2 Thessalonians 1

2Th 1:1-12.

ADDRESS AND

SALUTATION:

INTRODUCTION:

THANKSGIVING FOR

THEIR

GROWTH IN

FAITH AND

LOVE, AND FOR

THEIR

PATIENCE IN

PERSECUTIONS,

WHICH

ARE A

TOKEN FOR

GOOD

EVERLASTING TO

THEM, AND FOR

PERDITION TO

THEIR

ADVERSARIES AT

CHRIST'S

COMING:

PRAYER FOR

THEIR

PERFECTION.

1. in God our Father--still more endearing than the address,

1Th 1:1

"in God THE Father."

2. from God our Father--So some oldest manuscripts read. Others omit

"our."

3. We are bound--Greek, "We owe it as a debt"

(2Th 2:13).

They had prayed for the Thessalonians

(1Th 3:12)

that they might "increase and abound in love"; their prayer having been

heard, it is a small but a bounden return for them to make, to thank

God for it. Thus, Paul and his fellow missionaries practice what they

preach

(1Th 5:18).

In

1Th 1:3,

their thanksgiving was for the Thessalonians' faith, love, and

patience"; here, for their exceeding growth in faith, and

for their charity abounding. "We are bound" expresses the duty

of thanksgiving from its subjective side as an inward conviction. "As

it is meet," from the objective: side as something answering to

the state of circumstances [ALFORD]. Observe the

exact correspondence of the prayer

(1Th 3:12,

"The Lord make you to abound in love") and the answer, "The love of

every one of you all toward each other aboundeth" (compare

1Th 4:10).

meet--right.

4. glory in you--make our boast of you, literally, "in your case."

"Ourselves" implies that not merely did they hear others speaking of the

Thessalonians' faith, but they, the missionaries themselves, boasted

of it. Compare

1Th 1:8,

wherein the apostle said, their faith was so well known in various

places, that he and his fellow missionaries had no need to speak of it;

but here he says, so abounding is their love, combined with faith and

patience, that he and his fellow missionaries themselves, make

it a matter of glorying in the various churches elsewhere (he was now

at Corinth in Achaia, and boasted there of the faith of the Macedonian

churches,

2Co 10:15-17; 8:1,

at the same time giving the glory to the Lord), not only looking

forward to glorying thereat at Christ's coming

(1Th 2:19),

but doing so even now.

patience--in

1Th 1:3,

"patience of hope." Here hope is tacitly implied as the

ground of their patience;

2Th 1:5, 7

state the object of their hope, namely, the kingdom for which they

suffer.

tribulations--literally, "pressures." The Jews were the instigators

of the populace and of the magistrates against Christians

(Ac 17:6, 8).

which ye endure--Greek, "are (now) enduring."

5. Which--Your enduring these tribulations is a "token of the

righteous judgment of God," manifested in your being enabled to endure

them, and in your adversaries thereby filling up the measure of their

guilt. The judgment is even now begun, but its consummation will be at

the Lord's coming. David

(Ps 73:1-14)

and Jeremiah

(Jer 12:1-4)

were perplexed at the wicked prospering and the godly suffering. But

Paul, by the light of the New Testament, makes this fact a matter of

consolation. It is a proof (so the Greek) of the future

judgment, which will set to rights the anomalies of the present state,

And even now "the Judge of all the earth does right"

(Ge 18:25);

for the godly are in themselves sinful and need chastisement to amend

them. What they suffer unjustly at the hands of cruel men they suffer

justly at the hands of God; and they have their evil things here that

they may escape condemnation with the world and have their good things

hereafter

(Lu 16:25;

1Co 11:32)

[EDMUNDS].

that ye may be counted worthy--expressing the purpose of God's

"righteous judgment" as regards you.

for which--Greek, "in behalf of which ye are also

suffering" (compare

Ac 5:41; 9:16;

Php 1:29).

"Worthy" implies that, though men are justified by faith, they shall be

judged "according to their works"

(Re 20:12;

compare

1Th 2:12;

1Pe 1:6, 7;

Re 20:4).

The "also" implies the connection between the suffering for the

kingdom and being counted worthy of it. Compare

Ro 8:17, 18.

6. seeing it is a righteous thing--This justifies the assertion above

of there being a "righteous judgment"

(2Th 1:5),

namely, "seeing that it is (literally, 'if at least,' 'if at

all events it is') a righteous thing with (that is, in the

estimation of) God" (which, as we all feel, it certainly is). Our own

innate feeling of what is just, in this confirms what is revealed.

recompense--requite in kind, namely, tribulation

to them that trouble you (affliction to those that

afflict you); and to you who are troubled, rest from

trouble.

7. rest--governed by "to recompense"

(2Th 1:6).

The Greek is literally, "relaxation"; loosening of the

tension which had preceded; relaxing of the strings of

endurance now so tightly drawn. The Greek word for "rest,"

Mt 11:28,

is distinct, namely, cessation from labor. Also,

Heb 4:9,

"A keeping of sabbath."

with us--namely, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, the writers, who are

troubled like yourselves.

when--at the time when . . . ; not sooner, not later.

with his mighty angels--rather as the Greek, "with the angels of

His might," or "power," that is, the angels who are the ministers by

whom He makes His might to be recognized

(Mt 13:41, 52).

It is not their might, but His might, which is the prominent

thought.

8. In flaming fire--Greek, "In flame of fire"; or, as

other oldest manuscripts read, "in fire of flame." This flame

of fire accompanied His manifestation in the bush

(Ex 3:2);

also His giving of the law at Sinai

(Ex 19:18).

Also it shall accompany His revelation at His advent

(Da 7:9, 10),

symbolizing His own bright glory and His consuming vengeance against

His foes

(Heb 10:27; 12:29;

2Pe 3:7, 10).

taking--literally, "giving" them, as their portion, "vengeance."

know not God--the Gentiles primarily

(Ps 79:6;

Ga 4:8;

1Th 4:5);

not of course those involuntarily not knowing God, but those

wilfully not knowing Him, as Pharaoh, who might have known God

if he would, but who boasted "I know not the Lord"

(Ex 5:2);

and as the heathen persecutors who might have known God by the

preaching of those whom they persecuted. Secondarily, all who "profess

to know God but in works deny Him"

(Tit 1:16).

obey not the gospel--primarily the unbelieving Jews

(Ro 10:3, 16);

secondarily, all who obey not the truth

(Ro 2:8).

Christ--omitted by some of the oldest manuscripts, and retained by

others.

9. Who--Greek, "persons who," &c.

destruction from the presence of the Lord--driven far

from His presence [ALFORD]. The sentence

emanating from Him in person, sitting as Judge

[BENGEL], and driving them far from Him

(Mt 25:41;

Re 6:16; 12:14;

compare

1Pe 3:12;

Isa 2:10, 19).

"The presence of the Lord" is the source whence the sentence goes

forth; "the glory of His power" is the instrument whereby the sentence

is carried into execution [EDMUNDS]. But ALFORD better interprets the latter clause (see

2Th 1:10),

driven "from the manifestation of His power in the glorification of

His saints." Cast out from the presence of the Lord is the

idea at the root of eternal death, the law of evil left to its

unrestricted working, without one counteracting influence of the

presence of God, who is the source of all light and holiness

(Isa 66:24;

Mr 9:44).

10. "When He shall have come."

glorified in his saints--as the element and mirror

IN which His glory shall shine brightly

(Joh 17:10).

admired in all them that believe--Greek, "them that

believed." Once they believed, now they see: they

had taken His word on trust. Now His word is made good and they need

faith no longer. With wonder all celestial intelligences

(Eph 3:10)

shall see and admire the Redeemer on account of the excellencies

which He has wrought in them.

because, &c.--Supply for the sense, among whom (namely, those who

shall be found to have believed) you, too, shall be; "because our

testimony unto (so the Greek for 'among') you was believed"

(and was not rejected as by those "who obey not the Gospel,"

2Th 1:8).

The early preaching of the Gospel was not abstract discussions, but a

testimony to facts and truths experimentally known

(Lu 24:48;

Ac 1:8).

Faith is defined by

BISHOP

PEARSON as "an assent unto truths, credible upon

the testimony of God, delivered unto us by the apostles and prophets"

(originally delivering their testimony orally, but now in their

writings). "Glorified in His saints" reminds us that holiness is

glory in the bud; glory is holiness

manifested.

11. Wherefore--Greek, "With a view to which," namely, His

glorification in you as His saints.

also--We not only anticipate the coming glorification of our Lord

in His saints, but we also pray concerning (so the Greek)

YOU.

our God--whom we serve.

count you worthy--The prominent position of the "You" in the

Greek makes it the emphatic word of the sentence. May you

be found among the saints whom God shall count worthy of their calling

(Eph 4:1)!

There is no dignity in us independent of God's calling of us

(2Ti 1:9).

The calling here is not merely the first actual call, but the

whole of God's electing act, originating in His "purpose of grace given

us in Christ before the world began," and having its consummation in

glory.

the good pleasure of, &c.--on the part of God [BENGEL].

faith--on your part. ALFORD refers the

former clause, "good pleasure of his goodness," also to man,

arguing that the Greek for "goodness" is never applied to God,

and translates, "All [that is, every possible] right purpose of

goodness." WAHL, "All sweetness of

goodness," that is, impart in full to you all the refreshing delights

of goodness. I think that, as in the previous and parallel clause,

"calling" refers to GOD'S purpose; and as the

Greek for "good pleasure" mostly is used of God, we ought

to translate, "fulfil (His) every gracious purpose of goodness

(on your part)," that is, fully perfect in you all goodness

according to His gracious purpose. Thus, "the grace of our God,"

2Th 1:12,

corresponds to God's "good pleasure" here, which confirms the

English Version, just as "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" is

parallel to "work of faith," as Christ especially is the object of

faith. "The work of faith"; Greek, (no article; supply from the

previous clause all) work of faith"; faith manifested by

work, which is its perfected development

(Jas 1:4;

compare Note, see on

1Th 1:3).

Working reality of faith.

with power--Greek, "in power," that is, "powerfully

fulfil in you"

(Col 1:11).

12. the name of our Lord Jesus--Our Lord Jesus

in His manifested personality as the God-man.

in you, and ye in him--reciprocal glorification; compare

Isa 28:5,

"The Lord of hosts shall be . . . a crown of glory

and . . . a diadem of beauty unto . . . His

people," with

Isa 62:3,

"Thou (Zion) shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord,

and a royal diadem," &c.

(Joh 21:10;

Ga 1:24;

1Pe 4:14).

The believer's graces redound to Christ's glory, and His glory, as

their Head, reflects glory on them as the members.

the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ--There is but one

Greek article to both, implying the inseparable unity of God and the

Lord Jesus.