Introduction
What I have said about being “chosen” from our study of 1 Thess. 1:4 also applies here, but 2 Thess. 2:13 offers its own challenges. In this context, we have Paul not only reiterating the divine choice, now stated as “God chose you,” but then Paul adds the term “as the firstfruits,” or the alternative interpretation, “from the beginning.” (ESV) And most importantly, he adds “to be saved” (ESV) or “for salvation” (CSB) or “to save you” (JBP). So, we have “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved,” or “from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation” (CSB) or “He has chosen you from the beginning to save you.” (CSB, JBP).
So, this verse has two elements that we must interpret. The first is what to make of the Greek word ἀπαρχὴ (“aparché”), which may mean “first fruits” or “from the beginning.” The second is how to interpret “God chose you…to be saved.” Here’s how the different versions handle these options.
(ESV) “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” (ESV)
(NRSVUE) “But we must always give thanks to God for you, brother and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”
(CSB) “But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”
And the J. B. Phillips translation reads,
(JBP) “But we can thank God continually for you, brothers, whom the Lord loves. He has chosen you from the beginning to save you, to make you holy by the work of his Spirit and your own belief in the truth.”
Note Paul’s thanksgiving to God for the Thessalonians, their being loved by the Lord (as in 1 Thessalonians 1:4), the phrase “as the firstfruits” or “from the beginning,” “through sanctification by the Spirit,” and “through belief in the truth.” But before we examine these elements, I submit to you that we are able to eliminate the Calvinist interpretation of “God chose you…to be saved” as referring to unconditional election by examining the verse in context. Let’s look at this context.
The Immediate Context Refutes a Calvinist Interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:13
It is always important to read a verse in context. Two contextual observations refute the Calvinist interpretation of this verse, and any others, as referring to an unconditional divine election. Unconditional election refers to the premundane decision of God alone as to which individuals he will irresistibly and unalterably effect regeneration (i.e., salvation) while leaving all others in their sin without the hope of salvation. Let’s examine these contextual considerations.
1) First, in the verses before 2:13, Paul writes about those who “refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10, ESV). The Calvinist’s doctrine of unconditional election (i.e., predestination) is obviously incoherent with this statement. Paul’s words mean that there are people who could have been saved, yet may not be saved because of what they do or don’t do. This scenario is incoherent with Calvinism’s doctrine of unconditional election. Indeed, Paul seems to indicate that although these people could be saved, they will not be saved “because they refused to love the truth.” (ESV). Think about this carefully. The idea of “could have been saved” is not coherent with the Calvinist’s deterministic soteriological doctrine of unconditional election. Unconditional election divides humanity into two groups, the elect and the non-elect (i.e., reprobate). Each person’s ontological status, that is, the status of their being, is fixed. You are either one of the elect or not, and you cannot change your status or the eternal destiny assigned to you by God. Now, Paul’s words contradict the Calvinist doctrine of predestination or unconditional election. For everyone God has predestined to be saved will certainly be saved, and those God has not predestinated to be saved will certainly never be saved. So, on Calvinism, there is no category of people as Paul describes, that is, those who could have been saved, but will not be saved because they refused to love the truth. This is incoherent with Calvinism. There is no such reality as “could have been saved but will not be saved.” You will either be saved, or you will not be saved. Those who will be saved cannot fail to be saved. And those who will not be saved cannot be saved. One’s salvation has nothing to do with what you or I do. As a matter of fact, what you or I do has been predetermined by God down to the minutest details.
This means that because of what Paul writes in 2 Thess. 2:10, we can conclude that he does not hold to a doctrine of unconditional election or predestination. It is not in his theology. So, there is no contradiction between Paul’s view of God’s sovereignty and the doctrines of election and human freedom and responsibility. This is not because, as Calvinists claim, it is a mystery, antinomy, or incomprehensible to our human understanding, but because they have wrongly defined sovereignty as a universal divine causal determinism that has been read into the Scripture by taking verses out of context. The Calvinist then dismisses the incoherence, inconsistencies, and contradictions that result from his theistic determinism while insisting that the Bible teaches both determinism and genuine, human freedom.
So, from the immediate context to 2 Thess. 2:13, we gain an important insight into Paul’s soteriology. Paul places the eternal destiny of a person squarely upon the person themselves, not upon God. Paul states that “those who are perishing” are doing so “because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (ESV) This verse is not a mere identification of the persons (i.e., they) about whom it must be presumed are not among God’s unconditional elect predestined for salvation; a meaning that is required by the Calvinist and must be forced into the text against its obvious plain meaning. Either that, or the text is completely ignored by Calvinists, and other preachers and teachers. Rather, the obvious sense and meaning of the words in the text amount to a direct statement about the freedom of the human will and the responsibility of the individual, which is decisive concerning their salvation or eternal destiny. It is the sinner that “refused to love the truth” (2:10), just as it is the sinner that appropriates for themselves God’s salvation provided in Christ Jesus by “belief in the truth” (v. 13). These verses affirm what Paul, and the scriptures everywhere teach us; that salvation must be appropriated by the sinner through faith. They themselves must “love the truth and so be saved.” These people would receive salvation, but they “refused to love the truth” (i.e., the gospel message). In verse 12, Paul reiterates that they “did not believe the truth.” (ESV) We find this also in 1:8 regarding “those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (ESV) So, salvation comes through a person’s faith response to the gospel. Those who “refuse to love the truth” stand in direct contrast to the Thessalonians as those who accepted, received, and believed the word (1 Thess. 1:6-8, 2:10, 13; 3:2, 5-7, 10; 2 Thess. 1:3-4, 10, 11, 2:13, also see 3:2). So, this context is a sufficient refutation of Calvinism’s doctrine of unconditional election.
2) Secondly, immediately after 2 Thess. 2:13-14 Paul encourages the Thessalonian believers to “stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught by us.” (v. 15) In 1 Thess. 3:8 Paul finds extreme encouragement (lit. “For now we live…) “if you [Thessalonians] are standing fast in the Lord.” Indeed, Paul talks about being “torn away” from the Thessalonians and that he “endeavored more eagerly and with great desire to see them face to face.” (1 Thess. 2:17) And when “we could bear it no longer” Timothy was sent from Athens “to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions.” (1 Thess. 3:1-3) And because Paul had told them that they were “destined” to suffer afflictions (1 Thess. 3:3), he writes in 1 Thess. 3:5, “…when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.” (See also 1 Thess. 2:1) Note that the Thessalonians being “chosen” by God is obviously not a deterministic or unconditional election. If that were the case, then why this extreme concern on Paul’s part about their continuance in faith? Furthermore, if all things are predetermined by God, why would he even enter his mind that “our labor would be in vain,” which implies the loss of faith?
It also must be noted that in 1 Thess. 3:5 the Calvinist’s universal divine causal determinism has God causing “the tempter” (i.e., Satan, see also 1 Thess. 2:18) to possibly tempt the Thessalonians, to the point that Paul fears his labor would be in vain (1 Thess, 3:5). This means that, contrary to James 1:13, the logical entailment of Calvinist determinism is that God tempts people to fall away from him, thus impugning His character. Not only that, but on Calvinism, this translates to Paul being “fearful” that God’s will will be done! Another bizarre entailment of Calvinist theistic determinism.
3) One more contextual point to make. In 2 Thess. 3:14-15, Paul says, “If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter…” Obviously, there is no theistic determinism here. It’s the person’s own disobedience, not God, causing the disobedience. But Paul continues, “…take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.” Here we have contingency, potentiality, or the possibility of change, which is in contradiction to Calvinist determinism. But note the following instruction by Paul. He adds, “Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.” Not only do we have a warning, which also presupposes real contingency and human freedom, but the person refusing to obey Paul’s apostolic authoritative word in this letter is “a brother,” that is, as a believer.
The point is that these kinds of dynamics, of which the Bible is full, are inconsistent with Calvinism’s theistic determinism and soteriological doctrines. God does not predetermine the things mentioned above. God would be the cause of a believer’s disobedience. God would be causing a believer to disobey His own inspired word written by Paul. So, Calvinism is incoherent with the overwhelming testimony, not only of human free will and responsibility, but also God’s sovereignty, because they mistakenly define it as theistic determinism.
Preliminary Thoughts on the Meaning of “God Chose You… To Be Saved“
Now that the Calvinist view has been refuted by the text itself, what does Paul mean to say in this verse by the words “God chose you…to be saved”? I have covered this issue in my examination of 1 Thess. 1:4 above. But we should note here again that Paul speaks to them in the plural as a group of believers. In effect, he is saying, “As part of my God-revealed ministry to bring the gospel into Macedonia, from the beginning, or as the ‘first fruits,’ God chose you to be saved, that is, he called you through our gospel through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” As such, this excludes no one in particular nor does it include anyone in particular, as is required in Calvinism. When Paul states that God chose the Thessalonians to be saved, he is saying that God brought the gospel message to them at the beginning of his ministry for them to be among the first to hear the “good news.” God chose them as the “first fruits” or “from the beginning” to be saved when they received the word (1 Thess. 1:6, 13), when they accepted the word of God (1 Thess. 1:13), and when they believed in the truth (2 Thess. 2:13).
Having chosen them as “the first fruits” or “from the beginning” cannot be reduced to a theistic determinism in which God, before he created the world, predetermined which individual Thessalonians would be saved and which would not. Neither in this text nor in the context nor in the content of Paul’s other epistles and the witness of the whole canon of Scripture, especially concerning the definition and content of the gospel, are we taught that God’s “choices” are made for the purpose of salvific exclusivity. Rather, the witness of the scriptures is that God’s choices are for the purpose of universal inclusion in salvation, and that, by faith. The Thessalonians are, as the text says, “chosen by God” as “first fruits” to be saved. This occurs by the sanctifying presence of the Spirit and only upon the condition of their “belief in the truth.”
All these elements are in Paul’s soteriology when he uses the word “chosen.” He is emphasizing that God is directing the movement of the gospel into Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10; 17:1-15). That is the main theme in the book of Acts. It is how the Spirit empowers and directs the spread of the gospel into the world. It was because Paul brought the gospel to Thessalonica, and they received and believed the message of their salvation, that he could say God chose them from the beginning or as first fruits to be saved. But this is never apart from the preaching of the gospel and a response of faith by the hearer.
Throughout his epistles, Paul is clear that there is no salvation apart from faith and that faith is always the responsibility of the one hearing the gospel so that, by believing, he or she may be saved. This is the very intent of the gospel as ‘good news.’ When Paul writes about God choosing the Thessalonians to be saved, he is stating the purpose of bringing the gospel to people. When God chooses to bring the gospel to people, this is synonymous with God choosing them to be saved. So God’s choices are so that the Thessalonians and the Gentiles may be saved. (1 Thess. 2:16) So from Paul’s point of view, he can say “God chose you as the first fruits or from the beginning to be saved” because that is the same as “God chose to bring the gospel to you.” Now, Paul can present to the Thessalonians a God-centered point of view for their comfort, encouragement, and instruction. He does this by using the language of divine choice, calling (1 Thess. 2:12, 4:72; Thess. 1:11, 2:14), or election. In the phrases “he has chosen you” and “God chose you…to be saved,” Paul is emphasizing the divine will and work in bringing the gospel to them. Add to this the fact that “To be saved” is never apart from “belief in the truth.” Furthermore, all this is not apart from God’s activity by his Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5, 4:8, 5:19, cf 1 Thess. 5:23 and 2 Thess. 2:13). It is not a human phenomenon. It is a spiritual happening. But that is not in opposition to the nature of faith as the person’s response of humble surrender required to appropriate salvation for oneself. So, faith is not a work or meritorious. Hence, there is no conflict between Paul’s theology of “God chose you…to be saved” and the necessity of faith on the part of sinners (e.g., the Thessalonians). Therefore, when Paul writes, “God chose you…to be saved” or uses the term “elect,” these terms cannot be referring to the Calvinists’ unconditional election. The spiritual nature of salvation is affirmed when Paul writes that “God chose you [Thessalonians] to be saved” because it is God who not only gave Paul instruction to preach the gospel to them, and some of them, upon believing this “good news” were saved, but also that those who were saved were saved “through sanctification by the Spirit.” It is a spiritual rebirth, but only for those “who did receive him [Jesus], who believed in his name.” It is to those persons that “he gave the right to become the children of God, (cf. Jn. 1:11-13, 3:6-8). It is the believer in Jesus that is “born of God,” that is to say, of the Spirit (Jn. 3:5-8, 4:24). That is, “their birth depended not on the course of nature nor on any impulse or plan of man, but on God.” (Jn. 1:13, JBP) Neither did it depend on natural descent (NIV), that is, on Jewish privilege, but upon God and his promises. That was the main point we learned from our survey of the Old Testament patriarchal history.
Hence, in the context of the spread of the gospel, God chose the Thessalonians to receive salvation, or to be saved upon their believing the message of their salvation. Paul states that God called them to all of this through “our gospel” and so that they “may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (v. 14) God did not choose them to be saved in the sense of him limiting who would receive this “glory,” because the gospel came to all the Thessalonians, and the gospel always remains “good news.” And as we will see, there were those “who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” and “refused to love the truth and so be saved” (1:8, 2:10, ESV). Therefore, by the word “chosen,” Paul did not mean that God unconditionally elected some and not others to salvation, nor did he cause the elect to believe and not others, as Calvinism requires. Where is the “good news” in that message? Therefore, this verse cannot mean that God has people in Thessalonica he has unconditionally chosen or elected to save, for salvation does not come to a person apart from their response of faith in God and Christ, that is, their “belief in the truth.” Furthermore, the “good news” always remains “good news” for the hearers. We take this as the plain meaning of the text. God chose them to be saved by bringing the “good news” of their salvation to them. In addition, Paul uses this God-point-of-view terminology to encourage (1 Thess. 2:12, 2:17-3:5; 2 Thess. 1:3-5, 2:16-17, 3:3-5) and assure the Thessalonian believers that God was behind their newfound faith (1 Thess. 1:4-5, 2:13) and that they had not missed the parousia or second coming of Jesus (1 Thess. 1:9-10, 3:13). That God was behind their being brought the gospel, he would not forske them during “the coming of the Lord Jesus will all his saints.” (1 Thess. 3:13, 4:13-5:11, 23. esp. 5:9-11; 2 Thess. 1: 7, 10, 2:1-12).
I submit that the word “chosen,” in this context, cannot carry the weight of the Calvinist doctrines of total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the preservation and perseverance of the saints, which are only cobbled together into a ‘logical’ theological system by taking verses out of context. Rather, Paul means to say that at the beginning of his God-instructed Macedonian ministry (Acts 16:6-10), God selected Thessalonica to receive the “good news.” Hence, those who believed it were among “the firstfruits to be saved” or, if you prefer, “chosen from the beginning to be saved” – but always “saved…by belief in the truth.”
So, 2 Thess. 2:9-12, which is the immediate context for 2 Thess. 2:13 indicates that when “the truth,” that is, the gospel, comes to people, they either believe it or refuse to believe it. And either way, this is not God’s doing as taught and required by Calvinism’s universal divine causal determinism, but is the responsibility of the person themselves. This preserves the genuine nature of a personal response of thankfulness and love for God, and frees God from being denigrated by Calvinism, which has Him responsible for causing people to reject Him and Jesus.
Therefore, we must conclude, contrary to Calvinism, that Paul affirms contingency or conditionality in salvation, an element Paul clearly writes about throughout these epistles. Hence, we can conclude that whatever Paul means in 1 Thess. 1:4 or 2 Thess. 2:13 by “he [God] has chosen you” and “God chose you…to be saved”, it cannot mean, “God unconditionally elected individuals among you Thessalonians to be saved while excluding all the other Thessalonians from the possibility of salvation,” which is what these verses must mean according to the Calvinist soteriological doctrines. Paul views the Thessalonian believers as a group to whom God chose to bring the gospel, with an individual’s salvation being dependent upon their “belief in the truth.” Moreover, I cannot think of anywhere in the Bible where we are given the impression that in those places where Paul did not have much success in his ministry (e.g., Phillipi), he concluded the reason was that God had not unconditionally elected any of those people to salvation.
In short, the fact that God planned to bring the gospel to the Thessalonians through Paul (Acts 16:6-10, 17:1-9), and the fact that “because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction” and they believed it, it is in this sense that Paul can say, “God chose you as the first fruits from the beginning of my ministry in Macedonia to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
Hence, we cannot interpret 2 Thess. 2:13 and 14 as affirming the Calvinist doctrines of unconditional election and effectual calling. Other elements of the text support our conclusions here, such as how the preposition εἰς (“within, in, to, for, etc.) and the meaning of ἀπαρχὴν (“firstfruits” or “from the beginning”) are to be interpreted. Let us now consider these elements.
Translating the Preposition εἰς
The way the preposition εἰς is interpreted will help us discern Paul’s intent when he writes, “God chose you…to be saved.” (2 Thess. 2:13) This is the way the ESV translates it. Note how this translation tends to support the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election, or at least that is what comes to mind when we read this verse. But that is only because Calvinism has had a great influence on the Christian church over the centuries. Therefore, we are prone to read verses like this presupposing the truth of unconditional election. But we need to free ourselves from these Calvinistic presuppositions.
Hence, we should note that there is no verb “to be” in the text. There is only the preposition εἰς with σωτηρίαν (“salvation”), which is in the accusative or limiting case. Verses 13-15 in the Greek read,
Ἡμεῖς δὲ ὀφείλομεν εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ θεῷ πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ κυρίου, ὅτι εἵλατο ὑμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἀπαρχὴν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἐν ἁγιασμῷ πνεύματος καὶ πίστει ἀληθείας, 14 εἰς ὃ ἐκάλεσεν ὑμᾶς διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἡμῶν, εἰς περιποίησιν δόξης τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 15 ἄρα οὖν, ἀδελφοί, στήκετε, καὶ κρατεῖτε τὰς παραδόσεις ἃς ἐδιδάχθητε εἴτε διὰ λόγου εἴτε δι’ ἐπιστολῆς ἡμῶν.
Here is the NIV translation of 2 Thess. 2:13-15.
13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits 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.
15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”
I have highlighted “God chose you” and “to be saved.” We can see that the ESV is translating εἰς as “to be.” This is perhaps the purpose use of the preposition, “God chose you…for the purpose of being saved” or “to be saved.” But this usage seems both strained and gratuitous given Paul’s further statements about “the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and through belief in the truth.” Better is the relational use of the preposition, “God chose you…with respect to salvation in the Holy Spirit and belief in the truth.” And as we will see below, the word for “chosen” here can mean “taken for Himself” or “adopted.” The sense would then be, “God has taken you for himself as the firstfruits, or from the beginning of the missionary movement, in reference to salvation through the Holy Spirit and belief in the truth.” The NRSVUE best captures this sense.
“But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” (2 Thess. 2:13, NRSVUE)
“God chose you…for salvation” is very different from “God chose you…to be saved.” The former stresses that God chose to bring the message of salvation to the Thessalonians. Hence, the phrase has a corporate and comprehensive sense. Corporately, the Thessalonians were chosen by God to hear the universal message of salvation, which included the work of the Spirit and the need for faith or “belief in the truth.” As “salvation” (i.e., the gospel) was preached in different places, Paul could talk about it in terms of God’s activity, that is, God directing its advance; hence the terms “firstfruits” or “from the beginning.” The evidence accompanying his preaching that Paul identifies in 1 Thessalonians 1:5 confirms for him God’s choice to bring salvation to Thessalonica. Even the interpretation “to be saved” can be understood as open to any individual Thessalonian, for we know Paul makes salvation conditional on the person’s response of faith.
We should also remember that Paul is writing to the Thessalonians as a corporate body. God chose the Thessalonians – plural – with respect to salvation, that is, “for salvation” that comes “through the Holy Spirit and through belief in the truth.” Salvation is not unconditionally and irresistibly imposed from above upon any individual Thessalonian. Strong’s Lexicon defines “salvation” as follows.
“In the New Testament, “sótéria” primarily refers to the deliverance from sin and its consequences, brought about by faith in Jesus Christ. It encompasses the ideas of rescue, safety, and preservation, both in a spiritual and eternal sense. The term is often used to describe the comprehensive work of God in saving humanity, including justification, sanctification, and glorification.”[1]
We should note that σωτηρίαν (“salvation”) is in the accusative case here. I submit that it is an adverbial accusative in the sense of reference. This would complement well the relational sense of “in respect to” that we gave the preposition εἰς, which immediately precedes σωτηρίαν. So, “for salvation” in a comprehensive and corporate sense is to be preferred by Paul’s words. He was not referring to God’s choice of individuals to salvation via the unconditional election of certain Thessalonians. It is not who was chosen individually, but that they were chosen as a group.
This is also supported by an alternative definition of the word “chosen,” to which we now turn.
An Alternative Interpretation for the Word “Chosen”
It is interesting that in 2 Thess. 2:13, the word for “chosen” is not Paul’s usual word for the “elect.” It is not the word he used in 1 Thess. 1:4 ἐκλέγομαι (eklegomai). It is rather the word αἱρέω (haireó) which is used by Paul only here and as an aorist, indicative, middle, 3rd person singular verb, εἵλατο (heilato). So, we find in JFB (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical & Explanatory on the Whole Bible) the following explanatory note.
“chosen you—The Greek, is not the ordinary word for “elected,” implying His eternal selection; but taken for Himself, implying His having adopted them in His eternal purpose. It is found in the Septuagint (De 7:7; 10:15).”[2]
Also, in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, we have the definition as “taken for oneself.”[3] Thus, the precise sense is not necessarily elected, which again is prone to stimulate Calvinist theological presuppositions, but “taken for Himself” (cf. Acts 2:39) as in the sense of having adopted them in His eternal purpose. It’s God’s eternal salvific purposes that are emphasized by Paul’s terminology of “chosen” and “elect,” not to a deterministic divine choice of certain individuals to salvation.
Please note that God can have an “eternal purpose” that involves a conditional aspect required from the sinner (i.e., faith)
In the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (NIDNT) under “Elect” we read,
“In 2 Thess. 2:13 haireomai has a specialized biblical meaning not found in cl. Gk., elect someone to something (here God’s election of the church to salvation).”[4]
So, the word used in this context, αἱρέω (haireó), in contrast to the word used in 1 Thess. 1:4, ἐκλέγομαι (eklegomai), suggests God’s activity in taking unto himself those who believe with the idea of establishing “the church.”
I submit that the NIV and ESV are not the best translations of the phrase εἰς σωτηρίαν (“for salvation”) when they translate it “to be saved.” The phrase “to be saved” says too much, and it also suggests the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election. More accurately, the Greek has, ὅτι εἵλατο ὑμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἀπαρχὴν εἰς σωτηρίαν (lit. “because he has taken you for himself, that is, God, as firstfruit(s) for salvation).
In addition, this definition of “taken for Himself” evokes God’s love for the Thessalonian believers, clearly stated in both our passages as “brothers loved by God” (1 Thess. 1:4, ESV) and “brothers beloved of the Lord” (2 Thess. 2:13, ESV)
The Extension of Jewish Privilege to the Gentiles
It is important to know that Thessalonica was predominantly Gentile, and therefore the church was also mostly composed of Gentile believers. We read how Paul explained the relationship between Jews and Gentiles in his epistle to the Ephesians. The Gentiles were “separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12, ESV). But now Paul can write, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ…For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph. 2:13,18-19; 3:6, ESV). Paul is therefore free to employ Old Testament theological terminology to describe the spiritual position and the nature of the relationship that the believing Gentile holds with God in Christ and through the gospel. Paul speaks about the believing Gentile just as he speaks of the Jews’ relationship to God. We know how important this context of Jew/Gentile relationship is for Paul. He is a missionary to the Gentiles, and Thessalonica is predominantly Gentile. Therefore, this language that “God chose you” or this “taking to himself” interpretation has special application when applied in this Gentile context. The Gentiles are now spoken about in terms once reserved only for descriptions of God’s special relationship with Old Testament Israel as his “chosen people,” the “people of God,” “his bride,” and his “elect.” Paul is placing the Gentiles squarely into the camp of those loved and chosen by God, just as Israel was. Only now it is by faith in Christ that these terms apply, and therefore they apply only to persons when they believe. It is in this sense that Paul states,
“And here is the staggering thing—that in all which will one day belong to him we have been promised a share (since we were long ago destined for this by the one who achieves his purposes by his sovereign will), so that we, as the first to put our confidence in Christ, may bring praise to his glory! And you too trusted him, when you heard the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. And after you gave your confidence to him you were, so to speak, stamped with the promised Holy Spirit as a guarantee of purchase, until the day when God completes the redemption of what he has paid for as his own; and that will again be to the praise of his glory.” (Eph. 1:11-14, JBP)
Moreover, Paul’s own love, his excitement over their salvation, and his concern that the Thessalonians stand strong in their faith are obvious throughout these letters.
Implications of the Interpretations “Firstfruits” and “From the Beginning”
There is also an alternative interpretation of “firstfruits” in 2 Thess. 2:13, it is “from the beginning.” Let’s examine the implications of each. Versions differ on the readings adopted. Here are some examples.
“…because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through…” (NIV)
“…because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through…” (ESV)
“…because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through…” (CSB)
“…because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through…” (NRSVUE)
“He has chosen you from the beginning to save you…” (JBP)
As to the meaning of “firstfruits” Strong’s Lexicon states,
From ἀπό (apo, meaning “from”) and ἀρχή (arché, meaning “beginning” or “first”)
“In ancient Israel, the concept of firstfruits was deeply embedded in the agricultural and religious life of the people. The firstfruits were the initial yield of the harvest, which were offered to God as an act of gratitude and acknowledgment of His provision. This practice was a part of the Mosaic Law (e.g., Exodus 23:19, Leviticus 23:10) and symbolized the dedication of the entire harvest to God. In the Greco-Roman world, similar practices existed, where the first portion of produce or livestock was offered to deities.”
And also,
“The term “aparché” refers to the first portion of a harvest that is set aside and offered to God. In the New Testament, it is used metaphorically to describe the first converts in a region, the resurrection of Christ as the first of those who will be raised, and the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of the believer’s future inheritance.”
So Strong tells us the term “aparché” is used in the New Testament metaphorically to describe the first converts in a region. This is an important observation with implications for interpreting the words “chose” or “chosen” in this text, along with “to be saved,” “for salvation,” or “to save you.” Do these terms have reference to the movement and progress of the gospel into new regions, and when it is believed, does Paul view the whole dynamic as God having chosen those people to hear the gospel and be saved? Let’s continue.
BDAG Greek-English lexicon has,
“…hence ἀπαρχὴ = ‘beginning of a sacrifice’…such sacrifices would begin with ‘firstlings’ or ‘first fruits’…”
- “cultic t.t. first fruits, first portion of any kind (incl. animals, both domesticated and wild…) which were holy to the divinity and were consecrated before the rest could be put to secular use…”
- “lit…if the first fruits (of dough) are holy, so is the whole lump Rom. 11:16 (on first fruits of bread dough, Num 15:18-21…”
- fig., w. the components of a. above strongly felt – a. of persons first fruits of Christians ἀ. τῆς Ἀσίας, i.e., the first convert in Asia Rom 16:5. ἀ. τῆς Ἀχαΐας 1 Cor. 16:15. Also 2 Th 2:13 (v.1. ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς) the first converts of Thessalonica…”[5]
So, the term can be used regarding the first converts, with specific reference to Thessalonica. Paul applies the term ἀπαρχὴ (“aparché”) to the believers in Thessalonica. Hence, these first believers in Macedonia are considered by Paul as a kind of “first portion of the harvest” set aside for God. God chose them for salvation, but that salvation comes “through sanctification by the Spirit” (ESV) or “through the sanctifying work of the Spirit” (NIV) and “through belief in the truth.”
Note that before verses 13 and 14, we have an “apocalyptic scenario” about “the coming of lawless one” (2:1-12). This is important contextual information to properly orient and interpret verses 13 and 14. Commentator Abraham Smith writes the following about this context and these verses.
“The inclusion of the initial words “But we” in this thanksgiving, moreover, sets up a contrast between the persons of doom noted in vv. 11-12 and the church. Those who are deceived will not be saved (v. 19), but the church was chosen for salvation (v. 13). The deceived ones are those who “refused to love the truth” (v. 10) and those who “have not believed the truth” (v. 12), but the church was chosen “through belief in the truth” (v. 13; cf. Deut 26:17-18 LXX).
It is also the case that this thanksgiving places the church’s fate directly in God’s hands – in which God has done, is doing, and will do. God’s election of the church indicates God’s past actions, and the election evinced both through the words “God chose you” and through the description of the church as “beloved (see 1 Thess. 1:4).”[6]
We should note here that the phrase “God chose you” refers to the church as a corporate entity, not to individuals, according to the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election. Smith also comments on the meaning of the word “aparché”.
“…God’s activity in the lives of the believers can be seen if further attention is given to the text-critical problem in v. 13. Although some scholars accept the variant “first fruits” (as in the NRSV) as closer to the original, it should be noted that the Thessalonians were not the “first fruits” in the Macedonian ministry (the Philippians were). Other scholars, then, opt for the expression “from the beginning” as closer to the original. Read this way, the passage continues to show God’s control over events, now peering back into the unfathomable moments of creation (v. 13) and eventually fastforwarding through time to speak about God’s purpose in calling the church to “obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 14).”[7]
Biblical scholar, James D. G. Dunn, in his commentary on Romans notes that Paul uses the term “firstfruits” in Rom. 11:16.
“If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.” (ESV)
Dunn writes,
“The metaphor of the firstling or the firstfruits dedicated to God would certainly be familiar to Paul’s readers, since it was common enough parlance in the sacrificial practice of Gentiles as well as Jews.”[8]
The word is also in Romans 8:23 in the phrase “…but we ourselves, who have the firsfruits of the Spirit…” (ESV) Dunn comments,
“As in 8:23 the implication is that the firstfruits are the first sample of the whole, whose presence already on the stage of salvation-history gives foretaste and guarantee of the eschatological harvest soon to be completed (cf. 1 Cor 15:20, 23), the first sheaf or portion demonstrating the character and quality of the future whole. Either way the implication is that those who have already believed in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, are the first of a much larger whole, whose sanctification as “saints” gives clear promise that the complete “fullness” will share the same sanctification (cf. particularly 2 Thess 2:13).”[9]
And finally, Dunn states,
“…Paul’s more regular reference in identifying ἀπαρχὴ with people is to the first Christian converts (16:5; 1 Cor 16:15; 2 Thess 2:13) and it fits his argument better there to see ἀπαρχὴ as those who have first responded to the gospel in this final stage of salvation-history, both Jews (the remnant, vv 2-6) and Gentiles (vv 7, 11-15);…”[10]
So again, the idea behind “chosen as firstfruits to be saved,” or perhaps more accurately “for salvation,” refers to the larger picture of the integration of God’s work to bring the gospel to Thessalonica and many responding in faith, or “belief in the truth.” That work, which has a corporate reference, Paul describes as “God chose you as the firstfruits for salvation.”
We should also refer to 1 Cor. 15:16, comparing the CSB with the ESV.
“Brothers and sisters, you know the household of Stephanas: They are the firstfruits of Achaia and have devoted themselves to serving the saints.” (CSB)
“Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints…” (ESV)
And also Rom. 16:5.
“Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.” (NIV)
The term “first fruits” has the idea of the earliest crops of the year. This, then, can refer to the earliest converts in an area. It also contains the idea of “separation” from their former condition. That is the meaning of “sanctification.” God separated the Thessalonians to be saved “through sanctification of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” (CSB) That is, God chose or separated the Thessalonians so that they would be saved (but not apart from their belief in the truth and the sanctifying work of the Spirit, cf. 1 Thess. 1:9).
Other scriptures contain these concepts of “firstfruits” and “chosen.”
1 Cor. 15:20- 23 – “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” (NIV)
The idea of being the first among those to come after seems to be the point here.
James 1:18 – “By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (CSB)
The phrase by his choice” seems synonymous with “by his will” or “what God chose to do.” The point then seems to be that God’s “choice” or “will” was to give us “birth,” but that is directly linked to believing “the word of truth” or the gospel. The readers of James are then described as “a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” Belief “in that truth” is not stressed here but remains in the background. Yet, the immediate context in James is of interest for our purpose. The readers are experiencing trials and temptations. James exhorts his readers to remain steadfast under trial and stand “the test.” (1:12) Then he talks about a crown of life that will come to “those who love him.” (1:12) He is clear about the character of God as neither being the tempter nor can he be tempted with evil. James then makes the source of sin clear. He states, “…but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15, NIV) We can see that the exhortations to steadfastness and especially this commentary on the character of God and the results of the desires and sin in man, are incoherent with Calvinism’s theistic determinism, which has God as the cause of all good and evil.
James continues to correct misapprehensions about God. He states, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (1:16-17, NIV) God is a good God. There is no evil in him, and he does not do evil nor tempt others to do evil. It is in this context that James explains what God has done in their midst. “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” (v. 18) God brought “the word of truth” (i.e., the gospel) to them, and they believed it. This is of God’s choosing. When they believed they were “born” in the sense that John and Jesus talked about in John 1:12-13 and 3:3-8. God chooses to give people “birth through the word.” God doesn’t choose, in the sense of unconditional election, whom to save and whom to condemn. God chooses to bring the gospel to people so they may believe and have new life (i.e., “birth”). God is responsible for all this. This passage refutes Calvinism’s determinism theologically, soteriologically, and practically. Other verses about “firstfruits” and “election” are,
Rev. 14:4 – “These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, since they remained virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed from humanity as the firstfruits for God and the Lamb.” (CSB)
Titus 1:1–3 – “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior.” (CSB)
“God’s elect” are those who have received and believed “his word.”
1 Pet. 1:1-2 – “To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.” (CSB)
Here, we are introduced to being “chosen” in relation to the “foreknowledge of God.” This is a topic that must be considered in that many theologians relate election to God’s foreknowledge (e.g., Jack Cottrell)[11]
2 Pet. 1:10-11 – “Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.” (CSB)
“Calling” refers to God’s work in bringing or speaking the gospel to people. Through messengers like Paul, people hear and respond to this gospel call, one way or the other, in faith or in unbelief. This call, because it is a call of “good news,” applies to everyone. To those who respond positively, it becomes their “calling and election.” It is the believer, by virtue of his being “in Christ,” who is considered by God to be one of his elect, that is, another individual among his chosen people. The Christian makes their calling and election “sure” in the sense of examining and growing in their faith and understanding the implications of the gospel in their lives (cf. 2 Pet. 1:5-8). “Election” is the special status God gives a sinner upon believing. It refers to them as being God’s chosen in accord with God’s special relationship with Old Testament Israel as his chosen or elect people. This term also refers to comprehending the nature of the believer’s special relationship to God, so he may grow in the qualities mentioned, which “keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.” (1:8) In contrast to Calvinism’s theistic determinism, Peter presumes “calling and election” to involve God’s initiatives and the believer’s will and responsibility. Note also the possibility of a fall or stumbling (cf. 2 Pet. 3:17-18). Again, these words make Calvinism an untenable theology.
Jewish Rejection and Gospel Expansion
All these terms reveal their proper connotations when we think about them in the context of God’s intention for the Gentiles to also be incorporated into his saving plans and purposes. As discussed in the previous section on 1 Thess. 1:4, all the variety of the nature of Israel’s relationship with God in the Old Testament is now being applied to the Gentiles as they believe in Jesus, who is the expression and fulfillment of that Old Testament relationship of God with Israel.
I submit to you that since God is directing the advance of the gospel, it can be said that it is God who is responsible for the salvation of the Gentiles. And it can therefore be said that the Thessalonian Gentiles have been chosen by God as a type of first fruits offering related to salvation. It seems that they are a kind of first fruits offering to God himself.
Paul is referring to God’s choice of the Gentiles to be saved as compared to the phenomenon of the unbelief of the Jews and their rejection of Jesus. In that the Jews rejected their Messiah, God’s plan in that rejection was to bring the gospel to the Gentiles, not as any default position, but with full preordained intention. Therefore, it can be said of them that “God chose you [Gentiles] as the first fruits for salvation.” These Gentile converts were an offering to God. And as these truths now apply to Gentiles, Paul hopes this will provoke his fellow Jews to envy, because after all, these are the special privileges God established only with Israel (Rom. 9:4-5). But now they apply to the Gentiles (cf. 1 Pet. 2:4-10). Paul hopes to stimulate the minds and hearts of his “kinsmen according to the flesh,” (i.e., Israelites, 9:3-4)) to consider their role in salvation history as inclusive of the Gentiles based on the promise to Abraham (Gal. 3:8-9) and what the prophets have said about the Gentiles being included in “the people of God” (Rom. 9:25-26; 15:8-12) with all the spiritual blessings and promises that historically belong to Israel (1 Pet. 2:4-10).
So, in historical context, we see that God didn’t choose individual Gentiles to be saved according to an unconditional election. Rather, what God did was purpose to bring salvation to the Gentiles. God chose them for salvation because he brought the message to them by which they would be saved through the work of the Holy Spirit and their “belief in the truth.” Paul says, “To this [salvation] he called you through our gospel.” (v. 14) So salvation came to the Thessalonian Gentiles through the gospel that Paul preached to them. And that gospel brought salvation, a salvation that came “through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” Salvation is always presented upon the condition of faith. Note that although not overly emphasized here, “belief in the truth” is an essential element of Paul’s gospel and the salvation of these Gentiles. 1 Thess. 2:13 is probably the most extended reference to the faith of the Thessalonians in these letters. God’s eternal plan was that all would have the opportunity to be saved by believing. Therefore, the Gentiles were to be saved (Eph. 2:11-3:12) through faith. God made sure of that by bringing them the gospel through Paul’s ministry. So, any individual Thessalonian, whether Jew or Gentile, could be saved, but only as they” believed in the truth.” i.e., the gospel message. And nowhere is it said that persons are unconditionally elected or predestined to believe as required by the Calvinist doctrines of “total depravity” (or, “total inability”) and election as unconditional.
The Progress of the Gospel into Macedonia from Philippi to Thessalonica
I submit that we need not be overly concerned as to whether we translate ἀπαρχὴ (“aparché”) as “first fruits” or “from the beginning.” Whether “as the firstfruits to be saved” or “from the beginning to be saved,” we can interpret the phrases as referring to the initial progress of the gospel into Macedonia by God’s direction. This divine direction was given to Paul in a vision at Troas (cf. Acts 16:6-10). God made a choice to advance the gospel into Macedonia through Phillipi and Thessalonica. It is noteworthy that in Philippi, Paul and Silas had only three encounters that are recorded for us.
The first was the convert Lydia, who is described as “a worshipper of God” (ESV) or a “God-fearing woman” (Acts 16:14, CSB). She was not from Philippi but from the city of Thyatira in the province of Lydia, 35 miles southeast of Pergamum in Asia Minor. She was a “seller of purple goods” and therefore probably a woman of wealth and standing (cf. 17:4, 12). Interestingly, it is thought she was “Paul’s first European convert.” She showed hospitality to Paul, Silas, and Luke, but most importantly, “she was a Jewish proselyte, engaging in prayers and ablutions at the riverside on the sabbath; her connection with the Jewish faith probably went back to the colony in Thyatira.”[12] This is an important context into which we must place Acts 16:14, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (ESV). The NRSV has “The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.” And J.B. Phillips translates as “She was already a believer in God, and she opened her heart to accept Paul’s words.” The point is that Lydia was a person already receptive to God. Luke perceived that God “opened her heart to pay attention” or “listen” to Paul’s message. What is happening here is that God is being faithful to Lydia, who, as a Jewish proselyte, was seeking God and being faithful to Him. God, therefore, “opens” Lydia’s mind and heart to what Paul was saying. Lydia certainly believed in God. That being the case, God is faithful to lead such persons to Jesus. Lydia came to faith in Christ through Paul’s gospel, and she was subsequently baptized. Whether she was already a believer, and was baptized, or became a believer through Paul’s message, there is no reason to think that the words “the Lord opened her heart” refer to the doctrine of unconditional election.
The second encounter was with a “slave girl who had a spirit of divination” and made money for her owners by fortune-telling. (Acts 16:16, ESV) Note that before Paul exorcised the evil spirit, she would cry out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” (Acts 16:17, NIV) Note what is implied in her words. The “you” is plural. As such, salvation, or “the way to be saved,” is universal, not particular or limited. So, even an evil spirit affirmed that salvation applies to all!
The third encounter is with the Philippian jailer. Now, after Paul and Silas were falsely accused and jailed, there was an earthquake. The jailer feared for his life, thinking that Paul, Silas, and other prisoners had escaped under his watch. In despair, he was going to kill himself. After they assured him that no one escaped, the jailer asked Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:30-31, ESV) He and his household believed and were baptized. Important to note here is that the content of the gospel message, along with its simplicity and assurance, applied to the jailer and his family and others of his household. The presupposition of free human decision, whether for ill or for good, along with the presumed assurance of the applicability of the gospel message to the jailer and all of his family, is incoherent with a doctrine of unconditional election. So, we can deduce that Paul did not understand “election” in terms of an unconditional predestination of specific individuals chosen for salvation by God.
The New Testament, and especially Paul’s writings, know nothing of a salvation that does not include “belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). And the New Testament, and especially Paul’s writings, know nothing of a “belief in the truth” that is predestined by God for only certain individuals, for nowhere do we find God predestining people to belief or faith. Other dynamics can be present, but the sanctifying work of the Spirit is always a result of faith, which is always the responsibility of the hearer of the gospel. Nowhere do we find that God “chose” individuals to believe or worked faith effectually in them.
Hence, what Paul observed in terms of the evidence that accompanied the proclamation of the gospel (i.e., “in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thess 1:5, ESV), whether referring to Paul’s preaching or the Thessalonians’ response), he can view as integrally linked to God having chosen them to be saved. But having said this, Paul is also clear that whatever is the nature of the meaning of “God chose you from the beginning or as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit,” he does not leave out “through belief in the truth.” This divine “choosing” involves “belief in the truth.” Therefore, a summary expression of what is happening here is that God predetermined to bring the gospel to the Thessalonians so that they may be saved through faith. It is the multi-faceted aspects of their salvation, both theologically and experientially, that Paul is reiterating to the Thessalonians in the words “God chose you…”.
Another possible, more general, interpretation that confirms this sense of God directing the gospel to come to the Thessalonians is “because God chose you to be among the first to believe” (TLB footnote to 2 Thess. 2:13). For Paul to speak of Thessalonians as “among the first to believe” puts the text-critical problem aside and supports the idea of the progressive movement and spread of the gospel. Therefore, the idea of being “chosen” would refer to the divine intention that the gospel move into Macedonia. This was God’s plan and purpose, or God’s choice. Thessalonica was included in that plan. The gospel took hold there, but not apart from the faith response of the individuals. It was not that God did not desire the salvation of all the people in Thessalonica, and indeed, some did not believe, mainly “the Jews.” (Acts 17:5ff.) And surely it was not that God did not want the people in Paul’s prior stops – Neapolis, Amphipolis, and Appolonia – to hear the gospel, believe, and be saved. For all we know, that might have been the case, but Luke records Paul’s (and God’s) strategy, which was to emphasize the prominent, populated cities like Philippi (Acts 16:12) and to go to the Jew first and then to the Gentile (Rom. 1:16-17). So, in accord with his strategy, Paul was inclined to go where there was “a synagogue of the Jews,” which was the case at Thessalonica (Acts 171). And the Thessalonians were receptive to the gospel of their salvation.
In support of this idea of the progress of the gospel, we can cite 2 Thess. 3:1. There we read,
“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.” (2 Thess. 3:1, NIV)
It was Paul’s desire that the gospel would spread quickly. People needed to hear about their salvation. Here, Paul refers to the Thessalonians as an example of this movement of the gospel into new territories and how they honored it when it came to them. To this, Paul adds,
“And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith.” (2 Thess. 3;2, NIV)
Paul affirms the need for faith and that where there is no faith, there is wickedness and evil. But in Thessalonica, Paul found faith. Now recall our verse,
“But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” (2 Thess. 2:13, NRSV)
Now, whether “first fruits” or “from the beginning,” we glean the sense of Paul’s excitement about the Thessalonians positive response to the gospel. They can be considered the “first fruits” chosen by God, that is, as an acceptable sacrifice to him by being “in Christ,” (Rom. 12:1; Phil. 4:8; Heb. 11:4; 1 Pet. 2:5) or “from the beginning,” that is, either the beginning of his ministry in Macedonia (Phil. 4:15, 16) or even from before creation in that it was God’s eternal plan that salvation would be found “in Christ Jesus” by faith.
As compared to the Calvinist interpretation of these verses, I think the above explanations are the more accurate options. I say this because we can be sure of what Paul could not have meant in these verses in First and Second Thessalonians. Paul could not have meant to teach unconditional election, for that would place Paul at odds with what he has clearly said elsewhere about the nature and scope of salvation and faith.
When Paul preached the “good news” in a location, and the people responded by believing his message, he considered them among those God has “chosen.” Using terminology from the Old Testament, Paul identifies them with “the people of God,” i.e., Israel. This is just the way Paul thinks about the fulfillment of the Old Testament “in Christ.” As a Jew, he employs Jewish terminology. Christ is the culmination of God’s election of Israel, and therefore, those who believe in Christ are also among the “people of God” or the elect. As God “called” Israel to be his people, so God calls people to salvation by the “good news” of Jesus Christ; what Paul calls “the gospel,” “the gospel of God,” “the gospel of Christ,” “the gospel of our Lord Jesus” or “our gospel.” (See 1 Thess. 1:4; 2:2, 4, 8, 9; 3:2; 2 Thess. 1:8, 2:14) It is through this gospel that God “calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:12, ESV). Yet, it is the individual Thessalonian who must respond to this call and believe this gospel. These verses can hardly be interpreted as God having unconditionally and apparently arbitrarily elected particular Thessalonian individuals to salvation, let alone before they even existed, or before the world was even created, while predestining all the other Thessalonians to eternal death. The texts, even though they speak of being “chosen” and “chose you…to be saved,” do not support the Calvinist soteriology. No such doctrinal scheme can be derived from these verses because it is incoherent with the immediate context and the broader context of the Old Testament history of Israel. Furthermore, such a soteriology directly conflicts with Paul’s theology of faith, which everywhere in Scripture is spoken of as the responsibility of the sinner and necessary for salvation. Faith is the way the sinner appropriates the salvation God provided for them in Christ. Those who exercise “belief in the truth” are subsequently viewed by Paul as those whom God has chosen for salvation.
Gentile Reception of the Gospel and Persecution by The Jews at Thessalonica
Coming off the meager reception of the gospel in Phillipi and the resistance experienced there, Paul is very excited about the positive response of the Thessalonians to his gospel message. He expresses this excitement, as he does so often, by giving thanks to God for what is happening among them (1 Thess. 1:2, 2:13, 3:9-10; 2 Thess. 1:3, 11, 2:13). These prayers are reflective of the gospel coming to them and their willing reception of it (1 Thess. 1:4-5, 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:10-11, 2:13). Paul rightly views their response of faith as God having chosen them for salvation, just as he would wherever he proclaims the message of salvation. “God chose you… to be saved” refers to the group and always is upon belief in the gospel. But I submit that there is a historical situation in which it is reasonable to find Paul using the concept of election when referring to the Thessalonians. That is, he uses the terms “chosen” and “elect” to affirm the placing of Gentile believers into salvation history as the new “chosen people of God.” This was fully discussed in the section on 1 Thessalonians 1:4.
It is important to note who comes to believe in response to Paul’s gospel. It is the Gentiles. In Acts 17, we read,
“After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead and saying, “This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.” Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.” (Acts 17:1-4, NRSV)
So, some Jews were “persuaded,” which is an assessment and concept that is incoherent with Calvinism’s universal divine causal determinism. But note that “a great many devout Greeks and not a few (which is also to say, at least, “many”) leading women” joined Paul and Silas, which is to say they “believed.” The point is that many more Gentiles than Jews believed. Indeed, as we read on, the text tells us about the violent reaction of the majority of “the Jews.”
“But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the marketplaces they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly, they attacked Jason’s house. When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers and sisters before the city authorities, shouting, “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.” The people and the city officials were disturbed when they heard this, and after they had taken bail from Jason and the others, they let them go.” (Acts 17:5-9, NRSV)
My point here is that Paul assessed this situation theologically, that is, that the Gentiles were believing the gospel while the Jews were rejecting it. As such, Paul, attempting to encourage these Gentile believers amid their persecution, wrote to them, “we know, brothers loved by God,” that “he has chosen you.” And that knowledge of their being chosen by God was in relation to “our gospel” which came to them “not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” (1 Thess. 1:4-5, ESV). The theological terminology concerning God’s predetermined plan of salvation in Jesus – election, chosen, predestined, calling, etc. – is always in reference to and dependent upon the chosen One, Jesus Christ. It is “in Him” we are chosen. Therefore, it is those who believe that are considered “chosen by God” with all the blessings of what it meant to be the chosen people of God in the Old Testament and its fulfillment “in Christ” being accrued to the believer.
The multifaceted doctrine of election is integrally dependent upon “belief in the truth.” Paul assures the Gentiles at Thessalonica that they are loved by God, and as such, they are also among those chosen by God to hear the “good news” of their salvation. The ironic contrast is clear. Whereas the “chosen” people (i.e., historical Israel) are rejecting their Messiah, those who were not chosen – the Gentiles (i.e., spiritual “Israel”)- are accepting him. This means that these Gentiles, as spiritual Israel, are to be considered “chosen by God” in the same manner that historical Israel was “chosen” to be “the people of God.” This is the same theme that runs through Ephesians 1-3 and Romans 1-5, 8, and especially 9-11. In the present situation, Paul views the Gentile believers at Thessalonica as the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation, in which election, of course, plays an important part. But it is an election according to the pattern, privileges, and even limitations of the Old Testament election of Israel. And when we examine this Old Testament history, as I have done at the beginning of this chapter, we can conclude that the doctrine of unconditional election finds no support in the concept of election as found in this Old Testament paradigm. It is to the Gentiles, as believers in Jesus, to whom Paul applies the designations established in the Old Testament paradigm.
“They Refused to Love the Truth and So Be Saved”
Now, this phrase “God chose you,” if it refers to unconditional election as the Calvinist says it does, then the Calvinist interpretation runs counter to what Paul states in the previous verses. In verses 10, 11, and 12 immediately prior, Paul talks about people who “are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10, ESV). This is a passage that the Calvinist cannot interpret coherently. Now, on Calvinism, these people “are perishing because God predetermined that they would not love the truth.” If Paul were a “Calvinist,” that is what he would have written. That would be an accurate explanation consistent with Calvinism. But Paul does not write that. Paul writes that some people “are perishing because they refused to love the truth.” So, the reason they are perishing is clear. It is “because they refused to love the truth.” So, this is an explicit statement of the reality of human free will at work. This verse, therefore, renders Calvinism’s theistic determinism false.
But Paul introduces another problem for the Calvinist when he adds “…and so be saved.” This defeats Calvinism because it affirms not only the open, contingent nature of salvation, but that those who are perishing could be saved. It is not that God predestined certain people to salvation and all others to damnation. Rather, Paul’s reasoning is that these people need not refuse to love the truth, and if they do not continue in their refusal to love the truth (i.e., the gospel message), they will be saved (cf. Jn. 3:18, 5:39-40, 8:24, 20:30-31). Paul holds out the possibility that they can be saved. The point is that if those who refused to love the truth did so because they were predestined to do so, as the non-elect, then Paul could never write what he wrote here. So, Paul cannot possibly conceive of those who “refuse to love the truth” as being among a class of people designated as unconditionally elect, otherwise he could never have suggested the possibility of their being saved, that is, by adding “…and so be saved.” Also, he most likely would have given a full explanation, somewhere in his epistles, of such an important matter that has direct implications for the gospel message. Rather, he must have understood that these people can be saved, but of their own free will, they “are perishing.” So they can perish or be saved. Both are possibilities. But this is precisely what Calvinism does not allow. The words “because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” imply that all people can be saved. Those who love the truth will be saved, but those who refuse to love the truth can also be saved. It is only their refusal to love the truth that keeps them from salvation. That is what Paul is saying. So, it is not within Paul’s soteriology that those who refuse to love the truth were predestined to do so and so could never be saved. Since he added “…and so be saved” and never suggests that these people may be among those not chosen for salvation, he is affirming that they are freely deciding their eternal destiny. It is not God who has predetermining them either to salvation or to perish. Their salvation or condemnation was a matter of their deciding to believe the truth or their deciding to refuse to believe the truth. Paul could never hold out as a fact that they would “be saved” if he thought election was defined as the unconditional choice of God to save some but not others. God does not cause the Thessalonians to love the truth, nor does he cause others to refuse to love the truth and remain in a condition of “perishing.”
In addition, Paul, in 2 Thess. 2:11 and 12 wrote about the resultant divine action for their refusal to love the truth and so be saved. He states, “Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth…” (ESV, cf. Rom 11:7-10, 25). What is fascinating about this statement is that not only does Paul again affirm a person’s free will decision, but God does also! Human freedom and culpability are affirmed by God himself. The strong delusion God sends is because these people “did not believe the truth.” Obviously, the person’s choice was not predetermined by God, for then for God to send them “a strong delusion” would make no sense.
So, on Calvinism, we would be faced with only two options. Either these people are unconditionally elected to salvation and will eventually be saved regardless of their present refusal to love the truth, and that God is presently sending them a strong delusion in order that they may be condemned (which is bizarre), or they are among the non-elect and predestined to perish. But Paul doesn’t think in these terms. Paul’s words do not cohere with these Calvinist distinctions. Calvinism cannot coherently explain the text.
Divine Assurance, Evangelistic Mission, “Chosen,” Salvation, and Faith
The Thessalonians were concerned that the coming of the Lord had already passed. The Thessalonians needed assurance that “the day of the Lord” (i.e., his second coming) had not yet come, and they would not suffer his wrath (1 Thess. 1:10). They needed the assurance that they would not be among those who are perishing. So, Paul reminds them that they “received the word of God,” that is, they “accepted it” (1 Thess. 1:6, 2:13, ESV). They were among those who exhibited “belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13) in contrast to those who “did not believe the truth” (2 Thess. 2:12) or those who “are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10, ESV). Paul also has the vocabulary of divine assurance from the Old Testament at his disposal. He tells the Thessalonians that they are “the people of God” who have salvation because they are “loved by God” and “beloved of the Lord” (1 Thess. 1:4, 2 Thess. 2:13, ESV). Paul states that the Thessalonians, as a group, were called by God to this belief “through our gospel” (v. 14). Paul assures them that God himself is involved in their salvation, not only in providing it, but also securing those who believe when he writes, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us…” (1 Thess. 5:9-10, ESV). Paul continues to encourage them by telling them they are among those “God chose as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification and belief in the truth.” These are words of assurance, encouragement, and comfort.
Therefore, the terms “chosen” (and “elect”) find their place in the New Testament in relation to the fulfillment of salvation that is now found in Christ as referring to the one believing in Christ. Paul has applied the term to the new context of Christian evangelism, that is, the spread of the gospel to the Gentile nations. Whereas the Gentiles were separated from Israelite life and religion, they could now have a relationship with Israel’s God “in Christ Jesus.” And just as Israel was called to trust their God, an essential part of the gospel message was the call to a response of faith on the part of the individual sinner, which leads to that individual being saved. But Paul also viewed himself as chosen by God to bring the gospel to the various cities in Macedonia and Achaia. He therefore understood their salvation in terms of the collective response of faith to “our gospel.” The purpose of the gospel message is, of course, to save. When it is believed by the sinner, the sinner, as an individual, is saved. Yet, since it is God who is directing the gospel to go forth, it is appropriate for Paul to consider those who believe as “chosen” by God “to be saved.” Moreover, as the gospel comes to them for the first time, Paul refers to these believers as the “first fruits.” As the evangelistic mission is God’s work, these believers are considered to have been “chosen” or “elected” by God because, as Gentiles, they now enter that special relationship with God that previously applied only to Israel. Once the Messiah came, which was by way of electing promise (i.e., Abraham, Isaac, not Ishmael, Jacob, not Esau, Israel, no other nation), and required the response of faith on the part of the forefathers, the Gentiles who now receive the “good news” of their salvation are evidently chosen by God to be his people, just as Israel was chosen by God to be his people. It has always been God’s purpose to unite Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2:4-7, 11-22, 3:1-12) and bring salvation to all the earth (Gen. 12:1-3). This is why in 2 Thess. 2:13-14 Paul can link “chosen” with “saved” when he writes, “God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel…” (ESV) This is an expression of the larger picture of God’s saving purposes. By bringing the gospel to all people, it is God’s intention to call them to salvation. God’s will and purpose is that they be saved. These are the senses in which it is said, “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved.” It was God’s intention to bring salvation to the Thessalonians (and others) through Paul’s gospel preaching so they could believe the truth and be saved.
Between 1 Thess, 1:4 and 2 Thess. 2:13, Paul is expressing and applying fulfilled soteriological concepts (e.g., loved of God, power, Holy Spirit, full conviction, the first fruits, salvation), and the requirement of faith (e.g., received the word, belief in the truth) and has expressed and applied them to believers in the Old Testament terminology of “the elect” or “chosen” people of God. We should note that, given Paul’s desire to encourage the Thessalonians in their faith, his emphasis is on God’s love and choosing them for salvation. He wants them to know that it was God himself who came to them in the gospel, and therefore God loves and cares for them like he loves and cares for his own people, Israel. But we also see that Paul is not silent on the necessity for faith. The gospel calls for faith, and faith, of course, leads to salvation. Because of God’s eternal plan to save both Jew and Gentile, and the fact that the gospel came to the Thessalonians and many of them believed it, all this divine preparation throughout salvation history, and the spiritual dynamics and content of Paul’s “good news” message, along with the necessity for a response of faith, it can be said that God chose the Thessalonians to be saved.
Hence, within this new context of the gospel message, “chosen” and “elect” cannot be divorced from the gospel’s requirement of faith on the part of the hearer. Therefore, to be “chosen” or “elect” is not and cannot be unconditional. The free response of faith Paul called for in his gospel stands opposed to Calvinism. We can conclude, therefore, that Paul’s use of the words “chose” and “chosen” applies only to those who believe. It is definitive of them in continuity with God’s special relationship to Israel in the Old Testament. It is belief in the gospel that causes Paul, in keeping with God’s love for his people Israel in the Old Testament, to see those who believe in that same light. Paul is describing those who now believe “in Christ” as “chosen.” “Chosen” or “elect” are terms that describe Christians. These terms also serve to encourage the believer in the midst of affliction and opposition by the Jews (Acts 17:1-13, cf. 1 Thess. 2:14-16) to know that God loves them (1 Thess. 1:4, 2 Thess. 2:13), but never in the sense of an arbitrary divine choice of an individual to be saved, but in the sense of a group of believers that are saved individually. This means that election has an individual aspect to it, but not in the sense of being among those unconditionally chosen by God to salvation, but those conditionally saved by faith because of the amazing mercy and grace offered to all in the gospel message. It is believers who are chosen. They have been graced by God with “our gospel” (v.5) or “the word of the Lord” (v.8).
Therefore, given the many inconsistencies and contradictions the doctrine of unconditional election engenders with other biblical teachings and the non-deterministic worldview found throughout the scriptures, we must conclude that this Calvinist doctrine is a false teaching and destructive of the message of “good news.”
Paul’s Concept of God’s “Call”
In 1 Thess. 1:12 we read about, “…God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (ESV) Also in 4:7 we have, “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” (ESV) In 2 Thess. 1: 11 we read, “…that our God may make you worthy of his calling.” (ESV) And finally in 2 Thess. 2:14, “To this he called you through our gospel…” (ESV)
Calvinists believe that many texts that refer to a “call” or “calling” have the meaning of an “effectual call.” This is a foundational Calvinist doctrine that is akin to “irresistible grace.” Calvinists maintain that through the gospel message, God works a special effectual or irresistible “call” to bring those whom He unconditionally elected or predestined to salvation to believe in Christ and be saved. This special “call” which comes through the gospel is made effectual by God in those he has chosen for salvation. Calvinists, therefore, speak of this effectual call as different and separate from the general call to salvation in the gospel. So there are two types of “call.” The “effectual call” that actually saves the elect, and the “general call” that saves no one. Only those who are the elect receive the “effectual call.” Hence, despite the “general” call to salvation proclaimed in the gospel, that call saves no one. Only the elect will be saved because of their “effectual call” by God.
Theologian William Klein writes about God’s “call.”
“Though the “calling” terms are common and have various senses throughout the New Testament, Paul characteristically uses the idea in a technical sense to specify the “call to be(come) a Christian.” The NT employs two basic senses for the verb kalein (to call), the noun klesis (calling), and the adjective kletos (called). The first is “name, designate, give a title to,” as in English, “We called her Sarah.” The second is “summon, invite,” as in, “We called her, but she did not come.” In its technical sense, to “call” implies God’s definitive designation or summons of a person to belong to God. God’s calling of his people links his pretemporal choices and predeterminations for them on the one side, with his application of these goals on the other. The key to actualizing and appropriating God’s choice and predestination is the “call to become a Christian.”[13]
In assessing 2 Thess. 2:14 Klein writes,
“In 2:14 he [Paul] makes a rather complex assertion. Through the gospel message Paul preached, God called (aorist tense) the Thessalonians to a network of events: God’s election, salvation, the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying and their faith. In the (preaching of the) gospel God summons people to faith, and he applies salvation when they believe the truth. The Holy Spirit sanctifies, the hearers exercise faith, and God grants salvation. This marks the point of God’s call.”[14]
Granting the various usages and definitions of the “call” in Scripture, I don’t think we need to press the word in reference to salvation to include a kind of “effectual” element in the call besides the presence and working of the Spirit in the preaching of the gospel. It should be noted that the gospel call is a powerful call, accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit to produce conviction. It invites, offers, woos, commands, and even demands that the sinner attend to the message of their salvation. At the point of this dynamic gospel call, the hearer either believes or refuses to believe. What I mean is that, regarding salvation, I take God’s call to primarily mean the preaching or telling of the message of “good news.” This “good news” is always accompanied by the Holy Spirit to convict everyone who hears it. And although God calls everyone to come and be saved in that message, He sanctifies, that is, saves, only those who believe.
In the Old Testament, God’s call was equated to God’s speaking. In the New Testament, God speaks through his Son, Jesus (Heb. 1:1-2). In the “good news” about Jesus, God is calling everyone to believe and be saved.
Robert Shank states the following about the terms “called,” “calling,” and “call” in Scripture.
“Calvinism’s assumption that God has limited the effectiveness of the Gospel call to certain individual men arbitrarily and unconditionally chosen to be the heirs of salvation rests in part of the fact that, in numerous Scripture passages, the words “called” and “calling have reference specifically to believers.[15] Such passages, however, simply reflect the fact that those who respond affirmatively to the universal call become in a particular sense “the called.” In like manner, those in whom God’s universal purpose of election becomes realized are spoken of as “the elect” in contrast with the rest of mankind. (Cf. Matt. 24:22, 24, 31, Mk. 13:27, Lk. 18:7, Rom. 8:33; 11:7, Col. 3:12, I Thess. 1:4, II Tim. 2:10, Titus 1:1, 1 Pet. 1:2; 5:13) Reference to believers as “the called” and “the elect” does not in any way imply the positive, unconditional reprobation of other men. The corporate election of Israel to temporal privilege did not constitute the reprobation of the rest of the world, for the way always was open for all men to become proselytes and to share in the heritage of Israel. Furthermore, Israel was called to be God’s channel of blessing for all mankind. In like manner, the corporate election of the Church does not constitute any reprobation of the rest of mankind. To the contrary, the Church is to be the vehicle of grace and salvation for the world. The Israel of God comprehends all men potentially, and the election of grace may be realized in any man. “Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none other” (Isa. 45:22). The call is to all, and all who respond in faith to God’s universal call are ”the called according to his purpose”…”[16]
For those who do believe, the term “called” becomes applicable in the context of their salvation. They are now designated “the called” and as such are the recipients of a special relationship with the God whose premundane plans and purposes have been realized in them when they believed. I. Howard Marshall writes,
“These thoughts are repeated in 2 Thessalonians 2:13f. Here we note that God’s calling comes to men through the preaching of the Gospel and is not something which takes place in past eternity. But what of the words ‘God chose you from the beginning to be saved’? If the correct reading here is ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς , as is assumed by the majority of scholars, the divine choice of the Thessalonians must be set either at the beginning of the preaching in Thessalonica or else in eternity past. There is a reference in Philippians 4:15 to the time ‘in the beginning of the gospel,’ and it could be that in both of these verses Paul is referring to his work in Macedonia as in some special sense the beginning of his mission. But the use of the phrase in Matthew 19:4 and 1 John 2:13 and the fact that God’s call (v. 14) appears to have followed His choice support the other interpretation. The point is then that the Thessalonians belong to the people whose ultimate destiny planned by God is to partake in salvation at the last day; they are contrasted with the unbelievers and persecutors whose fate is judgment (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12). But although this has been God’s purpose all along for them, it depends upon their sanctification and faith, and the statement of their planned destiny is made the basis for a command to stand fast, coupled with a promise of divine strengthening (2Thessalonians 2:15, 16-17). They will not reach their intended goal without persevering in the faith and being strengthened by God.
While, therefore, Paul teaches that divine choice is the basis of salvation, he does not teach that this choice reaches its goal without the faith of those called by the Gospel and their steadfast perseverance.”[17]
Summary Statements on Paul’s Concept of Choosing or Election in the Thessalonian Epistles
So, I have given a full exposition of these Thessalonian texts and what Paul meant by “chosen.” There are basically two options, which are not mutually exclusive.
First, I submit that Paul, as a Jew, is applying the nature of God’s relationship with Israel as his chosen people to the present advance of the gospel to the Gentiles in Thessalonica, who were not the people of God, but now are the people of God (Hos. 2:23, Rom. 9:25-26). The Gentiles, who historically were not God’s chosen people, should now also be considered as God’s chosen people because they believe in Jesus. This foundational sense of God’s relationship with Israel in salvation history is now extended to include believing Gentiles. As believers in Jesus, who is the fulfillment of salvation history, these Gentiles are to be considered “chosen by God” because of their faith in Christ Jesus, as the Israelites of the Old Testament were also chosen by God. Thereby, the Gentile believers are included in all the blessings and privileges God established with Israel. The Thessalonian Gentiles are also, now, by faith, “children of Abraham.” And just as Abraham’s faith was reckoned to him as righteousness, so righteousness now comes to both Jew and Gentile by faith “in Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 1:17, 3:21-22, 4:5, 13, 9:30, et al.) Being “in him” (cf. Eph. 1) brings about all the blessings God had in store for those who believe. And since Jesus is the Servant of God (Isa. 42:1, 52:3, 53:11) and the Elect One (Isa. 42:1; 1 Pet. 1:20, 2:4), those who believe are chosen or elect “in Him.”
Secondly, Paul refers to God having chosen the Thessalonians to be saved in the sense of bringing them the gospel as the first fruits, or from the beginning, of his Macedonian ministry, or the beginning of creation – either view is possible – so that they may believe it and be saved.
What makes this language of being “chosen” and being “elect” difficult is that Paul resourcefully weaves the historical situation of God with Israel into the present application to the Gentiles due to the fulfillment of the Old Testament salvation history in Jesus. He does this by employing a one-word description: “chosen.” It can refer to the whole context of God’s activity in salvation history regarding Israel and its fulfillment in Jesus, the Spirit’s work in the spread and proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles, and the nature and necessity of salvation by faith opposed to works. It can refer to Israel and the church in the corporate sense, but also the individual in the post-believing sense. With theological skill, Paul brings to focus several important theological themes in this one word, and that is what makes Paul somewhat complicated to read when he uses and explains terms like “election,” “the elect,” or “chosen.” As biblical, theological doctrines, with subtle differences, these require that all of Old Testament salvation history be taken into consideration to properly interpret Paul on the matter. These terms also express God’s designs and desires for the Gentiles and the advancement of the gospel into the Gentile world. God makes choices as to when and where the gospel should be proclaimed.
Moreover, these terms primarily refer to Israel and the Church as communities or groups. It is because of all these reasons that “chosen” and “elect” are ‘technical terms’ (terminus technicus), not to be read or applied according to a strict ‘dictionary’ definition. Rather, they must be defined in the context of God’s relationship with Israel and the fulfillment of salvation in Christ to those who believe. And I submit that the meaning of “For we know brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you…” (1 Thess. 1:4-5a, ESV) and “God chose you as the firstfruits [or from the beginning] to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13, ESV) cannot refer to the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election, not only for reasons in the immediate context of these verses, but those given throughout this site.
This is why Paul gave continual thanks to God for what God did through the gospel message in Thessalonica. Paul writes, “We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 1:2-3, CSB). Faith and love motivated the Thessalonian believers in their “work” and “labor.” They also developed hope which gave them endurance in persecutions (v.6). Paul states, “…you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thess. 1:6, ESV) And later Paul states, “This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also works effectively in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13, CSB).
Concluding Thoughts on 1 & 2 Thessalonians
The Calvinist employs the terms “chosen,” “elect,” “election,” and “predestination” similarly to refer to their doctrine of unconditional election, that is, God having predetermined who will be saved and who will not, solely based upon his own decision. In contrast, I would say from our Old Testament survey and our New Testament studies, that election, or God making promises to persons of his choosing, was for the purpose of establishing salvation based on his own grace and mercy apart from any designs or plans or works of men, nor any privilege due to being a descendant of Abraham. Election, as Karl Barth recognized, is thereby “the sum of the gospel.” The meaning of being among the elect, that is, God’s chosen people, is what it means to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. In giving us the Messiah, a Savior, which is Jesus Christ, God was being merciful and gracious to all mankind (Rom. 11:28ff.) That was his ultimate plan and goal. Now, God, being the sovereign God, could achieve his plans and goals regardless of human failure, and even by utilizing human failure (Gen. 50:15-21). God’s actions are rooted in his love for all sinners (Rom. 5:8) and his desire to save every one of them (1 Tim. 2:3-6). Therefore, according to Paul, being among the “elect people of God” or the “chosen people of God” applies to those who stand in the historical outworking of God’s mercy to mankind (Rom. 9:25-26) by their faith “in Christ.” It is those persons who have believed the gospel message who are now “in Christ.” They are among the elect by virtue of their relation to Christ by faith. As believers, they were in view from eternity past “in Christ.” Having put their trust in Jesus for salvation, and since God, who had it as his purpose to save all mankind through Jesus, these believers can now be spoken of as “chosen” or “elect” by God with all that the Old Testament brings into those terms from God’s past work with the patriarchs and Israel. Paul considers believers in Jesus as having been chosen by God. From God’s eternal perspective, God himself considers them as “having been chosen.” He always did by virtue of his foreknowledge. Paul can write that “God…has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.…” (Eph. 1:3, NIV) And, referring to believers, Paul can express their being contemplated as the realization of God’s salvific designs and plans as “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world…” (Eph. 1:4, NIV) If these Ephesian believers were chosen “in him,” then this designation of the believers as a group refers to their being associated with the Chosen One by faith.
Paul also expresses this designation of being “chosen” as related to the sinner’s response to Christ presented in the gospel message. This is because people are chosen only with respect to their being “in Christ,” that is, being believers. And becoming a believer requires hearing the gospel. With respect to those in Thessalonica, Paul can therefore also state that, “For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.” (1 Thess. 1:4-5, NIV) Those who evidence true faith in Christ are those about whom Paul can identify as being “loved by the Lord.” (2 Thess. 2:13, CSB) And Paul gives thanks to God for them “because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation…” (13, CSB). Note the context. This salvation required “belief in the truth.” (v. 13, CSB) Paul also states, “He called you to this through our gospel…” (v. 14, CSB). The Thessalonians were saved when they believed the call to salvation inherent in the gospel message. Being “in Christ,” they are among those who have been chosen by God according to his salvific plans and purposes from before the creation of the world. (Eph. 1:3-4) They are loved in “the One he loves.” (Eph. 1:6, NIV) They are “chosen” to be holy and blameless before God (Eph. 1 4). It is only to those who receive Jesus, to those who believe in his name, that he gives “the right to be children of God.” (Jn. 1:12, CSB) Those who believe are “born… of God.” (Jn. 1:13) The culmination of God’s working through the means of electing or selecting in the Old Testament was to show that salvation would be by promise and faith in that promise. That is to say, it would not be by any human efforts or “spiritual” achievements. (Jn.1:1-18, 3:14-18) Therefore, those who believe become “children of the promise” and members of “spiritual Israel.” These believers, being “in Christ” and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, can rightly be considered among the elect or chosen by God. They were called through the gospel to salvation and have appropriated that salvation to themselves by faith. Furthermore, as such, they can rightly be considered “called by God” or “the called.”
Therefore, given the plethora of evidence against Calvinism presented on this site, and given these contextual considerations, I take 1 Thess. 1:4, 5, and 13 to mean something like this:
“…For we know that you believers who are loved by God have been chosen by Him for a special purpose. That purpose has to do with the spread of the gospel, that is, that you would become examples to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia. That is why he brought the gospel to you, for you to hear it and be saved. We know this because when the gospel that I, Silvanus, and Timothy were given was preached to you, you received it and accepted it, not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God. Therefore, it came in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction upon you who believed it. Hence, you Thessalonian believers have become a sort of sounding-board from which the Word of the Lord has rung out, not only in Macedonia and Achaia but everywhere where the story of your faith in God has become known.”
There is nothing in the above verse that speaks clearly of the unconditional election of particular individuals to salvation. That has to be read into the phrase “he has chosen you.”
Also, I take 2 Thess. 2:13 to mean something along these lines:
“God made a special choice regarding you, Thessalonians. God chose to bring the gospel to you so that you would be some of the first in Macedonia to experience salvation. You would be “the firstfruits to be saved.” By God’s call to you through our gospel, the message of your salvation came to you so you could be saved. It is a message of truth that you responded to in faith and was accompanied by sanctification by the Spirit. As you believed, you experienced this saving and sanctifying work of God. Hence, because you believed our message, you are, and should consider yourselves to be, among “the people of God,” that is, those he has chosen to salvation just as Israel was chosen by God to be his own people.”
Theologian Ernest Best offers this summary evaluation of these challenging Thessalonian passages. As to the problems with the Calvinist view, he writes,
“Election by God harmonizes with Paul’s teaching on justification by faith; no one can be a Christian through his own achievement but only because a gracious God enables him through the death and resurrection of Christ. In this sense election is one aspect of the grace of God. Conflict however arises when it is argued that the election of some implies the rejection of others…The N.T., as the O.T., is largely preserved from this view [Calvinism] because it generally regards election as election to the service of God (2 Th. 2.13 is an exception), so much so that even Judas is ‘elected’ to betray (John 6.70f; 13.11, 18f), and it is also preserved from suggesting the self-satisfaction of the elect because the primary emphasis does not lie on the election of individuals but on that of the church, as of Israel in the O.T. (cf. Rom. 9-11, where it is never a question of the choice of individuals for eternal destiny but always of peoples and nations for historical service). Elements of individual election are present in the N. T. (e.g. Acts 9.15; Gal 1.15; Rom. 1.1) and came to be stressed much more in some later theology. Since the emphasis in the N.T. lies on election to service we cannot conclude that the elect are necessarily saved eternally; eternal salvation is rarely related to election.
…We should note finally the close connection of love (loved by God) [1 Thess. 1:4 and 2 Thess 2:13] and election; popular misrepresentation of election depicts God as an arbitrary tyrant playing with the lives of men; God acts because he loves men (cf. Rom. 11.28; Col. 1.3) and elects some to serve him that he may save all (Rom. 11.25ff).”[18]
We should also note that passages like 1 Thess. 1:4 and 2 Thess. 2:13 are difficult to understand with respect to our topic is because Paul never provides us with a clear, detailed explanation of what he means by the terms “chosen” or “elect.” The same goes for “foreknow” and “predestine.” This is why we must lean on the historical accounts given to us throughout the Old Testament to try to fill in what Paul, as a Jew, would have understood and meant by them. We must also work according to what I have argued is a sound and indispensable hermeneutical principle, that is, not to place these more enigmatic concepts in logical or moral conflict with what Paul clearly teaches elsewhere (e.g., the nature of faith, the meaning and content of the gospel, the inclusion of the Gentiles, etc.) We interpret well when we do not place what he does clearly teach elsewhere in logical or moral conflict with the meaning of “chosen,” “elect,” “foreknow,” “predestine,” et al. If we follow this principle, we can be confident that we will rightly understand the texts. This means that we can be certain that the Calvinists’ interpretations are in error. Note that if the Calvinist doctrines are biblical, it would be reasonable to think Paul would have expounded them clearly somewhere, and due to the incoherence and contradictions they create with other teachings of Paul, especially the gospel, he would have explained if and how they can be reconciled. But Paul never does this. That is because these doctrines are not what Paul taught or believed.
Again, Best gives us some final valuable insights. He writes,
“Paul has allowed his thought to range from the pre-historical choice of God to its post-historical fulfillment, from everlasting to everlasting. Denny comments that vv. 13f. ‘are a system of theology in miniature’; yet much is missing; there is no reference to the death and resurrection of Jesus; even if these are held to lie implicitly in the term gospel their explicit omission shows that Paul, for whom they are the centre of theology, is stressing something else, viz., the engineering of man’s salvation lies in God’s hands. While this will sustain the Thessalonian Christians through a period of trial it would never have won them to Christianity; the gospel for unbelievers begins with what God has done in Jesus Christ, and not with what he has done, or may do, to men.”[19]
Back to Chapter 16 – The Doctrine of Election According to Scripture
Footnotes
[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/4991.htm
[2] Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 398.
[3] THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc., https://biblehub.com/thayers/138.htm Last accessed on April, 10, 2025.
[4] G. Nordholt, “Elect” New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, edited by Colin Brown, vol. 1, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975-1985), 534.
[5] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, rev. and ed. Frederick W. Danker, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 98.
[6] Abraham Smith, “First and Second Thessalonians,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, vol. 10, ed. Leander E. Keck (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), 361.
[7] Abraham Smith, “First and Second Thessalonians,” 361–62.
[8] James D. G. Dunn, Romans, Word Biblical Commentary, 38b (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1988), 671.
[9] James D. G. Dunn, Romans, 671.
[10] James D. G. Dunn, Romans, 659.
[11] See Jack Cottrell, What the Bible Says About God the Ruler, v.2 (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2000), 331-352.
[12] B. F. Harris, “Lydia,” New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press), 707.
[13] William W. Klein, The New Chosen People: A Corporate View of Election, (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2001), 199-200.
[14] William W. Klein, The New Chosen People, 208.
[15] Cf. Acts 2:39, Rom. 8:28-30, I Cor. 1:26; 7:17, Eph. 1:18; 4:14, Phil. 3:14, 1 Thess. 2:12, II Thess. 1:11; 2:14, II Tim. 1:9, Heb. 3:1, 1 Pet. 5:10, II Pet. 1:10.
[16] Robert Shank, Elect in the Son: A Study of the Doctrine of Election, (Minneapolis: Bethany House Pub., 1970), 198.
[17] I. Howard Marshall, Kept by the Power of God, (Carlisle, U.K.: The Paternoster Press, 1995), 101.
[18] Ernest Best, A Commentary on the First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, (London: A. and C. Black Limited, 1972), 72, 73.
[19] Best, Commentary, 316.
The Truth of the Gospel 