1 Thessalonians 1:4

AT the very announcement of the text, some will be ready to say, "Why preach upon so profound a Doctrine as Election?" I answer, because it is in God's Word, and whatever is in the Word of God is to be preached! "But some Truths of God ought to be kept back from the people," you will say, "lest they should make an ill use of them." That is Popish doctrine! It was upon that very theory that the priests kept back the Bible from the people—they did not give it to them lest they should misuse it.

AT the very announcement of the text, some will be ready to say, "Why preach upon so profound a Doctrine as Election?" I answer, because it is in God's Word, and whatever is in the Word of God is to be preached! "But some Truths of God ought to be kept back from the people," you will say, "lest they should make an ill use of them." That is Popish doctrine! It was upon that very theory that the priests kept back the Bible from the people—they did not give it to them lest they should misuse it. "But are not some Doctrines dangerous?" Not if they are true and rightly handled. The Truth of God is never dangerous—it is error and reticence that are fraught with peril! "But do not men abuse the Doctrines of Grace?" I grant you that they do! But if we destroyed everything that men misuse, we would have nothing left! Are there to be no ropes because some fools will hang themselves? And must cutlery be discarded and denounced because there are some who will use dangerous weapons for the destruction of their adversaries? Decidedly not! Besides all this, remember that men read the Scriptures and think about these Doctrines and, therefore, often make mistakes about them. Who, then, shall set them right if we who preach the Word hold our tongues about the matter? I know that some men who have embraced the Doctrine of Election have become Antinomians. Such men would probably have found other excuses for their misdeeds if they had not sheltered themselves under the shadow of this Doctrine. The sun will ripen the noxious weed as well as the fruitful plant, but that is not the fault of the sun, but of the nature of the weed, itself! We believe, however, that more persons are made Antinomians through those who deny the Doctrine than through those who preach it. One evidence of this is that in Scotland.

Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God - The margin here reads, “beloved of God, your election.” The difference depends merely on the pointing, and that which would require the marginal reading has been adopted by Hahn, Tittman, Bloomfield, and Griesbach. The sense is not materially varied, and the common version may be regarded as giving the true meaning. There is no great difference between “being beloved of God,” and “being chosen of God.” The sense then is, “knowing that you are chosen by God unto salvation;” compare notes on Eph 1:4-5, Eph 1:11. The word “knowing” here refers to Paul himself, and to Silas and Timothy, who united with him in writing the Epistle, and in rendering thanks for the favors shown to the church at Thessalonica. The meaning is, that they had so strong confidence that they had been chosen of God as a church unto salvation, that they might say they knew it. The way in which they knew it seems not to have been by direct revelation or by inspiration, but by the evidence which they had furnished, and which constituted such a proof of piety as to leave no doubt of the fact. Calvin. What this evidence was, the apostle states in the following verses. […]