2 Thessalonians 2 Devotional

Steady When Rumors Fly

“But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.”2 Thessalonians 2:13 (BSB)

Paul warns the Thessalonians not to be alarmed by any message, even a letter seeming to come from him, claiming that the day of the Lord has already come (2:1-2). That day will not come until the rebellion happens and the man of lawlessness is revealed, who will set himself up as God (2:3-4). Paul does not satisfy curiosity about details. He stresses that this figure is restrained for now, works by Satan's power to deceive those who refuse the truth, and will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus at his coming (2:6-10).

Then Paul turns to thanks. God chose these believers from the beginning to be saved, through the Spirit's work of making them holy and their faith in the truth, calling them through the gospel to share Christ's glory (2:13-14). Their security rests not on decoding the future but on God's choice and call. So Paul tells them to stand firm in what they were taught (2:15), and prays for God, who has loved them, to strengthen their hearts (2:16-17).

To think about: When news about the future unsettles you, how does knowing that God chose and called you help you stand firm?