“We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13).
Here is the work of God the Father: “God hath from the beginning chosen you.” Here is His unfailing purpose for His people: “salvation.” Here is the means He determined to make salvation theirs in time: “through sanctification of the Spirit.” Here is what sanctification produces in them: “belief of the truth.” Here is the truth they believe: by the will of God the Father, “we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). “The truth is in Jesus” (Eph. 4:21; John 14:6).
Election is the fountainhead of the river of life. Its spring is pure grace. Every blessing that flows from this fountainhead proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). Its flow is out of God’s eternal love and purpose of grace. It is as clear as crystal, eternally hidden in the heart of God, preserving its purity from man’s contribution, untainted by man’s work. Its streams impart eternal blessings to the elect. Its blessings are pure and clear because they are free from man’s contributions: adoption, eternal redemption, everlasting righteousness, justification, sanctification, eternal inheritance, regeneration, conformed to Christ's image, preservation and glorification (Heb. 1:3; 10:10,14; Eph. 1:3-7; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; John 1:17; 17:1-4; Rom. 5:6-11; 6:14,17; 8:28-30; 11:5-6). Faith is the hand given by the Spirit of Christ, which dips into the waters of that stream and brings life-giving refreshment up to the lips of chosen, thirsty sinners, who continuously lap it up (Isaiah 55:1-3). Faith is that operation of the Spirit in the heart of man that fills the soul with the blessed knowledge that every blessing of our triune God is by His pure, free, crystal clear grace in Christ. Grace makes the blessings inevitable because they are predestined by God’s eternal will, and because the water of the river of life was filled by Christ finishing God’s will in His obedience unto the death of the cross (Jer. 17:13; Heb. 10:1-23; Philippians 2:5-8). This water is given to chosen, redeemed sinners by sanctification of the Spirit, when He sprinkles their conscience with the blood of Christ, healing their sin wounds (John 4:10; 7:37; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:4-5).
Election is not through sanctification of the Spirit, nor is election through faith. Election is entirely outside of us. It stands alone and apart from everything in man. We are objects of God’s free grace. We contribute nothing that causes grace to be shed abundantly on us by Jesus Christ. Election and grace reside and spring entirely from the heart of God. Our salvation is through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Sanctification is the life-giving command of the Spirit of God to dead sinners through the Gospel, declaring Christ and Him crucified, washing them in His blood by regeneration (Titus 3:5; Zechariah 13:1; 1 John 1:7).
Here is the work of God the Father: “God hath from the beginning chosen you.” Here is His unfailing purpose for His people: “salvation.” Here is the means He determined to make salvation theirs in time: “through sanctification of the Spirit.” Here is what sanctification produces in them: “belief of the truth.” Here is the truth they believe: by the will of God the Father, “we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). “The truth is in Jesus” (Eph. 4:21; John 14:6).
Election is the fountainhead of the river of life. Its spring is pure grace. Every blessing that flows from this fountainhead proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). Its flow is out of God’s eternal love and purpose of grace. It is as clear as crystal, eternally hidden in the heart of God, preserving its purity from man’s contribution, untainted by man’s work. Its streams impart eternal blessings to the elect. Its blessings are pure and clear because they are free from man’s contributions: adoption, eternal redemption, everlasting righteousness, justification, sanctification, eternal inheritance, regeneration, conformed to Christ's image, preservation and glorification (Heb. 1:3; 10:10,14; Eph. 1:3-7; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; John 1:17; 17:1-4; Rom. 5:6-11; 6:14,17; 8:28-30; 11:5-6). Faith is the hand given by the Spirit of Christ, which dips into the waters of that stream and brings life-giving refreshment up to the lips of chosen, thirsty sinners, who continuously lap it up (Isaiah 55:1-3). Faith is that operation of the Spirit in the heart of man that fills the soul with the blessed knowledge that every blessing of our triune God is by His pure, free, crystal clear grace in Christ. Grace makes the blessings inevitable because they are predestined by God’s eternal will, and because the water of the river of life was filled by Christ finishing God’s will in His obedience unto the death of the cross (Jer. 17:13; Heb. 10:1-23; Philippians 2:5-8). This water is given to chosen, redeemed sinners by sanctification of the Spirit, when He sprinkles their conscience with the blood of Christ, healing their sin wounds (John 4:10; 7:37; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:4-5).
Election is not through sanctification of the Spirit, nor is election through faith. Election is entirely outside of us. It stands alone and apart from everything in man. We are objects of God’s free grace. We contribute nothing that causes grace to be shed abundantly on us by Jesus Christ. Election and grace reside and spring entirely from the heart of God. Our salvation is through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Sanctification is the life-giving command of the Spirit of God to dead sinners through the Gospel, declaring Christ and Him crucified, washing them in His blood by regeneration (Titus 3:5; Zechariah 13:1; 1 John 1:7).
Rick Warta
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