Paul the
apostle told the Thessalonian church members “the day of Christ”
would be preceded by the revelation of “the man of sin” or
“son of perdition”. Because people do not “believe
the truth”, “God will send them strong delusion”, and they
will “believe a lie” and “be damned who believed not
the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” In
chapter two and verse thirteen of his second letter to the
Thessalonians, Paul told the church members “God has from
the beginning chosen” them “to
salvation” where we read:
But we are
bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the
Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
The verse begins, “But
we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of
the Lord,...”
Paul began with the word, “But”
which is a disassociation conjunction which means “that which is
about to be stated takes precedence over what was previously stated,
moreover, and” “we are bound”
or “owing what is due as a debtor” “to
give thanks”
which is the Greek word “eucharisteō”
from
which we get our English word “Eucharist” and means
“being grateful and thankful” “alway”
or “at all times and ever” “to
God” who
is “the Godhead bodily and trinity comprised of God the Father,
Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “for
you” which
refers to the Thessalonian church members “brethren”
which means “a brother, whether born of the same two parents or
only of the same father or mother or a fellow believer who is united
to another by the bond of affection” “beloved”
which is the Greek word “agapaō”
which
means
“to be fond of, love dearly, be well pleased or contented with, and
unconditional love” “of the Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs about which
he has power of deciding, master and the title give to God the
Messiah”. Paul and his traveling companions felt it an obligation
and debt to be “thankful” “to
God” for
the well-beloved Thessalonian brothers and sisters in Christ.
The verse goes on to
say, “...because God has from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth:”
Paul went on to give the reason he and his companions were thankful,
“because”
which means “since, as though, concerning that and on account of”
“God”
who is “the Godhead bodily and trinity comprised of God the Father,
Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “has
from the beginning chosen you””
which in Greek is the phrase “haireō
apo archē haireō” and
means “from the origin, first place or commencement God has taken,
voted for, preferred and elected the Thessalonians” “to
salvation”
or “deliverance, preservation and safety” “through”
which means “by, with and in” “sanctification”
or “consecration and purification” “of
the Spirit”
which refers to “the third person of the triune God, the Holy
Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son” “and
belief” or
“the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all
things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through
Christ, and a strong and welcome conviction that Jesus is the Messiah
through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God” “of
the truth”
which means “what is true in things appertaining to God and the
duties of man which includes moral and religious truth”. The reason
the “beloved” Thessalonians
caused Paul and his companions to be “grateful to God” was
because they were “elected”, “sanctified” and set apart as
they were empowered by God's Holy Spirit to “believe
the truth”.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we certainly desire to be a
part of this group for which he thanks God. To be elected and chosen
to “believe the truth”
is the highest honor we receive upon the earth. Rather than being
“damned” as those
who trust in the “strong delusion”,
we have an opportunity to trust in the “gospel” or “good news”
of Jesus Christ who died for our sins, rose again from the grave, and
promised that we shall live with Him forever. We too should feel the
“debt of gratefulness” not only for ourselves, but also for
others who have received Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and should
the troubles of this world ever bring us down, let us be lifted up by
the promise that we are “the elected of God”.
Next
time Paul tells the Thessalonians how they were “called
by” Paul and his companions
“gospel”, so read
ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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