2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

(2 Thessalonians 1:1-12)

paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.  Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:  That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul praised the church's faith, hope, and love, and encouraged the Lord's return to be hope and joy. However, after Paul's first letter to Thessalonica, there wasn't all that good news coming back. Thessalonians have a strong faith in persecution and tribulation from outside, but there are those who have a wrong attitude toward the end and the Second Coming, and there is a danger that the church will be in a state of chaos. After this, Paul again wrote a letter.

Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians to encourage the Saints in trouble, while encouraging them not to be shaken by false faith in the end and the Second Coming of Christ.

Before he points out and scolds the problems in Thessalonica, Paul gives thanks to God for the faith and love that continues to grow despite persecution and tribulation. Thessalonians were not only growing in faith in their relationship with God, but also growing in love with other members. Proper faith does not only show a deep relationship with God, but it also enriches the relationship with neighbors. Thessalonians had a lot of persecution and tribulation upon them, but they continued to grow as well as persevering and standing firm in their faith. Paul was forced to thank God for this.

Paul explains to the Thessalonians, who are making progress in their faith, about the tribulation of believers. Thessalonians would have been able to question whether God's judgment was just, "comparing the tribulation of a believer with the reality of the prosperity of persecutors." Why does the Almighty God let his people suffer and suffer?

In Psalm 73: 1-3, 『O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver. O LORD my God, if I have done this; If there be iniquity in my hands” Habakkuk also asks God in 1:13.『 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? 』

However, Paul says that the tribulation suffered by the saints is a sign of God's righteous judgment. Paul said, "The tribulation is in God's providence to make the believers worthy of the kingdom of God." . No tribulation, crisis, or hardship that the saints meet does not come because of lack of love from God. It does not begin because of God's indifference and neglect. There is always God's providence in tribulation. In the midst of suffering, faith grows, love abounds, and becomes worthy of the kingdom of God.

Paul explained that God is a "just person who pays in trouble to those who are in trouble, and to the Saints in peace." Paul also encourages the Thessalonians in tribulation, stating that on the day of the Lord's Second Coming, there will be eternal punishment for those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel. In Philippians 1:28, 『And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 』

It would not have been so easy for the Thessalonian Church to stand up to the tribulation just a few days after it was established. So, Paul prayed for Thessalonians. He prayed for Thessalonica people to live as worthy of God's call. He prayed that all good will be practiced with joy and power. It is because winning tribulation and giving glory to God does not come from becoming stronger, higher, or richer than the world, but living according to God's will.