Passage Read: 2 Thessalonians 2-3
Meditation Verses: 2:13-14
Thought
It should be clear whom God has chosen, because they believe the truth, beginning with the Gospel, and they submit to the sanctifying work of the Spirit, displayed by their acceptance of further instruction and training in living a godly life. This is contrasted with the majority of people, as described in the preceding verses. They do not love the truth, but delight in wickedness. So they fall prey and are given over to a great delusion, counterfeit miracles and signs and teachings, so that they believe and embrace the man of lawlessness, the antichrist. The only protection against this delusion and perishing with the antichrist is to believe God's truth and submit to the sanctifying work of the Spirit. It begins with the Gospel, but continues with learning more and more of the Lord and conforming our lives to how He wants us to live.
Application
It is not enough to embrace only the Gospel, I must love truth, God's truth, all of it, and seek to know all God has taught and do it. If I only believe the Gospel, but refuse or care nothing for the work God's Spirit desires to do in me, if I refuse His efforts to change me and refuse to receive further instruction beyond the Gospel, then I'm still most likely among those who receive the antichrist and end up perishing with him. If I love the Gospel but dislike the rest of the Bible, I'm in danger of the powerful delusion God is preparing for those who hate truth and love wickedness. I love the Gospel, but only because I misunderstand its purpose, as if it frees me from any condemnation, no matter how I live after "believing" it. That's taking it as a free pass to enjoy the fun, "harmless" evil things that my flesh desires. That's loving wickedness, not truth, not righteousness, not the holiness God desires to work in His beloved. I can have great confidence and assurance that I'm truly chosen and saved and secure against the deception of the antichrist if I believe the Gospel and am diligent to learn and live a holy life, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit and the Word He recorded for my instruction. To be truly safe and saved, I have to accept all Scripture as God-breathed, especially the parts I don't like, and I must summit to the Spirit to do what His Scripture teaches. Anything less and I can't say I love truth, which leaves me open to deception.