2 Thessalonians 2:14
2:14 called you. Note the clear order here. God had, in the beginning, chosen these Thessalonian believers to salvation before they were born (II Thessalonians 2:13). Then, He called them as they heard the gospel, believed the truth, and were sanctified (that is, set apart for Christ) by the Holy Spirit, eventually destined to be glorified in Christ. To accomplish this, the Spirit in a vision first directed Paul to go to Greece to preach the gospel (Acts 16:9), where he eventually reached Thessalonica, and taught them the truth. However, of the many who were “called” as Paul preached and taught, only “some of them believed” (Acts 17:4). Most of his listeners had not been chosen, so resisted the call and refused to believe. As Jesus said: “Many be called, but few chosen” (Matthew 20:16). Such a truth may be difficult to understand, but “we are bound to give thanks” (II Thessalonians 2:13) with Paul that we, like the Thessalonian believers, have been both chosen and called.