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Our apostle, having in the foregoing verses set forth a fatal apostasy from the sincerity of the Christian faith and worship, here in this verse exempts the Thessalonians from the number of those that were endangered by it; and this he makes mention of, to their great comfort, and with thanksgivings to God: We are bound to give thanks, &c.
Observe here, 1. The titles given to the Thessalonians by our apostle, Brethren, and beloved of the Lord; not beloved of the apostle only, but of the Lord also, both with an antecedent love, bestowing grace upon them, and with a consequent love, believing in his name, and suffering for his sake.
Observe, 2. His obligation to bless God on their behalf, he gave thanks: this showed his esteem of the blessing; he gave thanks always, which showed how deeply he was affected with the blessing, and he owns it as a debt which was due unto them; We are bound to give thanks, &c.
Observe, 3. The matter of his thanksgiving, or the mercy which he was thus thankful for, and that was their election to salvation; We are bound to give thanks, because God hath chosen you.
Whence learn, That God's election either of ourselves or others to salvation, is, and ought to be, great matter of thanksgiving unto God.
Observe, 4. Their election is amplified,
(1.) By the antiquity of it, from the beginning, that is, from all eternity, In the beginning was the word, Joh_1:1 that is, before the beginning, before God began to create any thing, the Word was.
(2.) From the means of its accomplishment; and they are two, one on God's part, the sanctification of the Spirit; the other on their part, the belief of the truth.
Where note, 1. That election is to the means as well as to the end; and without the means, can the end never be attained; he that hath chosen us to salvation, hath chosen us to be holy, and to believe the truth, in order to salvation.
Note, 2. That sanctification and holiness are not the cause of our election, but the effect and fruit of it.
Note, 3. That sanctification being the fruit, it is also the evidence of our election; Sic se apeit decretum, thus the decree of God is made evident to us; the election of God is a secret in the bosom of God, it is only manifested to us by the effects, which are sanctification by the Spirit, and a sound belief of the gospel.
Where mark, a bare belief of the doctrine of the gospel saves none, unless accompanied with the sanctification of the Spirit.
Note, 4. The necessary connection between the sanctification of the Spirit, and the belief of the truth, even as between the cause and the effect, and they do also accompany one another; the gospel was a supernatural doctrine, and it was fit that it should be accompanied with a supernatural operation, how else should it be known to be of God? The gospel and the Spirit are inseparable companions; where the gospel is little known, there is little of the Spirit found: He hath chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth.