FAITH, LOVE AND PERSEVERANCE

2 Thessalonians chapter 1

Introduction

The second letter to the believers in Thessalonica was written by Paul not long after the first. Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy were still with him (v.1) and the same conditions prevailed in that church - faith, love and persecution (v.3-4). Also some among the believers still had misconceptions about the Coming of the Lord (2:2-3). These and other difficulties are addressed by the apostle in this letter.

Preface – verses 1 and 2

This letter begins the same way as the first and adds that donors of grace and peace are God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith, love and perseverance – verses 3 and 4

Paul is still full of gratitude to God for the good testimony of the believers in Thessalonica. Despite the persecution that afflicted them incessantly, they continued to demonstrate love and perseverance (patience) in their conduct.

a) Their faith is growing, that is, they were getting to know God more and more - He becomes more real, closer and more powerful to them as they obeyed Him in the midst of much suffering as believers in Christ.

b) Also the persecutions were developing in them the love toward each other. They felt and perceived, through the common sufferings, that they were really "brethren," bound by the same Spirit in eternal brotherhood, loving each other with beyond human love.

c) Their hope gave them patience, or perseverance, in Christian life. Afflicted, persecuted and hated by the world (especially by the Jews who rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Saviour), the Christians kept the precious hope of the coming of Christ according to His own promises (John 14:3, Acts 1:11) already taught by the apostle. This hope gave them strength, constancy and perseverance - and great pleasure to Paul, "we boast of you in the churches of God."

The judgement of God – v.5 to 10

The faith, love and hope of those believers, all showing being shown on their patience and perseverance in the midst of trials, clearly indicated that they were members or subjects of the kingdom of God. They showed the true characteristics of God's people, a people which is prepared to suffer persecution and outrage because of His name.

But such suffering will not continue for ever; God is the righteous Judge and "consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29) that will take vengeance on all that is being done to His people (Romans 12:19). The Divine Judgement will fall on those who do not know God and those that do not obey the Gospel of Christ. Note that "those who do not know God" are under condemnation (see Romans 3:9-12), also those who "do not obey the gospel" for the Gospel is the means of knowing God, through repentance (Acts 17:30-31) and the faith in Christ (Acts 16:21).

When will the judgement of the disobedient and persecutors take place? Not at the coming of the Lord described in the letter (4:13-18), which will be His coming for the faithful, the true believers living in the world at that time and the faithful who have died during this current period of the Church. At the coming of the Lord, with His "bride" the Church, already prepared (Revelation 19:7, 8, 14), the believers who died during the Great Tribulation will be resurrected, and they will "will reign with Christ a thousand years" ( Revelation 20:6), but "the rest of the dead (of all times) did not live again until the thousand years were finished." (Revelation 20:5). That is, there will be no resurrection of the impenitent of any time until the day of the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11), after the Millennium.

The prayer of the apostle – v. 11 and 12

Christians have a great "calling" - that of being "witnesses" of God's grace, subjects of His kingdom (v. 5) and preachers of his Gospel (v. 8). The constant prayer of the apostle is for us to be "worthy", by the holy character in the midst of a disobedient and persecuting world, of this such high calling. In this way the Lord Jesus will be glorified in His people, and they will be glorified in Him, according to the prayer of the Saviour Himself in John 17:20-23.

Persecution cannot destroy the Church, nor can unbelief undo the truth of the Gospel. "If some did not believe, will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar." (Romans 3:3).

Richard Dawson Jones (1895 - 1987)

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,
4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer;
6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,
7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill 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 you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians chapter 1