READING TIME: 2-3 MINUTES
January 13, 2020
What tense of salvation is Paul referring to in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24? Do these verses support the “P” in TULIP?
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; NASB).
I do not think this passage supports the “P” in TULIP (Perseverance of the Saints) which teaches that believers will prove their election by living a predominantly faithful, productive life of holiness and good works and that a failure to continue in the faith does not mean a person has lost his salvation; it simply means he never had genuine faith and salvation in the first place. This viewpoint concludes that the saint’s perseverance in faith is guaranteed because God not only sovereignly bestows the gift of saving faith on His elect but He also causes it to endure and be productive.
In my humble opinion, the Bible does not support this viewpoint. I believe the focus should not be on a believer’s perseverance, endurance, and performance. The proper focus should be on Christ’s ability to keep His promise to preserve His saints. It takes God at His Word and rests upon His sure promises. I believe that sanctification is certainly desired, but not necessarily guaranteed or automatic.
Here is another clear passage, like 1 Corinthians 1:8, that promises the preservation of believers in Christ. The reason third-tense sanctification and preservation can be guaranteed is that all the work is done by the Lord (v. 24). Once again, Paul is writing to people who he knew were true believers (1 Thess. 1:3, 7-8; 2:10, 13; 3:2, 5-7, 10; 2 Thess. 1:3-4, 10). To these believers in Thessalonica, Paul expresses his prayerful desire (reflecting the Lord’s desire), saying “may the God of peace . . . may your whole spirit, soul, and body” (v. 23). The twofold occurrence of the optative mood in Greek for “may” does not mean that Paul merely wished for the Thessalonians’ complete sanctification and preservation and that it was only a possibility. The next verse contains the indicative mood statement, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it,” guaranteeing that the request of verse 23 will be fulfilled. Note that the complete sanctification and preservation of verse 23 is not guaranteed in verse 24 based on the Thessalonians’ faithfulness but the Lord’s faithfulness. If preservation were dependent even in the slightest on the faithfulness and perseverance of believers, Paul could never make this promise. But since the Lord is the one who does all the work of keeping, preserving, and perfectly sanctifying in heaven everyone who has believed the gospel, we can rest assured that the Lord will not fail to keep His promise and preserve all those who have believed in His Son.
Source Used
Stegall, Tom. Must Faith Endure for Salvation to Be Sure?: A Biblical Study of the Perseverance versus Preservation of the Saints. Grace Gospel Press, chapters 3 & 10.