Chosen By Grace (Part 1)

Part 1: The God Who Chooses

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…”

(Ephesians 1:4, ESV)

Let’s be honest. The moment someone brings up the word predestination, people either squint suspiciously or suddenly need to go refresh their coffee. The topic has become a theological landmine. Tiptoe around it or risk a full-blown debate in the church lobby.

But here’s the thing: election and predestination are in the Bible. Not just once. Not just in one testament. It’s not a Reformed or “Calvinistic” (whatever that means) buzzword. And instead of avoiding it, what if we slowed down, dug in, and let scripture speak clearly?

Sister, this isn’t about being “Team Calvin” or flexing theological muscle. This is about loving the God who loved you before the foundations of the world. This is about being in awe of His mercy. And it’s about realizing that this doctrine, while humbling, leads us to worship, not worry.

He Chose Us: A Look at Ephesians 1

Let’s start with what may be one of the most clear passages:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ… even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us for adoption…”

(Ephesians 1:3-5)

Paul doesn’t seem panicked here. He’s worshiping. He’s praising God for a grace so deep that it started before creation. Think about that. Before light. Before oceans. Before birds or brunch or Target runs. He chose you in Christ.

He chose not because you’d be amazing one day, but because He is. Not because of your future faith, but because of His sovereign grace.

Election is Not a New Testament Idea

We see God choosing all the way back in the Old Testament:

“It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set His love on you and chose you… but it is because the Lord loves you…”

(Deuteronomy 7:7-8)

Israel wasn’t picked because she was strong or strategic. She was chosen because God loved her. Period. That’s grace. Same pattern with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and, yes, even that wild story of God choosing Jacob over Esau before they were born.

“…though they were not yet born and had done nothing good or bad… in order that God’s purpose of election might continue…”

(Romans 9:11-13)

And before you say, “But that’s unfair,” Paul actually answers that objection before we can finish our sentence:

“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!”

(Romans 9:14)

God is never unjust. And He never owes mercy. That’s what makes it mercy. 

The Most Misunderstood Doctrine in the Room

Let’s pause and tackle a few common misunderstandings:

❌ “So… we’re just robots?”

Nope. Scripture teaches both God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. You make real decisions. You really chose Christ, but only because God first opened your heart (Acts 16:14). Think of it this way: you’re not a robot, but you were spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). God didn’t reprogram you. He resurrected you.

❌ “Foreknowledge means God looked into the future and saw I’d choose Him!”

That sounds nice, but it’s not what the Bible means by foreknowledge. In Romans 8:29, “those whom He forenew” means “those whom He set His love upon beforehand.” It’s a relational knowing, not a cosmic peek into the future.

(If God’s choice was based on your future decision, wouldn’t you still be the decisive factor in salvation? That’s not grace. That’s self-salvation.)

Paul Wasn’t Looking for Jesus… and Neither Were We

If ever there were a “surprise conversion,” it was Saul of Tarsus.

“But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me…”

(Galatians 1:15-16)

Saul wasn’t on a spiritual retreat. He wasn’t soul-searching. He wasn’t browsing church websites or journaling about his spiritual curiosity.

He was on his way to kill Christians.

God didn’t wait for Saul to “invite Him in.” God intervened. He invaded Saul’s hatred with divine mercy, struck him blind (literally), and gave him new eyes—both physically and spiritually. Saul became Paul, a man radically transformed by sovereign grace.

“He is a chosen instrument of mine…”

(Acts 9:15)

“I Found Jesus!” … Did You?

We’ve all heard it. Maybe we’ve even said it:

🗣️ “I found Jesus in college.”

🗣️ “I found the Lord during a hard season.”

And yes, those statements often reflect genuine moments of surrender and awakening. But here’s the thing…

You didn’t find Jesus. Jesus found you.

Let’s be real: we weren’t looking. Scripture says we were:

• Dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1)
• Blind to the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4)
• Enemies of God (Romans 5:10)
• Salves to sin (John 8:34)
• Running the other direction (Romans 3:11-12)

That’s not exactly a strong start to a seeker’s journey.

If salvation were up to us to find, we never would. We don’t naturally seek God. We seek comfort. We seek self. We seek “spirituality” on our own terms. But the God of the Bible? The Holy One who calls us to repentance and obedience, and surrender? We’d never go looking for Him on our own.

“No one seeks for God. All have turned aside…”

(Romans 3:11-12)

So when someone says, “I found Jesus,” I can’t help but smile. Because what they really mean—what really happened—is that Jesus found them. He opened their eyes, softened their heart, and called them to Himself.

Just like He did with Paul. Just like He did with me. Just like He does with all His sheep.

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

(Luke 19:10)

This doctrine doesn’t make our testimony less beautiful. It makes it more miraculous and spectacular! Because the reality is, we were lost. Blind. Dead. And the only reason we now see and live, and believe is because God moved first.

That’s the grace of election. That’s the miracle of regeneration. That’s the kindness of a Savior who doesn’t wait for us to search, but rescues us right where we are. Sometimes in the middle of our rebellion.

Maybe not with blinding lights like Paul, but still with stunning grace.

Still with power.

Still with love.

A Personal Word: When it Finally Clicked

Can I share a little bit of my story with you?

I didn’t grow up being taught much about election or predestination. Or, maybe I was and I just wasn’t paying attention (likely scenario). I knew John 3:16 and Psalm 23, and that felt like enough. I wasn’t particularly interested in theology or digging deep into Scripture. Bible reading was a box to check, not a joy to pursue.

Years later, when I was serving as an intern at a previous church, I remember reading Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. One chapter touched briefly on different theological traditions, mentioning Reformed theology, John Calvin, Martin Luther, and the doctrine of election. I don’t remember it being an in-depth teaching, but I do remember not being opposed to what I read. It didn’t make me angry or uncomfortable. Just… curious.

But it wasn’t until years later when my current church preached verse by verse through the book of Romans that everything clicked. Suddenly, what once felt mysterious or avoided was now undeniably in the text. Over and over. And it wrecked me in the best way.

It wasn’t confusing. It was humbling. Beautiful. Heart-stirring.

To read that God chose me, not because of anything I had done, but because of His mercy? To realize that in the depth of my sin and rebellion, God had set His love on me before time began? 

I don’t deserve that. Not even close.

But that’s the Gospel. And it makes my heart swell with awe and gratitude for a God who saves.

Coming Up Next: Grace That Saves: Election, Evangelism, and the Gospel

There is just so much to unpack with this topic, so I have broken it down into two parts. In Part 2, we’ll tackle another big question:

“If God chooses, why evangelize?”

(Short answer: because God told us to and it works.)

Long answer? We’ll get into the scriptures that show how evangelism is the very means God uses to reach the elect.

This isn’t about icy doctrine. It’s about a warm, sovereign Savior.

Let’s keep digging and worshiping.