He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
Truth to Learn
God will keep His promise regarding your salvation.
Behind the Words
“He who calls” is translated from ho kalōn. The word ho is the third person singular personal pronoun (he) and kalōn is the present participle form of the verb kaleō, meaning “to call” or “to call forth.” A literal translation of these two words could be “the one calling” or “he who is calling.” The emphasis is on the one doing the calling rather than the act itself.
The word “faithful” is from the Greek noun pistos. It is based on the verb pistis, meaning “to convince, to believe, or to have faith.” Pistos refers to someone who is faithful or trustworthy, that is, someone who will do what he said he will do.
The Greek verb poieō is translated as “will … do it.” Poieō means “to make” or “to do” in a wide variety of applications. It is expressed here in the future tense, indicating something that will happen in the future.
Meaning Explained
In the previous verse, the Apostle Paul expressed a prayer concerning the Christians in Thessalonica. He asked that God would set them apart completely from sin and the consequences of that sin. He also asked that God would guard them to keep them blameless until Christ comes to claim His own (at the rapture).
Now he reminds them (and us) about a couple of very significant facts regarding our God. The first is that God is the one who called each of us. That’s another way of saying that God is the one who chose us. Let’s look at Jesus’ disciples for an example of this. In Matthew 4:18-21 we see that Jesus called Peter, Andres, James, and John to come and follow Him. And in the upper room after they had completed the last supper, Jesus told all of His disciples:
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. (John 15:16)
We don’t know what God’s criteria were when He decided whom to call, and Paul does not take any time in any of his writings trying to figure out those criteria. Paul’s point in today’s verse is not to prove anything, he is simply stating that God is the one who calls us, and He is completely faithful in performing what He said He will do.
The question we have to ask ourselves here is What is it that He said He would do? The answer is in the previous verse, God will completely set us apart from sin and its consequences, and He will preserve us blameless until the day He comes to take us home with Him. In other words, our Salvation is completely a work of God. We didn’t deserve it, we don’t deserve it, and we won’t deserve it. This should cause every Christian to humbly bow at the feet of our Savior in thanksgiving for the greatest gift that anyone could ever receive: our Salvation.
Application
If you are a Christian, then you are one of the called ones according to God’s purpose (Romans 8:28). And, he will preserve you until the end. You will not be lost because you are His forever. Praise be to God!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved