But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5)
At the end of the previous passage, Paul writes that it is God who “sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” He does this so that “all will be condemned” who are non-Christians, “who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” Their delusion, unbelief, and condemnation are all authored by God’s deliberate choice and action. Then, Paul begins this next passage by contrasting the believers against the unbelievers. Christians are those whom God has “chosen” for salvation, and he saves them “through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”
Gordon Clark writes, “The Arminians usually hold that God does not cause people to despise the truth nor does he purpose to condemn them for doing so. But this verse says, note carefully, that God plunges them into error in order that they shall be condemned. Non-calvinists will say that God permits, but does not cause, unbelief.” The last sentence implies that Calvinists would say that God does not merely permit, but that he causes unbelief. In other words, he implies that Calvinists affirm the biblical position. He is correct about the Arminians, of course, but he is too charitable toward the Calvinists, unless he means that those who call themselves Calvinists but who do not believe that God causes unbelief, are not really Calvinists, in which case he would be right.
The truth is that one can rarely find a Calvinist who would say that God actively causes unbelief, delusion, or the like. In agreement with Scripture, “Calvin denounces the idea of a permissive will,” but many (most?) who call themselves Calvinists insist that God decrees sin and evil only in a permissive sense, rather than in an active sense, as in to decide that it should happen and then to cause it to happen. This is inconsistent with Calvin’s view, and more importantly, it defies the teachings of Scripture and assaults the nature of God. Any so-called Calvinist who affirms that God does anything in a permissive sense disagrees with Scripture, and less importantly, also disagrees with Calvin.
There are also those who agree that God actively decrees and causes evil, but then insist he is not the author of sin. This is self-contradictory and impossible. So there is Arminianism and there is inconsistent Calvinism, the popular form of Calvinism. Both are hopelessly unbiblical. Inconsistent Calvinists share two false assumptions with the Arminians, and with non-Christians, that moral responsibility presupposes some kind of freedom, and that to (metaphysically) cause evil is to (personally) commit evil. The Arminians and non-Christians use these two assumptions to form thoroughly anti-biblical systems, but the inconsistent Calvinists are ensnared by these stupid inventions.
On the other hand, consistent Calvinism, or the Bible’s own teaching, would say that God actively decrees and causes all things, including evil, so that he is indeed the sovereign and righteous author of sin. And because consistent Calvinists affirm the sovereignty of God not only as lipservice, as the inconsistent Calvinists do, they submit under God’s own definition of good and evil. Since God regards it consistent with his own holiness to exercise active control over all things, including evil, then the consistent Calvinist – or what is more appropriate, the consistent Christian – is happy to affirm this as well. Thus God is the author of sin, and there is nothing wrong with that.
So, the difference is that Christians believe in the truth, while non-Christians believe in the lie. And the cause for this difference is God’s decree and power. He chooses to save some, and causes them to believe the truth. He chooses to condemn others, and causes them to believe the lie.
Paul stresses two factors that sum up the spiritual life of man. They provide a reliable structure to guide our thinking about our own development and also the way we conduct ministry:
The first is man’s steadfast belief in the truth. In this passage, the words “truth” (v. 13), “gospel” (v. 14), and “teachings” (v. 15) are interchangeable.
The word translated “teachings” (NIV) is literally “traditions” (KJV, ESV). “Traditions” may carry a negative connotation in our minds, because it is often associated with human customs that keep men in bondage to difficult and unnecessary rules of behavior, and that even subvert the commands of God. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, and said, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:9).
However, this is not the necessary meaning of traditions. They can simply refer to beliefs and practices that are preserved and passed on, from one person to another, and from one generation to another. Whether the traditions are good or bad depends on their source. Are these traditions invented by men, or traditions revealed by God, and transmitted through his faithful servants? Are these Catholic traditions, superstitious traditions, cultural traditions, which are either evil or at least without authority, or are they apostolic and biblical traditions, which are authoritative, and convey God’s saving wisdom and power? Paul writes, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). He is talking about divine traditions.
Paul refers to the traditions that he passed on to the Thessalonians. As much as he values godly examples (3:9), he does not mention them here; rather, these traditions are transmitted “by mouth or by letter” – they are taught, not caught. And as noted, the term is interchangeable with “truth” and “gospel” in our context. Therefore, Paul is talking about intellectual traditions, or what we call doctrines or dogmas. The NIV has the correct meaning with “teachings.” He instructs them to “stand firm and hold to” these doctrines. This is what the Christian life is about – believe these doctrines, practice these doctrines, keep on believing and practicing these doctrines, and promote these doctrines “whether by mouth or by letter.” An evaluation of a person’s faith or ministry, therefore, entails asking whether there is an adequate emphasis on, belief in, obedience to, and promotion of, sound doctrine.
The second factor is God’s divine action in the soul. Doctrines make the difference between heaven and hell, but it is God who causes those whom he has chosen for salvation to believe the right doctrines. The gospel is made effective in the soul of man by a divine inward action, a power that God applies directly to the mind as he controls the thoughts and dispositions of man. Paul credits to this work of God the initial belief in the gospel, the sanctification of the believer, encouragement in the heart, and strength “in every good deed and word.”
We relate to God’s action in the soul through faith and prayer. We ask God to make his word effective in us and in those who hear us. We ask God to sanctify us by his Spirit and through the truth. We ask God to help us stand firm and hold to the doctrines that have been passed on to us in the apostolic and biblical traditions. To strengthen our brothers, we remind them of the promises and the faithfulness of Christ, and then we ask God to encourage their hearts by a direct action in the soul through these doctrines. Thus Christian life and ministry place all the emphasis on intellectual doctrines, but place all the expectation on gracious divine action to render these doctrines effective in us and in others.