1 & 2 Thessalonians: A Study of 2 Letters, Part 3

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Part 1

Part 2

2 Thessalonians 1: 1-10 - Trust God

As we move into the second letter to the church in Thessalonica we see Paul’s customary introduction. This serves a purpose greater than mere introduction. There is a subtle difference here between 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Here Paul emphasises the Father – child relationship we as Christians have with God.

“Paul, Silas, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”

2 Thessalonians 1: 1

This emphasis on relationship with God is key for what Paul says in this first chapter. Here he is encouraging the church and calling them to continue to trust God in the midst of their ongoing persecution. Knowing that God is your Father really helps in this.

We can also see that verse 2 is the longer form of this statement, longer than he used in the first letter, and more like the form he uses in his other letters. Paul is spelling out that God is their Father and He is the source of the grace and peace they need in order to stand firm in the face of those who oppress and persecute them.

From here Paul launches into his first point; encouraging the believers to continue to trust God. He starts this with a point of commendation and thanks. This is something good leaders do – when challenging people, find something related that you can first praise. Encouragement like this prepares the way for the challenging message.

“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.”

2 Thessalonians 1: 3-4

I think it is important to see the connection here between faith in God and love for one another, and between growth in those things and persecution. When we have faith in God we find that we have love for those who share that faith. As that faith grows, love increases. One of the most fertile grounds for this sort of growth is persecution. This has been true throughout Church history. If we read Acts 8 we see that as the Church is persecuted it scatters to the very places Jesus said to take the message – Judea and Samaria. In Samaria we read that Philip sees a great outpouring of the Spirit and there is great joy. Philip sees the Church grow as a direct result of persecution. In Acts 8 and here in 2 Thessalonians it seems clear that the measure of church growth is in faith, in love, in joy, and not in numbers, or finance, or staff count. If the people in the church are growing together in faith, love, and joy then it is only natural that the community will grow as others are drawn to Jesus.

Paul is making this connection to encourage this group of believers to continue to stand firm, to continue to live for God even as they experience persecution because of the stand they are taking. He is also aware that there is a temptation to fight back, to seek their own justice, and he addresses this head on, reminding them that they can, and should trust God.

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.”

2 Thessalonians 1: 6-7

The challenge this presents is one of patience. As believers we can expect trouble, but we can trust God. There is, however, a challenge of patience, of waiting for God’s timing, knowing that ultimately it will all be made right. Paul is calling the Thessalonians, and us, to wait for God’s justice which will come at God’s appointed time. This reminds me of Psalm 130: 7-8, and the call to wait for God’s redemption, it can be a challenging call, waiting can be hard. I know I’ve had ties where I wanted God to act in the way I thought best and at the time I thought best. God does not work like that. If He did it would be true chaos. The challenge is to stand firm, to wait, and to trust. We can do this as our faith grows. As we experience love with one another we are supported in this endeavour. This call to stand firm is made, as we will see, explicitly in 3: 14-15.

The next part I want to look at is the prayer at the end of this chapter.

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 1: 11-12

This is not a prayer interjected, as Paul often does. Rather he is saying what he prays for these people. What we see from this is that as we stand firm, trusting God even in times of persecution it is His calling, and His purpose, and He will fulfill both by His power. Our role is to act in faith, prompted by faith. The phrase “every act prompted by your faith” could be translated as “every work of faith”. It is referring to the work we do because of faith, and enabled and empowered by faith. Paul is saying that we must trust God, and that it is God’s power that fulfills His calling. This calling, given the context of the letter, is most likely referring to the call to salvation and the final consummation of that call. 

Paul is also saying that we must act. He is , in a different way, making the same point that James makes – faith leads to action (James 2: 14-26). The challenge is for us to act from our place of faith, and the encouragement is that it is God’s power that fulfills His purpose as we do.

Practical Application

• Ask God to grow your faith, ask the Holy Spirit to help you trust God more.

• Pray for people in your church community. This is an act of love and will help you grow in your love for them.

• Ask the Holy Spirit to prompt you in an act of faith.

2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12 - The Second Coming

What comes next is some of the most tricky Pauline writing, it is difficult to understand what he is saying. This is not helped by the fact that he references teaching, and writings that we don’t have (verse 5), and disruptive teachings and thoughts that we have no insight into (verse 2). Even with that in mind I think there are lessons we can learn and apply today.

We can start by asking the question: what is Paul calling the Thessalonians to? The answer to this can be applied to us today.

As I read through this section it seems to me that Paul is calling the Thessalonians to be steadfast, to be alert, to trust that Jesus will be victorious, and to love the truth. All of this in the context of this young church facing opposition and asking questions about the parousia, the return of Jesus. The focus, Paul is saying, is to be on Jesus and His truth. They are not to be so focussed on the end that they miss what is happening now. A lesson we can apply today in all areas of our lives.

Let’s work through this passage and pull out these key lessons. Verse 1 gives us the context for these verses and leads directly into the clearest instruction here.

“... we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.”

2 Thessalonians 2: 1b-2

Paul acknowledges what it is that may be causing unrest, or concern and addresses it head on with a call to be settled and calm. What we have as “easily unsettled or alarmed” speaks of being shaken in your thoughts or reasoning such that you are disturbed or agitated and turn away from the right way of thinking. It is clear that this uncertainty is coming from a place of fear; fear that Jesus has returned and they have missed it. Paul says don’t be afraid, he goes on to say don’t be deceived.

As I read this, with its talk of false prophecy I am reminded of Paul’s teaching in the previous letter.

“do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”

1 Thessalonians 5: 20-22

What Paul goes on to say in 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-10 provides the Thessalonians with the understanding they can use to test prophecies concerning the parousia. Across this section Paul is also encouraging this church to be alert, aware that others will try to set themselves up as God. I don’t think we gain much by reviewing history and trying to identify people or times when this may have occurred. Rather, the lesson for us is to be equally alert. It can be easy for us to let other things take the place of God. This can be at any scale, from the individual to the societal level. Let us be alert and aware that such deception exists, as it has since Genesis 3.

As we are on our guard we stand on the fact that Jesus is victorious. His death on the cross, His resurrection and ascension have won the victory. When, as Paul puts it, “the lawless one will be revealed” we can trust that Jesus’ victory is complete. We, therefore, have nothing to fear and so need not be overly concerned with this future.

Finally, for this passage, there is the call to love the truth. This verse (verse 10) is emphatic in its use of the phrase “love the truth”. It could, according to Morris (Morris L, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1 & 2 Thessalonians, IVP, 2009, p131), be rendered “they did not receive the love of the truth”. Paul is stating what happens to those who have heard the truth, but not loved it. He is also, by extension, saying that loving the truth is the way to be saved. We must understand “truth” as the truth of the gospel. It is not abstract, it is not simply good moral teaching. The truth of the gospel brings life. This truth is Jesus, and Jesus is the truth we are called to love. The love of the truth is the way we are saved.

Practical Application

• Ask Jesus to show you where other things, or people, have taken His place in your life.

• Spend time meditating on Jesus’ victory and allow your love for Him to grow.

• Pray for those around you to receive a love for the truth, that they will be saved.

Next Part

Part 4

The final part in this series.