Kay

Mark,
One more thing –
“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, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,” Ephesians 1:3-5

So, certainly God predestines certain events and outcomes, even that Jesus would die for our sins (I Peter 1:19-20). But it is a leap in logic to assume that God has predestined each Christian independent of their own free will. Unless you approach the verse with that as a prerequisite.

This passage is almost entirely ambiguous as to the basis of this predestination. The only language which refers to how Christians were predestined are the phrases, “blessed … in Christ”, “chose … in Him”, and “predestined … by Jesus Christ”. Each of these modifying phrases indicate that it is by being in Jesus, or as a member of His group, that one receives these *blessings*. The only “predestined” activity is that those in Christ would “be adopted.”

In Romans 11, Paul the analogy the olive tree to illustrate to Gentile readers the role of the Jewish nation in their salvation. “For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them , and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”
“Because of unbelief they were broken off , and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off . And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in , for God is able to graft them in again.” Romans 11:16-23

Not only from this passage do we see the actual severing and removal of those who were once original, or natural branches, but we also see different branches, who were not originally branches, being grafted in their place. Consider Rom. 9 in light of this also.

If the election is ordained from before time, how is it possible that the ‘elect’ should become ‘reprobate’ and the reprobate could become elect? Moreover, how could “unbelief” be a condition of severance, while “continuing in His goodness” be a condition of blessing, if there are no conditions?