I’m not listing every section of scripture from the Bible where God chooses, a person, people, or place. I’m simply citing some of those sections to demonstrate an overwhelming testimony to God’s sovereign will in eternity, as well as our temporal world of space-time. People get hung up on predestination, and the logical conclusion of double predestination. I think it is because they think too highly of themselves, and their worth, while thinking too lowly of God, and His. People want to judge God for electing some to eternal life, while others are logically destined to be reprobate, and to suffer the eternal dying of death. This notion eats at them due to pride, self-righteousness, and man-centered thinking. They believe everyone deserves a choice, because they believe that we are made for our own purposes. They may not say it, but that is the prideful preconception that founds that type of entitlement. So, they say, “I won’t worship a God like that!” They can try to judge God. They can live like He isn’t Who He is. They can rebel, but in the end… God will be their judge. He will use them for His glory by demonstrating His justice by them. They will get what they have earned. I rather have mercy than justice. Let’s recognize that we are God’s creatures, made for His glory. He gets to decide how He will use us. He gets to decide how He will rescue some of us. If it doesn’t seem fair to you, it is because you think you are your own. God is good. What He chooses to do in eternity, and in temporal existence is completely up to Him. Since He has given us an existence in space-time, and a mind/spirit with a volition, we exercise it, but we never upset His eternal plan. Our choices are subordinate, and known to God before we were ever created.
Genesis 12:1-9
1 And Yahweh said to Abram,
“Go forth from your land,
And from your kin
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
4 So Abram went forth as Yahweh had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 So Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go forth to the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. 6 And Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. 7 Then Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to Yahweh who had appeared to him. 8 Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to Yahweh and called upon the name of Yahweh. 9 And Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.
Genesis 17:1-14
1 Now it happened that when Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him,
“I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me and be blameless,
2 so that I may confirm My covenant between Me and you,
And that I may multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him, saying,
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5 And no longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will go forth from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your seed after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your seed after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, one who is born in the house or one who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your seed. 13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
Deuteronomy 7:6-8
6 For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God; Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for His own treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
7 “Yahweh did not set His affection on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because Yahweh loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your fathers, Yahweh brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 14:2
2 For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Psalms 33:12
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
Psalms 135:4
4 For Yah has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His treasured possession.
Isaiah 43:10-13
10 “You are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no god formed,
And there will be none after Me.
11 I, even I, am Yahweh,
And there is no savior besides Me.
12 It is I who have declared and saved and caused it to be heard,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh,
“And I am God.
13 Even from eternity I am He,
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?”
Isaiah 44:1-5
1 “But now hear, O Jacob, My servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 Thus says Yahweh who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you,
‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,
And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour out water on the thirsty ground
And streams on the dry land;
I will pour out My Spirit on your seed
And My blessing on your offspring;
4 And they will spring up among the grass
Like poplars by streams of water.’
5 This one will say, ‘I am Yahweh’s’;
And this one will call on the name of Jacob;
And this one will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to Yahweh,’
And will name Israel’s name with honor.
Jeremiah 1:5
5 “Before I formed you in the innermost parts I knew you,
And before you came out from the womb I set you apart;
I have given you as a prophet to the nations.”
John 15:16
16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would abide, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
Galatians 3:15-29
15 Brothers, I speak in human terms: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And TO YOUR SEED,” that is, Christ. 17 And what I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to abolish the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is by law, it is no longer by promise, but God has granted it to Abraham through promise.
19 Why the Law then? It was added because of trespasses, having been ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator is not for one person only, whereas God is one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed be by law. 22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, being shut up for the coming faith to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor unto Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.
Romans 2:28-29
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
Matthew 3:9
9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
Jude 1:3-4
3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you exhorting that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. 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.
1 Peter 2:6-10
6 For this is contained in Scripture:
“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES UPON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”
7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone,”
8 and,
“A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE.”
They stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this stumbling they were also appointed.
9 But you are A CHOSEN FAMILY, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
Romans 9:12-26
12 it was said to her, “THE OLDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” 13 Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”
14 What shall we say then? Is there any unrighteousness with God? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” 16 So then it does not depend on the one who wills or the one who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, IN ORDER TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND IN ORDER THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? WILL THE THING MOLDED SAY TO THE MOLDER, “WHY DID YOU MAKE ME LIKE THIS”? 21 Or does not the potter have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 And what if God, wanting to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath having been prepared for destruction, 23 and in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles? 25 As He says also in Hosea,
“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’
AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”
26 “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’
THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”
Revelation 13:8
8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
Revelation 19:11-16
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sits on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; having a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself, 13 and being clothed with a garment dipped in blood, His name is also called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may STRIKE DOWN THE NATIONS, and He will RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON; and HE TREADS THE WINE PRESS OF THE WRATH OF THE RAGE OF GOD, the Almighty. 16 And He has on His garment and on His thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”