How do you believe someone is of the elect
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Good question. Personally, I think of all people as potentially elect until they prove otherwise. I don't believe that it is possible to know unless God chooses to reveal it. I did have an assurance that my sister would be saved. My youngest brother died an atheist. They both heard the gospel. Entirely different responses, regrettably.
Those who believe in Jesus are elected to service, or put another way election is to service not to eternal life.
That is why many are called (invited) but few are chosen to serve in a specific way.
Romans 8 verse 29-30; Ephesians 1 verse 5 ~ Those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.
I often know someone belongs to God's elect because they show the right kind of vulnerability to God's word that characterizes Christians. They may not know Christ yet, but when confronted with the Spirit of Christ they show a certain recognition, whether anger, fear, or respect. Any of these will likely result in eventual Salvation, given the proper help.
Those who I call "the children of the devil* are those who show zero interest in fellowshiping with the Lord, an obvious disdain or even contempt for God's love. They tend to see God's love as "syrupy sweet," and fellowship as "kumbaya." They are bored with the things of God unless it stimulates the intellect.
Hello Intersection, I don't believe that we can know if someone has been numbered among God's elect unless/until they come to true saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only way that we can know.
God bless you!!
~Deuteronomy (David)
Mark 13
20 Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
Your family exemplifies the responses of those who heard Paul's preaching in Acts28:23-24.
As far as I am aware, there is no way we can know whether somebody is of the elect before they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - that is known to God alone.
The word election comes from the Greek noun eklogē (1589), the adjective eklektos (1588), and the verb eklegō (1586).
All the words mean “chosen, select,” there would be a lot less confusion if the translators had consistently translated them as “choose” or “chosen” as this would have reduced the confusion with the term “elect.”
Now we have this un-biblical doctrine of God "selecting" people to eternal life.
All the words mean “chosen, select,” there would be a lot less confusion if the translators had consistently translated them as “choose” or “chosen” as this would have reduced the confusion with the term “elect.”
Now we have this un-biblical doctrine of God "selecting" people to eternal life.
But whether you use "chosen" or "elect", it isn't unbiblical. Paul rote to the Ephesian Christians:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,” (Eph 1:3-4 NKJV)
And to the Colossian Christians:
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;” (Col 3:12 NKJV)
Here's the thing, you don't. Call on everyone to come to repentance and be saved. Why? Because God is doing the same thing. His wish is for all to be saved. He calls all people. The invitation is open for everyone. Those who respond become of the elect. A preknowledge thing, not a predestined thing.
I like how it is stated here by a pastor.
"We are not chosen to receive eternal life, but, having received eternal life by faith in Jesus, we are chosen to serve God and love others."
That is the correct biblical understanding of the concept of "chosen."
2 Timothy 1 verse 9~ He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began. Ephesians 1 verses 4-5~ He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will. Ephesians 1 verse 11~ In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will.
predestined to be conformed to His image, i.e. to be one with Him, those He foreknew to love him, per v.28 , "And we know God works all things together for who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (which is to become one with Him).
This helps me answer the OP's question. You can tell that a person is elect if that person loves Him, even if they have yet to 'believe' in Him (i.e. they might hold a skeptical 'too good to be true' attitude toward him, initially, but, because of that love, or the love of the reputation that follows His person, keep searching Him out, and we know that scripture tells us that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him...and ultimately find, indeed, to their delight, that He first loved them).