2 Thessalonians 2:14

OLBGrk;

Whereunto he called you by our gospel: before, the apostle mentioned their election, now their calling; which are often in Scripture put together, Romans 8:30 2 Peter 1:10; and are both applied to Christ himself, Isaiah 42:1,6. They are those two sovereign acts of God, prerequisite to a state of salvation; the one eternal, the other in time; the one immanent in God, the other transient upon the creature; and it is the first transient act that flows from election. And because there is an outward and inward civil mentioned in Scripture, we must here understand the apostle of both: for Eiv o: Whereunto, or to which thing, mentioned in the beginning of this verse, refers to all that he said in the former verse, which is, salvation, sanctification, belief of the truth, which they could not attain with a mere outward call, though they had that also; for the apostle mentions here the gospel, which he calls our gospel, because preached by them, and intrusted to them, though the original of it is from God, and the matter of it from Jesus Christ. And he puts them in mind of the great mercy they had received in their preaching the gospel to them, for thereby they were called into a state of salvation; as also of the way wherein they are to obtain this salvation, which is through sanctification of the Spirit, and the belief of the truth, that they might be careful to persevere both in faith and holiness; and not to expect it from the law, or the speculations of philosophy, which some false teachers might suggest, for as faith cometh by hearing the gospel, Romans 10:17, so it is that only which is the power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16. And by this he confirms to them also their election, because they had been thus effectually called by the gospel: for no man can conclude his salvation from election, if he hath not been also thus called, which is by feeling the power of the gospel in the heart, and yielding obedience to it in his life. What the apostle before called salvation, he here styles the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, he had there also called it obtaining salvation, and by the same word here used in the text: yea, the word peripoihsiv, here rendered obtaining, sometimes signifies salvation itself, Hebrews 10:39, and, which is equivalent, the purchased possession, Ephesians 1:14; and it may signify in the text, the obtaining the glory of Christ in a way of purchase, as also by diligent endeavours after it, by way of acquisition, as the word seems to signify. And by the glory of Christ is not meant the glory we give to him, as some would strain the words to that sense; but rather, the glory we shall receive from him, which is the same which the Father hath given to him, and which he hath given to his people. 1 Thessalonians 17:22, whereby they are co-heirs with him, Romans 8:17. And so the apostle sets forth the greatness of this salvation, to which these believers were called, it is to the obtaining the same glory with Christ, in kind at least; and shows their different state from those that perish, and will be damned, mentioned in the former verses. Or if we read the words, ye are called to be a peculiar people, as the Greek word is so rendered, 1 Peter 2:9, laov eiv piripoihsin, a peculiar people, and understand by the glory of Christ, that glory of his grace he hath manifested herein, it shows also how God hath distinguished them from those before mentioned.