1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, 2to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day 4longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, in you also.
6For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. 8Therefore don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but endure hardship for the Good News according to the power of God, 9who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, 10but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News. 11For this I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12For this cause I also suffer these things.
Yet I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day.
13Hold the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14That good thing which was committed to you, guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
15This you know, that all who are in Asia turned away from me, of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain, 17but when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently and found me 18(the Lord grant to him to find the Lord’s mercy in that day); and in how many things he served at Ephesus, you know very well.
Paul introduces the doctrine of election in Eph 1:3-14, a topic in theology that is central to the apostle’s understanding of grace, redemption, and God’s sovereignty. The development of this biblical teaching in this passage is similar to what one discovers in the book of Romans 8-9. According to Ephesians 1, God’s election of believers unto salvation (and subsequent predestination to heirship) is eternal and independent of human action or will, comes from the unmerited favor (grace) of God, brings praise to God, and relates to the person of Jesus the Messiah of God.
The doctrine of election presented by Jesus and the apostles affirms that God’s choice of specific sinners was not based on any foreseen response or obedience on man’s part (such as faith, etc). Faith and obedience were the results, not the cause of God’s election. Therefore election was not determined by or conditioned on any good quality or act foreseen in man. Everyone whom God elects will be brought by the power of the Spirit to a willing acceptance of Christ. Consequently, God’s election of the sinner, not the sinner’s choice of Christ, is the ultimate cause of salvation, though God holds man responsible to believe the gospel. Scripture presents a theological tension between man’s responsibility to believe and God’s sovereign election. Though we may not be able to completely reconcile the two, Scripture presents both truths (Matt 11:27-28; Acts 13:46,48).
There are at least nine characteristics of divine unconditional election: (1) God's eternal election was made before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4); (2) God's election was not based upon foreseen merit or good works dwelling in those whom He chose (Rom 9:11-13; 2 Tim 1:9); (3) God's election was not based on foreseen faith for faith is the result and not the ground of God's election (Acts 13:48; 2 Thess 2:13-14); (4) Election was based on the sovereign mercy of God, therefore it does not ultimately depend on man’s will but God’s will (Rom 9:16; John 1:13); (5) Election is unconditional, therefore making the salvation of the elect certain (Rom 8:29-30; John 6:37-39); (6) Election is just (Rom 9:13-24); (7) God chose particular individuals unto salvation not group election (Rev 13:8; 17:8); (8) Two fold purpose of election: (a) To result in salvation (2 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 2:10) and (b) to result in the glory of God (Eph 1:5-6, 12-14); and (9) election is a positive doctrine of God’s work to save fallen humans and not a negative doctrine to exclude. There is no election to be separated from God, for this is the state of all humans by default, unless the individual sinner is brought to God. – SPS