Foreknew?

By "to be" I meant to cause. God chose us to be in Christ meaning that He chose us to make us in Christ. Let's compare some verses, shall we?

"In him" is not the qualifier for election; it is the result of election.

Compare:
(1) Eph 1:4 "he hath chosen us"
(2) 2Th 2:13 "God hath...chosen you"

(1) Eph 1:4 "before the foundation of the world"
(2) 2Th 2:13 "from the beginning"

(1) Eph 1:4 "in him"
(2) 2Th 2:13 "to salvation"

(1) Eph 1:4 "that we should be holy" [hagious]
(2) 2Th 2:13 "through sanctification [hagiosmw] of the Spirit"


In him/to salvation

God chose us to make us "in him."

God did not choose us because we qualified for his choosing by making ourselves "in Christ." He chose us to be in Christ. We are his workmanship. He created us to be in Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 says that God chose us "to salvation." The word to there in the Greek is the word eis, which means "to/in/into." The same word is used in passages like the following:

As Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem, God chose us to salvation. God's election results in salvation; it is not based upon people "qualifying" themselves for it.

Ephesians 1:5 explains the means by which God chose us to be in Christ. He "predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself." God the Father predestinated us for adoption. Jesus Christ adopted us for Himself. This is a similar construct to Colossians 1:16 where all things were created by Jesus Christ and for Him. God is doing all the actions here!


that we should be holy/through sanctification of the Spirit

Now, before you whine about "that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" and "through sanctification of the Spirit," let me explain them ahead of time. Not all occurrences of forms of the words sanctify, sanctification, and holy have to do with our systematized "doctrine of sanctification." The words simply refer to "set apart" and can have a variety of contexts.

God chose us to be in Christ so that we would be set apart from the world. How did he do that? Through sanctification of the Holy Spirit.

God chose us to be in Christ. He chose us into salvation. How did he bring this choice to fruition? The Holy Spirit set us apart. He washed us with regeneration. He renewed us. He sanctified us.


and belief of the truth

Also, let's look at other factor phrases that you might whine about. Yes, we are saved through faith and we are called by the Gospel. You assume that this means that man autonomously contributes this to enable God to complete His saving work on man's behalf. I contend, however, that these are things that God does sovereignly in His effectual work to choose a people to Himself.

First, are saving repentance and faith autonomous contributions of man? No, they are things that God gives:

Before you whine about "were ordained" in Acts 13:48 meaning "disposed themselves," tetagmenoi is a past participle. The word in the exact same tense and voice appear in the following passage:

God gives repentance and faith through regeneration. Without God doing this supernatural intervention on behalf of one, no one will positively respond to the Gospel to salvation. Therefore, God's work of giving repentance and faith is part of the effect of His choosing people in Christ/to salvation. Repentance and faith are the pecuniary means through which one is justified.


continued...

 

whereunto he called you by our gospel

Those who come to gospel faith do so through an effectual call of God. Scriptures that distinguish the effectual call from the general call are ridiculously clear.

These passages demonstrate the truth of a special effectual call that results in salvation. The ones who are saved are "the called" ones (as apposed to those who are not "called"). Also, the Greek word for the church ekklesia means "the called out ones."


continued...

 

Dude, why is it that you cannot understand my point? Election is inseparable from saving faith. Saving faith is a result of the election and work of God. God chose us to be in Christ. He chose us to salvation. He did this "before the foundation of the world." Therefore, at some point in time those whom God chose to save He will ultimately, sovereignly bring them to repentance and faith.

Yes, the position of being "in Christ" comes through faith in Jesus. God chose us to be in Christ and He guarantees that He will bring His elect at some point in their lives to repentance and faith to their salvation.

In Christ we obtained a predestinated inheritance because we were predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself (v. 5). Jesus Christ gave His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He died to purchase the church with His blood (Acts 20:28). He died to redeem "a peculiar people" (Titus 2:14). He "shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

This is not saying what you think it is. The "who first trusted in Christ" are Paul and the apostles. Paul then proceeds in the next verse to say "in whom ye also trusted." Paul is not saying that "first trusting in Christ" is the qualification for being elected. He is dictating the chronological order whereby God saved His people through His election. He saved the apostles and Paul first and then used them to bring salvation to these Gentiles.

Don't forget the context. God the Father made us accepted in the beloved [Jesus Christ]. We did not make ourselves accepted in Christ. God did not choose us outside of Christ; He chose us to be in Christ.

This is not the context of these verses. These verses are saying that just as God raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him, so also He raised us to spiritual life and glorifies us. These verses are NOT saying (as you insist) that we have to be "in Christ" to qualify for God's election; they are saying that God the Father does all these things to us via His election.

Yes, I agree. God chose us "before the foundation of the world" to be joined together with Christ in His body through faith.

How many times do I have to explain this? The verse is NOT saying that God chose "us who are in Christ." The verse is saying that God chose "us to be in Christ." In him in this verse is a preposition phrase that functions as an adverb to describe the manner in which God chose; it is NOT an adjective to describe "us."

You constantly debate by asserting things over and over again. When anyone actually proves your assertions wrong you just ignore them or assert that they are wrong just because, and then you continue to assert them over and over again. You think that just because you assert that something is true, therefore it must be true.

See, here now you just assert this, and you have not provided any reasonable efforts to attempt to rebut all my arguments from Greek words, tenses, voices, moods, grammar, and my verses which demonstrate clear context of what knowing people and foreknowing people must connote. You just assert, assert, assert. You just assume, assume, assume. You merely assume that you win an argument and prove your point by posting verses and arguing an opinion; however, you do not prove that the words mean exactly what you claim they mean.

 

Whosoever

Whosoever hears the gospel of our salvation are chosen to be in Christ, but only those who are in Christ will be saved.

 

False, that is not what the scriptures say. They do not say we are chosen "to be in him", they say we are chosen "in him". You have to be "in Christ" first to be chosen or elected, not the other way around as you falsely teach.

Look, I do not know Greek, and I am not about to take years to study it just to argue with you. I'm sure that if I did know Greek, you would still disagree with me. I am sure many who are expert in Greek disagree with your interpretation of this passage, I know for a fact they do, as I found this from the Jamison, Fausset Brown Commentary.

So, obviously some who know Greek (probably far better than you) disagree with your personal interpretation of Eph 1:4. Take it up with them. I am 100% satified with the English translation God has provided for the English speaking peoples.

 

Yes, I agree with this. God only saves via His gospel:

God uses His Word to rebirth/regenerate people.

A boule is a "counsel." It is something that someone "determines" or "wills" to do as opposed to a thelw, which is a "desire." God determines that He will save a certain people by regenerating them through His own Word. Those who are saved are saved because God effectually accomplished it on their behalf using His Word as a tool to guarantee His results.

Here are some other examples of boule:

Does the Son try to reveal the Father to certain people? In the previous verse Jesus just said that the Father hid things from the wise and revealed them to children.

Does the Holy Spirit try to give His people spiritual gifts or does He actually give them wherein they possess them?

God determined to demonstrate how his counsel cannot be changed and swore upon it. Strong stuff!

As "us-ward" and "beloved" are the saved writer and readers of the epistle, God counsels/determines that none of "us/beloved" shall perish but that all of "us/beloved" should come to repentance before His second coming. God guarantees that all whom He chooses to save will be saved.

God guarantees that His Word will do exactly what He wants it to do:

Praise God for His effectual working power of salvation! He uses His own Word to guarantee the salvation of His people and to make them in Christ!

 

2 Corinthians 5:16
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[Or be a sin offering ] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Timothy 2
Instructions on Worship
1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.