You are really grasping at straws! The Christian Faith has been delivered to us through the gospel. It doesn’t mean the obedient of faith was forced upon anyone!

danfeomtenn...

The scripture is clear. Those who were ordained to eternal life believed!

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭13:48‬

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1:12‬

Why did God enabled Paul for ministry? God counted Paul faithful! Paul expressed faith first and was placed into ministry. It has nothing to do with the Calvinist idea that people must be forced to believe because they cannot otherwise.

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:2‬

As you pointed out, 5:1 says we must have faith to be justified. Verse 2 says we don’t even have access to His grace unless we first believe.

“through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:5‬

Faith in scripture is our obedient act!

“but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭16:26‬

Adriel...

Who is chosen? It is “us”! Who are they? Faithful saints. God chose believers to be holy and blameless before Him. Has that happened? Not yet, but when it does we will be holy and blameless before Him because of Jesus Christ. This is referring to the time when Christ has set up His kingdom and it is given over to the Father. Let’s face it, we aren’t holy and blameless yet. If that happened before the foundation of the world there would have been no need for Jesus to die for our sins.

“That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:10‬

If you don’t get the hang up, you might not understand all of the teachings of the Reformed church. They teach men are unable to believe in God, so God has to overwhelm their desire to reject Him by forcing His will on them. It all boils down to their misunderstanding of what faith is and how it works. They believe God must produce faith within people or people have somehow saved themselves. Now there are no places in scripture where the idea of faith being a work is taught, but they still believe if someone can have faith without God casting His spell on them, they aren’t really saved because they tried to earn their salvation.

“For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13:15‬

The people closed their eyes because they didn’t want to believe. Correct? Did God bring their blindness about? Yes. Did the Jews not want to believe? Yes. If he Jews wanted to believe, would they have been blinded? No!

Remember, we were all once tares!

“Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:10-11‬

We who have believed were all tares until we obeyed and believed the gospel.

If God forces people to believe like Calvinism teaches, it makes me wonder why Jesus wept over Jerusalem.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭13:34‬

It’s almost like they had free will to believe in God or not! He says He wanted to gather them, but they would not. Didn’t God know He could just override their will and make them believe?!

“For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses;...”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:15-16‬

I didn’t think people could tell God no?

“But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:30‬

No, the leopard can’t change it’s spots, but God can and does change a sinner into a new creation after they believe. Believing and salvation are two different things.

Adriel...

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:9-11‬

The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, but some of you believe there are unrighteous people who are going to inherit the kingdom of God. Contrary to what God says! Believers were in the same boat as unbelievers prior to faith. All who are ordained to eternal life believed. Their act of believing is in the past tense. Nobody has been ordained for eternal life prior to having already believed.

James Thomas...

“Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:3-5‬

“Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭6:10‬

That’s exactly my point. It shows that people have the ability to believe otherwise there would be no reason to blind them to the truth!

“And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13:14-15‬

God is explaining to them His covenant with them as pertaining to The Promise Land. They aren’t even talking about salvation. Now, if they were, we know that God will blind people from the truth who already did not trust in Him previously.

“Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭28:47‬