Lesson 2 - Introduction & Thanksgiving
Question 6: What do you think he means in v. 4 when he writes of God's “choice” of them? How is His choice evident? For what purpose are they chosen?
Answer: When Paul writes that the Thessalonian believers are "beloved by God" and that he knows "His choice of you," he's acknowledging something beautiful: God chose them to be His people. But this raises questions that Christians have discussed for centuries.
How is His choice evident? Paul points to the evidence in verse 5: the gospel came to them "in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction," and they received it "in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit" (v. 6). Their transformed lives, their faith under persecution, and their testimony throughout the region all demonstrate that God's hand was at work in choosing them.
For what purpose? Look at verses 9–10: they turned from idols to serve the living God and to wait for His Son from heaven. God chose them for relationship with Him, for holy living, and for bearing witness to His glory. This echoes what Paul writes elsewhere about being chosen "in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him" (Ephesians 1:4).
A word about election: Christians disagree on exactly how God's choosing works with human response to the gospel. Some emphasize God's sovereign and unconditional election of individuals before time began. Others emphasize that God, in His foreknowledge, knew everyone who would believe before He made the world and these are the elect. Even others believe that God chose "in Christ" - meaning all who are in Christ are among the chosen, and the choice to be in Christ is ours to make by faith. In this last view, Christ is similar to Noah’s ark—all who seek refuge in the ark of salvation are elect “in Christ.” All of these views attempt to honor God's sovereignty and take Scripture seriously.
What we can all agree on: God initiates salvation, the gospel transforms lives, and those who believe give evidence of having been chosen by God. If you're trusting in Christ, you can be confident you are among the chosen. Thank God for His gracious choice and live worthy of your calling to the praise of His great name.