“But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). In these two verses we have the essence of the great scope of salvation, namely that salvation is eternal, internal, and external. Notice first its eternal nature. Verse thirteen reads, “…because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation….” Consistently and thoroughly the Bible sets forth election as the starting point of salvation. Note such passages as II Timothy 1:9, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began…” and Ephesians 1:4, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:…” God’s choice and redemption of His people was not an after thought, the scripture affirms, “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). Notice secondly salvation’s internal nature. Again I direct your attention to the text; “…God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth…” What we observe here is the initial act in the heart of the sinner wherein the sovereign, irresistible, and effectual work of God the Spirit quickens and brings to light the gospel of Jesus Christ, creating faith within the heart that the sinner may joyfully embrace Jesus as his hope of glory. Observe in the third place the external work of salvation, “Whereunto He called you by our gospel…”The word “called” means to call forth and signifies action. It carries the weight of a summons by a King, or as it would in our day and time a subpoena from the court. The action involved is one coming from a certain place to a certain place. The case before us is that of one coming to Christ. We conclude, God the Father elected a people in eternity past, in time God the Son accomplished their redemption on Calvary’s Cross, in time God the Holy Spirit applies and sanctifies the truth of the cross in the heart of those chosen sinners and enables them by His power to come to Christ. John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” My dear readers, all that I have written, and trust that you have read, are inspired scripture references and not opinion or theory. Get your Bibles and as the Bereans (Acts 17:11), search the scriptures “whether those things were so” (whether these things be true or not).
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