Election

"Election according to the foreknowledge of God" (1Pet.1:2).
The most humbling pride striping doctrine in all of Christian theology is the doctrine of election. No other doctrine sets off as much controversy as election. Eschatology(the study of the end times), baptism, the Lord's supper, or even justification by faith alone do not cause the distention and disdain among Christians that election does in today's church.
Rather than being prideful and wanting to add our two bits to the work of salvation, we should be thankful that God chose to save us rather than leave us to die in our sins.
The scriptural evidence for election is almost superfluous. Yet man fights against it tooth and nail. We are saved by "grace and not of works." It is unfortunate that we can't seem to grasp this because of our pride.
Some say that God merely looks in to the future to see who will have faith and who will not. This belief is known as foresight. It is true that God foresees--he is omnipotent. But not only does god "foresee" he "foreknows!" This is an intimate causal form of knowledge. It is a saving knowledge.
In epistemology (the theory of knowledge) there is what is known as propositional knowledge where one knows "how" and "that." I know how to tie my shoes. I know that I live in Orlando. Another form of knowledge that is not propositional is immediate knowledge. This is a model of knowledge that illustrates "foreknowledge." There is no mediation but a direct link from the knower to the known. God did not have to learn to tie his shoes in this matter. He knows us intimately and directly. For propositional knowledge one has to know that you know, but for immediate knowledge one simply knows. So it is with God he doesn't have to learn of who will have faith or not he "foreknows."
Setting philosophy aside, we should praise God for saving us even before the foundation of the world. Let us not be prideful and want to hold on to some merit of our own but be humble giving God the praise and glory he deserves. Let us thank him also for giving us knowledge of his plan and design of election for us. What we know has been revealed to us by him and not because of our reasoning abilities. Praise his holy name.