"THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS"
Their Election By God (1:4-5)
INTRODUCTION
1. As Paul contemplated the condition of the church at Thessalonica, he
had much for which to be thankful - 1Th 1:2-3
a. They had a faith that worked
b. They had a love which labored
c. They had a hope that gave them patience
2. He also took consolation in knowing that they were "chosen"...
a. He refers to their "election by God" - 1Th 1:4
b. As evidence, he reminds them of how God had worked through such
men as Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy - 1Th 1:5
3. In some way, these Thessalonians had become part of God's chosen
people...
a. A special people as described in 1Pe 2:9-10
b. Just as the nation of Israel had been chosen by God - Deut 10:15
4. Several questions naturally come to mind regarding the Thessalonians
and their election by God...
a. When did God make His choice?
b. Were the Thessalonians chosen individually, or as part of some
coporate or general choice?
c. Was their election by God final, i.e., was it impossible for them
to lose their privilege of being God's chosen people?
-- And how might the answers to these questions relate to our own
election by God?
[Let's first focus our attention on the idea of...]
I. THEIR ELECTION BY GOD
A. THE "WORD" TRANSLATED ELECTION...
1. Comes from ekloge {ek-log-ay'}, meaning "the act of picking
out, choosing"
2. Related to the idea of being chosen, which comes from the
Greek eklegomai {ek-leg'-om-ahee}, and means "to pick out,
choose, to pick or choose out for one's self"
B. THE "TIME" OF GOD'S ELECTION...
1. God made His choice "before the foundation of the world" - Ep 1:4
2. Just as with Christ Himself, who was foreordained "before the
foundation of the world" - 1Pe 1:20
C. THE "OBJECTS" OF GOD'S ELECTION...
1. When God made His "choice" before the world began...
a. Did He chose certain individuals to become His elect?
b. Or was His choice more general in nature?
2. Two popular answers to this question:
a. The Calvinist believes that this choice was...
1) Individual (only certain select individuals have been
chosen)
2) Dependent solely upon God's gracious and mysterious
will, without any foreknowledge of good or evil on the
part of those selected
3) Unconditional and final (there is no possibility of
apostasy)
b. The Arminian believes that this choice was...
1) Individual (certain select individuals have been chosen)
2) Based upon foreknowledge of those souls who would
respond to the gospel and persevere in the faith
3) Unconditional and final, in the sense that God already
knows those who will persevere to the end
3. Paul says simply that God "chose us in Him" (i.e., Christ)
- cf. Ep 1:4
a. I understand this election by God to have been general, not
particular; corporate, not individual
b. To refer to the body of Christ, the church as a whole,
which God chose for His divine and gracious purposes He
planned to carry out in Christ
c. Just as Israel (as a nation) had been chosen by God to
receive His blessings
D. THE "PROCESS" OF GOD'S ELECTION...
1. How did the Thessalonians become part of God's chosen people?
2. Paul explains in his second epistle - 2Th 2:13-14
a. "through sanctification of the Spirit"
1) Here we see God's part, the sanctifying work of the
Spirit
2) This the Spirit did through the truth, or Word of God,
which He revealed through the apostles - cf. Jn 16:13;
17:17; Ep 6:17
b. "and belief of the truth"
1) Here we see man's part, as the Thessalonians heeded the
Word of God
2) Therefore when they heeded the preaching of the gospel,
they were saved, and as such became God's elect!
c. This God accomplished by calling them through the gospel
proclaimed by the apostles - 2Th 2:14
[Today, when a person heeds the gospel of Christ, they are "sanctified"
(set apart) by the Holy Spirit as a result of believing the truth.
According to God's choice made before the world began, all who obey
Christ become part of that great body of the saved in Christ, God's
elect! But is their participation in the blessings of the elect
final...?]
II. MAKING OUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE
A. GOD'S ELECTION IS UNCONDITIONAL...
1. God's election or choice was general
2. He chose to save people "in Christ"
3. That choice is unconditional and final
a. There is no way anyone can be saved without Christ
b. As Jesus Himself said, "no one can come to the Father
except through Me" - Jn 14:6
c. As Peter would later say, "there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Ac 4:12
B. OUR ELECTION IS CONDITIONAL...
1. Whether we as individuals remain in the body or church, (God's
elect) is conditional
2. We must be "diligent to make your calling and election sure"
- 2Pe 1:10
a. Just as Israel (as a nation) had been chosen by God to
receive His blessings
b. But individually, the Israelites also had to "make their
calling and election sure"
c. Remember the many Israelites who became God's elect at
Mount Sinai, but died later in the wilderness!
3. Thus we find many warnings in the Scriptures to remain
faithful
a. Or fall just like many did in the wilderness - He 3:12-19
b. Or come short of our heavenly rest, like they failed to
enter the Promised Land - He 4:1-3,9-11
4. Jesus Himself warned His disciples
a. Be fruitful, or be cut off! - Jn 15:1-6
b. Be faithful, to receive the crown of life! - Re 2:10
CONCLUSION
1. It was the faithful and fruitful lives of the Thessalonians that
gave Paul confidence concerning their election...
a. Their active faith, love and hope - 1Th 1:2-3
b. Their reception of Paul and the Word - 1Th 1:6-7
2. But whether they remained part of God's elect was not final...
a. If it was, why even bother to worry about them? - 1Th 3:1,5-6
b. As long as they remained faithful, Paul was comforted - 1Th 3:7
3. Dear friends and brethren, what about us...?
a. Are we included among God's elect?
1) God's choice regarding salvation is still sure and final
2) Only in Christ Jesus is there salvation!
3) Through the gospel, God is still calling people
-- Obey the gospel, and you will be set apart by the Spirit to
become one of God's chosen!
b. Are we being diligent to make our calling and election sure?
1) Are we faithful and fruitful in our service to Christ?
2) Will we persevere to the end, or fall short of our heavenly
rest?
That we may experience the eternal blessings God has prepared for His
Elect, let us heed the admonition of Scripture:
Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart
of unbelief in departing from the living God;
but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest
any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning
of our confidence steadfast to the end.
(He 3:12-14)
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