There is NO predestinatin of salvation, you either repent and believe on Christ or die in your sins
God did NOT choose who He would save. That would mean He CHOSE who would be sent to hell for eternity, and that means people who lived better lives than predestined saints, going to hell because they weren’t chosen
You are using your doctrine to tell you what the verse says. Instead, you should let the entire document tell you what your doctrine should be.
FOr by Grace are ye saved, Through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast
GRACE, not predestination
What does grace literally mean? And why would only 'some' be given the gift of faith? What is faith? And who are the examples we are given as demonstrating said faith? Are these listed NOT saved? Do they not come under 'grace'?
Are we not foretold of the 'wife' and also of the bride yet to be? When did this 'wife' event occur and who are those already 'married'? (set aside, election, saints, predestined, chosen, justified)
Paul says that God did in fact choose some before the foundation of this age some because of their faith and what stand they took.
Some like to change the meaning of what Christ literally told Nicodemus about being born from 'above' to a different word 'again' and different meaning. But Christ tells Nicodemus, John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but HE That came down from heaven, even the Son of man Which is in heaven. And all are required to be born from above, meaning that soul/spirit born into flesh, to have opportunity to SEE the kingdom of God, did not say all that saw the kingdom would enter it, but it was first requirement to SEE.
Christ used Himself as example that He was born from above, and came through the 'water' natural flesh birth as being the same as Paul further expounds upon in Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are *partakers* (now how does one partake of something if they did not exist already) of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; THAT through death HE might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Lucifer was made most beautiful and wise, but he decided that he would be 'god' and he rebelled and when he did a third of the 'children' (not in flesh bodies) followed him. A third of the 'children' stood against and they are the 'election', NOT better than, but those already justified. But they too were required to come through this flesh age.
Look at Paul, his will was to destroy Christianity, he was NOT looking for Christ, and his example tells us that it was Christ that got his attention, which is why Paul is credible to tell us about predestination. There is NO other possible explanation as to why given what Paul's will was that he would be elected to write the majority of the New Testament.
Paul even goes into a deeper explanation when he tells us about Jacob and Esau. 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;)
12 It was said unto her, "The elder shall serve the younger."
Now what does this mean to US this day? You think it does not still apply? Guess one need know who in 'modern' times Jacob represents and who Esau represents.
13 As it is written, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
I also might note that Paul nor anyone else records that Esau was condemned to eternal death. We do NOT know IF Esau accepted Christ when as Peter tells us in IPeter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the *JUST* (interesting choice of words) for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit.
19 By which also HE went and preached unto the spirits in prison, 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God WAITED in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight *SOULS* were SAVED by water.
Keep reading Peter then in 4:6 For for this cause was the *GOSPEL* preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Grace was offered to those all the way back to the beginning of this earth age, and we have NO clue who or how many accepted Christ before He reappeared to His disciples.