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NASB | 2 Thessalonians 2:13 ¶ But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Thessalonians 2:13 ¶ But we should and are [morally] obligated [as debtors] always to give thanks to God for you, believers beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through the sanctifying work of the Spirit [that sets you apart for God's purpose] and by your faith in the truth [of God's word that leads you to spiritual maturity]. |
Bible Question: Thanks Joe, but that gives rise to another question...is this a "one off" event, or is it a process over a lifetime? |
Bible Answer: Biblically speaking, it is a continuous process that begins at the moment of conversion (that's justification) and continues in the life of a believer until we enter the presence of God at the end of this life. That is not to say that it is a smooth, uninterrupted improvement, but the Bible indicates that those He has saved He will make like Christ in their behavior. Some passages that indicate that we have already been sanctified (i.e. "set apart" for service to God): "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." --1 Corinthians 6:11 "Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified." --Acts 20:31 "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." --Hebrews 10:10 Passages which indicate that the process is also ongoing: "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." --Hebrews 12:14 "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;" --1 Thessalonians 4:3 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." --1 Thessalonians 5:23 "I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification." --Romans 6:19 The important thing to remember is that all those who truly possess saving faith in Christ have been sanctified, are being sanctified, and will be sanctified entirely by God in His grace. It is 100 percent a work of God in his free grace, a job He started and will finish in all those who are His children. We do participate in that process actively as well, since God can sanctify us through the transformation of the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2) or by the rod (Hebrews 12:6; Revelation 3:19). --Joe! |
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Questions and/or Subjects for 2 Thess 2:13 | Author | ||
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frankndebois | ||
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Robbitybobisawake | ||
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Reformer Joe | ||
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Robbitybobisawake | ||
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Reformer Joe | ||
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stillnissi | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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DocTrinsograce |