What does it mean by "God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy"?
Ephesians 1:4
NKJV - 4 Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.
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Asked February 27 2014
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Jeriel Mitchell
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
darrell Powell
I agree with Mr. Abshire. The only thing we bring to our conversion is our sin. The word "Pro ginosko" means that God knew us before time, not that He knew what we would do. He did know that we would do good works because he predestined us to good works through the power of the Holy Spirit which God elected to install into us.
For there is none who seeks after God, we have all gone astray.
Does the Bible teach human responsibility? Yes. Christ commands (not asks, or pleads) all men everywhere to come to Him but they 'will not'. So He chooses some that He might be glorified. It is the Power and Wonder of the Gospel that the elect come to Him.
Jennifer Rothnie
Darell, the word proginosko is not in Eph 1:4. Perhaps you are referring to Rom 8:28-30?
"And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined He also called, those He called He also justified..."
God knew His people before time - those with faith, who are called by His name according to His Purpose. (Interestingly enough, 'being' called is present tense, 'loving' God is present tense, showing that being called is a present and ongoing condition we are in, not a one-time event.) Ethnic Israel was once 'called by God's name' (II Chron 7:14), but they were not the true Israel God foreknew and predestined. Rather, the true Israel called by God's name is made of both Jew and Gentile, those who believe in Christ (Rom 9:24-26,) a central feature of Rom 9, Eph 1, and other passages.
Nothing in the Ephesians or Romans passage speaks of choosing people to have faith, but rather God predestining that all with faith of both Jew and Gentile would be conformed to Christ, do good works, be justified, glorified, called by His name, etc.
Ethnic Israel experiences a partial hardening in their own stubbornness and so refused to come, but that was so Gentile believers could be brought in - not a sign that no one can have faith unless God elects them.