The Doctrine of Election

We believe that when the entire offspring of Adam had thus fallen into perdition and ruin by the sin of the first man, God showed himself to be as he is: merciful and just.¹ God is merciful in withdrawing and saving from this perdition those whom he, in his eternal and unchangeable counsel,² has elected and chosen in Jesus Christ our Lord by his pure goodness, without any consideration of their works.³ God is just in leaving the others in their ruin and fall into which they had plunged themselves.⁴