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T is always sad to me when I perceive that a good word or a wholesome symbol has been hijacked and redefined. Satan is an expert at polluting good things. Concerning the word "elect" (which is used powerfully in this chapter), God revealed this thing to His children, but sadly Satan has devised a way to use it as a tool to divide believers and smear God's name.
Debates about Calvinism aside, unmistakably the Bible teaches the doctrine of election. The verb "elect" means, "to choose." This must not be overlooked. And, the most basic teaching behind the doctrine of election is that God is the initiator in the plan of redemption. It is not my desire to either water down this realty or to make it to appear more rigid than it is. God in His grace chose to move toward sinful men. He has chosen to show love & mercy to an undeserving race. Make no mistake, He could have allowed us all to die & go to hell. This would have been just. He owed no one a second chance. His generosity drove Him to extend clemency to us.
Now, to zoom in a little closer on this issue, God not only made a general choice to institute the plan of redemption, He also made some distinct decisions concerning certain groups within the whole of humanity. In fact, this realization is what drove Paul to deal with the issue of election in this chapter. Zooming in even further, the doctrine of election applies individually as well. There is not even one single human being who would have any hope whatsoever, were it not for God's spiritual advances toward that individual.
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