In this passage the foreknowledge of God comes through clearly. He knows the minds of all before they are born, nor is it a secret to Him of who will believe. He has known from the beginning who would become believers and which of them will increase in faith and not decrease.
That God hath chosen you first-fruits. Called you the first, or before many others, by his eternal decree, to the faith, whilst he hath left others in darkness and infidelity. (Witham)
That they might be judged. He does not say, that they might be punished; for even before this they were about to be punished; but that they might be condemned, that is, at the dreadful Seat of Judgment, in order that they might be without excuse. Who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. He calls Christ, the Love of the Truth. For because, says he, they received not the love of the truth. For He was both, and came for the sake of both, both as loving men, and on behalf of things that were true.
But had pleasure, he says, in unrighteousness. For he came to the destruction of men and to injure them. For what will he not then work? He will change and confound all things, both by his commandments, and by the fear of him. He will be terrible in every way, from his power, from his cruelty, from his unlawful commandments.
But fear not. In those that perish he will have his strength. For Elijah too will then come to give confidence to the faithful, and this Christ sa...
Yet we must always give thanks to God for you
We should note that he had said this at the beginning of the epistle.
brothers, beloved of God as if he should say, his unspeakable and immeasurable gifts. But not that those who he said to be about to be loved by God cannot in any way be mistaken. No one, therefore, disputed that they are of great merit; wherefore the Apostle calls them beloved in the judgment of him who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth
He added 'of the Spirit' because this sanctification is in the Spirit and is acquired in the Spirit.
