2 Thessalonians 2:13 - Meaning and Application

Here we can see the comfort the Thessalonians could take in view of the fear of apostasy, a falling away from the faith (2 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:14). They were chosen for salvation and called to receive glory. When we hear that many fall away, it is a deep comfort to know that there is a remnant, a faithful few chosen by grace, who do and will continue. We should be especially glad if we have reason to hope that we belong to that number.

The apostle felt bound to thank God for them. He says, “We are bound to give thanks to God always for you.” He had often thanked God for them before, and he still kept giving thanks, because there was good reason. They were loved by the Lord, and this showed itself in their safety from falling away. The preservation of the saints, that is, God’s keeping of his true people, rests on two great things.

First, it rests on the sure purpose of God’s gracious choice (2 Thessalonians 2:13). They were beloved by the Lord because God chose them from the beginning. He had loved them with an everlasting love. We can notice three things about this choice. Its beginning is eternal, from the beginning, not just from the start of the gospel, but from before the world was made (Ephesians 1:4). Its goal is salvation, full and lasting rescue from sin and misery, and the full enjoyment of every good thing.

Its means are sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. God’s purpose joins the end and the means together, and we must not separate them. We are not chosen because we were already holy, but so that we might become holy. If we are chosen for salvation, we must be prepared for it by holiness, which is brought about by the Holy Spirit and received through faith on our part. There must be belief in the truth, or there can be no true holiness, no lasting perseverance in grace, and no obtaining of salvation. Faith and holiness must go together, just as holiness and happiness do. That is why our Savior prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail (Luke 22:32), and for his disciples, “Sanctify them by your truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

Second, this preservation rests on the effective power of the gospel call (2 Thessalonians 2:14). Since they were chosen for salvation, they were also called to it through the gospel. “Those whom he predestined, he also called” (Romans 8:30). God’s outward call comes through the gospel, and the Spirit makes that call effective within the heart. Wherever the gospel comes, it calls and invites people to share in glory. It is a call to honor and happiness, even to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glory he has purchased and the glory he now possesses, which will be given to those who believe and obey his gospel. They will be with Christ and see his glory, and they will be glorified with Christ and share in his glory.

From this, the apostle draws an exhortation to stand firm and keep going: “Therefore, brethren, stand fast” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). He does not say, “You are chosen for salvation, so you may be careless and at ease.” Instead, he says, “Stand fast.” God’s grace in election and calling does not cancel our careful effort. It should stir us to even greater resolve and diligence. In the same way, John told believers that they had received an anointing that would remain in them, and then he added, “Now abide in him” (1 John 2:27, 1 John 2:28).

The Thessalonians are urged to keep firm in their Christian faith and to hold fast to the traditions they were taught, meaning the teaching of the gospel delivered by the apostle, whether by spoken word or by letter. At that time, the complete Bible had not yet been gathered, so some things were taught by the apostles in preaching under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and Christians were bound to keep them as God’s truth. Other things were later written down, as in the apostle’s earlier letter to these Thessalonians. Those letters were written as the writers were moved by the Holy Spirit.

There is no support here for treating oral traditions today, now that Scripture is complete, as equal in authority to the Bible. We must firmly hold to the doctrines and duties taught by the inspired apostles. But we have no sure proof of anything handed down by them beyond what is preserved in the holy Scriptures.