The Calvinist contends that certain individuals were chosen before the world began and predestined to become believers,[64] but that is simply not what the text says. Paul teaches that those “in Him” have been predestined to become “holy and blameless” and “to be adopted as sons,” but he never says that certain individuals were predestined to believe in Christ. Paul speaks of what “the faithful in Christ” (vs. 1) have been predestined to become, not about God preselecting certain individuals before the foundation of the world to be irresistibly transformed into believers.
Not so sure about what Flowers says here. seems like some mental gymnastics?
NKJV
“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, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Ephesians 1:3-6
YLT
“Blessed [is] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did bless us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, according as He did choose us in him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love, having foreordained us to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He did make us accepted in the beloved, in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the remission of the trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,”
Ephesians 1:3-7 YLT98
If Paul had left off the “before the foundation of the world “ part then I could see what Flowers is saying but it says “he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy”. So if God chose for us to be holy before the foundation of the world, then He must have chosen us for salvation at the same time.
Nathaniel explains it from something he read....In Christ is an airliner. The Calvinist says everyone on the airliner (in Christ) was predestined/chosen/elected to be on the plane and recurve the blessings.
The traditionalist says everyone that got on the airplane got there because they were given the choice. Those who got on are predestined to receive the blessings of Ephesians because they are in Christ.
