Believers were chosen by God in eternity past, before the foundation of the world — before anything was created.
Ephesians 1:4 says God 'hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.' Les Feldick teaches that this choosing did not happen during a person's lifetime; it was God's eternal purpose, and believers are to accept it by faith.
Ephesians 1:4 — This verse directly answers the question: believers were chosen 'in Him before the foundation of the world.'
2 Timothy 1:9 — Adds that God's purpose and grace were given in Christ Jesus 'before the world began.'
Ephesians 1:4 is the clearest passage on this question: God 'hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.' The same eternal timing appears in 2 Timothy 1:9, which says God's grace 'was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.' John 15:16 records Jesus telling His disciples, 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.' Acts 16:14 shows the Lord opening Lydia's heart so that she attended to Paul's words. And Matthew 25:34 speaks of a kingdom 'prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' These verses consistently place God's choosing and His saving work before creation itself.
Les Feldick teaches that God chose believers in eternity past, before the world was created. He states plainly, 'in eternity past, God chose us' and 'I was chosen before God ever created Adam. He already had you and I positioned in the body of Christ.' He acknowledges this truth is 'almost unbelievable' but says the believer can take it by faith, while the unbeliever is to hear the invitation 'whosoever will may come.' Les also explains how election and human responsibility fit together: God's foreknowledge knew every individual's free-will decision, so He could choose believers before the foundation of the world. He describes the triune counsel before creation in which God determined a place for every believer.
Les Feldick teaches that both truths stand together. He says, 'From the front side, it's whosoever will may come. Nobody is left out. But when we decide to go through that door, we decide to stay with the Lord, and we decide to accept His remedy for our sin, then what can we see? Oh, He chose us before we were ever born.' He further explains that God, in His foreknowledge, knew what every individual would do in the exercise of their own free will, which is why God could say He chose us before the foundation of the world. This predetermined position was set in the counsel of the triune God before anything was created.
Les points to the disciples as an example: the eleven men were not believers until Christ came onto the scene, yet God already had His finger on them, and Jesus could say to the Father, 'Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost.' In Acts 16, Lydia had a concept of God, but it was the Lord who opened her heart so that she attended to Paul's words. In both cases, God's choosing precedes the person's faith.
Les Feldick says no. He stresses that the unbeliever is to understand 'whosoever will may come' and that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. The doctrine of election is something the believer can receive by faith after salvation, and it never cancels the universal invitation.
Jesus Chooses His Disciples; Lydia's Heart Opened
Les begins with John 15:16, where Jesus tells His disciples they did not choose Him but He chose them, and then moves to Acts 16:14 where the Lord opened Lydia's heart — both showing God's initiative in salvation.
Chosen in Eternity Past
Les states that believers have their exalted position because 'in eternity past, God chose us.' He emphasizes this truth is received by faith by believers, while the unbeliever faces the 'whosoever will' invitation.
Called Before the World Began
Les says believers were called by God's purpose and grace 'before the world began,' and he personally affirms, 'I was chosen before God ever created Adam' — God already had believers positioned in the body of Christ.
Election and 'Whosoever Will'
Les teaches that God chose believers 'long before the world was created,' but balances it by saying 'whosoever will may come' stands on the front side; after choosing to believe, we see God's prior choice.
Kingdom Prepared From the Foundation of the World
Les connects the kingdom prepared 'from the foundation of the world' with Ephesians 1's teaching that believers were chosen before creation, showing the same eternal timing in God's plan.
Foreknowledge and Election
Les explains Ephesians 1:4 by saying God's foreknowledge knew every individual's free will decision, and because of that He could choose us 'in Him before the foundation of the world.'
God's Hand on the Disciples Before They Believed
Les points to the eleven disciples as an example of God's prior choice — they were not yet believers, but God already had His finger on them.
Predetermined by the Triune Counsel
Les describes a triune meeting of the minds before anything was created, where God placed believers in a predetermined position; he then presents the familiar tension between election and free will.
Ephesians 1:4: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
This verse directly states that believers were chosen in Christ before the world was created.
2 Timothy 1:9: Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Shows that God's grace and purpose for believers were established before time began.
John 15:16: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Jesus affirms that the choosing of His disciples originated with Him, not with them.
Acts 16:14: And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Shows the Lord opening Lydia's heart, illustrating God's initiating work in salvation.
Matthew 25:34: Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Speaks of a kingdom prepared for God's people from the foundation of the world, echoing the same eternal planning.
John 17:12: While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Jesus refers to the disciples the Father gave Him, showing God's hand on them even before they believed.
According to Ephesians 1:4, God chose believers 'in Him before the foundation of the world.' 2 Timothy 1:9 adds that His grace was given us in Christ Jesus 'before the world began.'
Les Feldick says yes — believers were on God's heart in eternity past. He says, 'I was chosen before God ever created Adam.' It is a truth the believer accepts by faith.
Les teaches that the invitation 'whosoever will may come' still stands for everyone. God's foreknowledge saw each individual's free-will response, and election does not cancel the universal offer.
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