knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.
Truth to Learn
All Christians are chosen by and loved by God.
Behind the Words
The word “knowing” is from the Greek verb oida, which means “to see with perception,” that is, “to be aware of.” It is expressed here as a casual participle, so it could be translated as “since we know.”
“Beloved” is a form of the verb agape, a self-sacrificing love which is spoken almost exclusively of God. Therefore, we could refer to them as “brothers who are loved by God.”
“Election” is translated from the noun form of the verb eklegō. This verb is composed of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and the verb legō, meaning “to choose” or “to select.” As used here it means “someone who has been selected, or chosen, by God.”
Meaning Explained
We have been talking about the fact that Paul and his two companions, Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy, regularly and unceasingly pray for and praise the Christians in the church at Thessalonica. Paul adds here that the Thessalonica Christians have been chosen by God and therefore, are among those who are loved by God with an everlasting, self-sacrificing love.
Election is one of those theological concepts that many Christians love to hate. Opponents of the concept say, “How can a loving God choose some and send others to Hell? That’s just not fair and God wouldn’t do that.” First of all, God does not choose anyone to go to Hell. It’s what we all deserve because we are all unrighteous sinners, and God’s holiness and righteousness demand that all sinners must be judged since we are all deserving of death:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Jesus, Himself, told his disciples:
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, (John 15:16a).
And, Apostles Peter and Paul clearly teach that God chooses whom He decides (Romans 9:11; Romans 11:5; Romans 11:7, 8; Ephesians 1:4; 2Peter 1:10). And Paul argues very strongly that God loved Jacob and hated Esau, arguing that God is not unrighteous in doing so. After all, as Paul says, doesn’t the potter (God) have power over the clay (you and me), from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? This is stated very clearly in Romans 9:10-21.
In today’s verse Paul is telling his readers that he and those with him know (they have seen and perceived) the election of the Christians in Thessalonica. And from the previous verse we see that it is the deeds of faith and labor of love that demonstrate the election of these saints.
Application
None of us deserves God’s grace. We didn’t deserve to be chosen and we don’t know why He chose us. What we do know is that all Christians have been given a gift of immeasurable worth that we didn’t earn and we don’t deserve. Let’s show our gratitude by serving Him faithfully.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved