“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:13, 14).
This passage of Scripture is very difficult for non-Calvinists to consider since it appears to support the doctrine of unconditional election. It seems to plainly say that from the beginning of creation, God chose who would be saved in Thessalonica. And if He chose which individuals in that city would be saved then it would follow that everyone who will ever be saved has already been determined.
Commenting on this verse, John MacArthur taught, “And it says in verse 13, ‘Brethren, beloved by the Lord,’ because God has chosen you. We want to thank Him for loving you, and we want to thank Him for choosing you from the beginning for salvation. God chose you from the beginning, that means eternity past” http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/53-12
From the beginning, according to him, means from eternity past.
But are we necessarily confined to accepting this as the unquestionable intended meaning of the verse? I don’t believe so. I think there is another valid option that should be considered. Let’s start by examining the word “beginning.” It is translated from the Greek word transliterated as “archē” and appears 58 times in 56 verses of the New Testament. In many of these instances it does in fact refer to the beginning of the world or the creation but not in every case. One place it is used for an event other than the creation is when Jesus turned the water into wine, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee” (John 2:11). Here it is simply used to denote the first time or the start of a series of miracles to come.
Now let’s turn our attention for a moment to the early evangelistic efforts of the apostle Paul during his second missionary journey. We are told that the Holy Spirit had specifically forbidden him to preach the gospel in two places: “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them” (Acts 16:6, 7). Instead, God sent him in a different direction, “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:9, 10).
So now, how does this relate to God’s choice from the beginning? Well, consider something Paul said to the church at Philippi: “Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent [aid] once and again for my necessities” (Phil. 4:15, 16). Here he uses the same Greek word “archē” for the beginning of his evangelistic endeavors in Macedonia of which Philippi and Thessalonica were the first two cities where he preached. Could it be that when he said “God from the beginning chose you for salvation” that he was referring to the Macedonian call? That God chose Thessalonica to receive the saving gospel message over Asia and Bithynia?
Notice something else Paul had said to this church, “Knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake” (1 Thess. 1:4, 5). In both this passage and in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14, the Holy Spirit and the gospel are mentioned in conjunction with election. The Macedonian call was in fact a choice the Holy Spirit made for Paul to preach the gospel in this area rather than in others. So, I think we should give fair consideration to this view because it seems to harmonize nicely with the overall understanding of Paul’s missionary work recorded in the book of Acts.
Calvinists need some proof
Calvinists need to prove two propositions about the election statements made to the Thessalonians: that the choice was made in eternity past and that it was a choice of which individuals would be saved. Since the contexts do not indicate either, it seems Calvinists can only assume. Now they will probably appeal to Ephesians 1:4 “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” as evidence of what the “beginning” really is but this is problematic. Though it does convey the timing to be from before the creation of the world yet Paul seems to speak of a different kind of election here.
Notice that verses 3-12 of Ephesians chapter 1 are in the first person plural “our,” “us,” and “we,” while verse 13 switches to second person plural “you.” It is more likely that Paul was speaking about God’s election of the Jews which he was a part of. They were the ones “who first trusted in Christ” (v. 12) before the Gentiles. This thought then flows into the context that follows (especially 2:11-3:9), “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (3:6). This mystery was hidden “from the beginning of the ages” (3:9). Therefore, from before the creation of the world, God chose a people who would be “holy and without blame before Him in love” (1:4), and these people would also include all nations. But this inclusion was not a change of plans because it had been purposed from the very beginning.
Conclusion
The problem with the Calvinistic doctrine of unconditional election is that it is based on two assumptions about the meaning of Biblical election; that it is unconditional and that it is individual. Plus, it also assumes that the various passages referring to election are in fact talking about the same kind of election. Personally, I would be fearful of building my soteriological convictions on assumptions.
I think I have presented another plausible explanation for the election of the Thessalonians—that the Holy Spirit chose them to hear the gospel message of salvation prior to others. This was not necessarily a choice made in eternity past nor was it a choice of which individuals at Thessalonica would be saved. Their election of God “in the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:5), and “through sanctification by the Spirit” (2 Thess. 2:13), could have simply been the choice of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 16:6-10) for Macedonia to hear the gospel message rather than Asia and Bithynia.
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