2 Thes 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
I believe you said that all verses on election in the NT are about service. The lovely part of this verse is that it is so painfully and obviously clear that it needs no explanation. There is no reader out there that will not see it.
I appreciate your post and interest.
I stand by my statement. 2 Thess 2:13 doesn't use the same Greek word for "elect" as in all the other verses that are about election. In this verse, the verb is "haireomai", whereas the election verb in Eph 1 and 1 Cor 1 is "eklegomai".
My point is there is a big difference between an election and a choice. Yes, elections involve choice, but most choices do not involve an election. I hope you see the difference.
Let's start with Jesus Christ, the Chosen One:
Elected to Serve
Jesus is described as The Elect (Chosen) One
Isa 42:1 - “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.
Isa 43:10 - “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom
I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
Luke 9:35 - A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is
my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
Luke 23:35 - The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself
if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
1 Pet 2:6 - For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Now, consider what Jesus Christ was chosen for:
Matt 20:28 - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45 - For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Luke 22:27 - For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
So, the Bible plainly states that Jesus Christ is God’s Chosen One, and that He came to serve.
In the same way, the Bible tells us what believers are chosen for:
1 Pet 1:2 -
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
So, just as Jesus Christ was chosen to serve the Father’s purpose, so also believers are chosen for service to God as well.
In fact, Paul made a point of how he saw his own election.
Acts 9:15 - But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is
my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.
Acts 20:24 - However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the gas of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
Acts 22:10 - "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told
all that you have been assigned to do.’
Acts 22:14, 15 - 14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 26:16 - ‘Now get up and stand on your feet.
I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.
Rom 15:17 - Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in
my service to God.
1 Cor 3:5 - What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—
as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
1 Cor 4:1 - This, then, is how you ought to regard us:
as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.
Gal 1:16 - to reveal his Son in me
so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man
Col 1:25 -
I have become its (the Church)
servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—
1 Tim 1:12 - I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy,
appointing me to his service.
1 Tim 2:7 - And
for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.
2 Tim 1:9 - He has saved us and
called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
2 Tim 1:11 - And of this gospel
I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.
This is why I stand by my statement.
An election is also an appointment, according to Paul.
in fact, that's exactly what our political elections are for as well.