Can someone be elect and still be an unbeliever?
Q: I am studying Scripture and seeking like a Berean to understand more about soteriology. What are some verses that speaks of “someone who has been elect unto salvation, but still an unbeliever"? Thx.
A: Here are some considerations and verses for you.
Single verses are not the go to. Context is all important. You should not need a specific verse for as with many of God’s truths the answer is found by understanding the whole of Scripture.
Read Ephesians 1 and 2 slowly and carefully. It is a very good starting point.
Genesis 3:15, Deuteronomy 4:37,Deuteronomy 7:7-8, Deuteronomy 9:4,6 Mathew 25:33, Mathew 20:23, Mathew 22:14,John 6:35-40;66,John 13:1, John 13:18, John 15:16,19, Romans 8:28-32,
Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 1:2
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world…
Notice also in Scripture when these words are used.
Elect
Chosen
Predestined
Appointed
Sheep
His people
Scripture is clear -The elect were chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).
God knows who the redeemed will be. He paid for the sins you have yet to commit. He spoke creation into existence. He has all our names written in the Lambs book of Life.
Hebrews 1:14
Are they [Angels] not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Those who are still unbelievers simply have not yet heard the Gospel not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (I Thess. 1:4-5).
But they certainly will (John 6:37).
Election is God’s divine decree but as humanity we may only observe the elect after they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, not before.
Romans 8 and 9 explain God’s plan for us:
”And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.“
Romans 8:28-34
The point I want to make is that we’re born dead in sin. Now, I don’t know about you but I’ve never seen a dead thing do anything but rot. That means we can’t do anything either. Until God chooses to regenerates our spirit, we can’t choose to follow Him!
By whom are you in Christ?
See, that is the real question.
You'll say that ultimately you are the reason you are in Christ, that you are there by your fine decision not to remain in natural enmity with God.
But the humbled Christian will tell you that it is by Him that he is in Christ, and that God is the main actor so that no one may boast. He gets all the glory. The humble believer will tell you that God set the members every one of them in the body, as it pleased Him. For unto them which are called, Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Most religionists will point to the church they joined themselves to or they will tell you about the decision they made by which they made themselves to differ from the mass of sinful humanity. They may tell you about their moral superiority. They may tell you about any number of their works....
The Christian, though, says: I was dead in trespasses and sins, but God has made me alive in Christ Jesus.
What can dead things do? Nothing! It all the work of God the Father, God the Son, & God the Holy Spirit. We are born again by God "from above". Scripture says this. Jesus said this.
The best part about our salvation is that we have nothing to do with it. The glory is completely to God Almighty! Whom he saves he saves eternally, and their salvation is sustained by Him - no one can take us from His hands. He is all powerful.
It is more rational to believe in a God who is supreme over every aspect of creation, than one who is playing “catch up” trying to keep up with the decisions of the billions of men who have existed. It seems more logical to suggest that God is supernaturally working his plan to come to fruition as if it’s a nice perfect and precise masterpiece; then to suggest it all coincidently occurs perfectly based on human choice (somehow God glues all the broken pieces together after man decides). So It’s one of two options:
1) Everything is perfectly held together in place, perfectly planed by a God who holds everything and sustains everything. The doctrine of aseity. (This is the doctrine that every a breathe is sustained and granted by God), thus speaks to our actual “years” are still granted by God prior to our birth.
Or
2) God has to continually change his mind and plans based on the trillions of life decisions, for it to somehow fit together for the salvation of a soul.
It boils down to how sovereign is sovereign. On the one side complete, on the other side 99%. God being perfect and all powerful means his soverignty is complete and lacks nothing. He is not lacking like sinful fallen man. He is otherly.
If you are looking for a passage in scripture speaking to God’s decree of election, read Romans, particularly chapter 9. If you begin in verse 25 it speaks of a partial hardening of ethnic Israel, and continues on to speak of God’s faithfulness to His promise and intention and that He will save Israel once “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in”.
From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be repaid to him? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
— Romans 11:28-36
The Apostle Paul was Elect but he was the most radical enemy of the early Church until his conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul stated that his election took place in eternity past, Ephesians 1:3, but his salvation was obviously not manifested until his conversion.
God to Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jer. 1:5
The calvinist & reformed side use more biblical language like the phrases found in Ephesians 1:1-14. But armenianists focus on emotions. The free willist side uses more feeling as “how can a loving God willfully send someone to hell” as a battle against limited atonement, but generally is less likely to use biblical language. The answer to the above question is: God is more than a God of live, but his live is so perfect that it demands righteousness and in righteousness is justice and just judgment -all of us deserve Hell. God chose to give some grace and mercy. A judge in court does the same today, but He renders justice perfectly. He made us, he chose some to be saved. This is not only the potter and clay illustration but also shows God's will. He is soverign and does what he wants. His plan will be completed. He will be glorified in the redemption of some. Those who obey the Gospel will be saved. They are the whosoever. The others are not.
1 Peter 2:8
“A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
Jude 1:4
For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 16:4
The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.
Romans 9:15
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
Romans 9:21-23
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
John 10:16
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (John 10:16, ESV)
The mere fact he called them sheep even though they haven't heard the gospel
Goats don’t turn to sheep.
So I think anywhere Christ mentions his “sheep“, whether they have been saved yet or not. John 10:11. John 10:14 etc.
He never said He lays down his life for the goats (to turn into sheep).
How about Acts 18:10?
It's a promise to Paul that his gospel ministry in Corinth will bear fruit because God has in the city men and women who he intends to bring to salvation.
The Lord tells Paul to speak freely because He _h_a_s_ many people in the town. They are elect but not yet believers. They need the Word preached to them.
The people in that place has not heard the gospel yet but the Lord already call them His People
Acts 4:18
And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
”For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.“
Romans 8:29 ESV
”though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—“
Romans 9:11 ESV
”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 to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,“
Ephesians 1:4-5 ESV
The elect can take some time to come to the point of accepting Christ. The Holy Spirit conceives and draws the person and he/she begins ‘searching’.
At some point, God’s Grace enables the person to respond and accept Christ. Eph. 2:8-9. The time frame is different for each person and is according to God’s will.
Election is God’s divine decree but as humanity we may only observe the elect after they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, not before.
All who are elect will receive salvation at some point in their life, since they were chosen by God Himself before the foundation of the world. As Christians we are commanded to share the Gospel with all people. It is not our job or our ability to discern who will receive the Good News and be saved or who will not. Regeneration, repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are all granted by the Holy Spirit.
God is in Sovereign control of everything. If someone was Elect by God they will be regenerated at God's timing or else God would not be omnipotent or omniscient, it would mean also God does not have foreknowledge.
Even in non calvinist or non reformed theology there is a component of foreknowledge prior to the foundations of the world. As soon as you suggest there isn’t then God can no longer be God for he is not sovereign as in the Pelagius view point or modern day open theism. Even the hardest of free Willist’s (or semi Pelagius) would agree that God must have a supernatural order since the foundation of the world for him to be God. Your question is chasing after semantics of wording of scripture. There are many throughout scripture that are elected for example Caleb or Othniel, or shagmar who were actively apart of the eisodus into the promised land (prophesied 440 years prior), these men ironically enough for both of Israel. Like Caleb and Othniel were Kenzittes who were descendants of Esau, and yet they were a part of the eternal plan of God. Or Rahab or Ruth who both are active agents in the lineage of Christ, yet were elected non-Jewish people. Then you have Saul and Achan who were of Israel but were rejected by God. Saul was even anointed as king as a demonstration to Israel of how corrupt kings would be since they rejected the Lord as king. You can simply argue that if any of these players didn’t act in accordance of Gods plan, then things may not have transpired to Christ.
As soon as you suggest there wasn’t a specific plan, the entire historicity of Jesus would be in question. Even freewillists would agree to this, the only difference is that free willists suggests that there is 1% of a “non-totally depravity component that allows a person to reject or accept Jesus”. The calvinist/reformed side however suggests there is 0% percent that a person can ever come to Christ in their own accord. On both sides however, it is suggested that the outcome is pre understood; the reformers stating that election was sealed, the free willists stating that the election was foreseen at the foundation.
Scripture says our names were written BEFORE the foundation of the World.
Also God is either 100% soverign or he is not.
If you think you have something to do with your salvation, you have embraced a different gospel than the one revealed by Scripture, (and there is serious warning against that) just as we reject different gospels that the cults promote.
I recommend studying the attributes of God for a much clearer understanding of who He is. This will greatly benefit you in your growth as a believer.
A couple final verses as we close...
”But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.“ Romans 5:8
Furthermore, scripture says:
”just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love“ Ephesians 1:4
The saving is God's business. He gave us (his creation) our business: once saved, we simply become approved workmen, go and preach the Gospel (and God does good through us). ”For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.“ Ephesians 2:10
Hope this helped.
Related Resources
Clarity on Soteriology
Gods Attributes study
Free helps for Evangelism
Resources for Growing Believers
