You have read the books *grin* I have not..but you know that I believe that God chose me,I could not and would not have ever given it a thought without God's grace.......
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
On the day that you came to Christ could you have said no and walked away?
On the day that you came to Christ could you have said no and walked away?
Only a fool would do so, and I know some fools. Even Christ encountered at least one person who learned the Truth and then turned away because he had great wealth.
As for your quotation of the Gospel of John. I think Jesus was directing that remark to his disciples, whom in my opinion were obviously 'chosen' to fulfill specific roles. One could obviously say the same about Paul, as well. I have no doubt that God did on occasion actually predestined certain individuals in order to fulfill His plan for mankind. I think it is a real stretch to claim that God has predetermined all who will or will go to Heaven or Hell. Many of the references used by Calvinisats to backup thier position are instances in which Jesus is addressing His disciples or when statements are being addressed to those who are already believers. Once one becomes a believer, I certainly believe God has a plan for their lives. This is quite different from claiming that God predetermined the ultimate fate of every person in advance.