Bible Truth #231 - 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
13  But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

14  He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I wrote about verse 13 in Bible Truth #55 but I included it in this Bible Truth to keep my comments about verse 14 in context.

In verse 14 Paul writes that God CALLED the Thessalonians (and by clear implication, ALL Christians) to “this” through Paul’s Gospel, or Good News. What is the “this” to which he was referring? Answer - he was referring to salvation, or “to be saved” as he wrote in the previous verse.

As I’ve written before, being called is something that God does ONLY to those He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). The COMMAND for all men to repent (Acts 17:30) is NOT the same as the CALL to salvation for God’s Elect.

Bottom Line: The call to salvation is particular and specific. Just as all Christians are not called to preach, not all men are called to be saved (1 Corinthians 1:26). Those who are not called will never be saved. Those who ARE called WILL be saved because God justifies and glorifies every single person He calls (Romans 8:29-30). And THIS to the praise and glory of His Holy Name.