2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 13But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers [and sisters] loved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
Paul again gives thanks for what God is doing in the Thessalonians. They, too, should be thankful that they are participants in God’s great plan. God’s will for all people is for them to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). Verse 13 echoes 1 Thessalonians 4:3, that God’s will for us is our sanctification. The Thessalonians were chosen from the beginning to experience salvation. This should not be read as predetermination but purpose in creation. This verse does not support the claim that God predestined some to salvation and others to judgment. Rather, this verse echoes what Paul writes in Ephesians 1:3-6, that God has created all people to be “in Christ.” The reason we have been created is so that we can know and experience God’s love through Jesus Christ.
Paul states the same idea but with different words in these verses. He expresses this by using several prepositional phrases and Greek noun cases. The first prepositional phrase is for salvation (eis sōtērian). The Greek preposition eis can show goal. God chose the Thessalonians for the goal that they might experience his salvation through Jesus Christ. As other passages of the New Testament indicate, what the Thessalonians experienced is God’s intention for all believers.
The next two prepositional phrases are governed by one use of en, which can indicate instrumentality. The object of the preposition is given first followed by a noun in the genitive case. The first prepositional phrase gives the divine resource and the second gives the necessary human response. First, the Thessalonians experienced salvation through or “by means of” sanctification of the Spirit. This significant idea echoes the call of the New Testament and lies at the heart of the gospel. Sanctification is the process of being made holy and is God’s will for humanity. Without being sanctified and made holy, we cannot be in God’s holy presence (Hebrews 12:14). Sanctification begins with a heart change and works its way out to a change of lifestyle. The Holy Spirit is the one who cleanses away the stain of sin, frees us from its control, and changes our thinking. The Spirit then guides us into holiness and empowers us to love. Paul already prayed for these two qualities to be in the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13.
Second, the required human response to the grace of the Holy Spirit faith in the truth. When we believe in the full gospel, we will experience all that it promises. Faith is more than a decision in the mind to accept something as true. Faith is a full commitment to the claims about Jesus and accepting him as Savior and Lord of our lives. The truth is that we are sinners in need of God’s gracious forgiveness and cleansing. When we accept this about ourselves, we take the first steps to salvation. But salvation does not end with a confession of faith in Jesus Christ is justification. Salvation is more than getting an entry ticket into the stadium of heaven. The Spirit moves us forward in this salvation and calls us to experience it more deeply and profoundly in all areas of our lives. The Spirit transforms our bodies, souls, and spirits (1 Thessalonians 5:23) according to God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. The Spirit will lead us; we must agree with the Spirit in faith and obedience.
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