2 Thessalonians 2:13 Does Not Teach Calvinistic Election

Contra Unconditional Election, part 4

2 Thessalonians 2:13

“But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”

At first glance, one might assume that this verse is speaking of Calvinistic election. But not everything is as it appears. We need to ask: What is the background? Who was chosen? When or what is the beginning? And what is the definition of salvation in this context?

The Situation

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 says, “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction”

The Thessalonians were being disturbed by false teaching about the day of the Lord. They were being told by someone that the Day of the Lord had already come and they were presently experiencing it and so some of them might have feared that they were presently under God’s wrath and that God had rejected them. But Paul corrects this error by saying that the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist) is required to come first before the Day of the Lord comes, and he will deceive many. Then verse 13 begins with a big “but,” contrasting the judgement that will be upon the antichrist and his followers to the judgement that will not come upon the Thessalonians. Paul is encouraging them in their salvation that they are “not destined for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 5:9). Paul is essentially reassuring them, “don’t worry guys, you are okay. God will save you. You are not one of those who are deceived. You are of the true faith and God has not rejected you. The message you have previously heard and believed is the message of truth.”

Paul says to them, “It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us” (v. 14-15).

The majority of Paul’s audience here is also Greek (Acts 17:4), as Thessalonica was the capital city of the Roman province of Macedonia. This means they were Gentiles. And what do we know about the Gentile situation according to Scripture? They were grafted into the covenant (Ro 11:17) and God chose the Gentiles to inherit salvation. But if there happened to be some Judaizers who were saying that the Day of the Lord was already here and God’s wrath was upon them because they were not circumcised and they were not God’s chosen people, the Israelites, then that could have troubled their hearts and their assurance (Acts 15:1, 24; Gal 5). But Paul is saying, “ignore them. What you heard was true. You (the Gentiles) were chosen to inherit salvation.” Paul says in Ephesians 3:6 “the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” This is why Paul can say that God chose them as a people. The Gentiles are now an elect people because God has extended His salvation and covenant promises to the Gentiles.

When were they chosen? “From the beginning”

This verse is not specifically speaking about the foundation of the world or any time prior to the beginning of the world. It is not the typical Greek word used for “beginning.” The word here is literally translated as “first-fruits” and the ESV and LSB translations actually render it that way. The first-fruits or the beginning can be understood as the beginning of Paul’s ministry to the Thessalonians when they were first introduced to the gospel. In this way, they were the first-fruit harvest in Thessalonica. If we think about this individualistically, they were chosen by God when they believed. If we think about this corporately, the Gentiles as a people, were chosen by God to inherit salvation.

What were they chosen to? “Salvation”

According to the context about future judgement, the most rational interpretation of the word salvation for this verse would be future salvation (e.g. Ro 5:9-10; 1 Pet 1:5, 9; 2 Thess 2:13-16), the glorification of our bodies (Ro 8:17; 2 Thess 2:14), and avoiding the future wrath of God. Paul is not saying that they were specifically chosen to be born again but rather, they were chosen/selected to receive the future promises of salvation and avoid God’s coming wrath. So they were born-again and then God chooses all those who are already born-again to receive the promises of salvation. The born-again part comes first and this is through “the Spirit and faith in the truth” (v. 13). Then “sanctification” comes and progresses, becoming the means (“through”) by which future salvation is attained, even as Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

The choice of God is for them to receive future salvation.

Wrapping it all together

2 Thessalonians 2:13 “God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”

God has chosen you (the Gentiles, Thessalonians) for the inheritance of salvation since the time in which you first believed (the beginning). God has selected that the means by which this future salvation will come is through sanctification by the Spirit, and faith in the truth. As long as you have that, then you will receive the inheritance of salvation and you can take comfort in that because God selects (chooses) all those who believe in Him and who are being sanctified, that they will receive the promises. So don’t worry, Thessalonians, about what people are saying to trouble you. Hold firm to the truth that you have been taught. You are not destined for wrath but are destined for salvation.

This is all 2 Thessalonians 2 is saying. It does not teach Calvinistic election. This verse is a prime example of why Christians need to stop their proof-texting and presuppositional thinking, listing off a bunch of Bible verses out of context to prove their point with hardly any explanation. That is not an effective way to make a sound argument or case for a particular belief. Presuppositional thinking is not a defense for any belief. We always need to examine Bible verses with more depth if we are to accurately interpret a text to understand the Word of God.