the church became the bride and wife of Christ and is still defined as such in Rev. 21:9, which is a reference to the church on earth today. Rev. 22 mentions the river of life flowing from the throne of God and Christ. It further mentions the tree of life that bears fruit every month and the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations which are on this earth during the church age. Christ divorced Judah, then called Judea in A.D. 70, as his wife and simultaneously married the church which had begun years before at Pentecost subsequent to Christ’s sacrificial death. God was married to Israel and then after divorcing her he was married to Judah. Now he, who was the God of the Old Covenant is married to the church under the New Covenant.

12. John 17:2 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

Response:

Verse 6-9 says, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they (Jesus’ disciples) know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them (disciples) the words you gave me and they accepted them. They (disciples) knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them (disciples). I am not praying for the world, but for those (disciples) you have given me, for they are yours.” God the Father had given the Son the disciples out of the world and he was now praying for them.

13. Mark 13:20, 22, 27 20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Response:

“But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen” should read literally according to the Greek: “whom he chose” since the Greek word for chose or chosen is a verb – aorist indicative middle – 3rd person singular. The Aorist tense refers to simple action in the past and does not indicate whether it is completed nor continuing. It just states a past event attained. So the elect here were the ones he chose, not referring to a time in the past when he had chosen them. Only those who come to believe in Christ through hearing the gospel announcement that Christ has died for their sake are chosen in time by God.

Jesus in this chapter warned ahead of what was coming that they should watch and be on guard that they might escape. No one can escape the Second Coming. These verses refer to those in the last days of the Jewish age who were able to escape to Pella (verse 14 and Luke 21:20-22) and other areas after they saw the army of General Cestius Gallus surrounding Jerusalem and then returning to Rome. They realized this army surrounding Jerusalem was the abomination of desolation Jesus warned them. Titus returned and established a siege of Jerusalem and eventually destroyed Jerusalem and the nation of Judea in A.D. 70.

14. Romans 1:6-7 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Response: “Called to belong to Jesus Christ” is referring to the people who belong to Jesus. The Greek word for called here is not a verb but rather an adjective, – nominative masculine plural, giving a description of the people belonging to Christ that are among the Gentiles here in Rome.

The second phrase, “called to be his holy people” is also an adjective (dative masculine plural) referring to these people called saints.

15. John 5:21 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them [physical] life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

Respnose: This is Jesus’ answer to the Jewish leaders who were persecuting him. He said the Son can do nothing by himself, but only what he sees the Father do because whatever the Father does he can do. He further says that the Father loves the Son and will show him (the Son) even greater works so that they (the Jewish leaders) will be amazed. This is followed by verse 21 above.

16. Matthew 24:22, 24, 31 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 31 And he [The Son] will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather [horizontally, geographically] his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Response: The trumpet call is metaphorically the call of the gospel by the apostles to gather believers, who are called the elect or chosen. The Greek translated as “angels” can mean messengers in this verse since that would be what the Apostles were, messengers (eg. Luke 9:52; Mark 1:2). They had to have heard and believed the gospel to become the elect or chosen of God. Many are called but few are chosen. Only the ones who accepted the gospel announcement are the chosen.

The church was the elect bride of Christ and became his wife at the destruction of Judea, his former wife. They are still referred to as his elect because they were chosen through a repentant heart and belief in Christ. They were the chosen after belief in Christ, not before. So the messengers, or Apostles, sent out a call of the gospel and gathered those who responded adding to the church.

17. 2 Timothy 2:10 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Response: He [Timothy] would “… endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory,” at the end when Christ returns and sets up the kingdom of heaven on earth

18. Romans 11:28 28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they [the Jews] are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,

Response: “. . . but as far as election, [being chosen] is concerned, God had a line of descendants that the Christ was to come through and this is where a decision had to be made for that line to continue. Actually, “. . . God has bound everyone [all mankind] over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all [mankind]” (Ro. 11:32).

19. Titus 1:1 1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—

Response: These are those already in the church and it is Paul’s desire to further their faith and knowledge of the truth that will lead to godliness. The elect are those who are in the church after they became believers of the gospel announcement.

20. 1 Peter 1:1-2 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen [not in Greek] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Response: This letter was being addressed to the churches which were elect, or chosen, at that time. To be the chosen or elect, one must believe in Christ as Savior. If chosen according to the foreknowledge of God then this choosing would not be unconditional, which must be done without regard to the knowledge of whether these persons would become good disciples or not.

This verse says that they were chosen (accepted) according to the foreknowledge of God through the Spirit’s sanctifying work in them. God actually participated in sanctifying these persons to become the chosen believers in Christ.

According to Section III and V of chapter 3 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, “By the decree of God . . . some men and angels are predestined unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death . . .without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving him thereunto.”

The fact of the matter is that “who have been chosen” does not appear in the Greek of this verse.

21. Ephesians 1:4-6 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[a] predestined us for adoption to sonship[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Response: Notice in this verse 4 of Ephesians 1 that he chose us (mankind) in him. “He chose us [mankind]” is a third person aorist middle indicative, which refers to a past fact without a definite occurrence or results. The phrase “in him” is used as an adverbial phrase denoting “how” God chose us. He chose us in him who would be the Savior of the world of mankind (1 John 4:14), and he predestined us [mankind] to be holy and blameless and the adopted sons of God. God wants to adopt us all as his sons who will be holy and blameless and morally righteous in our thinking. Genesis 1:27 says “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

See response to number 22 for more explanation.

22. Ephesians 1:11, 12 11 In him we [Jews] were also chosen, [Literally: obtained an inheritance] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we [Jews], who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Response: We were also chosen is not in the Greek and should be “obtained” rather than chosen. Obtained is a verb, 1st person plural aorist passive indicative and should read: “In him in whom an inheritance was obtained.” It is a past fact without a definite occurrence or results.

Another phrase is “. . . having been predestined,” is a verb - accusative, masc,, plural aorist active participle.

And verse 13 goes on to say, “And you [Gentiles] also were included [subjectively] in Christ when you heard the message of the truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed [the calling by the announcement that you had been saved objectively by Christ’s one time atonement on the cross], you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” These Gentiles became chosen, or the elect, with their acceptance of the gospel announcement.

23. John 1:12-13 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Response: Cf. John 1:7-9 that says: 7 He [John the Baptist] came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. But to those who did receive him he gave them the authority to be children of God. The order is: Believe in Christ and become a child of God.

24. John 15:16 16 You [his disciples] did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Response: Spoken to Jesus’s disciples (See John 14). Jesus chose and appointed them for a special purpose.

25. 2 Timothy 1:9 9 He has saved us [objectively] and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

Response: The Father and the Son are calling to mankind today, but they don’t force us to accept, so all will not come now. Another chance will be given at the Judgment to believe in Christ with an invitation into the kingdom. He must repent and believe who Christ is and what he has done to provide salvation objectively to all mankind. Now this one must receive this truth subjectively receiving Christ as his Savior also.

26. James 1:18 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Response:

Who are the other fruits of all created?

27. Rev. 13:8 8 All inhabitants of the earth [land, limiting the “All” at the beginning of this sentence} will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.[a]

Response: “have not been written” according to the Greek is a verb that informs us that it is referring to completed passive action in the present, not the past. It is a 3rd person singular perfect passive indicative verb. This means that at the time this was written these persons did not have their names written in the book of life, but could have them written in later by believing in Christ.

“was slain” should be translated as having been slain from the foundation of the world. It is a completed passive action in the present, not the past. It is a genitive neuter singular perfect passive participle. This means that the Lamb at the time this was written was considered presently in a slain condition from the creation of the world.

Note for information only: Verses where the aorist verb appears: Mark 13:20; Ephesians 1:4 & Ephesians 1:11, 12.

[1] Subjectively – Personally experiencing conversion or salvation in the present through faith in what Christ did.

[2] Objectively – A reference to salvation as accomplished factually and historically on the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished.’

[3] Elect bride, the church – “Chosen for marriage at some future time” (Meriam Webster Dictionary). Example: the president elect. Elected but not inaugurated. To be married to Christ at the destruction of Judea (formerly Judah and wife of Yahweh guilty of adultery) in A.D. 70. Christ is now the head of his wife, the church (Ephesians 5:23-24).