First Fruits
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
‘God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.’ 2 Thessalonians 13b
Paul turns from the work of Satan to focus on something far more important: God’s purpose and work of bringing salvation!
Why does Paul call them first fruits? The Thessalonian Christians were not the first believers in Macedonia (the first were in Philippi, Acts 16). Paul uses the phrase “first fruits” a lot in his letters and he is usually thinking about harvest. The first fruits are the promise that the full harvest is to come. The rhythm of Jewish festivals was at the back of his mind: Pentecost was the “first fruits” or early harvest festival and Tabernacles the full harvest festival. It is a beautiful picture of mission. When some genuine disciples were made, Paul’s (and God’s) expectation was that a few Spirit filled disciples would multiply, and the full harvest will come in! God’s expectations of disciple making are much bigger than ours!
That is why Paul talks about the Spirit being the first fruits or pledge of the fullness of the salvation to come. What we experience now is great but it is only the beginning. Pentecost leads to Tabernacles. Salvation is so much more than being with Jesus in heaven forever, though some reduce it to that. It is about wholeness and fulness for us as individuals, families, communities, people groups and the whole world! In Romans 8:18-25 Paul brings together the idea of first fruits with the groaning and longing we, and the whole creation, feel until God’s people are revealed in fulness when Jesus returns. Salvation is cosmic not just individual!
Salvation comes progressively by two things. First, it is sanctification or becoming more holy, more like God in character. This is the work of the Spirit. We cannot transform ourselves, though the work of the Spirit is released in us when we give time and attention to spiritual disciplines and when we make right choices, big and little, in our daily lives.
Second, salvation comes by belief in the truth. This might look at first sight as just our work of choosing to believe. But “believe” in the Bible does not mean what most modern Westerners think. It is not just agreeing mentally with some doctrinal ideas (even the devil does that, James 2:19). Believing in Jesus means trusting or relying on Him in every way. It can be understood as giving allegiance to Jesus. Believing means taking up a cross!
God is serious about multiplying disciples. Our part is to become disciples who become more like Jesus in character and in reproducing in others what we are, so that disciples who come to Jesus through us will make disciples who make disciples who make disciples … until God’s glory is revealed and the full harvest comes in!
- Chris Horton