2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
What is written? (ESV)
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. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What does it say?
We should give thanks to God [the Father] in the name and authority of Jesus [the Son] since He chose you to be saved through the setting apart by the Spirit and belief in the gospel. This salvation is what He called you to by the gospel message we had preached, and its end is glorification with our Lord Jesus Christ.
What is its immediate context?
Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica where he warns them about coming destructive forces to the faithful – those that succumb even being helped by God who “sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,”. (vs 11)
How 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 is applied across Bible answers
Are God’s word and the Holy Spirit the same thing?
The "sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth" are two different things that Paul identifies as elements of being saved.
Do we pray to Jesus or God?
We give thanks to God.
Is hearing the gospel the only way to know God’s will?
Christians are called through the gospel.
Is there an inward call of God?
Paul states clearly that the "brothers" were called by God "through our gospel". The gospel is the calling, not distinguished as an "inward" or an "outward".
Top 10: Passages that must be reconciled before concluding that the Holy Spirit indwells representatively through the Word?
We are saved "through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth".
We read about this exact thing happening -- at least the start of it -- for the first Christians in Acts 2.4
What does it mean to ‘call on the name of the Lord?’
What does the Holy Spirit do for the Christian today?
The sanctifying work of the Spirit, together with one's "belief in the truth" (God's word) is what saves us eternally.
What is salvation according to the Bible?
One is saved (e.g. "called") through belief in the gospel message (e.g. "truth") and being set apart (e.g. "sanctification") by the Holy Spirit.
What saves you eternally?
They were saved by the Spirit setting them apart and their belief in the gospel ("truth").
Where do we see the personality of the Godhead?
Paul gives thanks to God for His foreknowledge of their sanctification by the Spirit and for their ultimatly obtaining the glory of the Son.
Why does God give the non-miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit? (Acts 2:38-39)
Those that are saved are those that believed the word (e.g. "truth") and were set apart or made holy (e.g. "sanctification") by the Spirit. This salvation is so that one might "obtain the glory of...Christ" upon His return.
(A passage that's especially problematic for Holger Neubauer since he must force some kind of interpretation that justifies the preterist's core belief that Jesus already returned. Note that the conclusion is made before the natural reading of the passage and its perfect harmony with the rest of scripture.)
