2 Thessalonians 2:14a-The Result of the Father Choosing the Thessalonians is that He Effectually Called Them (2)

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But now, each one of us are obligated to always make it our habit of giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each and every one of you brothers and sisters, who are divinely loved by the one and only Lord. For this God for His own glory chose each one of you as firstfruits for the purpose of experiencing salvation by means of sanctification through the personal agency of the Spirit and correspondingly, by means of faith in the truth. 14 As a result of which, He correspondingly effectually called and every one of you through the proclamation of our gospel for the purpose of experiencing as a permanent possession the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Lecturer’s translation)

2 Thessalonians 2:14 begins with the prepositional phrase eis ho (εἰς ὃ), “as a result of which.”

The relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “this” is anaphoric which means that its referent appears in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and specifically, its referent appears in the causal clause in 2 Thessalonians 2:13.

Paul asserts in this verse that he, Silvanus and Timothy are obligated to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the Father on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community, whom he addresses as brothers and sisters and describes as divinely loved by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then, he presents the reason for this assertion by stating that the Father for His own glory chose each member of the Thessalonian Christian community as firstfruits for the purpose of experiencing salvation by means of sanctification through the personal agency of the Spirit and correspondingly, by means of faith in the truth, which is a reference to the gospel.

As we noted in our study of 2 Thessalonians 2:13, the reference to the Father’s choice of the Thessalonians does not refer to the Father electing them in eternity past but rather to when He declared them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

So therefore, here in 2 Thessalonians 2:14, the referent of the accusative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς) is the Father declaring each member of the Thessalonian Christian community justified as firstfruits for the purpose of experiencing salvation.

The relative pronoun hos (ὅς) is the object of the preposition eis (εἰς), which most expositors and translators have interpreted as a marker of purpose.

This prepositional phrase is modifying the assertion ekalesen hymas dia tou euangeliou hēmōn eis peripoiēsin doxēs tou kyriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou (ἐκάλεσεν ὑμᾶς διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἡμῶν εἰς περιποίησιν δόξης τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ), “He called you to this salvation through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (NET).

As was the case in 1 Thessalonians 2:12, 4:7 and 5:24, the verb kaleō here in 2 Thessalonians 2:14 refers not only to the Father’s invitation to salvation for the Christian through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit, but it also refers to their acceptance of this invitation by faith and which invitation originates from eternity past.

This “call” is an “effectual” call referring not only to the Father’s invitation for the Thessalonians to experience eternal salvation but also their acceptance of this invitation by faith and which invitation originates from eternity past.

Therefore, this interpretation of the preposition eis (εἰς) would indicate that the Father justifying each member of the Thessalonian Christian community as firstfruits for the purpose of experiencing salvation was “the purpose for which” He effectually called each of them through the gospel so that they may obtain the glory of their Lord Jesus Christ.

However, as we noted in our study of 2 Thessalonians 2:13, the reference to the Father’s choice of the Thessalonians in this verse does not refer to the Father electing them in eternity past but rather to when He declared them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

In this verse, we noted that the verb haireomaiis expressing the idea that God the Father for His own benefit, purposes and glory chose for Himself each member of the Thessalonian Christian community as the firstfruits for the purpose of them experiencing eternal salvation by means of sanctification through the personal agency of the Spirit and correspondingly, by means of faith in the truth.

So therefore, this verb haireomai does not speak of the election of the Thessalonians in eternity past by God the Father but rather, it speaks of justification.

This is indicated by the prepositional phrase, which modifies it, namely, en hagiasmō pneumatos kai pistei alētheias (ἐν ἁγιασμῷ πνεύματος καὶ πίστει ἀληθείας), “by means sanctification through the personal agency of the Spirit and correspondingly, by means of faith in the truth.”

This prepositional phrase identifies when God chose the Thessalonians and speaks of positional sanctification.

This took place through the baptism of the Spirit, which took place at the moment of justification when the Father declared the Thessalonians justified as a result of them exercising faith in the truth about Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection which is communicated in the gospel.

Therefore, the verb haireomai speaks of the Father choosing the Thessalonians when He declared them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ rather than His electing them in eternity past.

Consequently, Paul is not teaching the Thessalonians that the Father elected them for the purpose of experiencing salvation by means of sanctification through the personal agency of the Spirit and correspondingly, by means of faith in the truth, i.e., the gospel since when Paul speaks of election such as in Ephesians chapter one, it is always speaking of what the Father did in eternity past.

Ephesians 1:3 Worthy of praise and glorification is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who has blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in the Person of Christ. 4 When He elected us to privilege in Him before the foundation of the world for the purpose of being holy and blameless before Him. (Lecturer’s translation)

When Paul speaks of God choosing the Thessalonians for salvation in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, he asserts that this was accomplished by means of sanctification through the personal agency of the Spirit and correspondingly, by means of faith in the truth, i.e., the gospel.

This work of the Spirit in relation to sanctification was accomplished in time when the Thessalonians were declared justified by the Father through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

Simultaneously, at their justification, the Spirit identified them with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand.

This work of the Spirit is called the baptism of the Spirit and it resulted in the Thessalonians being sanctified positionally, experientially and in a perfective sense.

Therefore, since election took place in eternity past and the work of the Spirit in relation to sanctification is accomplished at justification, this verb haireomai in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, must be speaking of the Father choosing the Thessalonians when He declared them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

However, we must add that their justification manifested the fact that the Thessalonians were elected in eternity past by the Father.

If the prepositional phrase ap’ archēs (ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς), “from the beginning,” was a part of the original text rather than the noun aparchēn (ἀπαρχήν), “firstfruits,” then the presence of this prepositional phrase would clearly indicate that the verb haireomai speaking of election of the Thessalonians in eternity.

However, as we noted in our exegesis of 2 Thessalonians 2:13, this is not the case.

So therefore, the prepositional phrase eis ho (εἰς ὃ) at the beginning of 2 Thessalonians 2:14 is not presenting the purpose for which the Father chose each member of the Thessalonian Christian community as firstfruits for the purpose of experiencing salvation since this choosing them in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and effectually calling them in 2 Thessalonians 2:14 are both speaking of the Father declaring them justified through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

The former is simply speaking of the Father choosing them in the sense of declaring them justified through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

However, though the latter also speaks of the Father declaring them justified through faith in His Son, it is doing so from the perspective that this justification through faith in His Son was the acceptance of His invitation for the Thessalonians to experience eternal salvation.

Therefore, I interpret the preposition eis (εἰς) here in 2 Thessalonians 2:14 as a marker of result.

Therefore, this would indicate that the Father effectually calling each member of the Thessalonian Christian community through the gospel for the purpose of experiencing as a permanent possession the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ was the “direct result of” the Father declaring them justified as firstfruits for the purpose of experiencing salvation.

This interpretation is supported by the fact that the verb kaleō here in 2 Thessalonians 2:14 refers to the “effective evocation” of faith through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit who united the believer to Christ according to the Father’s electing them to privilege and His gracious eternal purpose and predetermined plan.

The verb refers to not only the Father’s invitation to salvation for the Christian through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit, but it also refers to their acceptance of this invitation by faith and which invitation originates from eternity past and which acceptance took place at their justification.

Therefore, a comparison of 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 14 teaches that when the Father declared the Thessalonians justified through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, it “resulted in” them being effectually called since their justification manifested the fact that the Father invited them to experience salvation by electing them in eternity past to do so.

In other words, the result of the Father declaring the Thessalonians justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ manifested the fact that they were effectually called, i.e., the acceptance of their invitation to experience salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.