John Calvin Commentary on Eph 1

"The name of Christ excludes all merit, and everything which men have of their own; for when He says that we are chosen in Christ, it follows that in ourselves we are unworthy." May we never think it was anything good in us that motivated the Father to choose us for salvation, for we in ourselves are undeserving of His favor. His choice is wholly of grace, based on His own good pleasure, and so we should be thankful always.

Eph 1:4
He choose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Augustine of Hippo AD 354-430

God "chose us in" Him "before the foundation of the world, predestining us unto the adoption of children," not because we were going to be holy and spotless through ourselves, but He chose and predestined us that we become so.

Basil of Casarea AD 329-379

Now perfect and complete glorying in God is this: not to exult in one's own righteousness,
but being aware that one is lacking in true righteousness, to be justified by faith alone in Christ.

Athanasius of Alexandria AD 298 -373

Nor let the words "before the world" and "before He made the earth" and "before the mountains were settled" disturb any one ... For though the grace which came to us from the Saviour appeared, as the Apostle says, just now, and has come when He sojourned among us; yet this grace had been prepared before we came into being, nay, before the foundation of the world.


EPH 1 : 3-7
 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love  he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Tertullian of Cathage AD 165-220

For, who can know truth without the help of God?
Who can know God without Christ?
Who has ever discovered Christ without the Holy Spirit?
And who has every received the Holy Spirit without (first) the gift of faith?

EPH 2:8-10
  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

James Smith (Puritan)

We forget that evil human nature is essentially the same in all. We forget that education, circumstance, providence and the Grace of God - make the only difference between us and the vilest of men that ever lived!
My nature is the same as in the harlot, drunkard, the murderer; and if left to myself -- I would have been as depraved as they are! Humbling consideration this!
"For who makes you different than anyone else? What do you have - that you did not receive?"
1 Cor 4:7
Am I vile? Let me take the blame and shame to myself.
Am I saved and holy? Let Sovereign Grace have all the glory and praise!

from the Power of Penitence 1856

Predestination & John Wycliffe

John Wycliffe’s understanding of predestination is confined to those who are the true members of the Church and what the Church actually consists of. He distinguished between the visible and invisible Church as all evangelical believers do. The invisible Church is the true Church, and Christ only is the head of that body, not the pope. As for the visible Church, he wondered which pope, Urban or Clement, who were warring over the papacy at the time, was considered to be the head of the visible Church. He believed that no pope (or any man) had the right to such a position. The reformer described the Church of Christ as consisting only of those who have been predestined to enjoy Heaven. Non-elect men and women may indeed be part of the visible Church but that does not automatically qualify them as members of the true or invisible Church.

His Biblical starting point for promoting predestination, like all reformed theologians, is Romans 8:28-30, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.” In commenting on this passage of Scripture he writes,  

“This predestination is the principle gift of God, most freely given, since no one can merit his own predestination. Since it cannot be present without being present at the first moment of existence of the predestinate, it follows what is commonly said of grace that this is the principle grace. It can never be lost, since it is the basis of glory and bliss, which equally cannot be lost.” Therefore such predestination is a divine decree rather than the personal choice of any man.