Maybe this will help...
"God does not merely foreknow the faith of certain individuals, He foreknows believers. There is another view of election, championed by Robert Shank and others, including myself, that views God's election as primarily corporate in nature. God elected, among other things, 1) the nation Israel to fulfill His purposes (Deut. 7:7-8); 2) the nation of Jacob and not Esau to fulfill His purposes (Gen. 25:23; Rom. 9:10-14); 3) the Church in the New Testament (1 Peter 2:9); through 4) Jesus Christ, God's elect (Isa. 42:1), to fulfill His purposes. The elect, then, in the New Testament, are made up of individuals who have been united by the Holy Spirit into the one body of Christ to fulfill the purposes of God the Father who is working out everything in conformity with His will (Ephesians 1:11). Only as one comes to union with Christ is he or she considered the elect, chosen, or choice of God." -William Birch