Paul is referring to events that will take place in the future, events which will take place prior to the Lord’s return [v8]. Many who profess faith will fall away [v3]. One will stand out as a self-proclaimed god [v4]. many will not believe the gospel but rather follow a lie [v11].
But Paul does not count these believers in Thessalonica amongst that number. He says ‘we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ’ [v12-13]. He reminds them of what God has done for them and how they came to enjoy it.
God chose them. This took place before the creation of the world [Eph 1v4] and means He chose them before they had done anything good or bad. He wasn’t persuaded to chose them on account of what they had done. He simply chose them for His own plan and purpose.
God sanctified them. To sanctify simply means to be set apart for God. They were set apart from the rest of humanity by God and for God. This work of sanctification is brought about by the Holy Spirit who works in them to bring them to a point in their life where they believe ‘in the truth’ [v13]. Every Christian can look back to a day in their life when they came to believe something that they hadn’t believed before, namely, that they needed Jesus to be their Saviour and they trusted Him to be so.
God called them. How did the Spirit bring them to believe in the truth? Through Paul preaching the gospel. They heard the truth about God, about themselves and what Christ had done on the cross for them.
No wonder Paul says ‘we are bound to give thanks to God for you’ [v12]. Not only can we thank God for what He has done for us in Christ, we can also give thanks to God for what He has done for each and every believer we know. Who can you give thanks to God for today?
Tomorrow’s Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3
