1 Thessalonians 2:17–3:8

Original Meaning

Apostolic Action: Timothy Is Sent to Thessalonica (3:1–5)

BECAUSE OF WHAT the Thessalonians represented to Paul, he was more than a little anxious about them, and for good reason: He had been forced to leave those relatively new converts alone and without outside assistance when he and his companions were driven out of town. In a culture in which religion, properly practiced, was supposed to bring positive consequences, the “trials” experienced by the Thessalonians might well have convinced them that they had made a major mistake in abandoning their conventional religions in order to embrace Christianity. Indeed, so concerned was Paul that he, though unable to return himself, was unwilling that the Thessalonians should be left without support, and so a decision was made11 that Timothy should return as his authorized representative.12

Timothy’s task was to “strengthen” (or perhaps “firmly establish”) and “encourage” (v. 2; the same combination occurs in 2 Thess. 2:17; cf. Acts 14:22; 15:32; Rom. 1:11–12) the Thessalonian converts. The first verb (sterizo; also at 1 Thess. 3:13; 2 Thess. 2:17; 3:3) likely focuses more on their spiritual condition, while the second verb (parakaleo; also at 1 Thess. 2:12; 3:7; 4:1, 10, 18; 5:11, 14; 2 Thess. 2:17; 3:12) probably focuses more on their attitude. Essentially Timothy is to continue the process of socialization that Paul himself had begun (cf. the discussion of 2:11–12 above and Paul’s use there of the “father” metaphor)—that is, helping them both to understand and to live out what it means to be members of God’s people.

The urgency of Timothy’s mission was generated by the “trials” (NIV, which translates the same Greek word in 1:6 as “suffering”) or “persecutions” (NRSV) that the Thessalonians were currently experiencing. Whatever the precise nature of these events (see comments on 1:6), they had the potential to “unsettle” or “shake up”13 the new believers to the point of causing them to abandon their recently adopted faith. Or, as Paul puts it in 3:5, “I was afraid that in some way the tempter [.e., Satan; see comments on 2:18, above] might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.”

It was apparently the force or extent rather than the fact of the “trials”14 that generated Paul’s concern, for they could hardly have come as surprise to the Thessalonians. They well knew (3:3b), because the missionaries had more than once (notice the imperfect tense) told them ahead of time (3:4), that they would experience such “trials”15—that is, socio-religious dislocation, conflict (including persecution), and/or ostracization—if they joined the Christian movement. This is because Christians “are destined” (keimai in 3:3b; cf. Luke 2:34; Phil. 1:16) for such things (cf. Acts 14:22). That is, the “trials” that the Thessalonians experienced are not a matter of chance, fate, karma, or bad luck, nor are they unique to the Thessalonians. Rather, they are a consequence of God’s election (see comment on 1 Thess. 1:4–6), and part of the common experience of Christians everywhere (note the “we” in 3:4; cf. the believers in Judea in 2:14). Moreover, they are for Paul evidence of God’s election (1:6; cf. Rom. 8:33–39) and kingdom (cf. 2 Thess. 1:4–10), a sign that believers really are on God’s side.16 Paul’s point is clear: Properly understood, the experience of “trials” should strengthen, not weaken, one’s commitment to Jesus.

But Paul was, apparently, not convinced that the Thessalonians did properly understand how they should view their difficulties, for in 3:5 (which repeats much of the substance of vv. 1–2 and builds on the point made in vv. 3–4), Paul finally indicates the root cause for his concern. It was his fear that the Thessalonian community may have succumbed to the persecution and social pressures they were experiencing—which Paul here characterizes as the means by which Satan (“the tempter”) tempted them—and were abandoning their commitment to God, which the missionaries had so recently persuaded them to make. It was the absence of news one way or the other that Paul finally could no longer stand, and which prompted the sending of Timothy to investigate. The charge to Timothy mentioned in 3:2 indicates that Paul hoped for the best, but 3:5 reveals that he feared the worst, which would mean that all the time, love, energy, and money the missionaries had invested in Thessalonica would have been for nothing.17

Bridging Contexts

IN THE PREVIOUS section, we began by noting that this passage resumes and carries forward Paul’s discussion of his attitudes and behavior toward the Thessalonians, both while in Thessalonica (2:1–12) and since being forced to leave town unexpectedly (2:17–3:8). A major theme of this section, Paul’s continuing love of and commitment to the Thessalonians, was covered in the treatment of 2:1–12 and need not be discussed again here.

Another major theme, however, that does call for discussion here is the subject of “trials” (3:3) or “persecution” (3:4, 7). Almost from the time Paul arrived in Thessalonica, the believers had experienced “trials” as a result of their conversion to Christianity. Indeed, Paul took it for granted (to the extent that he prophesied ahead of time, 3:4) that they would experience affliction to one degree or another, simply as a result of declaring their allegiance to Christ. The conviction that “trials” are an expected consequence of following Jesus is found not only in Paul (Rom. 8:17; Phil. 1:29–30) but throughout the New Testament, both in the teaching of Jesus (Matt. 5:11–12, 44; 10:17–23; 23:34; 24:9–10) and of the apostles (Acts 9:16; 1 Peter 1:6; 3:13–17; Rev. 2:10).

The “trials” (3:3; 2 Thess. 1:4), “persecution” (1 Thess. 3:7), “suffering” (1:6), or “trouble” (2 Thess. 1:6)—the NIV uses these words to translate the same Greek word, thlipsis—that the Thessalonians were experiencing were a consequence of maintaining their allegiance to Christ and to the values he represented in the midst of a pagan culture that held to a different set of values. As we noted in our comments on 1:6, by “trials” Paul means the social and religious dislocation, conflict, persecution, ostracization, and pressure (informal as well as formal or official) experienced by new converts as a result of their conversion to a new and socially suspect religion.27

The refusal of the Thessalonian believers to participate in “normal” social and cultic activities and the exclusivity of their claim to worship the “living and true God” (1:9) would have left non-Christian friends feeling offended, resentful, or betrayed. Family members, meanwhile, would have viewed a refusal to maintain ancestral traditions as evidence of an appalling lack of concern for family responsibilities. Moreover, since civic peace, agricultural success, and freedom from natural catastrophe were thought to lie in the hands of the traditional gods, it was considered dangerous to ignore or offend them.28 It is not difficult to imagine how conversion to Christianity in such circumstances would routinely result in “trials,” that is, conflict, persecution, ostracism, and social pressure.29

Paul simply assumed that such “trials” or affliction for the sake of Jesus and the gospel would be part of the common experience of Christians (cf. 2 Tim. 3:12, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”). Can or does this expectation still hold today? In my opinion, the answer is yes, to the extent that the values of the gospel by which one lives run counter to the values of one’s surrounding culture. If we find ourselves living for the gospel as a minority in a culture whose controlling values are antithetical to those of the gospel, then our circumstances will closely parallel those of the Thessalonians, and we should expect to experience the same types of afflictions as they did. If, however, we find ourselves living as part of a cultural majority in a society whose values match closely those of the gospel, our circumstances will be quite different from those of Paul and the Thessalonians, and there would be little reason to expect the same kind of social ostracism that they experienced.

The application of Paul’s words about trials or persecution to Christians living in circumstances quite different from those of the first century—such as the Western democracies (the United States in particular), where Christianity still enjoys a certain measure of freedom, protection, and occasionally even respect—is a complex matter. How one goes about it depends a great deal on how, or on what level, one analyzes or evaluates the contemporary social situation. For example, from a purely statistical standpoint, Christians (broadly defined) comprise a dominant majority in the United States and to some extent need to be at least as concerned about being the persecutor (with respect to their treatment of Jews, Muslims, or other minorities30) rather than the persecuted. For another thing, part of what some Christians view as “persecution” is more likely a matter of the “give and take” of politics in a participatory democracy, while yet more is self-inflicted, often as a result of our own shortsightedness or stupidity. Moreover, one can argue that Christians in the United States are in greater danger of being seduced by non-Christian cultural values than of being persecuted by them.

Nevertheless, the simple statistic that Christians (broadly defined) comprise a cultural majority is misleading, for several reasons. For one thing, those who call themselves “born again” Christians (a less broad definition that probably gives a truer indication of the actual strength of Christianity in the United States) are reported to be a minority of the population. For another, even though a majority of the population claims to be broadly “Christian,” some of our culture’s most dominant, influential, and deeply held values are not. Moreover, in certain broadly influential subcultures, such as academia, the news and entertainment industry, or the arts (areas that profoundly affect and shape the culture as a whole), Christians are clearly in the minority. In addition, there is the matter of regionalism to factor into the equation: In some regions of the country, “born again” Christians are a distinct minority, while in other regions they comprise a majority of the population.

In short, the situation in the United States today is complex, and it is impossible to generalize about how different or similar our circumstances are to those of Paul and the Thessalonians. In some towns and regions, it is entirely possible to go about one’s daily or even weekly activities and not have a verbal encounter with anyone who would deny being a Christian (an experience I doubt Paul even dreamed of). At the same time, believers living in a university context or working in certain industries might regularly encounter antagonism or even hostility to Christianity on a regular basis, and would thus find themselves in circumstances roughly similar to those of the first-century believers. The key point to keep in mind when bridging contexts is that Paul has in view “trials” that arise from a conflict of values between the believer(s) and the surrounding culture.

Falling away. For some readers, the language of 3:5 (“I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless”) and 3:8 (“if you continue to stand firm in the Lord,” NRSV) raises a classic theological conundrum: Is it possible for a believer to fall away, that is, lose one’s salvation? This is, of course, one of those much-debated points of difference between Calvinists and Arminians. The latter generally argue that it is indeed possible for a believer to fall away or apostatize, while the former argue that a believer who falls away never really believed in the first place.

The answer given to this question is usually shaped as much or more by one’s overall theological framework or commitments as it is by the exegesis of any particular passage of Scripture.31 Nevertheless, to the extent that 3:5, 8 bear on the matter, Paul is genuinely concerned about the fate of his converts: “The danger of their succumbing to Satan was real, even though they had faith and even though he prayed for them.”32 What Gordon Fee says about the related passage in Philippians 2:16 is relevant here as well:

The question as to whether [Paul’s labor] could really be in vain, of course, is much debated…. The answer seems to be twofold. On the one hand, such an expression as this only makes sense if such a potential really exists; on the other hand, Paul has such confidence in God regarding his converts that it would be unthinkable to him that the potential would ever be realized.33

Satan. In discussing the meaning of 2:18 above, I briefly sketched what Paul says in his letters about Satan, a term that designates for him not just personified evil, but an evil personal being. Yet “the critical question facing modern readers of the Bible is whether such a belief is credible and meaningful today. Can we still endorse with integrity belief in the existence of a personal devil and other evil spirits?”34 To raise this question is to raise the matter of worldviews; indeed, the very form of the question betrays the influence of a particular worldview. A Western worldview shaped by Enlightenment views of science and nature is notoriously unsympathetic to the idea of spiritual beings. But such a naturalistic view of the universe (shaped by a mechanistic cause-and-effect understanding of reality) that disallows any place for spiritual beings also disallows any place for God.

To pursue this matter is beyond the scope of our discussion; my objective here is simply to point out the level at which the discussion must be conducted.35 In this respect, the observations of N. T. Wright regarding Jesus’ own understanding of his ministry as involving a struggle against “the accuser” are appropriate. With regard to the accounts of his temptation (Matt. 4:1–11) and the Beelzebub controversy (Luke 11:14–23), he writes:

How the twentieth century may choose to analyze, psychologize, explain, reduce, or otherwise translate such accounts is no great matter. It may be that, if the mainstream post-Enlightment worldview is correct, all such language must be seen as evidence of religious neurosis. One might equally well, however, wish to suggest that anyone who conceives of themselves as having a vocation—a common enough human experience—might undergo inner struggles which in many cultures would be most readily described in terms of a battle with a hostile power. What we cannot do, in the twentieth or any other century, is to deny that such self-perceptions did, and still do, characterize people of the sort, broadly speaking, that we are discovering Jesus to have been. It should be no surprise to find a description, however stylized and schematized, of such a battle. It might actually be surprising if we did not.36

What Wright says about Jesus is no less relevant to Paul, who more than once discerned in the opposition to and hindrance of his ministry the working of Satan.

Contemporary Significance

AS I MENTIONED at the beginning of the Bridging Contexts section, one of the two major themes running through this section of the letter (Paul’s continuing love of and commitment to the Thessalonians) is covered in the discussion of 2:1–12 above. Thus I will concentrate on the other major theme of this section, “trials” or “persecution.” As we do so, it will be important to keep in mind that Paul has in view in this passage not suffering as a means of godly discipline, but opposition or persecution arising from a conflict of beliefs, values, and conduct between the believer(s) and the surrounding culture.

Persecution. I am a member of the “boomer” generation, who came of age during the turbulent 60s. I have witnessed firsthand the transformation of the United States from a society in which nearly all citizens, Christian or otherwise, embraced values and ethical norms based on the Judeo-Christian moral tradition, into a society in which traditional Christian ethical teachings and values are increasingly not only ignored, but explicitly rejected by a steadily growing (as well as influential and powerful) percentage of society. As American society continues this transition from a Christian to a post-Christian culture, those who seek to live in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ can expect to encounter the kind of trials or persecution experienced by Paul and the Thessalonians, if only because the culture at large is less and less Christian. If we are serious about obeying the teachings of Jesus and the words of the apostles, we can expect to find ourselves experiencing opposition, hostility, exclusion, loss, and so forth—what Paul labels “trials”—simply because we are believers.

What form might these “trials” take? The following list is merely suggestive of what a believer might experience:

• an honest employee is fired for disrupting a company’s plans to scam consumers or for blowing the whistle on corruption and fraud;

• a law enforcement officer is ostracized and pushed out of line for a promotion by her fellow officers because she refuses to lie in order to cover up misconduct by another officer;

• a college student, the only Christian in her family, is excluded from family activities because after her graduation, she (at least from their perspective) disappoints and embarrasses her family by joining a missions organization working in the inner city rather than taking a “good job”;

• high school students experience hostility in taking a stand in an environment where social status and standing is heavily dependent on the extent to which one uses alcohol and/or drugs or is sexually active;

• families who refuse to buy into the consumer mentality of our culture, and thereby implicitly challenge those who do, are rejected by neighbors and friends;

• persons or groups who insist that as a society we do what is right and just, rather than what is merely legal or profitable, experience hostility;

• a teacher who refuses parents who demand that their child be given a grade higher than that earned by the student’s work receives harsh criticism;

• a person whose consistent pro-life ethic includes opposition not only to abortion but to the death penalty as well finds himself or herself as a “persecuted minority.”

Regardless of what we may experience in countries where Christianity enjoys a certain measure of freedom, protection, and even occasionally respect, the circumstances are vastly different in many other countries. There are substantial numbers of Christians in the world today who find themselves in a situation—that of a persecuted minority facing opposition or attack by a socially dominant group—unambiguously comparable to that of the Thessalonians. These sisters and brothers know all too well the reality of “trials” experienced for the sake of the gospel. In countries such as Laos, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and China (to mention only some), it is dangerous if not illegal to practice Christianity, and afflictions similar to those experienced by Paul and the Thessalonians—including church burnings or closings, harassment, fines, arrest, and/or imprisonment—are a constant and present reality.37

Indeed, in more than a few cases it is a matter not only of persecution but also martyrdom. Those who keep track of such matters report that more Christians may have died for their faith in the twentieth century than in the previous nineteen centuries combined.38 Forced to deny Christ in order to live, they chose to confess Jesus and die, thereby bearing witness to him as both crucified Messiah and risen Lord and to their hope of the life to come. They bear witness to what Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:

If we refuse to take up our cross and submit to suffering and rejection at the hands of men, we forfeit our fellowship with Christ and have ceased to follow him. But if we lose our lives in his service and carry our cross, we shall find our lives again in the fellowship of the cross with Christ…. To bear the cross proves to be the only way of triumphing over suffering. This is true for all who follow Christ, because it was true for him.39

For all the persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ wherever they live, we need to emphasize Paul’s words of affirmation and encouragement. For Paul, suffering for the sake of Christ and the gospel is evidence of God’s love and salvation (1:4–7; 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:5; cf. Rom. 8:17; Phil. 1:28), and is a situation in which God strengthens their faithful endurance and hope (2 Thess. 1:3–4, 11), pouring out his own love and hope:

We … rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Rom. 5:3b–5)

Moreover, it becomes “a witness to others of the truth of Christ, especially as this is seen in their ability to love others even when they are experiencing affliction” (1 Thess. 1:2–7; 2 Thess. 1:3–5).40 In short, persecution, though not something to be sought,41 is nonetheless something worth enduring for Christ’s sake and the gospel’s when it does come.

In 3:2 Paul touches briefly on an important element involved in enduring trials: strengthening and encouraging one another in the midst of them. He touches on this topic only briefly here because in effect the entire letter is intended to strengthen and encourage the Thessalonians. One way he sought to do this was by creating within their community a sense of a counterculture or alternative community that taught, affirmed, and reinforced the values of the gospel. In a sense, he sought to fight “peer pressure” with peer pressure. Rejected by the culture around them, the Thessalonian believers could find in the church support and refreshment from like-minded fellow believers, who were seeking after similar goals. Here is an important ministry today for churches wherever believers find themselves on the receiving end of hostility and opposition because of their faithfulness to Jesus.

Those of us who are by our circumstances insulated from the kind of persecution experienced by our brothers and sisters in Christ “need to be aware of the needs of our suffering brothers and sisters, pray that God will supply them with an unusual abundance of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and learn from their single-minded devotion to the gospel, in life and in death, how we should live in the service of the gospel in our own time and place.”42 In addition to supporting them in prayer, we should think about other ways, both public and private, that we might use to support and encourage them (for specific suggestions, see the Contemporary Significance section of 2 Thess. 1:1–12)

Finally, we might ask ourselves why we are not experiencing the “trials” that Paul assumes here will be the experience of believers. Three possible reasons spring to mind: (1) We have isolated ourselves in a Christian subculture (dare I say “ghetto”?) of some sort; (2) we are the beneficiaries of fortunate circumstances; or (3) we are not really serious about our commitment to the gospel and its values. Whatever the reason(s), it ought to become a matter of prayer and reflection, so that we might be ready when the time comes for the integrity of our own confession of Christ to be put to the test. What will we value more at that time: social acceptance and affirmation, or faithfulness to the gospel, whatever that may cost?

Satan. In thinking about the contemporary relevance of Paul’s understanding of Satan, we must avoid two pitfalls. (1) We must avoid ignoring or overlooking the activity of Satan. This applies as much to evil on a societal level as it does a personal level. As the title of Reinhold Niebuhr’s famous book Moral Man and Immoral Society suggests, it is possible for any human organization, institution, or social structure, even though composed of moral individuals, to become an instrument of sin and oppression.43 But awareness that Satan may ultimately stand behind manifestations of evil “provides a powerful incentive for combating it”; “the person who discerns a satanic dimension in the evils in the world can hardly rest content with the status quo.” Moreover, “the Christian who takes the demonological teaching of the Bible seriously can confront temptation and evil with confidence, knowing that Christ has already defeated the forces of evil and their ultimate doom is assured.”44

(2) The other pitfall to avoid—and in view of some of the contemporary excesses evident in popular books and magazines, perhaps the greater threat—is that of paying too much attention to the topic of Satan and the demonic. God is the focus of Scripture, and paying too much attention to his defeated opponent runs several risks.45 “First is the danger of breeding fear and paranoia by exaggerating the power of the devil.” “Secondly, there is the danger of appealing to Satan … to excuse one’s failings.”

In this respect it is important to notice what Paul does not say about Satan. He discusses, for example, the position of human beings before God, salvation, judgment, and the nature of sin without ever making reference to Satan. “In other words Paul does not offer a systematic understanding of Satan or even a clearly developed doctrine of Satan in which Satan is used to explain either death or sin.”46 That is, nothing Paul says about Satan in any way diminishes his understanding of human responsibility for sin and evil. The familiar phrase, “the devil made me do it,” is not part of Paul’s theology.

The third and fourth points of S. H. T. Page are closely associated: the danger of unthinkingly accepting superstitious or non-Christian practices and beliefs, and

the danger of unrestrained speculation. The Bible is remarkably free of conjecture regarding the unseen realm. As a consequence, there are many questions it simply does not answer. Unfortunately, many seem to find it difficult to accept the silences of Scripture and speculate about matters concerning which there is no biblical teaching, even when features of the biblical texts discourage such speculation. Speculation about the names and ranks of evil spirits and the realms over which they rule is not only without biblical foundation, it is foreign to the spirit of the Bible.47

In short, what is needed when dealing with this topic is balance, neither denying Satan’s reality nor paying undue attention to his activities. He is, after all, a defeated power, against whom Paul calls us to “put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11).48

Original Meaning

Apostolic Relief and Joy: Timothy Returns with Good News (3:6–8)

ALMOST AUDIBLE IN 3:6 is the sense of relief that Paul felt when Timothy returned with the welcome news that the Thessalonians had indeed successfully resisted Satan’s temptations. Whereas Timothy had been sent to inquire about their “faith,” he reported back about their “faith and love.” This suggests that he not only found them persevering in their confidence in God (which would have been severely tested by the afflictions they experienced), but also maintaining a proper standard of Christian conduct (i.e., love18) toward those around them (cf. 1:6–7; 4:9)—no doubt something hard to do under the circumstances. But to Paul, it was evidence of the work of the Spirit (Rom. 5:5; Gal. 5:22) and of the reality of faith (1 Thess. 1:5–6; cf. Gal. 5:6: “For in Christ Jesus … the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love”).

Moreover, Timothy also reported the Thessalonians had positive memories of Paul and his fellow missionaries and would welcome a return visit (3:6b). “The apostle gives the impression that he was especially pleased to learn the Thessalonians had a ‘kind or affectionate remembrance’ … of him and his colleagues. This perhaps implies that he was concerned about how the Thessalonians viewed him after his departure.”19 Evidently they understood why Paul left so suddenly under such suspicious circumstances and did not hold it against him.

In 3:7 Paul indicates an immediate consequence of this good news from Thessalonica. In the midst of their own “distress and persecution” (ananke kai thlepsei; cf. 2 Cor. 6:4),20 Paul and his companions were encouraged by21 the Thessalonians. In short, the encouraged (cf. 3:2) became the encouragers (cf. 2 Cor. 7:4, 13; Philem. 7). For the significance of adelphoi, which includes the entire community, not just the (male) “brothers,” see comment on 1:4.

Verse 8a, “now we really live,” reinforces Paul’s sense of relief (v. 6) and encouragement (v. 7). First Thessalonians 2:19–20 provides the context for understanding “live” here: It is not just a matter of a “removal of anxiety,”22 but of rejoicing in the Thessalonians’ continued faithfulness in a way that energizes Paul and his companions.23

In verse 8b, the NIV (“since you are standing firm”) hides what is really a conditional statement, “if you continue to stand firm” (NRSV). It functions both as an affirmation—it clearly acknowledges that they are currently “standing firm” (for this idiom, see Phil. 4:1; cf. 1 Cor. 16:13; Gal. 5:1; Phil. 1:27)—and as an implicit exhortation (“if you continue”).24 If there is any difference between “in Christ (Jesus)” (cf. 2:14) and “in the Lord,” it may be that the former “is associated with the fait accompli of God’s saving work,” the latter “with its implementation and its working out in human conduct.”25 Finally, it is worth noting how 3:8, like 2:19–20, reveals the extent to which Paul bases his own sense of well-being on the continuing faithfulness of his converts.26