“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” (2 Thes 2:13 NIV)

I hear a lot of people emphasizing salvation, and acting like life in Christ here and now is not that important, or not nearly as important as simply “getting in” (saved) and being able to explain how and why you’ve got your Heavenly 401(k).  Is mental assent enough?  I look at this verse, and would argue that it says that salvation is more of a package deal. We often think of Salvation and Sancification as two separate things, but this verse ties them together.  What would make a person think they belonged to Jesus if they had absolutely no desire, or even an inkling of a motivation, to spend time with him here?