Perhaps Karl Barth's greatest contribution to Christian thought comes from his treatment of the doctrine of Election. In volume II.2 of his Church Dogmatics, Barth contends that the primary referent of God's elective act is not humankind, but God himself. In Jesus Christ, God is both the subject of election (the one who chooses) and object (the one who is chosen). In particular, God wills to be this kind of God - one who eternally relates to his creature. Moment-by-moment, God Almighty takes upon himself the flesh of Jesus, together with its suffering and condemnation. He does so in order to pay the debt of sin himself, and in turn elect salvation for humankind, the secondary referent in the doctrine.
Does this construal help make sense of election as an act of God's love and not just wrath (something Eph. 1:4-5 demands: "In love he predestined us...")?