Chosen Out of Context

One Scripture passage that is occasionally used to support the idea that God chooses who will be saved is John 15:16. This is then quoted out of context “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.”  However, if taken in context it ONLY applies to the 11 Apostles and has nothing to do with being chosen for salvation.

At the Last Supper after Judas has already left to betray Jesus [John 13:1-4; 24-30], Jesus spoke to the eleven Apostles and said “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

He is only speaking to the 11 Apostles. When did he choose the Apostles? Luke 6:12-17 tells exactly when they were chosen.

“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.”

Jesus gathered all of his disciples together and chose from among them the 12 [of which one was a devil] to be Apostles.  They were chosen for a specific purpose and service. This does not support the view that only those God chooses can be saved.

The disciples were believers before Jesus chose them to be Apostles, they were not chosen TO BE saved, they were chosen to be Apostles, i.e. to serve in the capacity as Apostles