The Lord looks into the future and only chooses "believers" for salvation:
"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thess.2:13).
So no one is chosen for salvation until they believe and are placed into the Body of Christ.
Of course, Jerry is cherry picking that text, pre-texting it that it fit his delusions.
What Paul is talking about as to that passage is a theme that runs throughout 1 and 2 Thessalonians, as Paul attempts to reassure them of the following, in light of the following, which had preoccupied their minds - in short, in light of "the persecutions ye endure."
How that, despite how things looked in light of the persecutions they were enduring, they could rest in the fact that beginning from the moment in which they believed the gospel Paul had preached unto them, God had right then and there chosen to sanctify them by the Spirit - in other words, to separate them, by the Spirit - from that wrath to come upon those who had rejected the truth - but that the Thessalonians had right away embraced, as of God, and, as a result, were now being persecuted for.
In fact, if one is lazy - as Jerry continues to prove he is - if one does not does wish to read through both epistles to see this for themselves...
Or if one is of the type ever in need of books supposedly based on the Scriptures - as Jerry also often proves is the case with him - all one need do is read that one short chapter - 2 Thessalonians 2, as is.
No need for "let us consider that in the Greek..."
And no need for "those with an open mind know that in the best translation we read..." yada, yada, yada.
And no need for "if you weren't so ignorant, you would know that; according to the scholars, and to Dr. so and so, and the past president of the prestigious" of this, that, the other.
No need for any of that glorying in the flesh.
All one needs is to believe that 2 Timothy 3:16-17
is true.
All that other heap, is not meant to be the overreliance far to many make it.
And I love books to pieces! Been reading books all my life. Lots of them, and on all sorts of wonders.
Still do.
"Nevertheless what saith the Scripture?" Gal. 4:30, as to where Its answers are?
Some will disagree, and have all sorts of self-impressive reasons - nevertheless, there is the truth of 2 Timothy 3's:
16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
