The Foundation of Life

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The Foundation of A Christian Life

2 Thess. 2:13-17

“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.”

                  In a confusing world filled with contradictory views and people questioning Biblical truth, how do we know what truth is and what God genuinely desires for us?   Where do we turn to discover what is true? While we want to know God and follow His purpose, we struggle to understand His purpose. Having encouraged the believers to stand firm in the face of opposition and having warned them of the danger of deception, Paul now points them to the truth.  Truth and wickedness are irreconcilable.  God judges people by allowing them to be deluded in their thinking and to believe what is false. However, for His followers, He has given His Word so that they might know the truth.

                  This confronts us with a question we must ask.  If people can become deluded into believing what is false, how can we avoid falling into the same trap?  How do we protect ourselves from being deceived by what is false?  How do we know what is true? In verses 13-17, Paul provides the answer by pointing back to God’s purpose for us.  Before the beginning of time, before Adam and Eve first sinned, God established the remedy, not just to save us from sin but to sanctify us. The word sanctification refers to the transformation that God brings in us by removing the guilt of sin in order to make us holy so that we manifest His character. This is accomplished by two means. First, God has given us the Holy Spirit to work in us to teach and guide us so that we fulfill God’s purpose and know his truth. The Holy Spirit dwells in us to protect us from what is false. Second, God has communicated His truth through the scriptures.  Faith involves trusting in God’s word and walking in obedience to him.  When we go to scripture, we discover what is true and what is a lie.  

                  In light of the presence of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God’s word, our response is to stand firm and hold fast to the traditions we were taught.   The traditions that Paul is referring to are not the man-made traditions that led to the legalism that characterized the Jews.  The traditions he refers to are the teachings and practices the apostles taught as the Holy Spirit guided them to teach and record God’s Word.  In other words, we are to hold fast to the instruction that God has given through His apostles.  To avoid the lies and delusions of the world, we need to be grounded in the Bible and hold fast to its teachings. The world follows a delusion because they have rejected the truth of God.  We need to constantly examine our lives and ask ourselves who we are following and who we are allowing to influence our morality and our understanding of right and wrong.  Are we listening to the world, or are we listening to God as He communicated to us in His Word?  We avoid the delusion of the lie by following the clarity of God’s truth, which He has given us in His word, without error or any falsehood.  However, we must not just read His word; we must obey and live according to His word.  When we do so, God will give us comfort and hope through His grace so that we will be steadfast in every good work and word (vs. 16-17). 

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