For God hath not appointed us unto wrath: but unto the purchasing of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
οτι ουκ εθετο ημας ο θεος εις οργην αλλ εις περιποιησιν σωτηριας δια του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Then, after saying, "Put on" and "Arm yourselves," the Apostle prepares the weapons. He shows whence faith, hope, and love are born, and how they become the strongest armor, when he adds: "For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."
Therefore, he says, we must acquire this armor, because "God has not appointed us to wrath," that is, He has not destined us to bear His wrath. Rather, He has destined us to be acquired by Him and saved, having given His Son to death for us. Therefore, in dangers we must expect everything useful and great. For if we believe that He did not spare His Son for us, then we shall hope that He will even more readily deliver us from these dangers. Let us keep this example before us and love both Him and our neighbors.
Since God has not appointed us to wrath, that is, to destruction, but to the salvation of life, this means either that we should save our souls from the touch of desires and live in our Lord, or that through Him we should be saved for life with Him in the resurrection.
For God did not call us in order to deliver us to punishment, but to make us worthy of salvation and to make us His own intimates, through the help of the Master Christ, who accepted death for our sake.
"God has not appointed us to wrath." The cause is put for the effect. Here wrath means the punishment that must fall upon the sons of darkness.
Continuing his exhortation to life in Christ, the Apostle stirs the Thessalonians to ascetic struggles by reminding them of their predestination to salvation. For this salvation Christ suffered.
He did so that we might always be with Him spiritually, drawing from faith and hope in Him an unshakable hope in every circumstance, by day and by night, when we live and when we die.
By this hope the Apostle commands us to comfort one another, mutually supporting the firmness of faith and the strength of hope within ourselves, and awakening love through mutual participation.
Chrysostom says: "God so greatly desires our salvation that He gave His Son, and did not simply give Him, but gave Him up to death. From such reflections hope is born.
Do not despair, O man. Come to God, Who did not spare even His own Son. Do not fear present afflictions.
If we die, we shall live. For He Himself also died, and behold, He is alive. Therefore, whether we die or live, we shall live together with Him.
Let us therefore do everything for that life. Let us fulfill everything with our gaze fixed upon it. Let us not fall asleep. Let us not say, 'from this side nothing threatens us, nor from that.'
Often we are robbed from where we did not expect it. Let us not become drunk. Let us not be glutted. Let us not rush madly upon outward goods. Let us remain sober.
The abyss of evil is deep. The precipices are great. Dense darkness is below. The way is narrow.
Let us attend to ourselves with fear. Let us walk with trembling.
The way is narrow. When we must give account for words, thoughts, deeds, and everything, then truly such a way is narrow.
But whoever has learned to restrain himself will not complain of constraint. When we have the possibility of correcting ourselves and do not correct ourselves, who will pity us? No one.
Let us therefore have mercy on ourselves. It lies in our power for God to have mercy on us. If we do what is worthy of His love for mankind, God will have mercy on us."
We can have the hope of salvation because God Himself desires our salvation, since He delivered His Son to death. With Him we shall live in any case, whether His coming finds us alive or already dead.
Some think that here he cites truths on which the hope of salvation alone is founded and nourished, one of the spiritual weapons proposed for Christians. Others see in the truths cited the source of all three weapons: faith, love, and hope.
It is true that the Thessalonians most needed the strengthening of hope. The holy Apostle could have aimed especially at acting upon this root Christian feeling.
But hope cannot stand alone. It is born from faith and matures under the influence of works of love.
Therefore it is more accurate to say that he wished, through these truths, to enliven the whole structure of inward Christian life.
Chrysostom understands it so: "Having said, 'put on and arm yourselves,' the Apostle prepares the armor and shows whence faith, hope, and love are born, and how they become the strongest weapon.
He does this when he adds, 'for God has not appointed us,' and what follows."
"Has not appointed us." God did not will that we become Christians, believers in the Lord, for that purpose. Such is not God's decree and intention concerning us. Such is not our appointed end.
"To wrath." This means either the coming wrath (1 Thess 1:10; Mt 3:7), that is, condemnation after judgment to eternal torments, or generally the state of being under God's displeasure.
"God did not call us in order to hand us over to punishment" (Theodoret). "God did not appoint us to bear His wrath" (Theophylact), "to experience His wrath" (Oecumenius).
"But to obtain salvation." That is, that we might receive salvation.
The Greek περιποιησις, according to present usage, means a feast or banquet. Thus "to obtain salvation" would mean "to the banquet of salvation."
It is the same as in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "to the saving of the soul" (Heb 10:39).
According to ancient usage, however, this word more properly means possession, acquisition by purchase.
"'To obtain salvation' means 'to acquire salvation.' He acquired us for Himself. He bought us, giving for us the highest price, the blood of His Only-begotten Son.
Having such proof of God's love for us, let us have faith in Him, love toward Him and toward our neighbors, and good hope that He will save us, whom He bought so dearly" (Oecumenius).
"Through our Lord Jesus Christ." For "there is salvation in no one else" (Acts 4:12).
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Now, if any are saved, they are saved "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
God set Him forth as a propitiation by faith in His blood, to show His righteousness, because of the remission of sins previously committed" (Rom 3:23-25).
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 18 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS