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.

                                                                         Chapter 7

 

Sanctification

 

             Holiness … that is an important word in the Christian Faith. God is holy; therefore, we are to be holy. Jesus was set apart (sanctified) unto God the Father. He was born in holiness and He lived in holiness. While we were born in sin, we were reborn into holiness. It is our destiny. We can’t get away from it. Too many Christians today do not want to live in holiness; but that is exactly what God wants from us. We can go willingly or kicking and screaming; but we will go. It is our destiny!

 

Calling/Chosen:

 

            Chosen for salvation through sanctification:

           

2 Thessalonians 2:13

13 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.

 

            Look at all the ingredients involved in our lives as Christians. God chose us. It wasn’t something we did to earn it; we were chosen before the beginning of the world for salvation. This salvation involves the entire Godhead. The Father chose us; the Son died that we might live; and the Spirit applies it to our lives. We participate in it by having faith in the truth (His Word). We were set apart (sanctified) as holy from the beginning of our Christian experience. We should continue in this holiness until we leave this world. We were destined for this. It shows the people of the world that there is a holy God and that He wants His children to be like Him … holy.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, I could have chosen you to be robots; but I chose you to have free will … to choose to love Me and to obey Me. You are My own; but you are free to follow Me or to not. You are free to do your own thing; but I have chosen you to be better than that … to live a better life than that – holy and free in Me. You are to be an example to the world. The world does its own thing. It lives life the way it wants to; not as I would have it to do. You have chosen freely to follow Me. You can quit at any time; but you will not be happy walking in a lifestyle that is not in Me. You are free only when you obey Me. You are free from the cares of the world because you don’t have to please the world. You only have to please Me. Then you will walk in complete success … free of the stranglehold of the world. It would have you to be in its grasp; but I would have you to be free in Me.”

 

            68. I was chosen from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Holy Spirit and faith in the truth.