| Geneva Study Bible Knowing, brethren beloved, your {a} election of God. (a) Literally, that your election is of God. People's New Testament 1:4 Knowing... your election of God. That you are of the elect, the chosen nation (Ps 33:12 1Pe 2:9). All Christians were the elect, and the expression is another way of saying, Knowing that you have become Christians. Wesley's Notes 1:4 Knowing your election - Which is through faith, by these plain proofs. King James Translators' Notes beloved...: or, beloved of God, your election Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary 4. Knowing-Forasmuch as we know. your election of God-The Greek is rather, "beloved by God"; so Ro 1:7; 2Th 2:13. "Your election" means that God has elected you as individual believers to eternal life (Ro 11:5, 7; Col 3:12; 2Th 2:13). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 1:1-5 As all good comes from God, so no good can be hoped for by sinners, but from God in Christ. And the best good may be expected from God, as our Father, for the sake of Christ. We should pray, not only for ourselves, but for others also; remembering them without ceasing. Wherever there is a true faith, it will work; it will affect both the heart and life. Faith works by love; it shows itself in love to God, and love to our neighbour. And wherever there is a well-grounded hope of eternal life, this will appear by the exercise of patience; and it is a sign of sincerity, when in all we do, we seek to approve ourselves to God. By this we may know our election, if we not only speak of the things of God with out lips, but feel their power in our hearts, mortifying our lusts, weaning us from the world, and raising us up to heavenly things. Unless the Spirit of God comes with the word of God, it will be to us a dead letter. Thus they entertained it by the power of the Holy Ghost. They were fully convinced of the truth of it, so as not to be shaken in mind by objections and doubts; and they were willing to leave all for Christ, and to venture their souls and everlasting condition upon the truth of the gospel revelation. | 
