Stand Firm and Hold Fast: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
Theological meditation on standing firm in election and calling
This is vivid retellings.
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
But. The contrast. Against the dark backdrop of the man of lawlessness, the Thessalonians shone bright.
We ought always to thank God for you. The obligation of gratitude. Always—not occasional. For you—specifically.
Brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. Egapemenoi hupo kuriou. Loved by the Lord—the passive voice pointing to Christ's active love for them.
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