What does “it” refer to in this verse? Calvinists assume that “it” refers to the individual, effectual salvation of unconditionally chosen people,[121] a concept nowhere introduced in this text or any other. Actually, “it” refers back to “God’s purpose of election,” (vs. 11) which is to fulfill the promise of God (vs. 6) in bringing about the redemptive plan through an unconditionally chosen nation of woefully unfaithful individuals.
