“But 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.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:13)
As Paul considers what God has done in the lives of these Thessalonian believers, his heart swells with gratitude. He is specifically thankful that God chose them from the beginning to salvation and warmly refers to them as “brothers beloved by the Lord” because they believed in His name, lived according to His precepts, and were willing to suffer for the truth.
Paul felt an obligation to bless God on their behalf – “We are bound to give thanks to God always for you.” Like Paul, we should be moved by brotherly love to give thanks for all those God has chosen for His own, all our brothers and sisters in Christ who have a shared experienced in this salvation by grace.
In addition, we are to love those in God’s family, as He loves us, because this is how we know we are Christians: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death,” (1 John 3:14).
It does us good to remember that the Lord’s election is an election of grace; those whom He chooses have no inherent redeemable qualities (2 Tim. 1:9). We are all in the same predicament before salvation, condemned to death with no hope apart from Christ.
Rather, it is according to His own purpose and grace, given in Christ Jesus before the world began, that we are saved by grace through faith in His finished work on the cross. Thomas Manton said, “The only original cause and motive of election is God’s love and grace in Christ,” (Rom. 9:13; Deut. 7:7-8).
As it is completely in His right and will to choose some – and not to choose others – we should be found rejoicing if our “names are written in heaven,” (Luke 10:20). And we should ever be thankful to God on account of His eternal election, whether for our own salvation or the salvation of our fellow members in God’s family. It is our indispensable obligation to always praise and adore Him for blessing us with such a great salvation!
- Lord, I am so thankful you chose to sanctify me to Yourself, and that you instilled in me the faith to believe Your truth. Such a faith leads to holiness, and You say that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Show me areas in my life where I fail to honor You still, and give me wisdom and grace to follow You as I should.
- Lord, I know that the doctrine of Your free and unchangeable will concerning the salvation of the elect is a most blessed truth in Scripture. But election can be very hard to understand, and I often wonder, “Why me?” Teach me to trust in Your goodness, righteousness, and justice so that I do not find myself doubting Your sovereign will and Your ways.
- Lord, I am grateful You called me to Yourself and saved me, and that you gave me a family of believers to share in this unbelievable blessing with. I am also grateful that Your Spirit sanctifies us day by day through the Word, that we might continue to believe the truth and see the fruit of salvation in our own life as well as the lives of each other.
Further References for 2 Thess. 2:13
1 Peter 1:2; Eph. 1:4; 1 Thess. 1:4; Jer. 31:3; Acts 13:48
