Did God choose me to be saved before I chose Him?

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;

⁴even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;

⁵having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,

⁶to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely bestowed favor on us in the Beloved,

⁷in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

⁸which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

⁹making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him

¹⁰to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;

¹¹in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his will;

¹²to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

¹³in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

¹⁴who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

⁶But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel.

⁷Neither, because they are Abraham’s seed, are they all children. But, “In Isaac will your seed be called.”

⁸That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as a seed.

⁹For this is a word of promise, “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁰Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac.

¹¹For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,

¹²it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.”

¹³Even as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be!

¹⁵For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

¹⁶So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy.

¹⁷For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

¹⁸So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.

¹⁹You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?”

²⁰But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”

²¹Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?

²²What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction,

²³and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory,

²⁴us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles?

¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.

²Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

³You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

⁴Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.

⁵I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

⁶If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

⁷If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.

⁸“In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.

⁹Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.

¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love.

¹¹I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.

¹²“This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.

¹³Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

¹⁴You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.

¹⁵No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

¹⁶You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

⁴⁴The next Sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God.

⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed.

⁴⁶Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, “It was necessary that God’s word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

⁴⁷For so has the Lord commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you as a light for the Gentiles, that you should bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.’”

⁴⁸As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

⁴⁹The Lord’s word was spread abroad throughout all the region.

⁵⁰But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of their borders.

⁵¹But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium.

⁵²The disciples were filled with joy with the Holy Spirit.

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

²according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁴to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade away, reserved in Heaven for you,

⁵who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been put to grief in various trials,

⁷that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ—

⁸whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory—

⁹receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,

¹¹searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow them.

¹²To them it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you, they ministered these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preached the Good News to you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look into.