1Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you 2not to be quickly shaken in your mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come. 3Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction. 4He opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God. 5Don’t you remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? 6Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. 7For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way. 8Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the manifestation of his coming; 9even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion, that they should believe a lie, 12that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14to which he called you through our Good News, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15So then, brothers, stand firm and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word or by letter.
16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.
Paul introduces the doctrine of election in Eph 1:3-14, a topic in theology that is central to the apostle’s understanding of grace, redemption, and God’s sovereignty. The development of this biblical teaching in this passage is similar to what one discovers in the book of Romans 8-9. According to Ephesians 1, God’s election of believers unto salvation (and subsequent predestination to heirship) is eternal and independent of human action or will, comes from the unmerited favor (grace) of God, brings praise to God, and relates to the person of Jesus the Messiah of God.
The doctrine of election presented by Jesus and the apostles affirms that God’s choice of specific sinners was not based on any foreseen response or obedience on man’s part (such as faith, etc). Faith and obedience were the results, not the cause of God’s election. Therefore election was not determined by or conditioned on any good quality or act foreseen in man. Everyone whom God elects will be brought by the power of the Spirit to a willing acceptance of Christ. Consequently, God’s election of the sinner, not the sinner’s choice of Christ, is the ultimate cause of salvation, though God holds man responsible to believe the gospel. Scripture presents a theological tension between man’s responsibility to believe and God’s sovereign election. Though we may not be able to completely reconcile the two, Scripture presents both truths (Matt 11:27-28; Acts 13:46,48).
There are at least nine characteristics of divine unconditional election: (1) God's eternal election was made before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4); (2) God's election was not based upon foreseen merit or good works dwelling in those whom He chose (Rom 9:11-13; 2 Tim 1:9); (3) God's election was not based on foreseen faith for faith is the result and not the ground of God's election (Acts 13:48; 2 Thess 2:13-14); (4) Election was based on the sovereign mercy of God, therefore it does not ultimately depend on man’s will but God’s will (Rom 9:16; John 1:13); (5) Election is unconditional, therefore making the salvation of the elect certain (Rom 8:29-30; John 6:37-39); (6) Election is just (Rom 9:13-24); (7) God chose particular individuals unto salvation not group election (Rev 13:8; 17:8); (8) Two fold purpose of election: (a) To result in salvation (2 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 2:10) and (b) to result in the glory of God (Eph 1:5-6, 12-14); and (9) election is a positive doctrine of God’s work to save fallen humans and not a negative doctrine to exclude. There is no election to be separated from God, for this is the state of all humans by default, unless the individual sinner is brought to God. – SPS