2 Thessalonians Chapter 1
v1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is to the church in Thessalonica, which belongs to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. v2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Commentary
Verse 1
This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. The language is so like his other letters that it shows that Paul is the main author. The church in Thessalonica belongs to God our Father. God is the Father of both the writers of the letter and the Christians in Thessalonica.
Verse 2
It was typical for a Jewish letter to begin with grace and peace. Here the writers add where the grace and peace come from. They come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In this greeting, the writers show that the Lord Jesus, as well as the Father, is God. We receive God’s kindness when we do not deserve it. This is the grace of God. It is the action of God for us because he loves us. We cannot earn his grace; it is a gift from him. The peace that God gives is in our hearts and minds. It makes us feel calm and well inside, and events cannot stop us feeling like this.
Verses 3-4
v3 We must always thank God for you, our brothers and sisters. It is right for us to do so, because your faith is growing so much. And the love you all have for each other is increasing too. v4 This is why we ourselves are so proud of you. We are proud of you as we visit the churches of God in other places. We tell them how strong your faith in God is, even in the troubles and persecution that you have.
Commentary
Verse 3
Paul, Silas, and Timothy felt that they had a duty to thank God for these Christians. But it was more than a duty. They wanted to thank God for what he had done in the lives of these brothers and sisters. They were very grateful for the progress of the Thessalonians. So, when they prayed they thanked God for them.
They called these Christians their brothers and sisters. They called God ‘our Father’, meaning the father of the Thessalonians and of the writers. They all belong to the same family. They are brothers and sisters in the family of God.
Paul, Silas, and Timothy gave thanks to God because the faith of the Thessalonians was so much stronger than it had been. It was not that they were weak before. At the start of the first letter, the writers spoke about the work of faith of these believers (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Paul had hoped to come to Thessalonica to help them to grow in faith (1 Thessalonians 3:10). Yet although Paul could not come, these Christians had grown so much stronger in faith.
In all of that country, the people knew about the love that these Christians had for each other. However, the writers had urged them to love more (1 Thessalonians 4:10). They had asked the Lord to cause the love of the Thessalonians to increase (1 Thessalonians 3:12). The love of these Christians was now more than it had been. They had done what the writers had asked them. And so, God had answered the prayer. That is why Paul and his friends thanked God.
Verse 4
News about the progress at Thessalonica had reached all of the regions of Macedonia and Achaia. They had heard how that church had started. They knew how the Thessalonians had received Paul and his friends. They knew that they had accepted the good news about the Lord Jesus. Then, although Paul had to leave them, their belief in the Lord continued to grow.
When Paul and his friends went to other churches, they spoke about the Thessalonians. They were so proud of them. They told how, although they had had much trouble, the Thessalonians remained loyal to the Lord Jesus. These Christians suffered with quiet patience. The result of all this persecution was to make their faith in God so much stronger. The writers were so impressed and pleased by this that they wanted everyone to know about it. This should encourage all the Christians as they too suffered for their faith in God.
Verses 5-10
v5 The judgment of God is right. And all this shows that he will accept you. As a result, you will be able to live in his kingdom, for which you now suffer. v6 God will punish those who cause you to suffer. It is right that he should do so. v7 He will give relief to you who suffer and to us as well. This will be when the Lord Jesus comes from heaven with his powerful angels and with fire. v8 He will punish those who do not know God. And he will punish those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. v9 He will destroy them for ever. The Lord will send them away from him and from the glory of his power. v10 When Jesus comes, on that day, all his people will give him glory. All who trust in God will admire him. You have believed the message that we told you. So, you too will be among them.
Commentary
Verse 5
The Thessalonians were firm and strong, as they had to suffer. They kept their belief in God through all the troubles that they had. All this is evidence both to the Thessalonians and to Paul and his friends. It shows that their faith is genuine. And it shows that God’s judgment is right. When God judges all the people, these Christians will be safe. The Lord Jesus will come. Then God will judge as guilty those who persecute the Christians.
The Thessalonians were suffering because they believed in the Lord Jesus. They believed that Jesus would come. And they believed that he would set up his own kingdom. That kingdom will never end. It is the kingdom of God. All who believe in the Lord Jesus now will live with him in that kingdom.
To suffer for being a Christian is to suffer for the kingdom of God. They suffer because they are loyal to the king. The Lord Jesus is the king. The Lord Jesus will come. Then God will bless all those who suffered for him. His judgment will be that, as they belong to Christ, they are able to live in that kingdom. They will not have earned this for themselves. It is all by the grace of God and a result of what the Lord Jesus has done for them.
Verse 6
The judgment of God is proper and right. God will pay back those who persecute Christians. They will receive trouble from the Lord for what they have done. This trouble that they will suffer is the subject of verse 9. None of them will be able to go into the kingdom of God.
Verse 7
The Lord Jesus will come from heaven. Then he will punish those who cause Christians to suffer. At the same time, he will give rest to those who have suffered. This rest will be relief from all their troubles. And they will not suffer anymore. He will take away those who love him, to be with himself. They will start the rest that he has promised. And they will live in the kingdom of God. There they will enjoy him. And they will live with him in a life that has no end. The promise of this rest is not just for the Thessalonians. It is also for Paul, Silas, and Timothy since they too have suffered. They have suffered because of their trust in the Lord Jesus.
Christ is now in heaven where we cannot see him. But then he will come and all people will see him. It will be a magnificent sight as he comes through the clouds. He will come in power with his army of angels, and with fire. People will wonder and be afraid as he appears.
Verse 8
God has made the Lord Jesus the judge on his behalf (John 5:22). He will give effect to the judgments of God. The writers believe that God will punish one group of people first. They are the people who have caused Christians to suffer (verse 6 above). But the judgment of God is much wider than that. It extends to all who do not know God. These people do not respect God. They do not worship him or have faith in him. They do not know him as their God and Father.
Those who do not obey the gospel are those who have refused the Lord Jesus. God will forgive all who accept the gospel and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has dealt with their sins by the death of the Lord Jesus. But God will punish for their sins those who have not obeyed the gospel.
Verse 9
The life that God gives to Christians is not just being alive. It is a relationship for this life, and it continues after they die. But God will condemn those who do not know him (he will say that they are guilty). Their punishment will be that God will put them away from him forever. They will never have another opportunity to turn to God and there will be no hope for them. The guilty ones will not see the honor and power of the Lord Jesus. They will not share in the wonder and joy of the kingdom of God.
Verse 10
At the time when the Lord Jesus comes, the judgment of God will come into effect. Then the punishment of those who have not obeyed the gospel will begin. The Lord Jesus will receive honor and praise from those who believed in him. The Greek refers to them as the ‘holy ones’. All who love him are looking forward and waiting for him to come. When he appears, they will give him a great welcome. The glory of that day and of the Lord will excite them with great joy.
Jesus will receive all the honor and the praise because of what he has done for his people. He has saved them from their sins and he will call them up to meet him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The Lord Jesus will be among them. And they will praise and admire him. He will change them to be like himself (1 John 3:2). Then all of them will reflect his glory.
The Thessalonian Christians have put their trust in the Lord Jesus. They believed the gospel that Paul and his friends had preached. Because of this, they will be included among those who will be with the Lord Jesus on that day. They have died but the Lord will raise them from the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Verses 11-12
v11 That is why we always pray for you. We ask that our God will consider you fit for the life to which he has called you. We pray that his power will help you by faith to do all the good things that please him. And so you will achieve what he desires for you. v12 In this way, the name of our Lord Jesus will receive glory from you. You also will receive glory from him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Commentary
Verse 11
In addition to thanking God for the Thessalonians, Paul, Silas, and Timothy also pray for them. The prayer that follows is that through them the Lord will receive honor. They ask that God will consider the Thessalonians ready to receive the life that is to come. That salvation depends on the grace of God and not on the works of the Thessalonians. God has called them and he will complete his promise to save them. This prayer does not mean that there was any doubt about that. They had already shown that God would accept these Thessalonian Christians (verse 5). Being sure that God will keep his promise does not mean that we should stop praying for it.
The writers want the Thessalonians to live to please God. They recognize that no one can do this in their own strength. Without faith, it is not possible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). So, the prayer is that God will help them by his power. He alone can give them the strength to do every good thing that they have the desire to do. Then by the power of God and by their faith they will also be able to achieve what God wants from them.
Verse 12
The name of our Lord Jesus means the person of Jesus. He is the Lord and all the glory is due to him. As the writers pray for the Thessalonians, the result that they look for is the honor of the Lord Jesus. The prayer is that the Lord Jesus will have glory because of the faith of the Thessalonians. The Thessalonians who have lived by faith in the Lord will also receive honor when the Lord Jesus comes. They could never be good enough to deserve such a reward. But they will receive it because of the kindness of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. This grace is from both God the Father and God the Son.
The Lord Jesus shares in the lives of Christians here on earth. They also share in his life. So the Scriptures talk about the Lord Jesus living in them and the believers as being in Christ. They will share together in the glory of that time when the Lord Jesus comes again. He will have glory in them and they will have glory in him.
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