Thanks for your impute. I am still searching on this subject. A vendor of mine at work keeps preaching Elect, Gods chosen ones, everyone else is going straight to hell. I struggle with that from an all loving God.
There are large denominations that believe that God has "predestined" some before the foundation of the world to go to hell no matter what they do in regards to Christ and I imagine that your vendor is of that persuasion ... very many are, I'm sorry to say.
Jesus said, "WHOSOEVER come" and that "He's not willing that Any should perish but that all would come".
Though all don't accept His invitation, He has opened His invitation to "whosoever will".
The elect/chosen [same Greek word] are those that God knew from before the foundation of the earth
would come.
Speaking of the Jews in this first verse given .... not all that call themselves Jews chose to follow GOD -
Rom 11:1,2 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people
which He foreknew...
These two apply to both gentile & Jew -
1Pet 1:2 Elect according to
the foreknowledge of God the Father
Rom 8:29
For whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Wherever that word predestinate is used - it is toward something that will accompany salvation - not predestinated to Heaven or Hell.
Those who He foreknew would come to Him [because He is omniscient] are predestinated to be adopted as sons of God ... and predestinated to receive the inheritance... but those verses from Eph 1 are used to promote the belief that God predestinated some or many to Hell.
This belief is held by those that call themselves of the "Reformed theology" or "Calvinism" also.
This has been the cause of strong debates and I pray that we don't have that here. It never accomplishes anything. I accept my Reformed-belief brothers and sisters as they are and do not try to change their minds and they respect my view and allow me to freely attend their church - and they believe that I'm as saved as they are... even the Pastor & elders.
I believe "whosoever will" may come unto Him and that He died for "all" [though all do not get saved, of their own choosing] and that He's not willing that any should perish but that all would come -- but those of that persuasion - as possibly your vendor is, do not believe that 'whosoever will' may come.
I hope this helps and we can just accept each other's views and each other on this particular topic without my having started a war here. I seen too many wars that have split His Body to shreds and have been an awful witness to those who haven't "come" as yet.