2 Thessalonians 1 · ESV Study Bible

Greeting

2 THESSALONIANS 1 [†] a Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

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

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

3[†] b We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, [1] as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4[†]Therefore c we ourselves boast about you d in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith e in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

5[†]This is f evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be g considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6[†]since indeed God considers it h just i to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7[†]and to grant j relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when k the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven l with his mighty angels 8[†] m in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those n who do not know God and on those who o do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9[†]They will suffer the punishment of p eternal destruction, q away from [2] the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10[†] r when he comes on s that day t to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our u testimony to you v was believed. 11[†]To this end we w always pray for you, that our God may x make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every y work of faith by his power, 12[†]so that the name of our Lord Jesus z may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:9 When Jesus comes again, unbelievers will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, a ruinous and unending judgment of separation from Jesus. Against the idea of the final annihilation of unbelievers, see Matt. 25:46; Rev. 14:9–11.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:12 according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The glorification of Christ’s name in the Thessalonians occurs when they exalt him as Lord in their daily lives.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:11–12 Prayer Report. Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians is that God will make them worthy of their calling, so that Jesus may be glorified in them.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:4 The Thessalonians are so highly thought of that Paul and his coworkers boast about them to other churches of God concerning their steadfastness and faith in the context of unrelenting and severe persecutions and afflictions.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:10 when he comes. The punishment of unbelievers and the reward of believers both occur on the day of the Lord (that day), when Jesus comes to save his people. Confusion regarding the timing of the day of the Lord is a major problem in Thessalonica (2:2). Paul’s description of the day in 1:7b–10 would have helped to alleviate the crisis. Jesus will at that time be glorified in his saints, that is, his glory will be seen in them (see Rom. 8:17–18, 30). saints. Lit., “holy ones” (plural of Gk. hagios). Believers will be fully and finally transformed so that they are holy and blameless at the second coming (see 1 Thess. 3:13; 5:23–24). In addition, Jesus will be marveled at among all who have believed. Paul assumes that the Thessalonian Christians are included in this group, so he writes because our testimony to you was believed. To proclaim the gospel is to bear “testimony” to the saving act of God in Christ.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:1–2 Opening. Paul’s opening here is very similar to 1 Thess. 1:1 (see note). On authorship, see Introduction: Author and Title. The fact that all three missionaries are still together suggests that 2 Thessalonians was written shortly after 1 Thessalonians.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:8 in flaming fire. Jesus the judge will be awesome and devastating, and he will instill fear in the hearts of unbelievers. See Isa. 66:15–16; Dan. 7:9–10.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:6–7a No one can doubt the fairness of God’s judgment when he dispenses justice according to lex talionis (the principle of an eye for an eye): those now afflicting (Gk. thlibō) the Thessalonian Christians will be afflicted (Gk. thlipsis, a noun from the same root), and the afflicted believers will get relief at the second coming. as well as to us. The Thessalonians are not alone with respect to their suffering for Christ or their destiny when Jesus returns.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:11 To this end. That is, in view of vv. 5–10. our God. Paul unites himself with the Thessalonians with respect to God. make you worthy. Having declared that the Thessalonian Christians will be considered worthy (Gk. kataxioō) of the kingdom when Jesus the judge comes (v. 5), Paul’s prayer for them is that they may even now be made worthy (Gk. axioō) of this calling (see 1 Thess. 2:12). resolve for good. A God-imparted resolution to do good. work of faith. Work inspired by faith.

2 THESSALONIANS—NOTE ON 1:7b The just judgment of God comes in fullness at the second coming, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven (cf. 1 Thess. 4:16–17). Jesus is called “Lord,” which identifies him as Yahweh who executes final judgment (see Isaiah 64; 66; cf. Introduction to Mark: Key Themes).