A message of comfort and hope amid persecution
This study is the fifteenth in a series of studies on the books of the New Testament
(2 Thessalonians – read in 5 minutes)
…do not grow weary in doing good.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NKJV)
You cannot read 2 Thessalonians without realising that suffering is an intrinsic part of a dedicated Christian life, and not necessarily an indication of any wrongdoing.
Paul begins with effusive praise, which then moves the context of this praise to what they are suffering, and why they are suffering. He acknowledges they have been ‘troubled’ and by enemies of the gospel. He then moves to the hope of the future when they will have rest. The letter challenges the false teaching that Christ had already returned (2 Thessalonians 2:2), certainly troubling the group of people who comprised the church. It would suggest they had missed out – not counted worthy. So, an obvious question would be, when will this happen? Paul’s answer is clear: ‘…when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven…’ (2 Thess 1:7). It is pictured as dramatic, not something that could be ignored, and Paul indicates that it will be a time of reckoning for those ‘who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (v.8). These are presumably people who have already heard the gospel – maybe even originally accepted it – but tried to turn it into something else more in line with their previous beliefs and practices.
This letter, like the first letter to the Thessalonians, includes a timeline – a roadmap for the return of Jesus Christ. It is more detailed and includes some references which are somewhat enigmatic, both to Christians then, and in today’s world. The letter moves into a warning phase and it leaves a lot of questions. Who is the ‘man of sin’? What is the ‘mystery of lawlessness’? Who is he who ‘now restrains’? The source of all these things is identified as evil – emanating from Satan – and we don’t need to be able to fill in the details to know that Satan is capable of producing ‘signs and lying wonders’ that are able to deceive people and lead them away from the truth of the gospel. (2 Thessalonians 2: 3-10).
Paul then provides comfort in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, an antidote to the fear and worry that might have been created by the earlier sections of the letter. He reminds them that God can provide the protection from evil.
In this short letter, Paul includes four prayers for the Thessalonians, positioned at the end of each chapter as well as another at the beginning of chapter 3. He prays that God would find them worthy of their calling (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12); that they would be comforted and demonstrate good works (2 Thess 2:16-17); that the Lord would lead them into love and patience (2 Thess 3:3), and that ‘…the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way.’ (v.16).
These prayers, in this carefully constructed letter, effectively sum up the message of the epistle.
Prayer
Father we pray, as Paul prayed, for the Thessalonians, that we may be worthy of our calling to preach the gospel, that we may experience comfort from you, that you would guide us into good works built on love and patience, and that we may experience your peace. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Maggie Mitchell
Maggie Mitchell attends the Northampton congregation of Grace Communion International and is Chair of the Pastoral Council
Local congregation:
GCI Northampton
Ecton Village Hall
78A High Street
Ecton
Northampton
NN6 0QB
Local congregational contact:
Maggie Mitchell
Email: maggie.mitchell@btinternet.com
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church