We believe that salvation is by God’s grace, through faith, and cannot be achieved by any works of man. We believe that God foreknew that man would sin, yet God did not cause man to sin, in the same way that God foreknew that the Jewish leaders would kill Jesus Christ, yet God did not cause them to do so. Likewise, God can foreknow what men will do in response to His grace, whether or not they will receive “the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). We believe that the Scriptures teach that election is based on foreknowledge. By “election,” we mean that sovereign act of God in grace, whereby from all eternity He chose in Christ Jesus for Himself and for salvation, all those whom He foreknew would responds positively to His grace. Election is based upon grace and is truly “unconditional,” in the sense that it does not rest upon human effort. It is also based on foreknowledge of God and not on some arbitrary will. God foreknew what men would do in response to His grace, and He elected those whom He foreknew would respond positively.