[Dr. Eckleburg]

If you have repented and believed you are one of the elect. You are not elect because of your choice, but you BELIEVED because you are elect.

Pretty simple, RnMom. Amazing so many get it backwards and inside out.

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." -- 1 Peter 1:13

[Cvengr]

RnMom: If you have repented and believed you are one of the elect. You are not elect because of your choice, but you BELIEVED because you are elect.

DrE: Pretty simple, RnMom. Amazing so many get it backwards and inside out.

From the point of view of man who is receiving salvation, he chooses to exercise a non-meritorious faith in Christ, which then affords the Holy Spirit the opportunity to provide salvation.

It might be the case that from the point of view of the Father, that he had selected or decided before our time (the greek for predestined)who would be His children, but if we take this perspective in judging or discerning our salvation we have made ourselves as the Most High, thereby no longer remaining in His Spirit and out of fellowship with Him.

However, His indwelling us does allow us to understand Christ as the Son of God through whom all our blessings flow, this would be from the Father, and we obediently choose to place faith in Him just as Christ placed faith in the Father. This also allows consistent future sanctification by our remaining obedient to Him and not quenching the filling of the Holy SPirit in our souls, thereby continuing to build up our spirit towards complete sanctification.