Election is corporate in the New Testament as it is in the Old. We are elect IN CHRIST. Apart from being IN CHRIST, we have nothing.
How do we come to be in Christ? The Calvinist argues God makes the decision independent of us to place some in Christ, and prevent others, and no one but God has any role to play.
But Jesus said:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” - John 3
Whosoever means who so ever, not those I picked before apart from any response by them. Whosoever is the opposite of election. There are no limits on the call of God to salvation. No irresistible inner call and unobeyable outer call, just the call to all to believe. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
We are chosen by God because God has chosen to save those who believe his Word, not because he chose a list of names to save, and another list of names to damn.
“these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” - John 20 By believing you may have life. NOT ‘He gives life so that you may believe’...