What can you say to Eph:1:4: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: That says in plain english that we were chosen by God before the foundation of the earth. To deny that Christ chose you is to deny part of the Bible.
Let's deal with this methodically, in sequence. First, everyone agrees that
we are saved by God's grace, through faith. Where does that SAVING FAITH come from? According to "predestinationists", it is BEQUEATHED (installed) by God. Referencing Ezekiel 36:26-27;
yet in the MIRROR passage in Ezekiel 11:19-20--- verses 18 and 21 plainly show VOLITION, not PREDESTINATION.
According to Paul,
saving faith comes from a man's OWN HEART (see Rom10:10,17). NOT from God, And this makes sense---if Faith was a BEQUEATH from God, then Paul would have meant,
"For by grace have you been saved through grace". FAITH that is
irresistibly INSTALLED by God, is but a second dispensation of GRACE. "By grace through grace have you been saved". But it says, rather, "by grace THROUGH FAITH."
That we come to Him by our own volition, is consistent with every part of the New Testament. The argument of "the SHEEP know His voice" (meaning that HE CHOSE WHO WOULD
BE THE SHEEP) is removed merely by reading John10:9; "TIS",
anyone (it says "if ANYONE enters through Me"---this is universal, not limited). John1:12, 3:16-20, 8:43-44, Revelation 22:17 are but SOME of the many passages that say "salvation is by CHOICE." Romans 5:17-18 is a favorite passage of mine---it undeniably shows
justification is UNIVERSAL IN AVAILABILITY, but only is REALIZED by those who RECEIVE the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. "Predestined-Election" demands the parallel belief of "Limited Atonement"---and it is easy to demonstrate that atonement is NOT limited; Jesus came to be the "propitiation for our sins, and not just ours (the SAVED), but also the HOLOS KOSMOS
entire world. The WORLD can be saved,
if they BELIEVE...
What about the "I chose you before the foundation of the world"? And "you did not choose Me but I chose you"? (Eph1, John15) The
chosen-in-Him is by
voluntary belief, free-will-receiving-Christ; HE is "predestined before the beginning",
that whosoever BELIEVES should not perish but have eternal life." Whosoever believes? According to "Predestined-Election" ("Calvinism", "Irresistible Grace),
only those God DECIDES can believe; but according to Scripture,
"Let (O THELOS) WHOSOEVER WILL take of the river of life FREELY." Rev22:17 There is NO WAY to twist Rev22:17 to reflect "LIMITED".
Because SAVING-FAITH comes not from God
but from a person's OWN HEART, 2Thess2:13 plainly says, "God has chosen you from the beginning through sanctification by the Spirit,
and by faith in the truth". By WHOSE FAITH? By OUR faith.
Matt22:2-14 allegorizes salvation; by the end, ALL have been called; but only those who CAME,
and clothed themselves with righteousness,
only THEY became the CHOSEN. Jesus very clearly says, "for MANY are CALLED but FEW are CHOSEN." Let me ask you a simple question---if Jesus had asserted a gospel of "predestination", then could ANYONE who WAS called, not be chosen? NO! According to the parable, EVERYONE is called; and those who CAME and became RIGHTEOUS, became the chosen.
Jesus was "from the beginning"; we were "chosen in Him from the beginning", when and IF we receive Him.
If Paul really believed that
it is GOD who MAKES us holy and blameless before Him in love (as you quoted from Eph), then Paul would NEVER have written Col1:21-23:
"...present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--- IF INDEED you CONTINUE in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and NOT BE MOVED AWAY from the HOPE of the gospel..." (the HOPE of the GOSPEL, is JESUS! 1Tim1:1)
Can you really read this Col1:23 passage and still assert that Paul embraced "Predestination"? This is only one place of many where Paul issues stern warnings (see 1Tim4:1,16; Heb3:12-14,4:1).
John15:16 says,
"You did not choose Me but I chose you..." Have you read the FIRST of the chapter?
"Abide in Me, and I (will abide) in you. Anyone who does NOT abide in Me is thrown away as a branch, and dries up and are gathered and cast into the fire---and they are burned." Does this sound like "OSAS"? Nope.
"If you KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS, you will abide in My love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love hath no one than to loay down his life for his friends. And you are My friends, IF you do what I command."
Every belief of "OSAS" ("predestination", "responsibility-in-coming-but-eternal-security", "carnal Christian") puports that "if they aren't saved NOW, then they were never saved in the FIRST place." But passages like 2Pet2:20-22, James5:19-20,1:12-16, Heb6:4-6, 3:12-14, 2:1, 1Tim4:1&16, 1:18-19, 2Pet1:10-11, Col2:8
and so many others present the warning against
true apostasy. To persist in "OSAS", each of theses passages must be "dismissed", with beliefs such as "dispensationalism" (which believes James' and Peter's letters apply to a different DISPENSATION than our, so we IGNORE them), or "hyperbole" (empty meaningless warnings
against that which CANNOT happen so just IGNORE them), etcetera. But can we ignore 2Jn1:7-9? Was this not written to BELIEVERS? Is this warning not SINCERE? Does "not-having-God", equate to UNSAVED? (See 1Jn5:11-13---yes it DOES!)