2 Thessalonians 2:13

2 Thessalonians 2:13. But we are bound to give thanks. The awful destiny of those who have not believed to the saving of their souls suggests to the apostle the value of faith and salvation; and this leads him to thank God for conferring those blessings on his much-loved Thessalonians.

From the beginning chose you. In this compact passage we get the whole series of ideas essential to the Gospel; the eternal (‘from the beginning') election of God, the call of God through the preaching of the Gospel, the belief of the truth and the sanctification of the believer by the Holy Spirit, and the consequent obtaining of salvation or fellowship in Christ's glory. All this results from God's election of them to it, and therefore Paul gives God thanks for it all, and specially for the election. Antinomianism, which is said to result from believing in election, is precluded by the ‘sanctification of the Spirit,' which is here introduced as the essential link between election and salvation. It is to be observed that in pursuance of the idea, with which Paul has been occupied, that wicked hatred of the truth is at the root of unbelief, he now speaks of sanctification of the Spirit as if it preceded belief in the truth. A man cannot believe till the Spirit has wrought in him a humble and holy willingness to receive the truth.