Anti-Calvinists typically argue that “in him” in Ephesians 1:4 means that election is conditionally based on foreseen faith in Christ. This is what the poster in the image below was asserting.
However, this is not the Calvinism killer that some would want to believe. Quite the contrary. The “in him” in no way invalidates the Calvinist’s position. It supports it. It shows that our salvation is itself rooted in Christ. Those who are Elect or chosen are so because God decreed that salvation would come through the redemptive work of Christ — not anything that we do in and of ourselves. It is not rooted in us. It is rooted in his eternal decree and secured by the finished work of Christ. The phrase “before the foundation of the world” shows that this was determined before Creation existed.
This is further seen in the Greek underlying the phrase “in him”. “ἐν αὐτῷ” (in him) is tied to “ἐξελέξατο” (he chose) and tells us something about the context of how this choosing occurs. Because “αὐτῷ” is in the dative case, it serves as the indirect object and suggests the sphere and the means by which God’s choice occurs. “ἡμᾶς” (us) serves as the direct object and means that we (the Elect) are the ones chosen. Further, “ἡμᾶς” is not corporate; it is personal.
This person is applying the text incorrectly when he implies that election is conditional, based on foreseen faith of who will be “in Christ” through their faith. The dative case isn’t causal. For the phrase to mean what he wants it to mean, “him” would need to be accusative and “in” would probably need to be something like “διὰ” meaning “because of him”.
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