By what means does God choose an individual?
God chooses an individual solely by His grace, not by human merit, intelligence, or worthiness. It is only by grace that God puts His finger on someone; after salvation a believer understands that God had them in His sights before the world was created.
Les explains that God's sovereignty in grace is pictured by an analogy of guilty, sentenced people who cannot say a word because they are getting what they deserve. We were hell-bound sinners just like everybody else, just as deserving of God's punishment, yet we escaped because we accepted God's pardon. The only reason is the grace of God. Les stresses that we must never lose sight that it is only by grace God put the finger on you and me; we cannot boast that we were smart enough or had the wherewithal. After we are saved, we understand that God had us in His sights before the world was ever created. The unit also notes the human reproduction system's thousands of ova and billions of sperm as an illustration.