Text -- 2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NET)

1:11 And in this regard we pray for you always, that our God will make you worthy of his calling and fulfill by his power your every desire for goodness and every work of faith,

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: 2Th 1:11

To which end ( eis ho ).

So Col 1:29. Probably purpose with reference to the contents of 2Th 1:5-10. We have had the Thanksgiving (2Th 1:3-10) in a long, complicated, but rich period or sentence. Now he makes a brief Prayer (2Th 1:11-12) that God will fulfil all their hopes and endeavours. Paul and his colleagues can still pray for them though no longer with them (Moffatt).

Robertson: 2Th 1:11

That ( hina ).

Common after proseuchomai (Col 4:3; Eph 1:17; Phi 1:9) when the content of the prayer blends with the purpose (purport and purpose).

Robertson: 2Th 1:11

Count you worthy ( humas axiōsēi ).

Causative verb (aorist active subjunctive) like kataxioō in 2Th 1:5 with genitive.

Robertson: 2Th 1:11

Of your calling ( tēs klēseōs ).

Klēsis can apply to the beginning as in 1Co 1:26; Rom 11:29, but it can also apply to the final issue as in Phi 3:14; Heb 3:1. Both ideas may be here. It is God’ s calling of the Thessalonians.

Robertson: 2Th 1:11

And fulfil every desire of goodness ( kai plērōsēi pasan eudokian agathōsunēs ).

"Whom he counts worthy he first makes worthy"(Lillie). Yes, in purpose, but the wonder and the glory of it all is that God begins to count us worthy in Christ before the process is completed in Christ (Rom 8:29.). But God will see it through and so Paul prays to God. Eudokia (cf. Luk 2:14) is more than mere desire, rather good pleasure, God’ s purpose of goodness, not in ancient Greek, only in lxx and N.T. Agathōsunē like a dozen other words in ̇sunē occurs only in late Greek. This word occurs only in lxx, N.T., writings based on them. It is made from agathos , good, akin to agamai , to admire. May the Thessalonians find delight in goodness, a worthy and pertinent prayer.

Robertson: 2Th 1:11

Work of faith ( ergon pisteōs ).

The same phrase in 1Th 1:3. Paul prays for rich fruition of what he had seen in the beginning. Work marked by faith, springs from faith, sustained by faith.

Robertson: 2Th 1:11

With power ( en dunamei ).

In power. Connect with plērōsēi (fulfil), God’ s power (Rom 1:29; Col 1:4) in Christ (1Co 1:24) through the Holy Spirit (1Th 1:5).

Vincent: 2Th 1:11

Wherefore ( εἰς ὃ )

Better, to which end . Comp. Col 1:29. The end is, " that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God," 2Th 1:5. The same thought is continued in 2Th 1:11.

Vincent: 2Th 1:11

Count - worthy ( ἀξιώσῃ )

Comp. 1Ti 5:17; Heb 3:3; Heb 10:29.

Vincent: 2Th 1:11

Your calling ( τῆς κλήσεως )

Including both the act and the end of the Christian calling. Comp. Phi 3:14; 1Th 2:12; Eph 4:1.

Vincent: 2Th 1:11

All the good pleasure of his goodness ( πᾶσαν εὐδοκίαν ἀγαθωσύνης )

Wrong. Paul does not mean all the goodness which God is pleased to bestow , but the delight of the Thessalonians in goodness . He prays that God may perfect their pleasure in goodness. So Weizsäcker, die Freude an allem Guten . The Rev. desire for εὐδοκίαν is infelicitous, and lacks support. Ἁγαθωσύνη goodness (P. see on Rom 3:19) is never predicated of God in N.T. In lxx, see Neh 9:25, Neh 9:35. Ἑυδοκία good pleasure , delight , is a purely Biblical word. As related to one's self, it means contentment , satisfaction: see Sir. 29:23; Ps. of Sol. 3:4; 16:12. As related to others, good will , benevolence . Luk 10:21, Eph 1:5, Eph 1:9; Phi 1:15; Phi 2:13; Ps. of Sol. 8:39.

Wesley: 2Th 1:11

Which is no less than perfect holiness.

JFB: 2Th 1:11

Greek, "With a view to which," namely, His glorification in you as His saints.

JFB: 2Th 1:11

We not only anticipate the coming glorification of our Lord in His saints, but we also pray concerning (so the Greek) YOU.

JFB: 2Th 1:11

Whom we serve.

JFB: 2Th 1:11

The prominent position of the "You" in the Greek makes it the emphatic word of the sentence. May you be found among the saints whom God shall count worthy of their calling (Eph 4:1)! There is no dignity in us independent of God's calling of us (2Ti 1:9). The calling here is not merely the first actual call, but the whole of God's electing act, originating in His "purpose of grace given us in Christ before the world began," and having its consummation in glory.

JFB: 2Th 1:11

On the part of God [BENGEL].

JFB: 2Th 1:11

On your part. ALFORD refers the former clause, "good pleasure of his goodness," also to man, arguing that the Greek for "goodness" is never applied to God, and translates, "All [that is, every possible] right purpose of goodness." WAHL, "All sweetness of goodness," that is, impart in full to you all the refreshing delights of goodness. I think that, as in the previous and parallel clause, "calling" refers to GOD'S purpose; and as the Greek for "good pleasure" mostly is used of God, we ought to translate, "fulfil (His) every gracious purpose of goodness (on your part)," that is, fully perfect in you all goodness according to His gracious purpose. Thus, "the grace of our God," 2Th 1:12, corresponds to God's "good pleasure" here, which confirms the English Version, just as "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" is parallel to "work of faith," as Christ especially is the object of faith. "The work of faith"; Greek, (no article; supply from the previous clause all) work of faith"; faith manifested by work, which is its perfected development (Jam 1:4; compare Note, see on 1Th 1:3). Working reality of faith.

JFB: 2Th 1:11

Greek, "in power," that is, "powerfully fulfil in you" (Col 1:11).

Clarke: 2Th 1:11

We pray - that our God would count you worthy - It is our earnest prayer that God would make you worthy, αξιωσῃ, afford those continual supplies of grace by his Holy Spirit, without which you cannot adorn your holy vocation; you are called into the Christian Church, and, to be proper members of this Church, you must be members of the mystical body of Christ; and this implies that you should be holy, as he who has called you is holy

Clarke: 2Th 1:11

Fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness -

1.    The goodness of God - his own innate eternal kindness, has led him to call you into this state of salvation

2.    It is the pleasure of that goodness to save you unto eternal life

3.    It is the good pleasure; nothing can please God more than your receiving and retaining his utmost salvation

4.    It is all the good pleasure of his goodness thus to save you; this he has amply proved by sending his Son to die for you, beyond which gift he has none greater. In this, all the good pleasure of his goodness is astonishingly manifested

5.    And if you be faithful to his grace, he will fulfill - completely accomplish, all the good pleasure of his goodness in you; which goodness is to be apprehended and is to work by faith, the power of which must come from him, though the act or exercise of that power must be of yourselves; but the very power to believe affords excitement to the exercise of faith.

Calvin: 2Th 1:11

11.On which account we pray always. That they may know that they need continual help from God, he declares that he prays in their behalf. When he says on this account, he means, in order that they may reach that final goal of their course, as appears from the succeeding context, that he would fulfill all the good pleasure, etc. It may seem, however, as if what he has mentioned first were unnecessary, for God had already accounted them worthy of his calling. He speaks, however, as to the end or completion, which depends on perseverance. For as we are liable to give way, our calling would not fail, so far as we are concerned, to prove sooner or later vain, if God did not confirm it. Hence he is said to account us worthy, when he conducts us to the point at which we aimed.

And fulfill. Paul goes to an amazing height in extolling the grace of God, for not contenting himself with the term good pleasure, he says that it flows from his goodness, unless perhaps any one should prefer to consider the beneficence ⁶³⁵ as arising from this good pleasure, which amounts to the same thing. When, however, we are instructed that the gracious purpose of God is the cause of our salvation, and that that has its foundation in the goodness of the same God, are we not worse than mad, if we venture to ascribe anything, however small, to our own merits? For the words are in no small degree emphatic. He might have said in one word, that your faith may be fulfilled, but he terms it good pleasure. Farther, he expresses the idea still more distinctly by saying, that God was prompted by nothing else than his own goodness, for he finds nothing in us but misery.

Nor does Paul ascribe to the grace of God merely the beginning of our salvation, but all departments of it. Thus that contrivance of the Sophists is set aside, that we are, indeed, anticipated by the grace of God, but that it is helped by subsequent merits. Paul, on the other hand, recognizes in the whole progress of our salvation nothing but the pure grace of God. As, however, the good pleasure of God has been already accomplished in him, referring in the term subsequently employed by him to the effect which appears in us, he explains his meaning when he says — and work of faith. And he calls it a work, with regard to God, who works or produces faith in us, as though he had said — “that he may complete the building of faith which he has begun.”

It is, also, not without good reason, that he says with power, for he intimates that the perfecting of faith is an arduous matter, and one of the greatest difficulty. This, also, we know but too well from experience; and the reason, too, is not far to seek, if we consider how great our weakness is, how various are the hindrances that obstruct us on every side, and how severe are the assaults of Satan. Hence, unless the power of God afford us help in no ordinary degree, faith will never rise to its full height. For it is no easier task to bring faith to perfection in an individual, than to rear upon water a tower that may by its firmness withstand all storms and fury of tempests, and may surmount the clouds in height, for we are not less fluid than water, and it is necessary that the height of faith reach as high as heaven.

TSK: 2Th 1:11

we pray : Rom 1:9; Eph 1:16, Eph 3:14-21; Phi 1:9-11; Col 1:9-13; 1Th 3:9-13

our God : Psa 48:14, Psa 68:20; Isa 25:9, Isa 55:7; Dan 3:17; Rev 5:10

would : 2Th 1:5; Col 1:12; Rev 3:4

count : or, vouchsafe

calling : 2Th 2:14; Rom 8:30, Rom 9:23, Rom 9:24; Phi 3:14; 1Th 2:12; Heb 3:1; 1Pe 5:10

fulfil : Psa 138:8; Pro 4:18; Isa 66:9; Hos 6:3; Zec 4:7; Mar 4:28; 1Co 1:8; Phi 1:6

the good : Psa 51:18; Luk 12:32; Eph 1:5, Eph 1:9; Phi 2:13; Tit 3:4-7

the work : Joh 6:27-29; Eph 1:19, Eph 1:20; 1Th 1:3, 1Th 2:13; Heb 12:2

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: 2Th 1:11

Wherefore also we pray always for you - See the notes, 1Th 1:2.

That our God would count you worthy of this calling. - Margin, "or, vouchsafe."The meaning is, "that he would regard you as worthy of this calling;"see the notes on ver. 5. Of this calling; see the notes, Eph 4:1. The "calling"here, is that which had brought them into the kingdom, and led them to become Christians.

And fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness. - That is, make the work of salvation complete and effectual. Oldshausen has well expressed the sense: "May God fill you with all that good which is pleasing to him."The thoughts in the passage are:

(1)\caps1     t\caps0 hat the purpose toward them on the part of God was one of "goodness"or benevolence;

(2)\caps1     t\caps0 hat there was a state of mind which would be regarded by him as pleasing, or as his "good pleasure;"and,

(3)\caps1     t\caps0 hat Paul wished that this might be accomplished in them. He desired that there might be in them everything which would be pleasing to God, and which his benevolence was fitted to secure.

And the work of faith - The work which faith is adapted to produce on the soul; see 1Jo 5:4-5.

With power - Effectually, completely. The apostle prays that so much power may be exerted as will be sufficient to secure the object. The work of religion on the soul is always represented in the Bible as one of power.

Poole: 2Th 1:11

The apostle here again mentions his praying for these Thessalonians, as he had often mentioned it in the former Epistle. And the reason might be, because he was absent from them; they might the more need his prayer, and by telling them of it, he thereby assures them that he forgot them not. And the prayer he here makes for them hath reference to the discourse he had been upon, as appears by this word Eiv o :

Wherefore or for, or in order to which, we pray & c.

This calling which is figuratively to be understood of the blessed state they were called to, for the calling itself they had received already. And so it is the same in effect mentioned before, 2Th 1:5 , called there the kingdom of God or to have Christ glorified and admired in them, 2Th 1:10 . And elsewhere termed the prize of the high calling of God, Phi 3:14 . And that God would count them worthy of it; as he had used the same expression before; only there it was mentioned with respect to their sufferings, here in a way of prayer. He encouraged them under their sufferings, that they might thereupon be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, and now prays that God would count them worthy; their worthiness arising more from the gracious account of God than their own sufferings. A Christian’ s calling hath duty annexed to it, whereupon the apostle exhorts the Ephesians to walk worthy of it in discharge of those duties, Eph 4:1,2 . And it hath a state of blessedness belonging to it, which is meant here; and none shall partake of it, but those whom God shall count worthy of it. But God’ s account is not according to the strictness of the law, but the gracious indulgence of the covenant of grace; but yet his prayer implies such a walking according to this covenant, as whereby they might be counted worthy of the blessed state they were called unto.

And fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness: the gracious purposes of God towards his people are called often his good pleasure, as Mat 11:26 Luk 12:32 Eph 1:5,9 ; and the same is meant Isa 53:10 :

The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand the Hebrew word Chephets being of the same signification with the Greek word here used. Christ shall accomplish the gracious purposes of God towards his people. And called his

good pleasure partly because they have no reason out of the sovereign will of God, and they are such also as he hath great complacence and delight in; and though they are executed in time, yet they were in his heart from everlasting, and therefore called eternal, Eph 3:11 . And I find purpose and good pleasure put both together, Eph 1:9 . It is here called

the good pleasure of his goodness which is not a tautology, as it may seem to be, but to make his expression of God’ s grace the more emphatical; or rather, to show that this good pleasure of God towards his people ariseth out of his goodness. God hath purposes of wrath towards some, but such cannot be called the good pleasure of his goodness. Goodness is that excellency in God, whereby he is ready to communicate good to his creature; but by goodness here is meant God’ s special goodness, which is peculiar to his people whom he hath chosen. To

fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness is to accomplish all those good purposes that were in his heart; some whereof were already fulfilled in their calling, adoption, justification, and sanctification begun, but the whole was not yet fulfilled, which he therefore here prays for; so that as their election, and their first conversion, were not from any worthiness or foresight of faith in them, but the good pleasure of his will, so the progress and perfection of their salvation was also to be from the same good pleasure.

And the work of faith with power: by the work of faith is either meant faith itself, which is the work of God, or else the fruits of faith; and so work is here taken for works or operations of faith. And the apostle addeth this in his prayer, to show that we are not saved only by God’ s good pleasure without faith, such a faith that worketh. And to perfect their salvation is a fulfilling the work of faith, for perseverance and progress towards perfection is from the work of faith. Or it may particularly refer to their patience and constancy under their sufferings, which he had before spoken of, and which is a peculiar work of faith. But because faith is not sufficient of itself, and the work of faith may fail, he therefore addeth, in power, or

with power that is, the power of God, which is his Spirit, so called, Luk 1:35 . Our faith and the power of God are here joined together, as 1Pe 1:5 . The same power that first worketh faith, afterwards co-worketh by it and with it.

PBC: 2Th 1:11

2Th 1:11

How Does God Count us Worthy? And how do We Respond?

2Th 1:11-12 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.?

How do we equate our calling from God that ensures our eternal life with him to our present conduct? This question frames many of the fiercest theological battles that have occurred throughout Christian history. Do we earn our salvation by our personal worth? The idea has claimed advocates along the way, but it falls short when examined in light of the passages that deal with our sins and the inherent guilt they must bear before God. These passages attribute our salvation to God’s grace, not to our worth. " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us..."{ Tit 3:5} stands in a greater company of passages that follow this theme. In light of these passages personal worth can hardly claim responsibility for our salvation.

Pelagius and his followers introduced another view. Pelagius introduced the idea that Adam in his sin merely set a bad example for subsequent humanity. No true inherent fall occurred at all. He also taught that Jesus’ worth in our salvation appears merely in his good example. Follow Jesus’ good example and gain salvation. After the Roman Catholic Church rejected this view as heretical, Pelagius’ followers sought to redeem their high regard for him by introducing a modified view that became known as semi-Pelagianism. In this view Adam’s sin did impact subsequent humanity, but the human will was exempt from the damage of the fall. Thus man’s unfallen will retains the ability to reclaim man from his sins and gain his salvation. The Roman Catholic Church also rejected this view as heretical. Sadly much of what you hear in pulpits today attempts to justify one of these views. If you care to investigate these ideas further, study the Council of Orange. Its decrees clearly deal with the abominable theology of man-centric salvation that seeks to impute the merit, the worth, of salvation onto man rather than God.

Whatever Paul had in mind with these words, the ultimate objective was that God would be glorified, not man! One could hardly make a case for God’s glory in semi-Pelagian theology that exalts man and man’s will above the divine will and God’s sovereignty.

As a theological note, I offer a brief quote from A. T. Robertson on this passage. " Whom he counts worthy he first makes worthy" (Lillie). Yes, in purpose, but the wonder and the glory of it all is that God begins to count us worthy in Christ before the process is completed in Christ {Ro 8:29} f. But God will see it through and so Paul prays to God.[i]  The passage mentioned by Robertson {Ro 8:29 to the end of the chapter} {Ro 8:29-39} clearly establishes God’s will and Jesus’ merit as the basis for our salvation and eternal security. We receive the benefit of our justification and calling before glorification at the Last Day. 2Co 5:21 clearly states that God made an incredible transfer at Calvary; our sins to Jesus who knew no sin and his righteousness to us who were steeped in sin and guilty before a holy God. The ultimate merit of salvation must revert to Him alone.

Is Paul referring to our ultimate salvation? The context seems to point toward this point, but within the context we also see a distinct link between our eternal destination and our life in the here and now.

... fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power... Paul’s prayer doesn’t stop with God’s making us worthy. He continues to pray that God would transform the Thessalonians by divine goodness and faith. One might ask the question. Will God perform this work in his elect? Again we encounter a theological point where much saints’ blood has been spilled! Traditional Reformed theology teaches perseverance of the saints, that all true believers shall surely persevere in their faith and their faithfulness to the end. On the other theological side of the issue Arminian theology teaches that since man’s effort accomplishes salvation, man’s effort may also lose it. Rather than walking down this path, one which most of us have walked many times before, let’s take a different perspective. Having established that salvation is a God-centric, not a man-centric work, designed to give glory to God, not man, what is Paul’s intent with these words?

We can hardly make a strong point of God counting us worthy in Christ and in the same context minimize his working a transforming change in us. Even many in devoted Arminian theological circles of our time have adopted an openly antinomian attitude toward Christian ethics and conduct. They want to claim Christianity, but they want to live as they choose with the fewest possible moral restrictions imposed on their conduct. God’s moral and ethical Law applies to the people we don’t especially like, but it simply doesn’t apply to me. In ways they never bother to explain these people elevate pleasure, success, or whatever they seek most in life above God and His Word. Challenge them with a specific passage that contradicts their lifestyle and they will immediately tell you how the passage really doesn’t say what it grammatically and literally says. Perhaps they will tell you that it is irrelevant to us; it was written only for first century Christians in Thessalonica. The entrenched relativism and sentimentality (" My emotions and personal preferences are really divinely controlled, so whatever I want or have strong feelings about is God’s will for my life." ) fully embrace New Age religion and openly reject New Testament Christian teaching that makes God both my Savior and my Lord. The New Testament clearly rejects this emotional me-first attitude, " ... whose god is their belly..." {Php 3:19} Personal preference in New Testament teaching is to be rejected, not enthroned!

The question of perseverance should not be confused with divine preservation. God will preserve all for whom Christ died {Joh 6:37-40} from loss. Scripture consistently urges all believers in God to remain faithful to their God and to the faith that He delivered once and for all time to His saints. {Jude 1:3} We are not to measure faithfulness by our emotions and personal preferences, but by Scripture alone!

The question sometimes seems to resolve around a fairly narrow view of discipleship. Does perseverance mean that only those who hold my personal view of God and of Biblical doctrine are saved? How far can we stretch the fabric of our passage and others like it and remain faithful to the spirit of Scripture? The combined errors of universalism and antinomianism are among the leading heresies of contemporary Western Christians.

We cannot possibly honor such passages throughout the New Testament and rationalize that evil people are merely children of God in disobedience. A major point in New Testament teaching is that God’s saving grace is equally God’s transforming grace. If you see no transformation in a person, you see no evidence of divine grace. Paul is teaching here, as other New Testament writers teach in many other places that God’s saving grace will not leave a person unchanged. It will change a person’s moral and ethical character profoundly. While Jesus did not make conduct the basis for salvation in Mt 25:31-46, {Mt 25:34, " Inherit the kingdom..." not merit it.} he clearly referred to the conduct of heaven’s citizens as an identification of them. He didn’t respond, " Oh, it didn’t matter whether you ministered to me or not, you had a good heart." He rather identified those whom he had saved by inclusion in His will (Inherit!) by their conduct. They did minister to him in that they ministered to those in need around them.

Not only did Paul pray, and expect, that God would fulfill his work in the Thessalonians with power, he equally prayed, and believed, that this conduct would glorify God in the lives of his people. Does your life clearly demonstrate similar grace and glory to God? How committed are you to glorifying God with your life?

336

[i] Robertson, A. (1997) Word Pictures in the New Testament. Vol V c1932. Vol VI c1933 by Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. 2Th 1:11. Oak Harbor; Logos Research Systems.

Haydock: 2Th 1:11

Wherefore, also we pray, &c. By the Greek, the sense and construction cannot be in, or on which day; and therefore it must be referred to what was said before, that God should be glorified in his saints, and so may be translated, on which [4] account we pray, &c. that Christ may be glorified in you, being made saints by his grace, &c. (Witham)

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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

In quo, Greek: eis o, in quod, but it cannot agree with Greek: emera, day.

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Gill: 2Th 1:11

Wherefore also we pray always for you,.... Not only observe the above things to your comfort, to support you under sufferings, but we add our prayers, and not only now, but always, that you may be among them in whom Christ will be glorified and admired; in order to which we most sincerely pray,

that our God would count you worthy of this calling. The Syriac version reads, "your calling", as in 1Co 1:26. The Vulgate Latin reads, "his own calling", meaning their effectual calling. This is indeed of God, and not of man; and is owing, not to any previous worthiness in man, as appears from the instances of Matthew the publican, Zacchaeus, the Apostle Paul, the Corinthians, and others, but entirely to the free grace of God, who counts them worthy, not for any worthiness there is in them; but "vouchsafes", as the word may be rendered, this blessing of grace, their effectual calling, of his own good will and pleasure: but this cannot be meant here, because these persons were partakers of that grace, God had called them to his kingdom and glory; unless the sense of the petition is, that God would cause them to walk worthy of the calling with which they were called, which becoming walk is owing to the grace of God: or else the meaning may be, that God would grant unto them perseverance in the grace, by and to which they were called, that so they might enjoy eternal glory; which though certain, should be prayed for by saints, both for themselves and others: the words may be rendered, "that our God would count you worthy of the call"; of the call of Christ when he shall be revealed from heaven, and come a second time; for then will he first call the saints out of their graves, as he did Lazarus, and they shall hear his all powerful voice, and come forth to the resurrection of life, the first and better resurrection, which those that have part in will be secure from the second death; this the apostle was desirous of attaining to himself, and prays that God would vouchsafe it to others; of this Job speaks in Job 14:15. And next Christ will call the righteous, when raised and set at his right hand, to inherit the kingdom and glory prepared by his Father for them; and happy are those who by the grace of God will be counted worthy of this call or rather by calling here is meant, the ultimate glory itself, which the saints are called unto; this God gives a right unto in the justifying righteousness of his Son, and makes meet for by his own grace; and the thing itself is a free grace gift of his through Jesus Christ. In this sense calling seems to be used in Eph 4:4 and to this agrees the Ethiopic version here, "that God may impart unto you that to which he hath called you"; and that is eternal glory, which though certainly and inseparably connected with the effectual calling, may, and should be prayed for:

and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness; not providential, but special goodness; not the good pleasure of his strict justice in the condemning of the wicked, denying his grace to them, and hiding from them the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, which is a part of his good pleasure, even of the good pleasure of his righteousness; but this is the good pleasure of his grace and kindness in Christ Jesus, and intends the whole of his gracious designs towards his people: and to express the free, rich, sovereign grace of God in them, the apostle uses a variety of words, calling them "his pleasure", "his good pleasure"; and, as if this was not enough, "the good pleasure of his goodness"; and desires that all of it might be fulfilled; it consisting of many things, some of which were fulfilled, and others remained to be fulfilled. It consists of the choice of persons in Christ, and the predestination of them to the adoption of children, which is according to the good pleasure of the will of God; the redemption of them by Christ, in which are displayed the exceeding riches of his grace; the free justification of them by the righteousness of Christ; the full pardon of all their sins, and their adoption into the household of God, and their regeneration, of rich grace, and abundant mercy; all these instances of the good pleasure of divine goodness were fulfilled in these persons; what remained were the carrying on and finishing the work of grace upon their souls, and their enjoyment of the heavenly glory: and for the former, in order to the latter, the apostle prays in the next clause,

and the work of faith with power; faith is not only an operative grace; see Gill on 1Th 1:3 and is attended with good works; but it is a work itself, not of man's, for he cannot produce it in himself, nor exercise it of himself; but it is the work of God, of his operation which he works in his people; it has not only God for its object, and therefore the Arabic version reads, "the work of faith on him"; but it has God for its author: and this now, though it had grown exceedingly in these believers, was not as yet fulfilled or perfect; something was still lacking in it; wherefore the apostle prays that he who was the author would be the finisher of it: and this will be done "with power"; not of man's, for this work is neither begun, nor carried on, nor will it be finished by the might and power of men; but the same hands which laid the foundation of it, raise it up, carry it on, and give the finishing stroke to it; it is done by the power of God, and so the Arabic and Ethiopic versions read, "by his own power": which is greatly displayed in the production of faith at first; for a poor sensible sinner, in a view of all his sins, and the just deserts of them, to venture his soul on Christ alone for salvation; for a man to go out of himself and renounce his own righteousness, and trust to the righteousness of Christ for his justification before God, and acceptance with him, is owing to the exceeding greatness of God's power to them that believe; and the same power is seen in enabling faith to do the things it does; see Heb 11:1 and in encouraging, supporting, and maintaining it under the most difficult circumstances, as in the case of Abraham; and to make it stand fast under the severest persecutions, and at the hour of death, and in the view of an awful eternity, when it receives its full completion.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Th 1:11

¹ tn Or “your calling.”

Geneva Bible: 2Th 1:11

^{( 8 )} Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of ^{( b )} [this] calling, and fulfil ^{( c )} all the good pleasure of [his] goodness, and the ^{( d )} work of faith with power:

^{( 8 )} Seeing that we have the mark set before us, it remains that we go to it. And we go to it, by certain degrees of causes: first by the free love and good pleasure of God, by virtue of which all other inferior causes work: from there proceeds the free calling to Christ, and from calling, faith, upon which follows both the glorifying of Christ in us and us in Christ.

^{( b )} By "calling" he does not mean the very act of calling, but that self same thing to which we are called, which is the glory of that heavenly kingdom.

^{( c )} Which he determined long ago, only upon his gracious and merciful goodness towards you.

^{( d )} So then, faith is an excellent work of God in us: and we plainly see here that the apostle leaves nothing to free will, to make it something which God works through, as the papists dream.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: 2Th 1:1-12

1 Paul certifies them of the good opinion which he had of their faith, love, and patience;

11 and therewithal uses divers reasons for the comforting of them in persecution, whereof the chief is taken from the righteous judgment of God.

Maclaren: 2Th 1:11-12

Worthy Of Your Calling

We pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, mad fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power; 12. That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him.'--2 Thess. 1:11-12.

IN the former letter to the Church of Thessalonica, the Apostle had dwelt, in ever-memorable words--which sound like a prelude of the trump of God--on the coming of Christ at the end to judge the world, and to gather His servants into His rest. That great thought seems to have excited some of the hotter heads in Thessalonica, and to have led to a general feverishness of unwholesome expectancy of the near approach or actual dawn of the day. This letter is intended as a supplement to the former Epistle, and to damp down the fire which had been kindled. It, therefore, dwells with emphasis on the necessary preliminaries to the dawning of that day of the Lord, and throughout seeks to lead the excited spirits to patience and persistent work, and to calm their feverish expectations. This purpose colours the whole letter.

Another striking characteristic of it is the frequent gushes of short prayer for the Thessalonians with which the writer turns aside from the main current of his thoughts. In its brief compass there are four of these prayers, which, taken together, present many aspects of the Christian life, and hold out much for our hopes and much for our efforts. The prayer which I have read for our text is the first of these. The others, the consideration of which will follow on subsequent occasions, are these:--Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work.' And, again, The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.' And, finally, summing up all, The Lord of peace Himself give you peace always, by all means.' So full, so tender, so directed to the highest blessings, and to those only, are the wishes of a true Christian teacher, and of a true Christian friend, for those to whom He ministers and whom He loves. It is a poor love that cannot express itself in prayer. It is an earthly love which desires for its objects anything less than the highest of blessings.

I. Notice, First, Here, The Divine Test For Christian Lives:

We pray for you, that God would count you worthy of your calling.'

Now, it is to be observed that this counting worthy' refers mainly to a future estimate to be made by God of the completed career and permanent character brought out of earth into another state by Christian souls. That is obvious from the whole strain of the letter, which I have already pointed out as mainly being concerned with the future coming to judgment of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also, I think, made probable by the fact that the same expression, counting worthy,' occurs in an earlier verse of this chapter, where the reference is exclusively to the future judgment.

So, then, we are brought face to face with this thought of an actual, stringent judgment which God will apply in the future to the lives and characters of professing Christians. Now, that is a great deal too much forgotten in our popular Christian teaching and in our average Christian faith. It is perfectly true that he who trusts in Jesus Christ will not come into condemnation, but has passed from death unto life.' But it is just as true that judgment shall begin at the house of God,' and that, the Lord will judge His people.' And therefore, it becomes us to lay to heart this truth, that we, just because, if we are Christians, we stand nearest to God, are surest to be searched through and through by the light that streams from Him, and to have every flaw and corrupt speck and black spot brought out into startling prominence. Let no Christian may fancy that he shall escape the righteous judgment of God. The great doctrine of forgiveness does not mean that He suffers our sin to remain upon us unjudged, ay! or unavenged. But just as, day by day, there is an actual estimate in the divine mind, according to truth, of what we really are, so, at the last, God's servants will be gathered before His throne. They that have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice' shall be assembled there--as the Psalm has it--that the Lord may judge His people.'

Then, if the actual passing of a divine judgment day by day, and a future solemn act of judgment after we have done with earth, and our characters are completed, and our careers rounded into a whole, is to be looked for by Christians, what is the standard by which their worthiness is to be judged?

Your calling.' The this' of my text in the Authorised Version is a supplement, and a better supplement is that of the Revised Version, your calling.' Now calling does not mean avocation' or employment,' as I perhaps need scarcely explain, but the divine fact of our having been summoned by Him to be His. Consider who calls. God Himself. Consider how He calls. By the Gospel, by Jesus Christ, or, as another apostle has it, by His own glory and virtue' manifested in the world. That great voice which is in Jesus Christ, so tender, so searching, so heart-melting, so vibrating with the invitation of love and the yearning of a longing heart, summons or calls us. Consider, also, what this calling is to. God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness,' or, as this letter has it, in another part, unto salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.' By all the subduing and animating and restraining and impelling tones in the sacrifice and life of Jesus Christ we are summoned to a life of self-crucifixion, of subjection of the flesh, of aspiration after God, of holy living according to the pattern that was showed us in Him. We are summoned here and now to a life of purity and righteousness and self-sacrifice. But also He hath called us to His everlasting kingdom and glory.' That voice sounds from above now. From the Cross it said to us, I die that ye may live'; from the throne it says to us, Live because I live, and come to live where I live.' The same invitation, which calls us to a life of righteousness and self-suppression and purity, also calls us, with the sweet promise that is firm as the throne of God, to the everlasting felicities of that perfect kingdom in which, because the obedience is entire, the glory shall be untremulous and unstained. Therefore, considering who summons, by what He summons, and to what He calls us, do there not lie in the fact of that divine call to which we Christians say that we have yielded, the solemnest motives, the loftiest standard, the most stringent obligations for life? What sort of a life will that be which is worthy of that voice? Is yours? Is mine? Are there not the most flagrant examples of professing Christians, whose lives are in the most outrageous discordance with the lofty obligations and mighty motives of the summons which they profess to have obeyed? worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called!' Have I made my own the things which I am invited to possess? Have I yielded to the obligations which are enwrapped in that invitation? Does my life correspond to the divine purpose in calling me to be His? Can I say, Lord, Thou art mine, and I am Thine, and here my life witnesses to it, because self is banished from it, and I am full of God, and the life which I live in the flesh I live not to myself, but to Him that died for me?'

An absolute correspondence, a complete worthiness or perfect desert, is impossible for us all, but a worthiness which His merciful judgment who makes allowance for us all may accept, as not too flagrantly contradictory of what He meant us to be, is possible even for our poor attainments and our stained lives. If it were Paul's supreme prayer, should it not be our supreme aim, that we may be worthy of Him that hath called us, and walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called'?

II. Note, Here, The Divine Help To Meet The Test.

If it were a matter of our own effort alone, who of us could pretend to reach to the height of conformity with the great design of the loving Father in summoning us, or with the mighty powers that are set in motion by the summons for the purifying of men's lives? But here is the great characteristic and blessing of God's Gospel, that it not only summons us to holiness and to heaven, but reaches out a hand to help us thither. Therein it contrasts with all other voices--and many of them are noble and pathetic in their insistence and vehemence--which call men to lofty lives. Whether it be the voice of conscience, or of human ethics, or of the great ones, the elect of the race, who, in every age, have been as voices crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord'--all these call us, but reach no hand out to draw us, They are all as voices from the heights and are of God, but they are voices only; they summon us to noble deeds, and leave us floundering in the mire.

But we have not a God who tells us to be good, and then watches to see if we will obey, but we have a God who, with all His summonses, brings to us the help to keep His commandments. Our God has more than a voice to enjoin, He has a hand to lift. Give what Thou commandest, and command what Thou wilt,' said Augustine. There is the blessing and glory of the Gospel, that its summons has in it an impelling power which makes men able to be what it enjoins them to become. My text, therefore, follows the prayer that God would count you worthy,' which contemplates God simply as judging men's correspondence with the ideal revealed in their calling, and is the cry of faith to the giving God, who works in us, if we will let Him, that which He enjoins on us. There are two directions of that divine working specified in the text. Paul asks that God would fulfil every desire of goodness and every work of faith,' as the Revised Version renders the words. Two things, then, we may hope that God will do for us--He will fulfil every yearning after righteousness and purity in our hearts, and will perfect the active energy which faith puts forth in our lives.

Paul says, m effect, first, that God will fulfil every desire that longs for goodness. He is scarcely deserving of being called good who does not desire to be better. Aspiration must always be ahead of performance in a growing life, such as every Christian life ought to be. To long for any righteousness and beauty of goodness is, in some imperfect and incipient measure, to possess the good for which we long. This is the very signature of a Christian life--yearning after unaccomplished perfection. If you know nothing of that desire that stings and impels you onwards; if you do not know what it is to say, Oh! wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' if you do not know what it is to follow the fair ideal realised in Jesus Christ with infinite longing, what right have you to call yourself a Christian? The very essence of the Christian life is yearning for completeness, and restlessness as long as sin has any power over us. We live not only by admiration, faith, and love, but we live by hope; and he who does not hunger and thirst after righteousness has yet to learn what are the first principles of the Gospel of Christ.

If there be not the desire after goodness, the restlessness and dissatisfaction with every present good, the brave ambition that says, Forgetting the things that are behind, I reach forth unto the things that are before,' there is nothing in a man to which God's grace can attach itself. God cannot make you better if you do not wish to be better. There is no point upon which His hallowing and ennobling grace can lay hold in your hearts without such desire. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.' If, as is too often the case with hosts of professing Christians, you shut your mouths tight and lock your teeth, how can God put any food between your lips? There must, first of all, be the aspiration, and then there will be the satisfaction.

I look out upon my congregation, or, better still, I look into my own heart, and I say, If I, if you, dear brethren, are not worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, we have not because we ask not. If there be no desire after goodness in our hearts, God cannot make us good. Our wishes are the mould into which the molten metal from the great furnace of His love will run. If we bring but a little vessel we cannot get a large supply. The manna lies round our tents; it is for us to determine how much we will gather.

And in like manner, says Paul, God will fulfil every work of faith. Our faith in Jesus Christ will naturally tend to influence our lives, and to manifest itself as a driving power which will set all the wheels of conduct in motion. Paul is quite sure that if we trust ourselves to God, all the beneficent and holy work that flows from such confidence will by Him be fully perfected.

God's fulfilment is to be done with power. That is to say, He will fit us to be worthy of our calling, He will answer our desires, He will give energy to our faith, and complete in number and in quality its operations in our lives, by reason of His dwelling with us and in us by that spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind which works all righteousness in believing hearts, and sheds divine beauty and goodness over character and life.

III. Lastly, Note The Divine Glory Of The Worthy.

This fulfilment of every desire of goodness and work of faith is in order that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in Him.'

Here, again, as in the first clause of our text, I take, in accordance with the prevailing tone of this letter, the reference to be mainly, though perhaps not exclusively, to a future transcendent glorifying of the name of Christ in perfected saints, and glorifying of perfected saints in Jesus Christ.

We have, then, set forth, first, as the result of the fulfilling of Christian men's desires after goodness, and the work of their faith, the glory that accrues to Christ from perfected saints. They are His workmanship. You remember the old story of the artist who went into a fellow-artist's studio and left upon the easel one complete circle, swept with one master-whirl of the brush. Jesus Christ presents perfected men to an admiring universe as specimens of what He can do. His highest work is the redeeming of poor creatures like you and me, and the making of us perfect in goodness and worthy of our calling. We are His chefs-d'oeuvre, the master work of the great divine artist.

Think, then, brethren, how, here and now, Christ's reputation is in our hands. Men judge of Him by us. The name of the Lord Jesus is glorified in you if you live worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,' and people will think better of the Master if His disciples are faithful. Depend upon it, if we of this church, for instance, and the Christian people within these walls now, lived the lives that they ought to do, and manifested the power of the Gospel as they might, there would be many who would say, They have been with Jesus, and the Jesus that has made them what they are must be mighty and great.' The best evidence of the power of the Gospel is your consistent lives.

Think, too, of that strange dignity that in the future, in manners and in regions all undiscernible by us, Christians, who have been made out of stones into children of God, will make known unto principalities and powers in heavenly places' the wisdom and the love and the energy of the redeeming God. Who knows to what regions the commission of the perfected saints to make Christ known may carry them? Light travels far, and we cannot tell into what remote corners of the universe this may penetrate. This only we know, that they who shall be counted worthy to attain that life and the Resurrection from the dead shall bear the image of the heavenly, and perhaps to creations yet uncreated, and still to be evolved through the ages of eternity, it may be their part to carry the lustre of the light of the glory of God who redeemed and purified them.

On the other hand, there is glory accruing to perfected saints in Christ. And ye in Him.' There will be a union so close as that nothing closer is possible, personality being preserved, between Christ and the saints above, who trust Him and love Him and serve Him there. And that union will lead to a participation in His glory which shall exalt their limited, stained, and fragmentary humanity into the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.' Astronomers tell us that dead, cold matter falls from all corners of the system into the sun, drawn by its magic magnetism from farthest space, and, plunging into that great reservoir of fire, the deadest and coldest matter glows with fervid heat and dazzling light. So you and I, dead, cold, dull, opaque, heavy fragments, drawn into mysterious oneness with Christ, the Sun of our souls, shall be transformed into His own image, and like Him be light and heat which shall radiate through the universe.

Brethren, meditate on your calling, the fact, its method, its aim, its obligations, and its powers. Cherish hopes and desires after goodness, the only hopes and desires that are certain to be fulfilled. Cultivate the life of faith working by love, and let us all live in the light of that solemn expectation that the Lord will judge His people. Then we may hope that the voice which summoned us will welcome us, and proclaim even of us, stained and undeserving as we rightly feel ourselves to be: They have not defiled their garments, therefore they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.'

MHCC: 2Th 1:11-12

Believing thoughts and expectations of the second coming of Christ should lead us to pray to God more, for ourselves and others. If there is any good in us, it is owing to the good pleasure of his goodness, and therefore it is called grace. There are many purposes of grace and good-will in God toward his people, and the apostle prays that God would complete in them the work of faith with power. This is to their doing every other good work. The power of God not only begins, but carries on the work of faith. And this is the great end and design of the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ, which is made known to us, and wrought in us.

Matthew Henry: 2Th 1:11-12

In these verses the apostle again tells the Thessalonians of his earnest and constant prayer for them. He could not be present with them, yet he had a constant remembrance of them; they were much upon his thoughts; he wished them well, and could not express his good-will and good wishes to them better than in earnest constant prayer to God for them: Wherefore also we pray, etc. Note, The believing thoughts and expectation of the second coming of Christ should put us upon prayer to God for ourselves and others. We should watch and pray, so our Saviour directs his disciples (Luk 21:36), Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to stand before the Son of man. Observe,

I. What the apostle prayed for, 2Th 1:11. It is a great concern to be well instructed what to pray for; and without divine instruction we know not what to pray for, as without divine assistance we shall not pray in such a manner as we ought. Our prayers should be suitable to our expectations. Thus the apostle prays for them, 1. That God would begin his good work of grace in them; so we may understand this expression: That our God would count you (or, as it might be read, make you ) worthy of this calling. We are called with a high and holy calling; we are called to God's kingdom and glory; and no less than the inheritance of the saints is the hope of our calling, nothing less than the enjoyment of that glory and felicity which shall be revealed when Christ Jesus shall be revealed from heaven. Now, if this be our calling, our great concern should be to be worthy of it, or meet and prepared for this glory: and because we have no worthiness of our own, but what is owing purely to the grace of God, we should pray that he would make us worthy, and then count us worthy, of this calling, or that he would make us meet to partake of the inheritance of the saints in light, Col 1:12. 2. That God would carry on the good work that is begun, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness. The good pleasure of God denotes his gracious purposes towards his people, which flow from his goodness, and are full of goodness towards them; and it is thence that all good comes to us. If there be any good in us, it is the fruit of God's good-will to us, it is owing to the good pleasure of his goodness, and therefore is called grace. Now, there are various and manifold purposes of grace and good-will in God towards his people; and the apostle prays that all of them may be fulfilled or accomplished towards these Thessalonians. There are several good works of grace begun in the hearts of God's people, which proceed from this good pleasure of God's goodness, and we should desire that they may be completed and perfected. In particular, the apostle prays that God would fulfil in them the work of faith with power. Note, (1.) The fulfilling of the work of faith is in order to the fulfilling of every other good work. And, (2.) It is the power of God that not only begins, but that carries on and perfects the work of faith.

II. Why the apostle prayed for these things (2Th 1:12): That the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified; this is the end we should aim at in every thing we do and desire, that God and Christ in all things may be glorified. Our own happiness and that of others should be subordinate to this ultimate end. Our good works should so shine before men that others may glorify God, that Christ may be glorified in and by us, and then we shall be glorified in and with him. And this is the great end and design of the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is manifested to us and wrought in us. Or thus: it is according to the grace of God and Christ, that is, it is an agreeable thing, considering the grace that is manifested to us and bestowed on us, by God and Christ, that we direct all we do to the glory of our Creator and Redeemer.

Constable: 2Th 1:3-12

II. COMMENDATION FOR PAST PROGRESS 1:3-12

Paul thanked God for the spiritual growth of his readers, encouraged them to persevere in their trials, and assured them of his prayers for them. He did so to motivate them to continue to endure hardship and thereby develop in their faith (cf. James 1:2-4).

Constable: 2Th 1:11-12

C. Prayer for success 1:11-12

Paul and his companions "always" prayed that the Thessalonians would continue to experience purification through their trials rather than experience apostasy. They also prayed that God would note and approve their worth.

"God counts men worthy as they consent to and endeavor to do that which He works in them."²³

He also asked that God would by His power bring to full expression every good purpose of theirs to glorify God and every act motivated by their faith in Him. The ultimate goal was the glory of the Lord Jesus manifested through the Thessalonian believers. This is the first of five prayers for the Thessalonians contained in this short letter (cf. 2:16-17; 3:5, 16, 18).

". . . Christlike behavior is more important than words of praise in the glorifying of the Lord. For praise from a life transformed by the power of the Spirit rings true and sweet, but godless living makes a mockery of praise."²⁴

This section of verses (1:3-12) gives us great insight into God's reasons for allowing His saints to undergo affliction for their faith. Persecution can be a great blessing from God and can bring great glory to our Lord Jesus Christ both now and in the future.

College: 2Th 1:1-12

2 THESSALONIANS 1

I. GREETING (1:1-2)

¹ Paul, Silas ^a and Timothy,

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

² Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

^a 1 Greek Silvanus , a variant of Silas

1:1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

The opening greeting of this second letter is identical to the first letter's in all but two points. Paul's relationship with his co-workers, the readers' identity as the assembly of God's people united with God and Christ, and their blessing of God's grace and peace are again prominent (see comments on 1 Thess 1:1 above). One difference comes in v. 1, where God is specifically "our Father" as in most of Paul's other salutations (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; Phlm 3; Gal 1:3 reads thus in some manuscripts) instead of "the Father" as in 1 Thess 1:1. But little significance can be attached to the change.

1:2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second difference comes at the end of v. 2, where the source of grace and peace are specified as in the other extant letters of Paul (cf. Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2; Titus 1:4; Phlm 3). As in v. 1 and 1 Thess 1:1 above, Paul, who was steeped in Jewish monotheism, attributes such gifts to both God and Jesus with absolute ease and naturalness. Such is possible for him because he regards Jesus as fully divine (see comments on 1 Thess 1:1 above).

II. OPENING THANKSGIVING, ENCOURAGEMENT AND PRAYER (1:3-12)

As in 1 Thess 1:2-10 and in most of Paul's other letters, 2 Thessalonians begins with a statement of thanksgiving, focusing on the readers' devotion to Christ. Here Paul also offers a prayer for the readers, commonly attached to the thanksgiving in other letters but separated in 1 Thessalonians by Paul's discussion of his ministry with the church (1 Thess 3:11-13; cf. Phil 1:3-11; Col 1:3-14; Phlm 4-7; Eph 1:15-19; 2 Thess 2:13-14).

The difference in tone between 1 and 2 Thessalonians is immediately noticeable in this section. The warmth and enthusiasm of the first letter are less evident here, where the style appears more formal. This difference can easily be exaggerated, but some difference in tone between the passages is conceded by all. While it is impossible to account for the change entirely, much of the difference can be attributed to the shift in subject matter. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul's concern was largely for his ongoing relationship with the church. Under such circumstances, an extra measure of personal warmth would be expected.

Some have speculated that in response to the more direct praise in the first letter, the Thessalonians had protested through Timothy that they were unworthy. Others have suggested parallels in liturgical language or discussions of suffering in apocalyptic literature (Rev 3:4; 5:9, 12). In any case Paul's purpose in this letter has less to do with personal relationships (though they remain "brothers," v. 3) and is more narrowly confined to specific problems in the church. One of these, the church's understanding of the Lord's return in light of their present suffering (cf. 2:1-12), Paul begins to address here. The nature of this subject may have produced a more formal style as well. The use of the opening section to make a preliminary announcement of his themes is also seen in other letters (e.g., Phil 1:3-11).

Though it contains distinct sections, these verses constitute a single, long sentence in the Greek text. For Paul these verses were tightly bound together.

A. THANKSGIVING FOR THE THESSALONIANS' GROWTH AND ENDURANCE IN PERSECUTION (1:3-4)

³ 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. ⁴ Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

The focus in this first section of the sentence is on the persecution experienced by the readers and God's answer to it. Paul had mentioned persecution in the first letter (1 Thess 1:6) but here makes it more prominent, emphasizing especially both the readers' and God's responses to it, underlining the larger meaning it had for their Christian experience. Though Paul offers thanks in vv. 3-4 for some of the same characteristics as in 1 Thess 1:2-3, the greater focus on persecution here starkly displays the readers' Christian virtues against the background of their suffering. This emphasis may reflect an intensification of the persecution in Thessalonica since the first letter. However, in light of the evident problem in understanding the relationship of the Lord's coming to their suffering, Paul probably emphasizes this theme in anticipation of the discussion of 2:1-12.

1:3 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.

This statement of thanksgiving has many features in common with 1 Thess 1:2-3 (see comments above). The focus of Paul's thanksgiving is again on the readers' demonstration of the cardinal Christian virtues, particularly faith and love. Perhaps reflecting the fact that this is now his second letter, Paul mentions particularly their growth in these areas, in part a fulfillment of his prayer for the church in 1 Thess 3:11-13. The word translated "is growing more and more" is uJperauxavnw (hyperauxanô), found only here in the New Testament. It is an intensification of the more common verb signifying growth, perhaps coined by Paul himself.

In context Paul probably uses the intensive form to emphasize the contrast between the readers' growth and their difficult circumstances. Paul uses a different verb, pleonavzw (pleonazô, "is increasing") to indicate their growth in love, but no distinction in meaning should be pressed, since the difference is probably to avoid repetition. Both verbs are in the present tense, indicating that the growth is a continuing action. The whole statement is reminiscent of Jesus' parables which emphasize the growth of God's kingdom from small, insignificant beginnings (Matt 13:31-33; Mark 4:26-32; Luke 13:18-21; cf. 2 Cor 10:15).

Inferences from silence are notoriously debatable, but the prominence of "hope" in 1 Thess 1:3 makes that term's omission here striking. Its absence does not imply that the Thessalonians do not have hope, and most of the first two chapters concentrate on the content of their hope, the return of Christ. However, it is possible that Paul does not name hope as a basis for thanksgiving because confusion about the day of the Lord (2:2) has temporarily damaged the readers' hope.

Paul does not state directly that he gives thanks but combines expressions to indicate that such thanksgiving is necessary and right. "Ought" represents ojfeivlw (opheilô), which indicates obligation or necessity; "and rightly so," literally "as is fitting" (kaqwÉ" ajxiovn ejstin, kathôs axion estin), reinforces that point with a complementary expression. Though the indirect statement is perhaps less personal than the one in 1 Thess 1:2, it is stronger in expressing that such thanksgiving is Paul's solemn duty, even when the circumstances are less than joyful.

1:4 Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

As in 1 Thess 1:7-10 Paul stresses that the Thessalonians' living out of the gospel has been reported as an edifying message to other churches. By using "boast" to refer to these reports, Paul implies that his own work has had their growth and faithfulness as its objective. This statement echoes 1 Thess 2:19-20 (see comments above) as well as remarks in later letters (e.g., 1 Cor 15:31; 2 Cor 1:14; 7:4, 14; 8:24; 9:2; Phil 1:26; 2:16). In other passages Paul expresses the same concept with other terms (e.g., "reward," 1 Cor 3:14). In all of these cases Paul's boast is ultimately not in his own achievements (cf. Rom 3:27; 2 Cor 10:17) but in the results of God's grace, by which he has been given the ministry which bears this fruit. To make this boast "among God's churches" (see comments on 1 Thess 1:1 above) is therefore to share more of the good news among the people who belong to God because of that message.

To see suffering as an occasion for boasting requires a keen eye of faith. Using such an eye, Paul focuses particularly on the readers' "perseverance and faith." The first term, uJpomonhv (hypomonç; cf. 1 Thess 1:3), stresses active endurance under difficulty and pressure; it is patience put into practice in suffering. The second, pivsti" ( pistis ) refers in this context particularly to constancy in faith, or faithfulness: the readers have maintained their position in Christ despite the difficulties it has brought to them. These two terms are obviously similar in meaning, and Paul draws them even more closely together by modifying both with a single definite article. Endurance and faith are the Thessalonians' one response to persecution.

The readers' suffering is also expressed with a pair of terms. "Persecutions," diwgmov" (diôgmos), indicates specifically the sufferings inflicted by others because of their opposition to one's beliefs. "Trials," qli'yi" ( thlipsis ) can refer more broadly to any kind of suffering but is frequently used in the New Testament to refer specifically to persecution that comes because of one's faith (cf. 1 Thess 3:3-4 and comments above). The combination probably emphasizes the severity of the readers' sufferings, and no distinction between the words is stressed. These troubles continue for the readers even as Paul writes: his verb is in the present tense, accurately translated as "are enduring" in the NIV.

Two unusual expressions occur here. One is that "we" is intensive, literally "we ourselves" (aujtouÉ" hJma'", autous hçmas). An obvious explanation for this emphasis is not forthcoming, but it may be that Paul emphasizes that he takes the unusual step of boasting about them to others. The second is the expression "churches of God." Normally Paul uses the plural "churches" when he specifies the churches in a particular geographical area and the singular when he refers to the "universal" church. Whether this means, as Wanamaker suggests, that Paul refers here to churches without geographical limitation remains uncertain.

B. ENCOURAGEMENT IN LIGHT OF GOD'S JUDGMENT (1:5-10)

⁵ All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. ⁶ God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you ⁷ 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. ⁸ He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power ¹⁰ on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

Though it can remain an abstraction for those without difficulty, the problem of evil is a burning question for those who are suffering. "Why is this happening?" is perhaps the most troubling question that human beings must confront. For those who suffer because of their faith, the question is even more intense. Christians who believe themselves to be the people of God, those who have received God's salvation and are experiencing the fulfillment of his eternal promises, have an even more difficult question to answer. If God is really on their side, if he is really loving and powerful, why do they suffer?

Paul has already provided much of the answer in 1 Thess 3:3-4: Christians suffer inevitably as a result of their identity, because they are united with the Christ who suffered in fulfillment of God's purpose. Here Paul reiterates that point in v. 5. But here he goes on to explain more. If God allows his people to suffer at the hands of those who have deliberately refused him and his message, if he in effect allows the innocent to suffer at the hands of the wicked, is he really a righteous and powerful God?

In answer to this question, Paul reminds the readers that the present situation is not the final situation. Though it may seem that evil consistently triumphs over good, there remains a final reckoning in which God will bring fitting punishment on those who have persecuted his people. Until that time, the readers can take encouragement in their confidence that God in the end will vindicate his people by repaying their antagonists decisively. God is both just, judging sin wherever it exists, and powerful, able to bring his sentence to bear on evildoers. The Thessalonian church may appear to be a small, insignificant group of people whose enemies have the best of them, but the end of history will show what the unseen reality has always been.

Paul's concept of God's justice here is retributive: evildoers are repaid in kind for the evil which they have done. This notion, once fundamental in western legal thought, is now rejected in many circles. More recently evil has been seen according to the model of disease, and so punishment has been viewed as therapy or rehabilitation. Consequently many modern or postmodern people are uncomfortable with the language of this passage. But for Paul evil was not merely a sickness but a consequence of conscious rebellion against God and submission to his adversary (cf. Eph 2:1-3).

In Paul's thought forgiveness is therefore costly; God's justice demands appropriate payment for sin, namely the death of Jesus. Only in light of God's justice can the full extent of his love and forgiving grace be seen: through his Son he himself provides the substitutionary payment for human sin (cf. Rom 3:23-26). If some then refuse his offer and even oppose it, they are fully responsible for their actions, and God's justice demands a retributive punishment for them (cf. 1 Thess 1:10; 2:16). For God to do less would mean for him to tolerate evil, especially evil directed toward the very people whom he has saved. If God is truly good, then he must pronounce sentence on evil.

The eschatological view that Christ will return secretly to remove the church from tribulation and later return again to judge the wicked does not fare well in this passage. Paul's language indicates that relief for the believer and retribution for the unbeliever are simultaneous. As elsewhere in the New Testament, the parousia is a single, indivisible act bringing both blessing and judgment (cf. 1 Thess 5:1-11).

Several factors have suggested to some that in vv. 7b-10 Paul has incorporated a traditional formula, including a concentration of Old Testament references, a shift from the second to the third person, and the uses of parallelism. While it is possible that Paul uses a pre-formed tradition here, the content is so consistent with the context and his own thought that his own free composition of this material seems more likely.

This section actually continues the Greek sentence begun in v. 3, though in translation it has been divided into shorter sentences for readability. Here the reason for thanksgiving even in suffering is made clear.

1:5 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right,

Though one might think that belonging to God's people would ensure a life without trouble, Paul declares that the opposite is true. To belong to God means to suffer in this age, which is ruled by his great adversary, even as Christ himself suffered. But this suffering belongs in the context of God's promised triumph over sin and judgment against it. Hence, Paul can say that suffering in the present is an indication or "evidence" (e[ndeigma, endeigma ) of God's righteous judgment. The specific evidence to which Paul refers could be the Thessalonians' endurance, the persecutions which they receive, or a combination (v. 4).

In favor of the former is the use of a related word in Phil 1:28, where the reference is clearly to the Philippians' endurance. In favor of the persecutions is the fact that Paul mentions them nearer to "evidence." However, the following context, discussing as it does both the punishment to come on the persecutors and the relief to come to the Christians, favors a broader combination of the two. Paul's point, then, is that the persecution and the readers' response to it demonstrates that God's determination to bring retribution on his opponents and relief to his faithful people is necessary for justice to prevail.

While Paul is about to focus on the future judgment, the language here suggests that the judgment has already begun. Like other aspects of God's promised future, judgment is also a present reality, which may be realized here in several respects. One is the believers' endurance, which demonstrates that they have received the grace which has already pronounced them innocent (v. 12) and aligns them with the faithful of the past (1 Thess 2:14-15). By contrast the persecutors show by their rejection of God's grace and solidarity with God's enemies of the past that they are already under judgment (1 Thess 2:16). In the larger sense, the fact that the believers find themselves persecuted in a world still under the sway of evil (cf. 2:3-12 and comments below; 1 Cor 2:8; Eph 2:2; 6:12) shows that they belong to the God who will in the future reestablish the fullness of his reign. It is also possible that Paul views their present suffering as an aspect of God's discipline of his children, which leads ultimately to their salvation (Rom 5:3-5; 1 Cor 11:32; 2 Cor 6:9). Their present identities, as demonstrated by their behavior and circumstances, will be fully revealed and ratified in the judgment to come.

and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

A second result of this situation (the sentence structure suggests that "as a result" should connect the clause to v. 4 rather than to the beginning of v. 5) is being counted worthy of God's kingdom. As union with Christ inevitably brings suffering for one's faith (1 Thess 3:3-4), it also indicates that the sufferer genuinely belongs to the kingdom which Christ rules (cf. 1 Thess 2:12 and comments above). The readers' citizenship in the kingdom of God is both a present reality and a promise of the future. Thus, they continue to suffer for it now ("you are suffering" translates a present-tense verb), but they can both endure and triumph because they already belong to the kingdom and because they look forward to the full realization of God's rule when his enemies will be defeated fully and finally (cf. 1 Thess 2:16).

It should be noted carefully that Paul speaks of being "counted worthy," clearly implying the action of God who accounts worthiness according to grace and not merit (cf. v. 12). The readers' perseverance does not earn God's approval but shows that they genuinely trust in his grace to supply it. Likewise, "of the kingdom" implies not "in order to gain the kingdom" but "on behalf of the kingdom"; it assumes membership in the kingdom in the present rather than holding it out as a prospect for the future.

1:6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you

God's justice is defined here in unequivocally retributive terms. Though the NIV's rendering of this verse departs considerably from the Greek sentence structure, it captures the sense well. Literally the verse could be translated, "If indeed it is just with God to pay back trouble to those troubling you"; the conditional "if" is firmly assumed to be true.

The concept of retribution has significant biblical background. The principle of lex talionis in Exod 21:23-25 establishes the principle of retribution. "An eye for an eye" was first of all a limitation on the extent of punishment, forbidding, for example, the sentence of "a life for an eye." Secondly, the principle did not allow any aggrieved person to take vengeance to this extent; rather, God himself is the one who would bring retribution (Deut 32:35), even if his judgment was mediated through human agents according to Israel's law. In Rom 12:19 Paul quotes this second passage as a reminder not to seek personal vengeance (cf. Acts 23:3). But that restriction on taking justice into one's own hands depends on the assurance that God will bring retribution. This assurance is exactly what the present text offers: "pay back" translates ajntapodivdwmi (antapodidômi), which also appears in Rom 12:19, and is underlined with the repetition of "trouble." This retributive emphasis is tied closely to the preceding discussion: "trouble" here translates thlipsis and its cognate qlivbw (thlibô), the former appearing in v. 4 with the translation "trials."

1:7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.

For the readers the future punishment of their adversaries is a comforting prospect for two reasons. First of all, it means their vindication, as implied in the previous verse. They can be encouraged, not because they will delight in the pain which their opponents will experience but because their punishment will mean the believers' vindication - it will demonstrate that they were indeed God's people and their enemies were his enemies. Second is the assurance of this verse, that their suffering will end with Christ's return as judge. As those who are troubled (thlibô as in v. 6), the readers will receive "relief," a[nesi" ( anesis ), signifying a cessation of their suffering (cf. 2 Cor 8:13).

Though for readability the NIV supplies another verb, "give," here, "relief" is in fact also the object of "pay back" in v. 6. This relief is, in other words, the just retribution which the faithful receive for their endurance of tribulation (cf. Rom 8:18; 2 Cor 4:7-18). Briefly reminding the readers that they are not alone in their suffering for the kingdom, Paul inserts "and to us as well," literally "with us." The Thessalonians had, of course, firsthand familiarity with Paul's sufferings (1 Thess 1:6; 2:2, 16; Acts 17:5-9). As persecution is by nature the experience of all Christians (1 Thess 3:3-4; 2 Tim 3:12), both the apostle and his converts can expect it. But without the assurance that God will bring an end to it with the punishment of the persecutors, the reality of his justice and his commitment to his people could not be maintained.

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

The description of Christ's return here, in contrast to the one in 1 Thess 4:16-17, provides details that emphasize his power as victor and judge. His revelation (ajpokavluyi" [ apokalypsis ], rendered as a verb, "is revealed," in the NIV) will mean the full disclosure of his divine authority, which has remained hidden to the world (cf. 1 Cor 2:7-8; 2 Cor 4:3-4). So his revelation will be "from heaven," not so much stressing the angle in the sky from which he will make his appearance as the fact that he has since his ascension been at the supreme place of authority. Elsewhere angels are pictured as accompanying Christ in his return (Matt 24:31; 25:31) and more generally as agents of the final judgment (Matt 13:39; Mark 8:38; 13:37; Luke 12:8; often in Revelation). Here they are "powerful" angels, literally "angels of power," agents of the Lord's own power which will be exercised in final judgment.

"Blazing fire" could be connected either to the Lord's return in v. 7 or his judgment in v. 8 (in the Greek text the corresponding phrase occurs after "angels of power"). The NIV has taken it with v. 7, which has the virtue of understanding the three prepositional phrases as parallel descriptions of the Lord's revelation. Paul's phrase is literally "a fire of flame," another example of a redundant expression used for emphasis.

Fire has a rich background on which Paul draws. In the Old Testament it is closely associated with the visible manifestation of the Lord (Gen 15:17; Exod 3:2-3; 19:18; Judg 6:21; 13:20; Num 14:14; Isa 4:5; Ezek 1:27) and with his judgment (Gen 19:24; Exod 9:24; Lev 10:2; Num 11:1; 16:35; 2 Kgs 1:10; Isa 66:15-16; Ezek 38:22; 39:6; Joel 2:30; Amos 1:4, 7; Mal 4:1). In intertestamental apocalyptic literature it is associated with the heavenly world ( 1 Enoch 14:9-22) and the final judgment ( 1 Enoch 102:1; 2 Apoc. Bar. 37:1; 48:39; 2 Esdr 13:10-11; Jub. 9:15; 3:10; 1QS 2:8; 4:13; 1QH 17:13). The same associations are found in the New Testament (Matt 3:10; 7:19; Luke 3:9; 9:45; John 15:6; Rev 1:15; 4:5; 2:18; 10:1; 11:5; 19:12). So as Paul addresses these Christians under persecution, the combination of images here would evoke a powerful response of confidence and eager anticipation.

1:8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

The judgment to be received by the persecutors is one which they share with all of God's opponents. The basis for that judgment is not just the trouble which they have caused for the Christians. The full measure of their crime must be taken by the standard of God's revelation. Not knowing God is in the language of the Old Testament especially characteristic of the Gentiles (Ps 79:6). For Paul this ignorance is not merely a result of circumstances for which one is not responsible. Because God's "eternal power and divine nature," though invisible, have been revealed in creation, all people, including Gentiles who do not have the Scriptures, are culpable for their willful rejection of knowledge of God (Rom 1:18-23, esp. v. 20; cf. Acts 14:15-17; 17:22-28; 1 Thess 4:5).

But Paul is specifically focused here on those who persecute Christians, so these can be characterized by their rejection of the distinctive Christian message, the gospel of Jesus. This turn of phrase is ironic: "gospel" signifies "good news," so to reject such a message is especially reprehensible. While it has been argued that these two phrases describe Gentiles and Jews respectively, Paul can easily say that Jews like Gentiles have rejected the knowledge of God which they have received (Rom 2:1-29; cf. Isa 1:3) or that Gentiles like Jews have disobeyed (Rom 11:30-32). Both descriptions, therefore, apply comprehensively to all of those who oppose God and his people in Christ. It is also worth noting that here Paul assumes that the gospel is a message to be not only believed but also obeyed (cf. Rom 1:5). These whom the Lord will punish are those who disobey continually; the participle translated "who . . . do not obey" is in the present tense.

Thus, the punishment due these people is not the egotistic retaliation of a jilted deity but the measured and just retribution for their crime as it is fully understood. "Punish" translates a participial phrase, divdonte" ejkdivkhsin (didontes ekdikçsin), literally "giving vengeance," the noun again the one found in Deut 32:35 (cf. Rom 12:19). Seen as the deliberate rejection of the Creator and violent opposition to his salvation (cf. 1 Thess 2:15-16), their sin demands the punishment which Paul will now describe.

1:9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

Again Paul's language is retributive: "they will be punished" is literally "they will pay the punishment." Eternal destruction is the fitting penalty for those who have treated the eternal God with the contempt described in v. 8. Though the phrase translated "everlasting destruction," o[leqron aijwvnion (olethron aiônion; cf. 1 Thess 5:3), could refer to annihilation - the ceasing to exist for eternity, Paul amplifies the sense of this phrase with what follows, a close parallel to Isa 2:10, 19, 21. The relationship between the destruction and the exclusion is even clearer when it is noted that "shut out" has been inserted by the NIV. Literally the text reads "everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his strength."

Thus, Paul apparently understands the "destruction" to refer not to an end to conscious existence, terrible as that would be, but as the eternal exclusion from God's presence. This is certainly fitting punishment for the crime of having rejected knowledge of God and his good news of salvation. "Destruction" would thus signify "ruin," the utter failure to realize the purpose of one's existence, namely the eternal fellowship with God that Paul here describes (cf. 1 Thess 4:17; Rom 8:17-18, 30; 2 Cor 4:17; Phil 3:21). The reference to God's power here further underlines his ability to carry out his sentence and his enemies' inability to escape it.

The "Lord" here is the Lord Jesus, as the next verse shows. Marshall notes that with the use of Isaiah's language for Yahweh here (Isa 2:10, 19, 21), Paul applies to Jesus scriptural language for God. Other clear allusions to Christ's deity appear later in the chapter (v. 12).

1:10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.

The contrast between the response of the persecutors with their destiny and the response of the believers with theirs is sharply drawn here. Again Paul's language is probably based on the Old Testament, since it shows a striking similarity to the LXX of Ps 88:6 (89:7) and 67:36 (68:35). Those who have rejected God will be excluded from his glory (dovxa, doxa , v. 9); those who have believed will glorify (ejndoxavzw, endoxazô), that is, they will acknowledge and extol God's glory. His "holy" people are literally "holy ones," which could refer, as in 1 Thess 3:13, to angels (see comments above). However, as in that text, Paul more likely uses the term to refer to Christians as those who belong to God.

This sense contrasts well with the preceding discussion of those who are excluded from God's presence and parallels the next one, "all those who have believed." This phrase again contrasts with the description in v. 8. With "all" it emphasizes that Christ's coming will have its effect on more than just the first readers of this letter; they belong to a great fellowship of God's people. "Marvel" translates qaumavzw (thaumazô), a word often used for the reverence of those who witness a manifestation of God or his work (e.g., Matt 8:27; 9:33; 15:31; 21:10; Mark 5:20; Luke 8:25; 11:14; Rev. 13:3). With both verbs Paul uses the preposition ejn ( en ), translated first as "in" and then as "among." Among the prepositions which Paul could have used, this one suggests the presence of Christ among or in the midst of the people who praise him.

"On the day" refers to "the day of the Lord" (cf. 1 Thess 5:2 and comments above). The possibility that this day was past is the issue that troubles the Thessalonians (cf. 2:2). Paul's use of the phrase here is redundant: the Greek sentence reads, "when he comes . . . in that day." But the redundancy points to the teaching which Paul will spell out in 2:1-12, namely that "the day of the Lord" (2:2) cannot have arrived unless the vindication of his people and defeat of his enemies is complete.

This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

This sentence is an expansion of a much shorter remark which Paul has somewhat awkwardly inserted into the sentence, perhaps as a result of dictating it orally. Literally the text simply reads, "Because our testimony to you was believed." However, the awkwardness makes Paul's emphasis clearer. By repeating "believed," he has explicitly identified the readers with those who will marvel at the Lord. The implication, made explicit by the NIV's expanded translation, is that the Thessalonians can look forward to participating in the great worship celebration that will issue from the Lord's return. Just as their persecutors actually belong to a much larger group under judgment (vv. 6, 9), so they belong to a great host who will receive blessing. For a small group of persecuted believers, the expectation of belonging to a vast, eternal gathering of God's people would give strong encouragement.

C. THE CONTENT OF PAUL'S PRAYER (1:11-12)

¹¹ 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. ¹² 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. ^a

^a 12 Or God and Lord, Jesus Christ

The sentence begun in v. 3 continues here, but the content has distinctly shifted from a statement of thanksgiving to a description of Paul's prayers for the readers' future. The prayer focuses generally on the their ongoing steadfastness in light of the larger purpose of God which Paul has just discussed. The prayer, in other words, is that the readers would remain faithful during the present persecution, knowing that God will be faithful to fulfill his purpose to bring them safely to full fellowship with him (cf. 1 Thess 5:23).

1:11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count your worthy of his calling,

As elsewhere, Paul stresses that his prayers for the church are constant: the verb is in the Greek present tense and modified by pavntote ( pantote , "constantly"), which reinforces the continuing aspect of the tense. These prayers are based on the believer's confidence in God's final deliverance and judgment at Christ's return (see above); therefore, they have as their object the fulfillment of God's saving objective. His call was extended to them for their salvation (1 Thess 2:12), which will be theirs not by being "worthy" but being counted "worthy" through God's grace (v. 12 below).

and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

But God's grace compels a fitting response. The recipients of the call must maintain the faith by which they first received the call, putting that faith into action (cf. Eph 2:10; 4:1) despite the opposition which they presently experience. To do otherwise is to number oneself with those described in vv. 6, 8. But this is accomplished ultimately not by the believer's own efforts. The "act prompted by your faith" is certainly the believers act, but Paul calls on God to "fulfill" it. Likewise "by his power" translates a Greek phrase placed at the end of the clause, a point of emphasis putting further stress on God's work in the lives of the suffering faithful. "Every good purpose of yours" is an ambiguous phrase: it could refer either to God's good purpose of salvation for the believers or their purpose to do good. If it connects more closely with the calling, God's purpose is emphasized (cf. Eph 1:5, 9: Phil 2:13); if it is taken as a parallel to "act prompted by your faith," the believers' purpose is intended (Rom 10:1; Phil 1:15). The link to the following phrase is a close one and so more likely determines the sense.

1:12 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.

Paul has already stated that the Lord's glory among his people will be the outcome of his return (v. 10). Now he reiterates that point, but without specifying whether the glorification is present or future. No doubt Paul understands it as both. As Christ will be glorified among his saints at his return, so now he is glorified by them - and they by him - as, united with him, they live out their calling faithfully by his power.

To glorify the "name" is a common way in the Old Testament of expressing the exaltation of God; Paul's application of it to Jesus is consistent with his belief in Jesus' deity. But potentially clearer in this regard is the last phrase of this verse. "Our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" represents a Greek phrase in which one definite article governs two nouns, which is normally used to indicate that the two nouns constitute a single unit in some respect. Though it is possible that Paul simply followed his habits in including the article in the phrase "the grace of [the] God" and omitting it with "Lord Jesus Christ," the possibility that the structure is deliberate cannot be dismissed. This unity could be in the giving of grace rather than in absolute identity, but even then Paul could hardly name Jesus as the source of grace with God if he did not conceive of Jesus as divine.The NIV's footnote reflects the stronger interpretation of this structure.

Paul again focuses on grace as the principle undergirding the entire relationship between the Lord and his people. The readers' faithful putting into practice of their calling and the consequent glorification of Jesus is finally a working out of his grace. By the demonstration of his grace in the lives of those who have received it, the Lord's true majesty is made clear.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

McGarvey: 2Th 1:11

To which end [i. e., with a view to this glorious consummation; viz.: of being glorified in Christ] we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and every work of faith, with power ;

Introduction / Outline

Robertson: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

Second Thessalonians

From Corinth a.d. 50 Or 51

By Way of Introduction

It is plain that First Thessalonians did not settle all the difficulties in Thessalonica. With some there was precisely the opposite result. There was some opposition to Paul’s authority and even defiance. So Paul repeats his " command" for discipline (2Th_3:6) as he had done when with them (2Th_3:10). He makes this Epistle a test of obedience (2Th_3:14) and finds it necessary to warn the Thessalonians against the zeal of some deceivers who even invent epistles in Paul’s name to carry their point in the church (2Th_2:1.), an early instance of pseudepigraphic " Pauline" epistles, but not for a " pious" purpose. Paul’s keen resentment against the practise should make us slow to accept the pseudepigraphic theory about other Pauline Epistles. He calls attention to his own signature at the close of each genuine letter. As a rule he dictated the epistle, but signed it with his own hand (2Th_3:17). Paul writes to calm excitement (Ellicott) and to make it plain that he had not said that the Second Coming was to be right away.

This Epistle is a bit sharper in tone than the First and also briefer. It has been suggested that there were two churches in Thessalonica, a Gentile Church to which First Thessalonians was sent, and a Jewish Church to which Second Thessalonians was addressed. There is no real evidence for such a gratuitous hypothesis. It assumes a difficulty about his sending a second letter to the same church that does not exist. The bearer of the first letter brought back news that made a second necessary. It was probably sent within the same year as the first.

JFB: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

Its GENUINENESS is attested by POLYCARP [Epistle to the Philippians, 11], who alludes to 2Th 3:15. JUSTIN MARTYR [Dialogue with Trypho, p. 193.32], alludes to 2Th 2:3. IRENÆUS [Against Heresies, 7.2] quotes 2Th 2:8. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA [Miscellanies, 1.5, p. 554; The Instructor, 1.17], quotes 2Th 3:2, as Paul's words. TERTULLIAN [On the Resurrection of the Flesh, 24] quotes 2Th 2:1-2, as part of Paul's Epistle.

DESIGN.--The accounts from Thessalonica, after the sending of the first Epistle, represented the faith and love of the Christians there as on the increase; and their constancy amidst persecutions unshaken. One error of doctrine, however, resulting in practical evil, had sprung up among them. The apostle's description of Christ's sudden second coming (1Th 4:13, &c., and 1Th 5:2), and the possibility of its being at any time, led them to believe it was actually at hand. Some professed to know by "the Spirit" (2Th 2:2) that it was so; and others alleged that Paul had said so when with them. A letter, too, purporting to be from the apostle to that effect, seems to have been circulated among them. (That 2Th 2:2 refers to such a spurious letter, rather than to Paul's first Epistle, appears likely from the statement, 2Th 3:17, as to his autograph salutation being the mark whereby his genuine letters might be known). Hence some neglected their daily business and threw themselves on the charity of others, as if their sole duty was to wait for the coming of the Lord. This error, therefore, needed rectifying, and forms a leading topic of the second Epistle. He in it tells them (2Th. 2:1-17), that before the Lord shall come, there must first be a great apostasy, and the Man of Sin must be revealed; and that the Lord's sudden coming is no ground for neglecting daily business; that to do so would only bring scandal on the Church, and was contrary to his own practice among them (2Th 3:7-9), and that the faithful must withdraw themselves from such disorderly professors (2Th 3:6, 2Th 3:10-15). Thus, there are three divisions of the Epistle: (1) 2Th 1:1-12. Commendations of the Thessalonians' faith, love, and patience, amidst persecutions. (2) 2Th. 2:1-17. The error as to the immediate coming of Christ corrected, and the previous rise and downfall of the Man of Sin foretold. (3) 2Th. 3:1-16. Exhortations to orderly conduct in their whole walk, with prayers for them to the God of peace, followed by his autograph salutation and benediction.

DATE OF WRITING.--AS the Epistle is written in the joint names of Timothy and Silas, as well as his own, and as these were with him while at Corinth, and not with him for a long time subsequently to his having left that city (compare Act 18:18, with Act 19:22; indeed, as to Silas, it is doubtful whether he was ever subsequently with Paul), it follows, the place of writing must have been Corinth, and the date, during the one "year and six months" of his stay there, Act 18:11 (namely, beginning with the autumn of A.D. 52, and ending with the spring of A.D. 54), say about six months after his first Epistle, early in A.D. 53.

STYLE.--The style is not different from that of most of Paul's other writings, except in the prophetic portion of it (2Th 2:1-12), which is distinguished from them in subject matter. As is usual in his more solemn passages (for instance, in the denunciatory and prophetic portions of his Epistles, for example, compare Col 2:8, Col 2:16, with 2Th 2:3; 1Co 15:24-28, with 2Th 2:8-9; Rom 1:18, with 2Th 2:8, 2Th 2:10), his diction here is more lofty, abrupt, and elliptical. As the former Epistle dwells mostly on the second Advent in its aspect of glory to the sleeping and the living saints (1Th. 4:1-5:28), so this Epistle dwells mostly on it in its aspect of everlasting destruction to the wicked and him who shall be the final consummation of wickedness, the Man of Sin. So far was Paul from laboring under an erroneous impression as to Christ's speedy coming, when he wrote his first Epistle (which rationalists impute to him), that he had distinctly told them, when he was with them, the same truths as to the apostasy being about first to arise, which he now insists upon in this second Epistle (2Th 2:5). Several points of coincidence occur between the two Epistles, confirming the genuineness of the latter. Thus, compare 2Th 3:2, with 1Th 2:15-16; again, 2Th 2:9, the Man of Sin "coming after the working of Satan," with 1Th 2:18; 1Th 3:5, where Satan's incipient work as the hinderer of the Gospel, and the tempter, appears; again, mild warning is enjoined, 1Th 5:14; but, in this second Epistle, when the evil had grown worse, stricter discipline (2Th 3:6, 2Th 3:14): "withdraw from" the "company" of such.

Paul probably visited Thessalonica on his way to Asia subsequently (Act 20:4), and took with him thence Aristarchus and Secundus: the former became his "companion in travel" and shared with him his perils at Ephesus, also those of his shipwreck, and was his "fellow prisoner" at Rome (Act 27:2; Col 4:10; Phm 1:24). According to tradition he became bishop of Apamea.

JFB: 2 Thessalonians (Outline)

• ADDRESS AND SALUTATION: INTRODUCTION: THANKSGIVING FOR THEIR GROWTH IN FAITH AND LOVE, AND FOR THEIR PATIENCE IN PERSECUTIONS, WHICH ARE A TOKEN FOR GOOD EVERLASTING TO THEM, AND FOR PERDITION TO THEIR ADVERSARIES AT CHRIST'S COMING: PRAYER FOR THEIR PERFECTION. (2Th 1:1-12)
• CORRECTION OF THEIR ERROR AS TO CHRIST'S IMMEDIATE COMING. THE APOSTASY THAT MUST PRECEDE IT. EXHORTATION TO STEADFASTNESS, INTRODUCED WITH THANKSGIVING FOR THEIR ELECTION BY GOD. (2Th. 2:1-17)
• HE ASKS THEIR PRAYERS: HIS CONFIDENCE IN THEM: PRAYER FOR THEM: CHARGES AGAINST DISORDERLY IDLE CONDUCT; HIS OWN EXAMPLE: CONCLUDING PRAYER AND SALUTATION. (2Th. 3:1-18)

TSK: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

The First Epistle to the Thessalonians, it is generally agreed, was the earliest written of all St. Paul’s epistles, whence we see the reason and propriety of his anxiety that it should be read in all the Christian churches of Macedonia. - " I charge you by the Lord, that this Epistle be read unto all the holy brethren" (1Th 5:27). " The existence of this clause," observes Dr. Paley, " is an evidence of its authenticity; because, to produce a letter, purporting to have been publicly read in the church at Thessalonica, when no such letter had been read or heard of in that church, would be to produce an imposture destructive of itself. Either the Epistle was publicly read in the church of Thessalonica, during St. Paul’s lifetime, or it was not. If it was, no publication could be more authentic, no species of notoriety more unquestionable, no method of preserving the integrity of the copy more secure. If it was not, the clause would remain a standing condemnation of the forgery, and one would suppose, an invincible impediment to its success." Its genuineness, however, has never been disputed; and it has been universally received in the Christian church, as the inspired production of St. Paul, from the earliest period to the present day. The circumstance of this injunction being given, in the first epistle which the Apostle wrote, also implies a strong and avowed claim to the character of an inspired writer; as in fact it placed his writings on the same ground with those of Moses and the ancient prophets. The second Epistle, besides those marks of genuineness and authority which it possesses in common with the others, bears the highest evidence of its divine inspiration, in the representation which it contains of the papal power, under the characters of " the Man of sin," and the " Mystery of iniquity." The true Christian worship is the worship of the one only God, through the one only Mediator, the man Christ Jesus; and from this worship the church of Rome has most notoriously departed, by substituting other mediators, invocating and adoring saints and angels, worshipping images, adoring the host, etc. It follows, therefore, that " the Man of sin" is the Pope; not only on account of the disgraceful lives of many of them, but by means of their scandalous doctrines and principles; dispensing with the most necessary duties, selling pardons and indulgences for the most abominable crimes, and perverting the worship of God to the grossest superstition and idolatry. It was evidently the chief design of the Apostle, in writing to the Thessalonians, to confirm them in the faith, to animate them to a courageous profession of the Gospel, and to the practice of all the duties of Christianity; but to suppose, with Dr. Macknight, that he intended to prove the divine authority of Christianity by a chain of regular arguments, in which he answered the several objections which the heathen philosophers are supposed to have advanced, seems quite foreign to the nature of the epistles, and to be grounded on a mistaken notion, that the philosophers designed at so early a period to enter on a regular disputation with the Christians, when in fact they derided them as enthusiasts, and branded their doctrines as " foolishness." In pursuance of his grand object, " it is remarkable," says Dr. Doddridge, " with how much address he improves all the influence which his zeal and fidelity in their service must naturally give him, to inculcate upon them the precepts of the gospel, and persuade them to act agreeably to their sacred character. This was the grand point he always kept in view, and to which every thing else was made subservient. Nothing appears, in any part of his writings, like a design to establish his own reputation, or to make use of his ascendancy over his Christian friends to answer any secular purposes of his own. On the contrary, in this and in his other epistles, he discovers a most generous, disinterested regard for their welfare, expressly disclaiming any authority over their consciences, and appealing to them, that he had chose to maintain himself by the labour of this own hands, rather than prove burdensome to the churches, or give the least colour of suspicion, that, under zeal for the gospel, and concern for their improvement, he was carrying on any private sinister view. The discovery of so excellent a temper must be allowed to carry with it a strong presumptive argument in favour of the doctrines he taught....And, indeed, whoever reads St. Paul’s epistles with attention, and enters into the spirit with which they were written, will discern such intrinsic characters of their genuineness, and the divine authority of the doctrines they contain, as will, perhaps, produce in him a stronger conviction than all the external evidence with which they are attended." These remarks are exceedingly well grounded and highly important; and to no other Epistles can they apply with greater force than the present most excellent productions of the inspired Apostle. The last two chapters of the first epistle, in particular, as Dr. A. Clarke justly observes, " are certainly among the most important, and the most sublime in the New Testament. The general judgment, the resurrection of the body, and the states of the quick and the dead, the unrighteous and the just, are described, concisely indeed, but they are exhibited in the most striking and affecting points of view."

TSK: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

2Th 1:1, Paul certifies them of the good opinion which he had of their faith, love, and patience; 2Th 1:11, and therewithal uses divers reasons for the comforting of them in persecution, whereof the chief is taken from the righteous judgment of God.

Poole: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

ARGUMENT

(deutera . This is well called the Second or latter Epistle to these Thessalonians, for so it is; though Grotius would have it the first, if not sent, yet first written.)

The apostle being yet hindered from coming to them, and understanding some mistake of what he wrote in his former Epistle about the coming of Christ, he thereupon sends this Second Epistle; where, after his usual salutation, he gives thanks for them, and hearing of the continuance of their faith and patience under all their persecutions, he glories in them; and then comforts them by arguments taken from the righteous judgment of God, and the different manner and effect of Christ’ s coming, both to themselves and all the saints that believe, and to their adversaries, and all that knew not God, nor obeyed the gospel; and then prays for the perfecting of their faith to the glorifying the name of Christ, 2Th 1:1-12 . But hearing they were shaken in their minds about the time of Christ’ s coming, as if it should be presently, in the age wherein they lived, he doth vehemently caution them against such a mistake: and tells them of a great apostacy, and the revelation of the man of sin, which innst precede that day, which he doth particularly describe in the manner and effects thereof: but speaks of these Thessalonians with thanksgiving to God, as such as God had chosen, and called to obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus; and then prays for their comfort and establishment, 2Th 2:1-17 . He next proceeds to desire their prayers, both with respect to the success of the ministry, and the safety of the persons who were employed therein; and declares his confidence in them that God would establish them, and that they would obey the commandments they had received from them: and gives them some further commandments about such in the church as did walk disorderly; and so concludes his Epistle with prayers for their peace, and recommending them to the grace of Jesus Christ, 2Th 3:1-18 .

Chapter Summary

2Th 1:1,2 The salutation.

2Th 1:3-5 Paul certifieth the Thessalonians of the good

opinion which, he had of their faith, love, and patience.

2Th 1:6-10 Of the righteous judgment of God in punishing their

enemies, and recompensing their sufferings,

2Th 1:11,12 and of his prayers that God would fulfil his

gracious purpose in them.

Ver. 1,2. These two verses are the same as in the former Epistle, and therefore I proceed.

MHCC: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

The second epistle to the Thessalonians was written soon after the first. The apostle was told that, from some expressions in his first letter, many expected the second coming of Christ was at hand, and that the day of judgment would arrive in their time. Some of these neglected their worldly duties. St. Paul wrote again to correct their error, which hindered the spread of the gospel. He had written agreeably to the words of the prophets of the Old Testament; and he tells them there were many counsels of the Most High yet to be fulfilled, before that day of the Lord should come, though, because it is sure, he had spoken of it as near. The subject led to a remarkable foretelling, of some of the future events which were to take place in the after-ages of the Christian church, and which show the prophetic spirit the apostle possessed.

MHCC: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

(2Th 1:1-4) The apostle blesses God for the growing state of the love and patience of the Thessalonians.

(2Th 1:5-12) And encourages them to persevere under all their sufferings for Christ, considering his coming at the great day of account.

Matthew Henry: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians

This Second Epistle was written soon after the former, and seems to have been designed to prevent a mistake, which might arise from some passages in the former epistle, concerning the second coming of Christ, as if it were near at hand. The apostle in this epistle is careful to prevent any wrong use which some among them might make of those expressions of his that were agreeable to the dialect of the prophets of the Old Testament, and informs them that there were many intermediate counsels yet to be fulfilled before that day of the Lord should come, though, because it is sure, he had spoken of it as near. There are other things that he writes about for their consolation under sufferings, and exhortation and direction in duty.

Matthew Henry: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

After the introduction (2Th 1:1, 2Th 1:2) the apostle begins this epistle with an account of his high esteem for these Thessalonians (2Th 1:3, 2Th 1:4). He then comforts them under their afflictions and persecutions (2Th 1:5-10) and tells them what his prayers were to God for them (2Th 1:11, 2Th 1:12).

Barclay: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF PAUL

The Letters Of Paul

There is no more interesting body of documents in the New Testament than the letters of Paul. That is because of all forms of literature a letter is most personal. Demetrius, one of the old Greek literary critics, once wrote, "Every one reveals his own soul in his letters. In every other form of composition it is possible to discern the writercharacter, but in none so clearly as the epistolary." (Demetrius, On Style, 227). It is just because he left us so many letters that we feel we know Paul so well. In them he opened his mind and heart to the folk he loved so much; and in them, to this day, we can see that great mind grappling with the problems of the early church, and feel that great heart throbbing with love for men, even when they were misguided and mistaken.

The Difficulty Of Letters

At the same time, there is often nothing so difficult to understand as a letter. Demetrius (On Style, 223) quotes a saying of Artemon, who edited the letters of Aristotle. Artemon said that a letter ought to be written in the same manner as a dialogue, because it was one of the two sides of a dialogue. In other words, to read a letter is like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. So when we read the letters of Paul we are often in a difficulty. We do not possess the letter which he was answering; we do not fully know the circumstances with which he was dealing; it is only from the letter itself that we can deduce the situation which prompted it. Before we can hope to understand fully any letter Paul wrote, we must try to reconstruct the situation which produced it.

The Ancient Letters

It is a great pity that Paulletters were ever called epistles. They are in the most literal sense letters. One of the great lights shed on the interpretation of the New Testament has been the discovery and the publication of the papyri. In the ancient world, papyrus was the substance on which most documents were written. It was composed of strips of the pith of a certain bulrush that grew on the banks of the Nile. These strips were laid one on top of the other to form a substance very like brown paper. The sands of the Egyptian desert were ideal for preservation, for papyrus, although very brittle, will last forever so long as moisture does not get at it. As a result, from the Egyptian rubbish heaps, archaeologists have rescued hundreds of documents, marriage contracts, legal agreements, government forms, and, most interesting of all, private letters. When we read these private letters we find that there was a pattern to which nearly all conformed; and we find that Paulletters reproduce exactly that pattern. Here is one of these ancient letters. It is from a soldier, called Apion, to his father Epimachus. He is writing from Misenum to tell his father that he has arrived safely after a stormy passage.

"Apion sends heartiest greetings to his father and lord Epimachus.

I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are

going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my brother.

I thank my Lord Serapis [his god] that he kept me safe when I was

in peril on the sea. As soon as I got to Misenum I got my journey

money from Caesar--three gold pieces. And things are going fine

with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a line, first to let

me know how you are, and then about my brothers, and thirdly, that

I may kiss your hand, because you brought me up well, and because

of that I hope, God willing, soon to be promoted. Give Capito my

heartiest greetings, and my brothers and Serenilla and my friends.

I sent you a little picture of myself painted by Euctemon. My

military name is Antonius Maximus. I pray for your good health.

Serenus sends good wishes, Agathos Daimonboy, and Turbo,

Galloniuson." (G. Milligan, Selections from the Greek Papyri,

36.)

Little did Apion think that we would be reading his letter to his father 1800 years after he had written it. It shows how little human nature changes. The lad is hoping for promotion quickly. Who would Serenilla be but the girl he left behind him? He sends the ancient equivalent of a photograph to the folk at home. Now that letter falls into certain sections. (i) There is a greeting. (ii) There is a prayer for the health of the recipients. (iii) There is a thanksgiving to the gods. (iv) There are the special contents. (v) Finally, there are the special salutations and the personal greetings. Practically every one of Paulletters shows exactly the same sections, as we now demonstrate.

(i) The Greeting: Rom_1:1 ; 1Co_1:1 ; 2Co_1:1 ; Gal_1:1 ; Eph_1:1 ; Phi_1:1 ; Col_1:1-2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:1 .

(ii) The Prayer: in every case Paul prays for the grace of God on the people to whom he writes: Rom_1:7 ; 1Co_1:3 ; 2Co_1:2 ; Gal_1:3 ; Eph_1:2 ; Phi_1:3 ; Col_1:2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:2 .

(iii) The Thanksgiving: Rom_1:8 ; 1Co_1:4 ; 2Co_1:3 ; Eph_1:3 ; Phi_1:3 ; 1Th_1:3 ; 2Th_1:3 .

(iv) The Special Contents: the main body of the letters.

(v) Special Salutations and Personal Greetings: Rom 16 ; 1Co_16:19 ; 2Co_13:13 ; Phi_4:21-22 ; Col_4:12-15 ; 1Th_5:26 .

When Paul wrote letters, he wrote them on the pattern which everyone used. Deissmann says of them, "They differ from the messages of the homely papyrus leaves of Egypt, not as letters but only as the letters of Paul." When we read Paulletters we are not reading things which were meant to be academic exercises and theological treatises, but human documents written by a friend to his friends.

The Immediate Situation

With a very few exceptions, all Paulletters were written to meet an immediate situation and not treatises which he sat down to write in the peace and silence of his study. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. He was not in the least thinking of us when he wrote, but solely of the people to whom he was writing. Deissmann writes, "Paul had no thought of adding a few fresh compositions to the already extant Jewish epistles; still less of enriching the sacred literature of his nation.... He had no presentiment of the place his words would occupy in universal history; not so much that they would be in existence in the next generation, far less that one day people would look at them as Holy Scripture." We must always remember that a thing need not be transient because it was written to meet an immediate situation. All the great love songs of the world were written for one person, but they live on for the whole of mankind. It is just because Paulletters were written to meet a threatening danger or a clamant need that they still throb with life. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.

The Spoken Word

One other thing we must note about these letters. Paul did what most people did in his day. He did not normally pen his own letters but dictated them to a secretary, and then added Ws own authenticating signature. (We actually know the name of one of the people who did the writing for him. In Rom_16:22 Tertius, the secretary, slips in his own greeting before the letter draws to an end). In 1Co_16:21 Paul says, "This is my own signature, my autograph, so that you can be sure this letter comes from me." (compare Col_4:18 ; 2Th_3:17 .)

This explains a great deal. Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, because his sentences begin and never finish; his grammar breaks down and the construction becomes involved. We must not think of him sitting quietly at a desk, carefully polishing each sentence as he writes. We must think of him striding up and down some little room, pouring out a torrent of words, while his secretary races to get them down. When Paul composed his letters, he had in his mindeye a vision of the folk to whom he was writing, and he was pouring out his heart to them in words that fell over each other in his eagerness to help.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS TO THE THESSALONIANS

Paul Comes To Macedonia

For anyone who can read between the lines the story of Paulcoming to Macedonia is one of the most dramatic in the book of Acts. Luke, with supreme economy of words, tells it in Act_16:6-10 . Short as that narrative is, it gives the impression of a chain of circumstances inescapably culminating in one supreme event. Paul had passed through Phrygia and Galatia and ahead of him lay the Hellespont. To the left lay the teeming province of Asia, to the right stretched the great province of Bithynia; but the Spirit would allow him to enter neither. There was something driving him relentlessly on to the Aegean Sea. So he came to Alexandrian Troas, still uncertain where he ought to go; and then there came to him a vision in the night of a man who cried, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." Paul set sail, and for the first time the gospel came to Europe.

One World

At that moment Paul must have seen much more than a continent for Christ. It was in Macedonia that he landed; and Macedonia was the kingdom of Alexander the Great, who had conquered the world and wept because there were no more worlds left to conquer. But Alexander was much more than a military conqueror. He was almost the first universalist. He was more a missionary than a soldier; and he dreamed of one world dominated and enlightened by the culture of Greece. Even so great a thinker as Aristotle had said that it was a plain duty to treat Greeks as free men and orientals as slaves; but Alexander declared that he had been sent by God "to unite, to pacify and to reconcile the whole world." Deliberately he had said that it was his aim "to marry the East to the West." He had dreamed of an Empire in which there was neither Greek nor Jew, barbarian or Scythian, bond or free (Col_3:11 ). It is hard to see how Alexander could have failed to be in Paulthoughts. Paul left from Alexandrian Troas which was called after Alexander; he came to Macedonia which was Alexanderoriginal kingdom; he worked at Philippi which was called after Philip, Alexanderfather; he went on to Thessalonica which was called after Alexanderhalf-sister. The whole territory was saturated with memories of Alexander; and Paul must surely have thought, not of a country nor of a continent, but of a world for Christ.

Paul Comes To Thessalonica

This sense of the wide-stretching arms of Christianity must have been accentuated when Paul came to Thessalonica. It was a great city. Its original name was Thermal, which means The Hot Springs, and it gave its name to the Thermaic Gulf on which it stood. Six hundred years ago Herodotus had described it as a great city. It has always been a famous harbour. It was there that Xerxes the Persian had his naval base when he invaded Europe; and even in Roman times it was one of the worldgreat dockyards. In 315 B.C. Cassander had rebuilt the city and renamed it Thessalonica, the name of his wife, who was a daughter of Philip of Macedon and a half-sister of Alexander the Great. It was a free city; that is to say it had never suffered the indignity of having Roman troops quartered within it. It had its own popular assembly and its own magistrates. Its population rose to 200,000 and for a time it was a question whether it or Constantinople would be recognized as the capital of the world. Even today, under the name Salonika, it has 70,000 inhabitants.

But the supreme importance of Thessalonica lay in this--it straddled the Via Egnatia, the Egnatian Road, which stretched from Dyrrachium on the Adriatic to Constantinople on the Bosphorus and thence away to Asia Minor and the East. Its main street was part of the very road which linked Rome with the East. East and West converged on Thessalonica; it was said to be "in the lap of the Roman Empire." Trade poured into her from East and West, so that it was said, "So long as nature does not change, Thessalonica will remain wealthy and prosperous."

It is impossible to overstress the importance of the arrival of Christianity in Thessalonica. If Christianity was settled there, it was bound to spread East along the Egnatian Road until all Asia was conquered and West until it stormed even the city of Rome. The coming of Christianity to Thessalonica was crucial in the making of it into a world religion.

PaulStay At Thessalonica

The story of Paulstay at Thessalonica is in Act_17:1-10 . Now, for Paul, what happened at Thessalonica was of supreme importance. He preached in the synagogue for three Sabbaths (Act_17:2 ) which means that his stay there could not have been much more than three weeks in length. He had such tremendous success that the Jews were enraged and raised so much trouble that Paul had to be smuggled out, in peril of his life, to Beroea. The same thing happened in Beroea (Act_17:10-12 ) and Paul had to leave Timothy and Silas behind and make his escape to Athens. What exercised his mind was this. He had been in Thessalonica only three weeks. Was it possible to make such an impression on a place in three weeksime that Christianity was planted so deeply that it could never again be uprooted? If so, it was by no means an idle dream that the Roman Empire might yet be won for Christ. Or was it necessary to settle down and work for months, even years, before an impression could be made? In that event, no man could even dimly foresee when Christianity would penetrate all over the world. Thessalonica was a test case; and Paul was torn with anxiety to know how it would turn out.

News From Thessalonica

So anxious was Paul that, when Timothy joined him at Athens, he sent him back to Thessalonica to get the information without which he could not rest (1Th_3:1-2 , 1Th_3:5 ; 1Th_2:17 ). What news did Timothy bring back? There was good news. The affection of the Thessalonians for Paul was as strong as ever; and they were standing fast in the faith (1Th_2:14 ; 1Th_3:4-6 ; 1Th_4:9-10 ). They were indeed "his glory and Ws joy" (1Th_2:20 ). But there was worrying news.

(i) The preaching of the Second Coming had produced an unhealthy situation in which people had stopped working and had abandoned all ordinary pursuits to await the Second Coming with a kind of hysterical expectancy. So Paul tells them to be quiet and to get on with their work (1Th_4:11 ).

(ii) They were worried about what was to happen to those who died before the Second Coming arrived. Paul explains that those who fall asleep in Jesus will miss none of the glory (1Th_4:13-18 ).

(iii) There was a tendency to despise all lawful authority; the argumentative Greek was always in danger of producing a democracy run mad (1Th_5:12-14 ).

(iv) There was the ever-present danger that they would relapse into immorality. It was hard to unlearn the point of view of generations and to escape the contagion of the heathen world (1Th_4:3-8 ).

(v) There was at least a section who slandered Paul. They hinted that he preached the gospel for what he could get out of it (1Th_2:5 , 1Th_2:9 ); and that he was something of a dictator (1Th_2:6-7 , 1Th_2:11 ).

(vi) There was a certain amount of division in the Church (1Th_4:9 ; 1Th_5:13 ).

These were the problems with which Paul had to deal; and they show that human nature has not changed so very much.

Why Two Letters?

We must ask why there are two letters. They art, very much alike and they must have been written within weeks, perhaps days of each other. The second letter was written mainly to clear up a misconception about the Second Coming. The first letter insists that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, and urges watchfulness (1Th_5:2 ; 1Th_5:6 ). But this produced the unhealthy situation where men did nothing but watch and wait; and in the second letter Paul explains what signs must come first before the Second Coming should come (2Th_2:3-12 ). The Thessalonians had got their ideas about the Second Coming out of proportion. As so often happens to a preacher, Paulpreaching had been misunderstood, and certain phrases had been taken out of context and over-emphasized; and the second letter seeks to put things back in their proper balance and to correct the thoughts of the excited Thessalonians regarding the Second Coming. Of course, Paul takes occasion in the second letter to repeat and to stress much of the good advice and rebuke he had given in the first, but its main aim is to tell them certain things which will calm their hysteria and make them wait, not in excited idleness, but in patient and diligent attendance to the daywork. In these two letters we see Paul solving the day to day problems which arose in the expanding Church.

FURTHER READINGS

Thessalonians

J. E. Frame, Thessalonians (ICC; G)

G. Milligan, St. PaulEpistles to the Thessalonians (MmC; G)

W. Neil, The Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians (MC; E)

Abbreviations

CGT: Cambridge Greek Testament

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC: Moffatt Commentary

MmC: Macmillan Commentary

TC: Tyndale Commentary

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

Barclay: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Lift Up Your Hearts (2Th_1:1-10)

Constable: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Historical background

This epistle contains evidence that Paul had recently heard news about current conditions in the Thessalonian church. Probably most of this information came to him from the person who had carried 1 Thessalonians to its recipients and had returned to Paul at Corinth. Perhaps other people who had news of the church had informed Paul, Silas, and Timothy also. Some of the news was good. The majority of the Thessalonians were continuing to grow and to remain faithful to Christ in spite of persecution. Unfortunately some of the news was bad. False teaching concerning the day of the Lord had entered the church and was causing confusion and leading some of the Christians to quit their jobs in expectation of the Lord's return.

In view of these reports Paul evidently felt constrained to write this epistle. He commended his children in the faith for their growth and faithfulness, corrected the doctrinal error about the day of the Lord, and warned the idle to get back to work.

Almost all conservative scholars believe that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians from Corinth. The basis for this conclusion is that Paul, Silas, and Timothy were present together in Corinth (Acts 18:5). The New Testament does not refer to them being together from then on, though they may have been. Paul evidently wrote 1 Thessalonians from Corinth. The topics he treated in the second epistle seem to grow out of situations he alluded to in the first epistle. They reflect a very similar situation in the Thessalonian church. Corinth, therefore, seems the logical site of composition of 2 Thessalonians.

For these reasons it appears that Paul composed 2 Thessalonians quite soon after 1 Thessalonians, perhaps within 12 months.¹ This would place the date of composition in the early 50's A.D., perhaps 51 A.D., and would make this the third of Paul's canonical writings assuming Galatians was his first.

"The external evidence for the Pauline authorship of 2 Thessalonians is stronger than for 1 Thessalonians."²

Purpose

Three purposes are evident from the contents of the epistle. Paul wrote to encourage the Thessalonian believers to continue to persevere in the face of continuing persecution (1:3-10). He also wanted to clarify events preceding the day of the Lord to dispel false teaching (2:1-12). Finally, he instructed the church how to deal with lazy Christians in their midst (3:6-15).

Message³

We could contrast 1 and 2 Thessalonians by saying that Paul wrote the first epistle primarily to comfort the Thessalonians whereas he wrote the second epistle primarily to correct them.

Paul had said some things in his first epistle from which his readers drew a false conclusion. He had said that Christ would return and His return could be very soon (1 Thess. 4:15-18). He also said the day of the Lord would come as a thief in the night, unexpectedly (1 Thess. 5:2).

In view of what Paul had taught the Thessalonians about the day of the Lord when he was with them (2 Thess. 2:5), they wondered if that day had already begun. They wondered if they were in the Tribulation and if the second coming of Christ was imminent. Teaching from several other sources that confirmed their suspicions (2 Thess. 2:2) intensified their questions about Paul's statements regarding future events that he had written in 1 Thessalonians.

The apostle wrote 2 Thessalonians to correct these erroneous ideas. The return of Christ of which Paul had written was not His second coming but the Rapture. While the day of the Lord would arrive unexpectedly it would be unexpected only by unbelievers. Several predicted events would precede its commencement.

The central message of this epistle is the truth about the day of the Lord.

Paul made an important distinction in this epistle about future events.

In 1 Thessalonians he taught that the Lord's return could take place very soon and that the day of the Lord would come as a thief in the night. Consequently he urged his readers to wait expectantly for the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16-17; 5:2).

In 2 Thessalonians he wrote that the day of the Lord cannot begin immediately. Therefore his readers should continue their work (2 Thess. 2). These statements may seem contradictory, but they are not.

Paul distinguished these two truths in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. The distinction is between "our gathering together to Him" (v. 1) and "the day of the Lord" (v. 2). He wrote verses 1-12 to show the difference between the first event and the second period.

Paul also gave definite new revelation about the day of the Lord.

He said that presently the mystery of lawlessness is at work (2:7). Paul did not say the mystery of "sin" or "evil" but "lawlessness." He did so because lawlessness (rebellion against divine law) is the root trouble with human life individually, socially, nationally, and in every other sphere. The "mystery" of lawlessness is the new revelation he expounded here concerning the course of lawlessness in the world and history, in space and time.

Second, he revealed that in the future God will remove what is presently restraining lawlessness (2:7). The restrainer probably refers to the Holy Spirit who indwells the church. Lawlessness produces corruption, but the church is the salt of the earth, and salt prevents the spread of corruption. Lawlessness also produces darkness, but the church is the light of the world, and light dispels darkness. Lawlessness is presently working, but what keeps it from running wild is the Holy Spirit's ministry through Christian men and women.

Third, Paul announced that in the future there will also be a crisis: the man of lawlessness will be revealed (2:8). When will God withdraw the Spirit from the world? He will do so when He withdraws the church from the world. When will He withdraw the church from the world? He will do so at "our gathering together to Him" (v. 1, i.e., the Rapture). After that, the human leader of lawlessness will appear. He will be entirely godless, but he will be such a remarkable character that he will convince most people that he is divine. This is the Antichrist.

Finally, Paul taught that after this crisis Jesus Christ will return to the earth to set up His kingdom (2:8). He will come when the man of lawlessness is the prominent character on the stage of history. However when Christ comes, He will destroy this Antichrist and curtail lawlessness (cf. Ps. 2).

In view of this revelation Paul called on his readers to do two things.

First, he called on them to be courageous. He did not want them to be mentally upset (2:2) but comforted and established (2:17). A clear understanding of the course of future events and the time of the Lord's return is essential for the mental and spiritual encouragement and stability of Christians. We need this to be courageous in the face of all the lawlessness we encounter in the world. Give this to the people you serve in ministry.

Second, Paul called his readers to responsible conduct. He instructed them to go on with life, to wait but also to work. Christians must behave responsibly by providing for our own needs. The hope of Christ's imminent return at the Rapture is no excuse for irresponsibility. Paul was not just urging activity (witnessing, praying, etc.) but specifically earning a living.

The gravest danger we face in our world today is not socialism or communism or fascism but lawlessness specifically refusal to submit to God's laws. The person who lives this way is anti-Christ.

We need to recognize this danger for what it is and to combat it by being salt and light in the world. However, we should also remember that Christ will eventually be victorious. This will keep us from becoming frantic and losing our stability.

Each of us also needs to make sure lawlessness does not characterize our personal lives. We must be submissive to divine rule if we would be consistent and confident Christians.

Outline⁴

I. Salutation 1:1-2

II. Commendation for past progress 1:3-12

A. Thanksgiving for growth 1:3-4

B. Encouragement to persevere 1:5-10

C. Prayer for success 1:11-12

III. Correction of present error 2:1-12

A. The beginning of the day of the Lord 2:1-5

B. The mystery of lawlessness 2:6-12

IV. Thanksgiving and prayer 2:13-17

A. Thanksgiving for calling 2:13-15

B. Prayer for strength 2:16-17

V. Exhortations for future growth 3:1-15

A. Reciprocal prayer 3:1-5

1. Prayer for the missionaries 3:1-2

2. Prayer for the Thessalonians 3:3-5

B. Church discipline 3:6-15

1. General principles respecting disorderly conduct 3:6-10

2. Specific instructions concerning the idle 3:11-13

3. Further discipline for the unrepentant 3:14-15

VI. Conclusion 3:16-18

Constable: 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

THE SECOND

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO THE THESSALONIANS.

INTRODUCTION.

In this epistle St. Paul admonishes the Thessalonians to be constant in the faith of Christ, and not to be terrified by the insinuations of false teachers, telling them that the day of judgment was near at hand, as there must come many signs and wonders before it. He bids them to hold firm the traditions received from him, whether by word or by epistle; and shews them how they may be certain of his letters by the manner he writes. This epistle was written soon after the former, and also from Corinth, about A.D. 52. (Challoner; Witham) --- From the context we learn that the present is a continuation of the former epistle. He not only rectifies wrong impressions caused by his former letter, but finding that those indolent characters whom he had reprimanded were no ways corrected, he determines to reprimand them still more severely in this letter, which he tells us he writes because he has it not in his power to visit, as he could wish, the Thessalonians.

====================

Gill: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 2 THESSALONIANS

This second epistle was written, not from Athens, as the subscription testifies, nor from Rome, as Athanasius ^a supposes; but from Corinth, from whence was sent the former, and where the apostle and Timothy, and Silvanus met; and which was sent about half a year after the other. The design of which is to comfort and support the Thessalonians under the afflictions and persecutions they endured for the sake of the Gospel; and to rectify a mistake they had gone into, and which might be occasioned by what the apostle had said in his former epistle, concerning the second coming of Christ, as though it was just at hand; which might lead them to neglect their worldly business, and duties of civil life, and give the enemies of the Gospel an advantage against the whole of it as false, should not this prove true; as also to exhort this church to take notice of disorderly persons such as were idle, and busy bodies, and withdraw from them, and remove them from their communion, as being not only burdensome to them, but a reproach to their profession.

Gill: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 2 THESSALONIANS 1

This chapter, besides the inscription and salutation, contains a thanksgiving for the flourishing condition in which the graces of the Spirit were in these saints, and consolation for them under their suffering circumstances. The inscription and salutation are in 2Th 1:1 and are as usual: the thanksgiving is in 2Th 1:3 for the growth of their faith, the abounding of their love, and their constant patience under persecutions and afflictions, insomuch that the apostle also gloried of them for these things among other churches, 2Th 1:4 and as an encouragement to them to continue patient under sufferings, he observes that this was a token of the righteous judgment of God, and that they were reckoned worthy of his kingdom for which they suffered, 2Th 1:5 and of which righteous judgment they might be assured, from the nature of God himself, whose justice required a retribution of vengeance to their persecutors, and rest to them with the apostles, 2Th 1:6 the time of which rest and ease is pointed at, as that it will be at the coming of Christ; which is described by the place from whence he comes, heaven; by his retinue, his mighty angels; by the manner in which he shall come, in flaming fire; and by the vengeance he will execute: the objects of which are also described, by their ignorance of God, and by their disobedience to the Gospel of Christ; and by the nature of the punishment inflicted on them, which will lie in an expulsion from the presence, power, and glory of God, and in an everlasting destruction of soul and body, 2Th 1:7 but as for them, the persecuted saints, and which is mentioned for their comfort, Christ shall at this day be glorified and admired in them, and by them, 2Th 1:10 wherefore the apostle prays for this perseverance of them, that the good work of faith might be performed in them, and they enjoy the glory they were called unto; and that Christ might be glorified in them, and they in him; not according to their works, but according to the grace of God through him, 2Th 1:11.

College: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION

The pressures of persecution, apparent in 1 Thessalonians, have intensified in this letter. In its three brief chapters the reader perceives the vital importance for suffering believers of confident hope in the Lord's return. Likewise intensified is the problem of idleness. In the face of abuses of Christian generosity, 2 Thessalonians gives a sharp reminder of the individual Christian's duty to live as a responsible member of the community, hard-working and self-supporting.

Much of what was said about the circumstances and organization of 1 Thessalonians can also be affirmed of the second letter (see introduction to 1 Thessalonians above). But unlike 1 Thessalonians, this letter presents two major critical problems. Brief attention will be given to these below.

AUTHORSHIP

Unlike 1 Thessalonians, the second letter has widely been taken as a pseudepigraph, composed after Paul's death by one of his followers who used 1 Thessalonians as a model. Several lines of evidence have been cited to support the hypothesis that 2 Thessalonians is not an authentic letter of Paul.

One of these concerns the letter's eschatology. While 1 Thessalonians emphasized that the Lord's return was imminent, that is, that it could occur at any time (5:1-11), 2 Thessalonians appears to propose a series of preliminary signs which must occur before the Lord can return (2:1-12). If this is indeed the case, then, it is argued, that the tension between the two letters is such that Paul could not have written both. More particularly, it is often argued that the less imminent expectation of 2 Thessalonians reflects a later period in the life of the church, when the vivid expectation that the Lord would return within the lifetime of the first generation of Christians had been disappointed. If so, then it is clearly a production of the generation after the apostle Paul.

Secondly, it is argued that the tone of 2 Thessalonians is considerably colder and more formal than 1 Thessalonians. As an example, "we ought to thank" in 2 Thess 1:3; 2:13 is regarded as less warm than "we thank" in 1 Thess 1:2. Likewise, the repeated use of "command" in 2 Thess 3:6, 12 is said to reflect a less intimate relationship between the writer and the readers. Such a shift in tone is thought to be unlikely if Paul had written both letters, especially if 1 Thessalonians was written first, but is entirely to be expected if the second letter was a pseudepigraph.

Thirdly, the background of the readers appears to be different. 1 Thess 1:9 appears to indicate a predominantly Gentile audience, but in 2 Thessalonians references to the final judgment (1:6-10) and the man of lawlessness (2:1-12) appear to assume knowledge that could be expected only of Jews. It is consequently argued that the second letter was not written for the same church, indicating that the addressee and so also the author named in the salutation are fictions.

Combined with these concerns is the literary style of 2 Thessalonians. In some respects it closely resembles 1 Thessalonians, following a similar outline (including a double thanksgiving: 1 Thess 1:2-10; 2:13-16; 2Thess 2 Thess 1:3-12; 2:13-17) and discussing similar themes (eschatology, idleness). However, it has been argued that the sentence structure of 2 Thessalonians is significantly different from the undisputed letters of Paul. In particular, 2 Thess 2:3-12 is a more complex sentence than is found elsewhere in Paul's letters, constructions with the genitive are more frequent, and subordinating conjunctions are more numerous. Likewise it is argued that a number of terms and concepts from Paul's authentic letters are used in a different sense in 2 Thessalonians. The combination of similarity and dissimilarity is said to point to a post-Pauline imitator, who at some points incorporated elements of Paul's style and substance from 1 Thessalonians and at others reflected followed his own course.

The force of these arguments is considerable, and a large number of contemporary scholars have been persuaded by them to reject Pauline authorship of this letter. However, the idea that 2 Thessalonians is pseudepigraphical is itself problematic. It is first of all difficult to understand why someone would write 2 Thessalonians and ascribe it to Paul, since presumably it contained nothing so controversial as to demand the apostle's authority for its acceptance. Furthermore, if written by a later imitator, that person knew only 1 Thessalonians, since the major parallels are only with that letter. Such a situation would be surprising for a second-generation disciple of Paul. The reference to the temple in 2:4 gives no indication that the Jerusalem temple has been destroyed by the Romans, again surprising if the letter were written near the end of the first century when the fall of Jerusalem was well known. Furthermore, 3:6-15 give every appearance of having been written to a specific congregation in response to a particular problem. It would be most unusual for a letter to be written to specific church in the name of Paul after his death and not be detected as a pseudepigraph. And if all in the church recognized the fiction and accepted it as such, we must explain how the later church forgot the origins of the letter, since all external evidence affirms that Paul is the author (Marcion, c. A.D. 150, and the Muratorian Canon, c. A.D. 180, both ascribe it to Paul). These considerations make the hypothesis of pseudepigraphy less than likely.

In fact, each argument for pseudepigraphy can be explained on the hypothesis that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians himself. The eschatological tension in fact has less to do with a lessening of expectancy than is often allowed. Exegesis of 2:1-12 in the comments below will indicate that what Paul discusses here is probably not a series of preliminary signs but the present reality that evil and the Evil One appear to dominate and that such dominance is itself proof that the Lord has not yet returned. In this case, there is absolutely no tension between the eschatology of the first and second letters. However, even if this interpretation should be wrong, it is not impossible that Paul would express a different perspective on the Lord's coming in 2 Thessalonians and not view it as contradictory, just as he does in 1 Cor 15:1-58, which stresses the general resurrection, and 2 Cor 5:1-10, which stresses individual immortality.

Likewise, the change in tone between the two letters can be explained by the change in circumstances. In 1 Thessalonians part of Paul's concern was to reassure the readers of his affection for them despite his absence. That need having been met, the second letter - preoccupied with the persecution of the church, the problem about the Lord's return and the idleness of some members - reflects less of the personal warmth emphasized in the first. Furthermore, if Paul used a different amanuensis for each letter, or if Silas and Timothy had different roles in the composition of each letter, the tone and style could easily have changed.

The change from a Gentile to a Jewish background is more apparent than real. As noted in the introduction to 1 Thessalonians, that letter includes a number of phrases which assume knowledge of the Old Testament and Judaism. The Jewish orientation of the second letter is more explicit but hardly necessitates a different audience. This observation also obviates the need for other hypotheses, such as that Paul sent the two letters to two different factions of the church, one Gentile and the other Jewish, or that he sent the first letter to the church at large and the second to the leaders of the church.

The stylistic differences between 2 Thessalonians and the other letters of Paul are real, but they can be exaggerated. The complexity of sentences and concentration of subordinating conjunctions are in fact not two matters but one, since complex sentences require subordinating conjunctions. The sentence of 1:3-12 is exceptional, but it is approximated in Ephesians and Colossians. The authorship of those letters is also disputed, but to base an argument for one letter's inauthenticity on its similarity with another questioned letter is to build a supposition on another supposition. It would be fairer to admit that in a short letter like 2 Thessalonians, a few unusual expressions may create a false impression of stylistic variance. Furthermore, it is admitted by all that Paul's style changed with each letter. Only in Romans, for example, do we find the rhetorical question, "What shall we say then?" (3:5; 4:1; 6:1; 7:7; 8:31; 9:14, 30), and no one disputes the authenticity of Romans on that basis. Alleged differences in the use of key terms and presentation of concepts have likewise been exaggerated. Paul's usage elsewhere is often more flexible than some critics will allow. And 2 Thessalonians contains some Paulinisms which would have been difficult for an imitator to compose. The combination of similarities and differences between the two Thessalonians letters and between the second and the rest of the Pauline corpus is at least as consistent with the hypothesis that Paul wrote both under changing circumstances as it is with the hypothesis of a pseudepigrapher.

Thus, though the controversy over the authorship of this letter is likely to continue among scholars, the arguments against Paul's authorship are not sufficient to overturn the testimony of the letter itself and of the early church. By nature of the case, evidence to prove the authenticity of an ancient document always falls short of absolute proof. But those who have accepted 2 Thessalonians as a genuine letter of Paul can do so with integrity, knowing that the balance of evidence favors their conclusion.

ORDER AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF WRITING

The traditional assumption has always been that 2 Thessalonians was written not long after 1 Thessalonians, while Paul was still in Corinth. Paul had apparently received a report, perhaps from Timothy after the delivery of the first letter, of ongoing problems in the Thessalonian church. The persecution had not abated, misunderstandings about the Lord's return continued, and the willfully idle had not repented. Therefore, Paul composed a second letter to address the developing situation, probably only months after writing the first.

There have been several scholars who have questioned the traditional order, however, postulating that 2 Thessalonians was in fact written first. The traditional order of Paul's letters, these have argued, is based not on chronology but length, longer letters of Paul being placed before shorter ones in the canon. Therefore, internal considerations alone, the evidence of the letters themselves, must determine the order of writing.

The most recent and important advocate of the priority of 2 Thessalonians is Charles Wanamaker. His argument, which in the main follows a line marked out by others, may be summarized as follows. First, the persecution of 2 Thess 1:4-7 appears to be a matter of the past in 1 Thess 2:14. Secondly, the idlers of 2 Thess 3:6-15 appear to be a new problem, while 1 Thess 4:10-12 and 5:14 address it as something well known and already under control. Thirdly, the signature of 2 Thess 3:17 appears to be more fitting in Paul's first letter to the church. Fourth, the eschatological teaching of 1 Thess 4:13-5:11, especially in light of the remark in 5:1 that the readers had no need of such instruction because they had received it before, is more coherently explained if it is an elaboration on 2 Thess 2:1-12, especially if some implications of that passage had been misunderstood. On the other hand, if the church had already received 1 Thess 4:13-5:11, it is difficult to see how they would have concluded that the day of the Lord had already come (2 Thess 2:2), since the dead had not yet been raised and united with the living in the Lord's presence (1 Thess 4:17). Therefore, Wanamaker argues with earlier advocates of the hypothesis that 2 Thessalonians was written by Paul after he received a vague report about problems in the Thessalonian church and was delivered by Timothy in the visit described in 1 Thess 3:1-10.

While Wanamaker has succeeded in showing how little evidence there actually is for the priority of 1 Thessalonians, the case for the priority of 2 Thessalonians is far from proved. External evidence must be weighed also: Marcion apparently referred to 1 Thessalonians as the first letter despite the fact that he did not arrange his canon by length. As far as internal matters are concerned, if 2 Thessalonians was the first letter, it is surprising that Paul makes no reference to it in 1 Thessalonians as a part of his passionate discussion of his prior work with the Thessalonian church (2:1-12) and his attempts to return to them since his departure (2:17-20). Wanamaker suggests that the mention of Timothy's visit may be a tacit reference to it, since Timothy can be assumed to have carried some letter from Paul on this visit. Still, one might expect a more specific mention of so substantial a letter as 2 Thessalonians had it been written first. On the other hand, the references to letters in 2 Thess 2:2, 15; 3:17 are at least consistent with the idea that 1 Thessalonians had already been received, though they do not demand it.

If 1 Thessalonians is prior, as the slight balance of probability suggests, we can assume that the persecution of the church, which may have abated after Paul's departure, has heated up again, or at least that the church is in greater turmoil because of it. Likewise, we must assume that the church's misunderstanding of the Lord's return in 2:2 occurred despite the logical force of 1 Thess 4:13-18. Also, the idle who were warned briefly in 1 Thess 4:11-12 and 5:14 did not heed that warning. Such developments will surprise those who assume that human behavior is always reasonable and orderly, but those who have experienced the give and take of pastoral leadership will recognize that churches and Christians, like stocks, seldom move in a straight line. Against such a background Paul dictated his second letter, seeking to correct the church's course and reinforce its growth.

THEOLOGICAL VALUE

2 Thessalonians focuses primarily on three issues: persecution, the Lord's return, and the problem of idleness. Each has remarkable relevance for today's church.

Persecution is perhaps less a part of the experience of Christians in North America than in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, for many Christians it remains a real threat. More broadly, all believers experience the hostility of unbelievers at various points, and all can be subject to the hurt of their ridicule, even if they are relatively safe from physical violence. 2 Thessalonians provides the important reminder that God notices such suffering and promises to bring vindication for his people. The suffering of the church will one day end.

Likewise, the pervasive dominance of evil, obvious to every modern observer, will one day end as well. Whatever the precise nature of the "man of lawlessness" (2:3), Paul certainly focuses attention on his present activity (2:9-12). Christians who wonder whether their faith is true when they see the opponents of Christianity with the upper hand have their answer in this letter. Evil will continue to run rampant in this age, but when Christ returns, he will utterly destroy every manifestation of it and the One who stands behind it. The goodness and faithfulness of God can be trusted to answer every aspect of injustice in this age.

Unemployment, underemployment and wide gaps in income are no less a social reality now than they were for Paul's readers. And so the need for Christian charity continues as it did in the first century. But the dangers inherent in such sharing are still real as well. Paul's reminders about the need for personal responsibility and self-support (3:6-12), coupled with the reminder to continue in good works of generosity (3:13) are messages to be heeded as today's church considers its role in addressing the pressing issues of poverty and the failures of the secular welfare state.

The observation that problems had intensified since Paul wrote his first letter contains a pertinent message in itself. Even in Paul's ministry, the life of the church was characterized by trouble as much as progress. Yet through such trouble the work and will of God are accomplished. Christians frustrated by the one-step-forward-two-steps-back trajectory of the church can take heart that in similar circumstances the great apostle still found much for which to give thanks and boast (1:3-4; 2:13-14). God's will, which will be fully realized only when Christ returns, is even now being worked out in the life of the church, even when outwardly it appears defeated.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

College: 2 Thessalonians (Outline)

OUTLINE

I. GREETING - 1:1-2

II. OPENING THANKSGIVING, ENCOURAGEMENT AND PRAYER - 1:3-12

A. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Growth and Endurance in Persecution- 1:3-4

B. Encouragement in Light of God's Judgment - 1:5-10

C. The Content of Paul's Prayer - 1:11-12

III. INSTRUCTION ON THE LORD'S RETURN - 2:1-12

A. The Day of the Lord Not Yet Present - 2:1-2

B. The Apostasy and the Man of Lawlessness - 2:3-12

1. The Apostasy and the Revelation of the Man of Lawlessness - 2:3

2. A Description of the Man of Lawlessness - 2:4

3. Reminder of Oral Instruction on the Subject - 2:5

4. The One Who Restrains/Prevails - 2:6-10

5. God's Consequent Actions - 2:11-12

IV. RENEWED THANKSGIVING, ENCOURAGEMENT AND PRAYER - 2:13-17

A. Thanksgiving for the Salvation of the Thessalonians- 2:13-14

B. Encouragement to Remain Faithful to the Traditions Delivered by Paul - 2:15

C. Prayer for the Lord's Encouragement and Strength - 2:16-17

V. EXHORTATIONS - 3:1-16

A. General Exhortations - 3:1-5

B. Exhortations Regarding Church Discipline - 3:6-15

1. Exclusion of the Willfully Idle - 3:6-13

2. Exclusion of the Disobedient - 3:14-15

VI. CONCLUSION - 3:16-18

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV