Eph 1:3-6 Is this not clear proof that God has predetermined who will be saved as many in the church believe?

No, although this scripture is used by some in the church to teach that. They claim that God is sovereign in the matter of salvation and no one can be saved without being predestined to salvation by God; they teach that nothing anyone does has any bearing on the matter; that God decided it arbitrarily, without any respect to human worth, before they are even born.

This teaching is called Calvinism, which was formulated by John Calvin and introduced into the New Testament church during the reformation period of the church in the early 1500's.

Proponents of Calvinism call this teaching the "doctrine of unconditional election". It holds that because man is totally depraved and incapable of initiating any move toward God that would gain or contribute to his own salvation, God must be free to save whom He will, and has already determined who should, and who should not be saved.

This is a fallacious teaching which contradicts all that God Himself teaches in His word. It denies that God's redemptive plan provides for all men, which makes a mockery of Christ's death on the cross, rendering it efficacious only for a select few.

This implies that God plays games with the souls of men by calling them all to repent, but determining that only those He has predestined to salvation will be saved. (CP Isa 45:22; 55:1 3; Joel 2:32; Mt 11:28 30; Jn 3:16 17; 5:40; Ac 2:21; Ro 10:13; 1Ti 2:1 4; 2Pe 3:9; Rev 21:6; 22:17).

Those scriptures teach that all men are called to be God's elect, and can be if they choose God (CP De 30:19; 2Chr 15:2; Isa 55:6 7; Eze 18:21 30; 33:13 20; Jn 1:6 7, 12; 3:14 15; 5:24; Ac 10:34 35; 16:31; Ro 1:16; 4:5 25; 1Co 1:21; 8:3; Ga 3:7 9; 1Th 1:1 10; He 5:9).

God has not already determined for or against any man's salvation as is plainly evident in those passages. His plan is the same for all men - everyone is invited to avail themselves of His offer to save them on the sole basis of their individual choice and conformity to God's plan of redemption (CP Mt 22:1 14).

There are two great truths illustrated here in the parable of the marriage feast, and like the scriptures we have just looked at, they too refute the doctrine of unconditional election.

The first truth is that as the king called all men to the marriage feast of his son, so God calls all men to partake of the kingdom benefits of His Son. God's invitation to salvation is a universal call, and as the parable teaches, no one is excluded from responding to it (CP Mt 11:28 30; Jn 3:16; Rev 22:17).

The second truth the parable reveals is that sadly not everyone who responds to God's call are true believers.

Many within the professing church are not surrendered to God. They are not wearing a wedding garment; they have not put on Christ (CP Ro 13:14; Ga 3:27). Wearing the wedding garment in the parable is symbolic of our having put on Christ as true believers.

It means being completely yielded to Christ in continued obedience to His word. If we have not put on Christ then we cannot partake of His kingdom benefits. Just as the man without a wedding garment in the parable could not partake of the feast, and as he was thrown into outer darkness, so we will be damned for eternity (CP Mt 7:13 14; Luke 13:23 30).

The call to salvation goes out to the many, however only those who unite and identify with Christ will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

That is what Jesus means when He said "Many are called but few are chosen" in Mt 22:14. It has nothing to do with our eternal destiny being predetermined by God as Calvinism teaches. Those who conform to God's plan will become the elect and be saved, while those who do not will be lost (CP De 30:15 18; Isa 1:18 20; 8:13 15; Eze 18:20; 33:12; Mt 21:42 44; Mk 16:16; Luke 13:1 5; 20:17 18; Jn 3:18, 36; Ac 3:19; 17:30 31; Rev 21:8).

It is the plan of redemption and the saviour through whom it will be accomplished, the Lord Jesus Christ, that has been foreknown, elected and predestinated by God - not the individual conformity to the plan (CP Ge 3:15; Nu 24:17; Psa 118:22; Isa 9:6 7, 28:16; Mt 1:20 23; Luke 2:25 28; 24:25 27, 44 48; Jn 1:29; Ro 1:1 6; Eph 3:1 12; 2Ti 1:1, 8 10; 1Pe 1:18 20; 2:6 8; Rev 13:8).

Rev 13:8 does not teach that the names of those whom God has decreed to be saved have been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world as Calvinism teaches. Rev 13:8 teaches that it was the redemptive death of Christ for the salvation of humanity that God decreed from the foundation of the world.

Every member of the human race has their name written in the Book of Life, but it is whether their name stays written in the Book that counts in eternity. Only the names of those who conform to God's plan of redemption remain in the Book.

The rest are blotted out (CP Psa 139:15 16; Ex 32:31 34; Psa 69:28; 109:13; Dan 12:1; Php 4:3; Rev 3:5; 17:8; 20:12 15; 21:27; 22:18 19).

Here God confirmed that names can and will be blotted out of the Book of Life when men sin and incur the eternal death penalty. This should make every one of us want to examine ourselves every day to see that we are still in the faith (CP 2Co 13:5).

If believers are unconditionally elected or predestinated unto salvation as Calvinism teaches, it is not necessary for Paul to warn us to examine ourselves to see that we are still in the faith.

Individuals choose for themselves if they want to be saved (CP Jn 3:36).

The word believeth here is from the Greek word pisteuo, which means to place confidence in; to trust; to be persuaded of. It implies obedience to as a moral choice, not merely mental acceptance of a historical fact (CP Jas 2:19).

Demons believe in Jesus too but they do not obey Him as a moral choice, and they are not going to heaven.

He that believeth is he that chooses to believe, or who chooses to obey, whereas believeth not is from the Greek word apeitheo, which means refuse to be persuaded; refuse belief; refuse to obey.

Thus he that believeth not is he that chooses not to believe, or who refuses to obey. This is clear evidence that salvation can be rejected; that it is the personal choice of the individual.

There is no reference in scripture to any election of God whereby one person is chosen for salvation and another is not, as the Calvinistic system of theology teaches. Election is God's choice of a people in Christ for Himself.

It refers to the church as a divinely ordained spiritual institution, and pertains to every person, Jew and Gentile alike who conforms to God's plan of redemption.

Election is primarily corporate and embraces individuals only in association and identification with the body of Christ - the church (CP Ro 3:21 26; Eph 1:3 13; 2:4 10; 3:1 12; 2Th 2:13 14; Tit 1:1 3; 2:11 14; He 2:9 13; 1Pe 2:3 9).

See also comments on Mt 11:28-30, 13:10-11, 20:16, Jn 1:12-13, 3:14-15, 3:36, 6:37, 12:37-40; Ac 2:37-38, 3:22-23, 13:48, 28:23-29; Ro 1:16-17, 3:24-26 (A), 8:28-30, 9:1-3, 9:7, 9:10-13, 9:14-18, 9:19-21, 10:14-17, 11:2, 11:4, 11:7-10; Eph 1:11-14, 2:8-10; 1Th 1:3; 2Ti 1:8-9 and 1Pe 1:2 and author's studies Salvation - a Free Will Choice or Predestinated? and Chosen by God? in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1).

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