For God didn't appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
but to obtain salvation: Salvation is viewed in scripture as past, present, and future. It involves deliverance from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. The "salvation" of which this verse speaks is salvation in the broadest sense of the term. Commentators frequently obscure the meaning of this verse because of a bias that all human activity is ruled out by saving grace. The King James translators are correct in using the word "obtain" here. The truth taught throughout scripture is that man acquires salvation by a voluntary submission to the divine requirements. The means of acquiring salvation is what Paul calls the obedience of faith (Romans 1:5; Romans 16:25-26). "He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Hebrews 5:9).