Who are the “elect” the Bible talks about?<\/p>\n\t
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure<\/em>” (I Peter 1:1-2).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The elect is the group of people God chose to sanctify for the purpose of obeying Christ.<\/p>\n
The sprinkling of the blood is a reference to the dedication to a covenant and cleansing. “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance<\/em>” (Hebrews 9:13-15).<\/p>\n
Those who obey Christ are his followers. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness<\/em>” (Romans 6:16-18).<\/p>\n
Those sanctified are the people set apart for a special purpose for God. “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God<\/em>” (I Corinthians 6:11).<\/p>\n
Therefore, the elect is just another name for Christians. It refers to the fact that Christians are God’s chosen people. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light<\/em>” (I Peter 2:9). Under the Old Covenant, Israel was God’s chosen people, but under the New Covenant, it is a type of people, not their heritage, whom God has chosen to be His special people.<\/p>\n
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us<\/em>” (Romans 8:31-34).<\/p>\n
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do<\/em>” (Colossians 3:12-13).<\/p>\n
“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory<\/em>” (II Timothy 2:10).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Who are the “elect” the Bible talks about? Answer: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[450,47,76],"class_list":["post-23859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-christians","tag-salvation","tag-terminology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34164,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-primitive-baptists-believe\/","url_meta":{"origin":23859,"position":0},"title":"What do Primitive Baptists believe?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: To start with, I want to thank you for your website, particularly the questions and answers section. It is well organized and presents a strong knowledge base, which I am now wanting to draw from. I am a member of the church of Christ and have been using your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87307,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-baptism-by-immersion-valid\/","url_meta":{"origin":23859,"position":1},"title":"Is baptism by immersion valid?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is baptism by immersion valid? Ezekiel prophesied, \"I will sprinkle clean water upon you.\" Doesn't that verse mean baptism is to be done by sprinkling and not immersion? Peter said we are \"sprinkled with the blood of Christ.\" Also, Peter baptized in Jerusalem on Pentecost, where there wouldn't have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9878,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/could-you-explain-i-peter-11-5\/","url_meta":{"origin":23859,"position":2},"title":"Could you explain I Peter 1:1-5?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 20, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I kindly ask you to consider the questions of my searching heart and mind regarding this passage in the Holy Writ, which I want to be clarified without a shadow of a doubt. It is my desire to know the truth for it is by obeying the truth that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37845,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-the-blood-of-jesus-limited-only-to-the-washing-away-of-our-sins\/","url_meta":{"origin":23859,"position":3},"title":"Was the blood of Jesus limited only to the washing away of our sins?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 17, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please, was the blood of Jesus limited only to the washing away of our sins? Answer: For the forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God \"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52850,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-we-pray-to-cover-ourselves-with-the-blood-of-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":23859,"position":4},"title":"Should we pray to cover ourselves with the blood of Jesus?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it OK, while we pray, to cover ourselves with the blood of Jesus? For example, we cover ourselves with the blood of Jesus for protection. Do you remember the Passover when a lamb's blood was used for protection against death? In that same way, better blood that speaks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24708,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/it-isnt-christian-like-to-publish-negative-things-about-the-coptic-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":23859,"position":5},"title":"It isn’t Christian-like to publish negative things about the Coptic church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: A question on the Coptic church\u00a0has your response being negative of the Coptic church and using Bible verses in the wrong context. That is not Christian-like at all. 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