malvisguy212:
Unconditional Election is also known
as "Calvinistic Predestination." The
scripture teaches predestination, but
not Calvinistic Predestination.
Scripture predestination is where God
pre-determined, not the identity of
the saved, but the character of the saved. We are not opposed to predestination, for the scripture teaches it. However, Calvin's view of predestination is entirely unbiblical and therefore a false doctrine. Calvinistic predestination means that the future is already determined (predestined). The implication is that it doesn't matter what you do, it has already happened. You have no free will.

By unconditional election, then, Calvinists mean:
1. Out of fallen humanity God chose certain people unto salvation. God elects people.
2. The number of God's elect is fixed.
3. God does not elect individuals based on foreseen merit of any kind, including faith. Election is an act of God's sovereign choice.
4. God's election and calling are invincible.
5. The purpose and motive of God's election are His glory, "To the praise of His glorious grace!"
IDENTITY OR CHARACTER?
1 Corinthians 2:7, "But we speak the WISDOM of God in a mystery,
even the hidden WISDOM, which
GOD ORDAINED BEFORE THE WORLD
UNTO OUR GLORY :"
Ephesians 1:3-4, "Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ: 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:"
How does God decide who will be His
children? The scripture says,
"...through Jesus Christ;" "...through
His blood;" and, "...according to the
riches of His grace." The focus of being "predestined" is more on "through Jesus Christ" than it is on us as individuals. It was God's eternal plan that Christ would give His life so that He could have children. Christ coming and dying was predestined.
Therefore, our acceptance of that and
our ultimate salvation in Him is also
predestined (the culmination of God's
eternal plan).
JACOB HAVE I LOVE ESAU I HATE?
The writing of the apostle Paul in Romans 9:8-16 is one of the most avoided and unread passages of scripture. Those who believe in
Calvinistic Predestination say this
verse proves that God elects certain
individuals, because this verse says,
before they were born, God loved
Jacob but hated Esau. Theologians try to position themselves so as to avoid giving a strait answer. The evangelicals will not talk about it. The reformed church apologizes for it. And the majority of Christian's today have not heard about it. This passage, on its face,
does seem to speak of predestined
individuals, but in truth, it is not speaking of individuals, but NATION .
Let us first quote this passage, then
we'll use scripture to interpret this
passage.

Romans 9:8, "That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the
promise are counted for the
seed."
Romans 9:9, "For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son."
Romans 9:10, "And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;"
Romans 9:11, "(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God
according to ELECTION might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth)"
Romans 9:12, "It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger."
Romans 9:13, "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
Romans 9:14, "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid."
Romans 9:15, "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
Romans 9:16, "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
Now, let's break this passage down
verse by verse:
VERSE 8: Not the children who descend from Abraham’s loins, nor those who were circumcised as he (Paul) was, are the people of God; but those who are made children by the good pleasure and promise of God, as Isaac was, are alone to be accounted for the seed with whom the covenant was established.
VERSE 9: "The word of promise" refers
to the promise recorded in Genesis
18,10, "...Sarah thy wife shall have a
son...". This is made clear by the fact
that verse 9 repeats some of this
promise recorded in Genesis 18:10.
This shows that it is the sovereign will
and act of God alone, which singles
out and constitutes the peculiar seed
that was to inherit the promise made
to Abraham.
VERSE 10: A Jew might object by saying, “Ishmael was rejected, not by the sovereign will of God, but because he was the son of the handmaid, or bond-woman, and therefore unworthy to be the peculiar seed;" but observe, this was not the only limitation of the seed of Abraham with regard to inheriting the promise. When Rebecca was with child by that one person of Abraham’s seed to whom the promise was made (Isaac), she went to inquire of the Lord:
Genesis 25:22-23, "...And she went to enquire of the LORD.
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger."
That is, the posterity of the younger shall be a nation much more
prosperous and happy than the
posterity of the elder. This is speaking
about two different nations, two
manner of people, and not two
individuals (Jacob and Esau). Jacob
and Esau represent these two nations.
VERSE 11: As the word "children" is
not in the text, but added by bible
translators, the word "nations" would
be more proper; for it is of nations
that the apostle speaks, as Genesis
25:22-23 (from the above comment)
shows, and as the following verses
show, as well as the history to which
he refers.
VERSE 12-13: "The elder shall serve
the younger." These words, with those
of Malachi, "I loved Jacob, And I
hated Esau" (Malachi 1:2-3), are cited
to show that these words are used in
a national and not in a personal
sense. This is evident from this fact:
that, taken in the latter sense they
are not true, for Jacob never did
exercise any power over Esau, nor
was Esau ever subject to him. Jacob,
on the contrary, was rather subject to
Esau, and was sorely afraid of him;
and, first, by his messengers, and
afterwards personally, acknowledged
his brother to be his lord, and himself
to be his servant (see Genesis 32:4;
33:8, 13). However, in the former
sense, it is true, because the far
greatest part of Jacob’s posterity were
wicked, and rejected by God; and
Esau’s posterity were partakers of the
faith of their father Abraham.
From these premises the true sense
of the words immediately following,
"Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I
hated" (Malachi 1:2-3, Romans 9:13),
fully appears; that is, that what he
had already cited from Genesis
25:22-23 concerning the two nations,
styled by the names of their
respective heads, Jacob and Esau,
was but the same in substance with
what was spoken many years after by
the Prophet Malachi. The unthankful
Jews had, in Malachi’s time, either in
words or in their heart, expostulated
with God, and demanded of him
wherein he had loved them? "I have
loved you, saith the Lord: yet ye say,
Wherein hast thou loved
us?" (Malachi 1:2). To this the Lord
answers, "Was not Esau Jacob’s
brother? Yet I loved Jacob and hated
Esau, and laid his mountains and his
heritage waste for the dragons of the
wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, We
are impoverished, but we will return
and build the desolate places; thus
saith the Lord of hosts, They shall
build, but I will throw down; and they
shall call them, The border of
wickedness, and, The people against
whom the Lord hath indignation for
ever. And your eyes shall see, and ye
shall say, The Lord will be magnified
from the border of Israel" (Malachi
1:2-5).
IN CONCLUSION;
The Bible does teach predestination,
but not the kind that Calvinists teach.
The Bible does not teach that God has
decided ahead of time who will be
saved and who will be lost. We are
free, moral agents with the capacity
to accept or reject God's
commandments.
Predestination or fore-ordination is
what God did before the world began,
as He determined to save man from
sin through the sacrifice of His own
Son. Those who answer His call
through the gospel experience the
blessings of that plan now in Christ
Jesus. (Romans 2:3,11)