The term can, of course, be (mis)construed and (mis)used, implying privilege or right over others. The God of Abraham intended the Jews to spread the knowledge of Him to all nations. Rather they decided to keep it to themselves, confusing "elect" with "favorite." To the best of my knowledge, the word "favorite" does not exist in the Bible. Today, of course, we know that all those who believe in the God of Abraham are Israel, not just the Jews.
The Jews were certainly the "chosen" people -- but chosen to spread the Gospel. It was their "chosen fate" to be the bearers of the Good News. Hence our Lord says "Salvation is from the Jews." In other words, they were chosen to do good works in faith and cooperation with God.
P-Marlowe, you Protestants use the word in a way that implies "favorite." At least that's how it appears to the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. You never use the word "elect" in context of "elect to do God's work on earth" but rather "elect to be saved" as opposed to "discarded for damnation."
While one cannot earn his or her way into heaven, a life in Christ is exactly that: a life of humility, and mercy -- and sinlessness (as much a possible for us). I may be wrong, but most Protestants do not even profess any desire, let alone teaching, to live such a life, to emulate Christ. The Protestant concept od salvation is more akin in my perception, based on how you present it, to a divine tractor beam pulling you into heaven rather than becoming Christ-like.
Elect
ELECT or ELECTION: (See PREDESTINATION.)
(1) Chosen to office (Act_9:15; Joh_6:70; 1Sa_10:24). ELECTION
(2) of Israel in the Old Testament as a nation, and of the visible Christian church, to spiritual privileges (Isa_45:4; Isa_44:1; 2Jo_1:3; 1Pe_5:18).
(3) Of Israel to temporal blessings in their own land, both formerly (Deu_7:6) and hereafter (Isa_65:9-22).
(4) Of saints, individually and personally, (Mat_20:16; Joh_6:44; Act_22:14) before the foundation of the world: to adoption (Eph_1:5); salvation, not without faith and holiness, but "through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth," for He who chose the end chose also the means (2Th_2:13); conformity to Christ (Rom_8:29); good works (Eph_2:10); spiritual warfare (2Ti_2:4); eternal glory (Rom_9:23). He chooses not merely character's, but individuals to whom He gives the needful characteristics, faith and obedience (Act_5:31; Eph_2:8), and writes them in the book of life (Luk_10:20; Phi_4:3; Joh_6:37; Joh_6:40). Believers may know it (1Th_1:4).
Exemplified in Isaac (Gen_21:12); Abraham (Neh_9:7; Hag_2:23); the apostles (Joh_13:18; Joh_15:16; Joh_15:19); Jacob (Rom_9:12-13); Paul (Gal_1:15). God's "grace was given in Christ Jesus (to the elect) before the world began" (2Ti_1:9). Its source is God's grace, independent of any goodness foreseen in the saved (Eph_1:4-5; Rom_9:11; Rom_9:18; Rom_11:5). The analogy of God's providence in this life choosing all our circumstances and final destination, and numbering the very hairs of our heads, illustrates the same method in His moral government (compare Joh_17:24; Act_13:48; Rom_8:28-30; 1Th_5:9; 2Ti_2:10; 1Pe_1:2).
The election being entirely of grace, not for our foreseen works (Rom_11:6), the glory all redounds to God. The elect are given by the Father to Jesus as the fruit of His obedience unto death (Isa_53:10), that obedience itself being a grand part of the foreordained plan. Such a truth realized fills the heart with love and gratitude to God, humbling self, and "drawing up the mind to high and heavenly things" (Church of England, Article 17). Yet men are throughout Scripture treated as responsible, capable of will and choice. Christ died sufficiently for all, efficiently for the elect (1Ti_4:10; 1Jo_2:2). The lost will lay all the blame of their perdition on themselves because "they would not come to Jesus that they might have life"; the saved will ascribe all the praise of their salvation to God alone (Rev_1:5; Mat_22:12).
Yeesh. Not only are you wrong; you're rude.
having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." -- Ephesians 4:17-24"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
In fact, if one takes the word "elect" in the sense that you've put it (The Jews were certainly the "chosen" people -- but chosen to spread the Gospel. It was their "chosen fate" to be the bearers of the Good News. Hence our Lord says "Salvation is from the Jews." In other words, they were chosen to do good works in faith and cooperation with God.), that makes sense.
The "elect" means those who will have been saved according to their works in the end. Their contingent is known to God. It is not known to us, although the Church in her wisdom may look at individual lives and determine that they belong ot th elect, i.e. are saints.
The term itself is not unorthodox, but our Protestant friends apply it to mean that those who made a sincere profession of faith (or perhaps, a sincere profession of faith in a Protestant setting) are those elect, and do not shy away form calling themselves that. It is a fast track to sainthood, unavailable to us.