10-12-05 2 Thessalonians 2:13

2 Thessalonians 2:13 (KJ21)
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you for salvation, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,

2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NAS)
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.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIVUS)
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NRSV)
But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NLT)
As for us, we always thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation, a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and by your belief in the truth.

Many times Christian believers will light-heartedly tell their brothers or sisters in the Lord that they "have to" love them. Of course, the other believer agrees. However, neither fully understands the meaning behind those teasing words.

According to Adonai, the Lord God Almighty, you are under obligation to your brothers and sisters. In fact, the Lord sets a very high standard in how you treat fellow believers. One thing that He stresses is that you should be grateful for and express that gratitude to your brethren. You should always give them favor and be kind. It is also important that you freely forgive and pardon them for any trespasses against you. This is not merely a suggestion; the Lord emphasizes that you need to treat this as a debt that you owe.

Jesus, our Lord and Master, holds every believer with high regard. In His heart, the Lord has a personal affection for you and is fond of you. He deliberately set His will to love you, choosing to make you His friend. He is passionate about you, but also has thorough knowledge and understanding of who you are. Although He sees your imperfections, He continues to love you with His perfect, unconditional love.

From the very beginning of time, Adonai chose you, taking you for Himself. Because He prefers to have a relationship with you, He lifted you out of the sin that engulfed you, the sin that wanted to pull you down. He loosened the hold that evil had on you, removing you from the sin and guilt. He rescued and delivered you, taking you to a place of safety.

Now He is bringing you through a process of consecration and purification. The Lord has separated you from profane things and has cleansed and is renewing your soul. In response, you have dedicated yourself to God. You are becoming holy, even as the Lord your God is holy. As the Spirit of God brings you into more revelation of the word of God and convicts you of the truth it contains, you learn to listen to and comply with God's will. Your trust and confidence increases as you obey and yield to Him.