2nd Thessalonians Chapter 1

From The Open Bible Project

Paul's Second Letter to the Thessalonians

1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ:

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

1:3 We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, [1] brothers, [See 2nd Thessalonians Footnotes 1] even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each and every one of you towards one another abounds;

• (1) The first part of the epistle, in which he rejoices that through the grace of God, they have bravely sustained all the assaults of their enemies. And in this he strengthens and encourages them, moreover showing with what gifts they must mainly fight, that is, with faith and charity, which must daily increase.
• (a) That whereas it grew up before, it does also receive some increase every day more and more.

1:4 so that we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure.

1:5 This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.

• (2) He shows the source of all true comfort, that is, that in afflictions which we suffer from the wicked for righteousness’ sake, we may behold as it were in a mirror the testimony of that judgment to come, the end of which is most acceptable to us, and most severe to his enemies.

1:6 Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you,

• (3) A proof: God is just, and therefore he will worthily punish the unjust, and will do away the miseries of his people.

1:7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,

• (4) He strengthens and encourages them also along the way by this means, that the condition both of this present state and the state to come, is common to him with them.
• (5) A most glorious description of the second coming of Christ, to be set against all the miseries of the godly, and the triumphs of the wicked.

1:8 giving vengeance to those who don't know God, and to those who don't obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,

• (6) There is no knowledge of God to salvation, without the Gospel of Christ.

1:9 who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

1:10 when he comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in that day.

• (7) They are considered as children of God by the faith which they have in the Gospel, which is preached to them by the apostles.

1:11 To this end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and 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.

1:12 that the name of our Lord Jesus[2] may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.