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. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
This may be one of the most important texts in regard to the Gospel and how it actually works in our lives. For those who think they can make a declaration of receiving Christ and then live their merry way, the message of these verses is going to a shock to their belief system. Note the progression Paul gives us about our salvation. It is an act of God has He has "chosen" us from the beginning. So, Salvation starts off as a Divine act of God prior to our birth. But, the "chosen from the beginning for salvation" is "through sanctification." The process of sanctification is as connected to salvation as physical breath is to life. Where their is no breath, there is no life - where there no sanctification and no salvation. We are saved "through" sanctification and that sanctification is "by the Spirit and faith in the truth." The agent of Sanctification (which assures Salvation) is by the Spirit and Faith in the truth (the Word of God). Our ability to "stand firm" and to "hold the traditions" taught by Paul and the other Apostles flows from these Divine truths. We are saved by God, from the beginning, as an act of God and it is completed as He sanctifies us through the Spirit and the Word of God. The Holy Spirit has a part in Salvation as He is the agent of change in our lives. We need no other agent or philosophy. We can stand firm and hold confidently to the traditions of Paul knowing that God is using them to complete us in Christ.
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