“The elect” is referenced several times in Scripture. Historically, this has been a controversial subject in that there are differing views regarding ‘who’ the elect is and whether people are predestined to be saved or do they have free will to choose to be saved. There are respected Biblical scholars on both sides of this issue. Your reference to “the called” is found in Romans 8:28, “those who are called according to His purpose.” “The elect” refers to those He (God) has predestined (Romans 8:29). Obviously, God knows everything. He is omniscient. He knows who will be saved and who will not. The Scripture also says, “whoever” calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). The word “whoever” is inclusive and opens the opportunity for salvation to everyone. God, however, knows which ones will respond to His love and forgiveness and become “the elect.” So, is it an issue of God choosing some and not choosing others? Yes, and no. God wants everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Those who respond to His message of grace and accept His forgiveness, you can say He chooses them. For those who reject His message of salvation, you could say He does not choose.

It appears that God put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden to give Adam and Eve a choice (you could call it a test) to obey or disobey Him. Adam and Eve were free to eat from any tree in the garden, but God said, you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If God had not given them the freedom to choose, they would have been like robots, programmed to obey and not willing to obey. This is not the kind of relationship God desires to have with His Creation. Throughout Scripture, we see God interacting with His Creation. He is a relational God. Man was made in His image, and He chooses to have a relationship with us. Since we are made in His image, He created us to choose whether or not we will have a relationship with Him. Adam and Eve made a choice, and unfortunately, their choice affected all of us.

In John 14, Jesus said, He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to the Father but through Him. He then goes on to talk about Heaven and how it is a prepared place for those who come to Him. Romans 10:12 tells us there is no difference between Jew and Greek (Gentile or non-Jew), and the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him. Therefore, religion does not determine one’s destiny but rather the personal relationship one has with God. A personal relationship with God only through Jesus Christ.

The 400 years between the Old and New Testaments are considered by scholars a period in which God did not speak. That is to say, there was no authoritative Scripture written during this period. No credible prophet prophecied during this time; therefore, they are considered “silent years.” Why? We can only assume that God used this time to prepare people for the coming Messiah. There was a period of silence. Not unlike the 400 years, the Children of Israel were enslaved people in Egypt. There was a hunger for God. After the people sought God and cried out to Him, God revealed Himself to Moses and tasked him to deliver His people at the appointed time. God told Moses, “And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:9-10). This is not unlike the environment created by the silence of no prophet for 400 years before Jesus came to earth. In the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi warns, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

So, what happened during those years? Israel fell to the Greeks in 333 B.C. Then, in 323 B.C., there was another takeover by the Egyptians. During these years, even though another nation ruled them, the Jews were treated well and adopted the Greek language, the most descriptive language of the day. The New Testament is translated into this descriptive language. The Jews also took on many of the Greek customs and manners, and in Egypt, the Old Testament was translated into Greek, called the Septuagint, and became widely used and quoted frequently in the New Testament.

Other significant events during the 400 years between the Old and New Testament periods were another change in power as Syria took over Israel. The Jews were persecuted under the Syrian rule. Then, in 171 B.C. Epiphanes destroyed the Holy of Holies in the Temple. This resulted in an uprising led by Judas Maccabeus from the line of Aaron in 165 B.C. The Jews recaptured Jerusalem and cleansed the Temple in 165 B.C. A little over 100 years later, in 63 B.C., the Romans gained control of Israel, which was marked by Pompey walking into the Holy of Holies. During Roman rule, a road structure was developed through the Middle East to provide avenues of travel, which eventually made the good news of Christ spread through the world in 47 B.C. Caesar installed Antipater as Judea's procurator. He was a direct descendant of Esau. Antipater appointed his two sons as kings of Galilee and Judea. Antipater’s son, Herod the Great, also a descendant of Esau, was king, and the priesthood became a politically motivated position, unlike the line of Aaron. The political culture also resulted in the development of two major religious factions, the Sadducees and the Pharisees. All these events and dynamics that developed during the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments made way for Jesus the Messiah to arrive at the perfect time so His message may be proclaimed and distributed worldwide.

This is a difficult situation because when people are hurting, sometimes, it is difficult for them to listen to counsel. They can only focus on the depth of their hurt and the injustice and unfairness of their situation. However, when people get to the point where they will listen, there is a great possibility they can be helped. One or more of three things typically occur for hurting people to listen to counsel. They will only listen to counsel once they are hurt enough (that is, the depth of their hurt turns them to seek health, and they realize they cannot continue in a destructive direction). Or, they know enough (sometimes more knowledge uncovers a willingness to change and move forward. Or they receive enough. Sometimes, people will change when their perspective changes, when they realize, amid their hurt and confusion, that God has blessed them beyond what they ever deserved. People tend to be pessimistic about God when they have been victimized, but those same people do not turn favorable to God when they accept all His blessings. It’s perspective, and when people can get their eyes off their hurt and on their blessings, they can handle the hurt better, even to the point that one day, it will appear only as a past scar that God healed.

Obviously, the success of counseling often hinges on the maturity of the victim, the relational equity (rapport) of the counselor, and the desire of the one who has been hurt to move on.

Jesus. He is the living example of what the will of God is. Obey Him and you will be following the will of God. Now, perhaps that answer was too oversimplified. So, let’s consider the Word of God (the Bible), which gives us direction in the will of God. The Bible will never lead you outside the will of God. The principles and guidance of God’s Word direct us in His will.

Some scholars say there are two sides to God’s will. His perfect will and His permissive will. His perfect will is mentioned in Romans 12:1-2. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV) Discerning the perfect will of God in this context is accomplished through the renewing of one’s mindset. To set your mind on things above (Colossians 3:1-3). In other words, think about the realities of Heaven, where Christ is, and His will is being accomplished 24/7. In order to do that, you must abandon thinking like the world thinks. When, as a habit of your life, your thought patterns are based on God’s perfect will, you will be able to ‘test’ what the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is for your life.

An example of His permissive will can be found in Psalm 106:15. In context, the narrative refers to the Children of Israel while they were wandering in the wilderness. The text says, So, he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it. Other translations say, “a wasting disease” or “leanness to their souls.” While they were still disobedient, God granted their requests, but not without discipline. They forgot the mighty works of God, their selfish desires ran wild, they became impatient with God, and jealous of His leaders (Moses and Aaron). The result was Divine discipline.

First of all, we need to realize that God is not only a revealing but also a concealing God. He reveals enough of Himself that we may believe, but He also conceals enough of Himself to keep us from being overwhelmed by His sovereignty, wisdom, and power.

So, how do we know God’s will? There are several indicators to knowing God’s will. First, His Word. God reveals His will in His Word (Psalm 119:24). Secondly, pray. Consistent communion with God through prayer will bring calmness and direction (Colossians 1:9; James 1:5). Thirdly, when we are trying to understand God’s will and the Bible does not directly tell us, we can get counsel from others. The book of Proverbs encourages us to seek counsel from Godly people (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22). Godly counsel comes from mature believers who love God, love you, and do not have any personal agenda when they counsel you. When Godly counsel is consistent, it indicates the direction God may or may not be leading you. But, perhaps the most neglected process of knowing God’s unknown will is doing God’s known will. If we are in a habit of doing the will of God that we know, God will trust us, in time, with the will of God we do not know. But rest assured, when God reveals His will to you, it will require you to trust Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Often, when children give their lives to Christ, they simply respond to the love of God through Jesus and are unaware that there will be opposition in their future. Oftentimes, they think everyone would want to know Jesus because He is so wonderful. But it is not enough for parents to just want their children to respond to the love of Christ. Parents need to prepare their children for the opposition that will surely come. A parent’s example is huge in this process. The parent needs to value God’s Word, so their children will value God’s Word. Preparing your children to defend the faith will not happen if you, as a parent, do not defend the faith. So, here are some suggestions.

1) Let your children know that, as a family, you take your cues from the Bible. It is the final authority in your family’s life. You prioritize reading it, talking about it, studying it, and creating opportunities to practice what it says as a family.

2) Show your children, in the Bible, how people have rejected the teachings of Christ (you will find these examples in the gospels, e.g.). Remind them that there will be people today who will not believe the way your family believes about Jesus. Share with them; we need to love those people, but we also need to have boundaries that will keep us safe from the influence of unbelievers. This practice helps them distinguish between core friendships and acquaintance friends and shows them how to love both but understand the difference.

The New Testament focuses on the life of Jesus, what He said, what He did, and what He wants, and ultimately, His death, burial, and resurrection. This does not mean that His family was not noteworthy; it just means the most valuable lesson and target of the whole of Scripture is to focus on Jesus and not the personalities of his siblings, etc. The Bible, like all books, has a focus. Evidently, the authors devoted their narratives to the subject of most importance. Jesus.