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”.
One response
I don’t think that’s the gist of what the post is getting at. Christ is eternal. God is eternal. All who are in Christ were placed into Christ, an eternal being. If were are in Christ, we were always known to be in Christ, because Christ is eternal. Thus, before the foundation of the world, because we are in Christ, we were already known before it was made. This does not invalidate prevenient knowledge of all who would believe. Foreknowledge implies that. Everyone who has ever been saved or ever will be saved is already known in Christ because Christ is eternal and God is eternal. He is already in the eternal future with us, all of us.
The way to enter Christ is to believe. Now we have a choice. When we believe we are sealed with the Spirit and are baptized into Christ. We are placed into an eternal being. We become elect and foreknown at that time, from our perspective. We were not chosen to believe, but those who are in Him were chosen to be blameless in Him in love. The limiting factor is that God has chosen us in him. Thus, to be chosen, you must be in. To be in, you must believe the Gospel, Eph. 1:13. God foreknew all who did because they are in Christ already – past, present, and future.