Paul proceeded to give thanks for his readers' salvation and to pray for their steadfastness to help them appreciate their secure position in holding fast to apostolic teaching. These verses form a transition between the didactic and hortatory sections of the epistle.
2:13 In contrast to the wicked unbelievers just referred to (v. 12), Paul was grateful that he could always give thanks for his readers. Moreover he did so.58The ground for his joy was God's choice of them for salvation before He created the world ("the beginning,"v. 13; cf. Eph. 1:4). Though God loves all people (John 3:16), He does not choose all for salvation. Paul consistently taught what the rest of Scripture reveals, namely that the initiative in salvation comes from God, not man. God accomplishes salvation through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 6:11-12; 1 Thess. 4:7-8; 1 Pet. 1:2).59He makes it efficacious when individuals believe the gospel. Even though unbelievers oppose us, we can take courage because God loves us, and He will deliver us.
"It is a travesty of God's electing grace to suppose that, because he chooses some for salvation, all the others are thereby consigned to perdition. On the contrary, if some are chosen for special blessing, it is in order that others may be blessed through them and with them. This is a constant feature in the pattern of divine election throughout the Bible story, from Abraham onward. Those who are chosen constitute the firstfruits, bearing the promise of a rich harvest to come."60
2:14 God's purpose in choosing the Thessalonians was that they might one day share the splendor and honor that their Lord does and will enjoy, beginning at the Rapture.
2:15 In view of their calling Paul urged his readers not to abandon what he and his associates had taught them in person and by letter. He wanted them to hold firmly to the inspired instructions that he handed on to them (i.e., "the traditions").
"We are almost incurably convinced that the use of notebooks is essential to the learning process. This, however, was not the case in the first century. Then it was often held that if a man had to look something up in a book he did not really know it. The true scholar was a person who had committed to memory the things he had learned. Until a man had a teaching in his memory he was not considered really to have mastered it.61
"There is a distinction in the Pauline writings between the gospel received by revelation (as in Gal 1:12) and the gospel received by tradition (as in 1 Cor 15:3), and the language of didache["teaching"] and paradosis["tradition"] is appropriate to the latter, not to the former. Even communications made dia pneumatos["by the Spirit"] must be tested by their conformity to the paradosisand if they conflict with it they are to be refused (cf. 1 Thess 5:19-22)."62
As part of a bridge between his instructions (2:1-12) and exhortations (3:1-15), Paul added this prayer for the Thessalonians. He petitioned God for their encouragement and strength (cf. 1 Thess. 3:2, 13; 2 Thess. 3:3).
"Addressing his prayer to the first two persons of the Trinity, Paul names the Son before the Father (contra 1 Thess 3:11), probably in line with the Son's worthiness of equal honor with the Father and his special prominence in the chapter's emphasis on future salvation and glory."63
God's grace is the basis for eternal encouragement in the face of temporary distress. Our hope is beneficial because it motivates us to live in the light of our victorious Savior's return.
"The phrase good hope' was used by non-Christian writers to refer to life after death."64
The Thessalonians needed comforting encouragement in view of their recent anxiety that false teaching had produced. They also needed God's grace to enable them to stand firm and do everything as unto the Lord (cf. 3:7-13). Too, they needed it as they continued proclaiming the gospel.
