John chapter 17 contains the prayer of Jesus for His disciples, all the believers and those who will believe, and the people in the world.  In verse 9, Jesus prayed particularly for His disciples.  He said, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."  He further said in verse 10, "And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them."  In verse 12 He said, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name; those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled."  Calvinists believe that all the elect were given to Christ in eternity and that the passages above were Christ's prayer for all the elect, including the unsaved elect.  However, there are many questions to this kind of belief.  The Bible says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature...." (II Cor. 5:17).   Were all the elect including the unsaved ones already in Christ in eternity?  If they were in Christ in eternity, were they new creatures in eternity? If they were in Christ in eternity before they became believers, was Christ glorified in their lives during their unbelieving state or condition? Since Christ said, "I am glorified in them," isn't this a proof that Christ was referring only to believers or his disciples? Christ was praying particularly for his disciples because He said, "While I was with them in the world..." He did not spend time with all the elect during His earthly ministry.  Furthermore, not all elect were born in the world when Christ prayed this prayer and He said, "...these are in the world" (v. 11).  Therefore we conclude that the passages above do not refer to all the elect but to Christ's disciples at that particular time.

 Christ also prayed for all the believers, including those who will believe in the future. He said, "Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word..." (John 17:20)  He also prayed for all the people in the world.  His prayer for them was "... that the world may believe that Thou  (the Father) hast sent Me (Christ)",  John 17:21.

 The Father gives to Christ those who believe.  Those who believe in Christ are given eternal life by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (John. 17:2).