Book of 2nd Thessalonians
Commentary
Commentary
 |
Author: Christopher J. E. Johnson Published: Feb 8, 2024 [creationliberty.com] |
 |
 |
|
Introduction
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
-Matthew 28:19-20
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
-1 John 2:26-27
If you would like more information on these topics, I recommend the following resources here at creationliberty.com:
|
The second epistle to Thessalonica was written by Paul after he had met with Silvanus and Timotheus, to get their reports on the condition of the churches they visited. The Thessalonian church had fallen into error, namely, they thought that Christ's second coming was imminent, and so they neglected their businesses and civil duties, which led the general public to view them as an insane cult and nuisance to society.
This gave rise for the enemies of the Gospel to accuse the church of being false, and to turn people away from salvation to works-based heresies. Therefore, Paul corrects the church in this letter, turning them away from false doctrines about Christ's return, rebuking the lazy and busy bodies among them, and if those sinful among the brethren would not hear and turn from their idleness, they should be removed from the church.
Chapter 1
|
[v1] Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Paul opens his formal letter as he always did, under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, with a greeting that included his wishes of God's grace and peace on them all. Although modern preachers often include fancy titles with their names, Paul did not participate in such practices because they are vain and lofty, which leads people to respect persons (which is sin, Jms 2:1), and would also lead to them to adopt such titles, thereby carrying a semblance of arrogance through their perceived rank, and thus, as a humble servant, he only gave title to the Living God.This opening also indicates to the Christians in Thessalonica that Silvanus (or Silas) and Timotheus (or Timothy) had successfully met together with Paul once again. In the previous epistle, the two were sent out by Paul to visit the churches and gather information about their condition (because he could not go himself due to heavy persecution against him at the time), and so they returned with those reports.
[v2] Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The wish of God's grace on them is not meant in the sense of saving grace, which they already have in full, but of grace which provides blessing and comforts in this world, knowing that those who have much grace on them are still in need of more. The wish of Christ's peace on them is in both their living situations, to have peace among their neighbors, but also to have peace of mind, in both conscience and faith. In short, Paul's wish is that they would have much prosperity, in all they say and do, and be at peace, to enjoy comfort of God's grace in abundance.[v3] 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;
When Paul says he is "bound," it is not in the sense that he had no natural affection of desire to thank God for them out of gratefulness, but he was bound in an obligation of duty because he so strongly believed himself to be responsible for them, as a duty of care that a parent might have on a child. Pauls adds "as it is meet," or as it is fitting, as a natural occurrance in love, to be thankful not only for the grace we receive, but when others receive it as well, especially those brethren in the faith of Christ.The thankfulness Paul had for them was of their faith, and how it grew abundantly, not the worldly sense of faith, nor of faith in an institution, nor of faith in the miracles performed (of which the evidence was seen), nor faith feigned as the false teachers, nor faith in their own hopeless efforts to cleanse themselves of sin by their works, but of faith in Christ alone, by His grace alone, to give them life and salvation, and to stand in the face of enemies peacefully, with the joy of assurance in the promises of Christ. By their faith then came the result of their works of charity towards one another, and it "aboundeth," meaning that, as they grew in the understanding and wisdom of God, they also grew in charity, serving one another in both knowledge of doctrine and physical needs.
[v4] 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:
Not that Paul was glorying in himself, nor in the carnal riches or knowledge of men, but "in you," which is said in the context of the previous verses, meaning the graces that God had poured out to them. Paul boasted of their great riches of mercy from the Lord on their behalf, not in the presence of God, because He does not share His glory with any man (Isa 48:11), but rather, "in the churches of God," which is said in the sense of joy and glory of the Lord on behalf of the churches.Paul refers to the persecutions and tribulations that all have suffered in the churches of God, whether they be reproaches, afflictions, defamation, imprisonment, or beatings. The church remained steadfast in the faith of Christ, in the truth of His Gospel, and were not moved from it even a little, but rather, the persecutions and tribulations they endured became confirmation of their faith, that the promises of God were sure, and that increased their resolve, confidence, and patience.
[v5] 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:
Although some may see the persecutions and tribulations against the church to be unrighteous, and indeed they are, in this instance, Paul is looking to the end, at the time they would be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, not by our suffering, but by the grace of Christ. We suffer perseuctions and tribulations willingly for Christ's sake, and the Lord God permits us to suffer these things for our admonition, because judgment must begin in the church (1Pe 4:17), and so if we, who have the righteousness of Christ, and are given the gift of eternal life by His grace, are destined by God to suffer punishments for the good we do at the hands of men, how much more will the suffering be for those who turn away from God's Word? Therefore, the persecutions and tribulations we suffer are a "manifest token" of the righteous judgment of God, not only in the sense of proving the wickedness of the wicked, in how they cause the elect children of God to suffer, showing themselves worthy of wrath, but also that His fierce wrath against corrupt men and fallen angels in the final days is good and correct, and that if these sufferings are permitted for His church, then magnitudes more will come upon the children of disobedience. (Col 3:6, Eph 5:6)[v6] Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
There are many churchgoers (either of worldly religions or those that falsely claim to be of Christ) who believe that by bringing unjust reproach and afflictions upon the children of God, they work righteousness, in the same manner that Paul had once persecuted and killed Christians, thinking that he was doing righteous deeds for the Lord, but in truth, he "kick[ed] against the pricks" (Acts 26:14), or in other words, he was only hurting himself, just as the churchgoers who think they do good are actually doing evil. We are troubled in both mind and body by those who think they are "good," but the Lord will "recompense tribulation to them that trouble you," as he has done in many cases throughout Scripture, as in the case of Herod after he had Peter imprisoned, and God killed Herod and had his corpse consumed by worms (Acts 12:23), and so even though we may not see the punishment that will befall those who trouble the saints of God, we have faith that His mercy and justice, no matter the circumstance, is good for His children in the end. (Rom 8:28)[v7] And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
Paul says "rest with us," not that they were in rest at the time, but when times of rest would occur, that the Lord would grant us peace and enjoyment of one another's company, to have relaxation from persecutions and tribulations, and that these would be enjoyed exclusively by the church, for the world will see evil and curses come upon them for their persecution of the saints, as it was in the days of destruction of Jerusalem, when the Jews who persecuted God's children were punished, and it gave a time of rest to Christians from their persecutors. Our final rest will be when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in His second coming, with His angels, to rapture the saints to the clouds with Him, and the wrath of God is poured out onto the world to punish the wicked.[v8] In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
In opposition to the positive analogy of so-called "spiritual fire" used by many foolish churchgoers in the early 21st century, fire is typically used in the negative sense in Scripture, and this instance, Paul is referring to the fires of vengeance, which come in many forms, such as the four angels in the day of wrath who have breastplates of fire and brimstone (Rev 9:17), or the fires which burn up the grass and trees (Rev 8:7), or the fires which burn up this world before the new heaven and earth is made (2Pe 3:10-13), or the fire and brimstone which burns for eternity in the lake of fire in which all unbelieving will suffer forever. (Rev 21:8)[v9] Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
This is not (as some corrupt religious cults believe) a destruction unto complete removal from existence, but rather, it is "everlasting destruction," in which teh worm of their conscience will not die, and the fire of God's wrath will not be quenched. (Isa 66:24, Mar 9:43-44) Their removal from the presence, glory, and power of the Lord is also eternal (which contradicts the false narrative of Catholicism and its various denominations, who believe in false doctrine that those in hell, or the lake of fire, or in their imaginary "purgatory" can work off their sin and get to heaven), and this is not said in the sense that God does not monitor hell, because He is omniscient and omnipresesnt, but rather, the wicked in hell will be deprived of all good things that the saints and angels enjoy in Heaven.[v10] 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.
As opposed to His first coming, when He came in humbly in the form of a man, in the second coming, Christ will come in His full glory as God, to be glorified not only in the evidence of His saints, who have been sanctified by His shed blood on the cross, but also to be admired by Him in His full power and majesty, having believed by faith the Gospel taught to them by the Holy Ghost through Paul. This glory will not just be visual, but with benefits, in which those who were downtrodden, cast aside as garbage in the world, who trusted in Christ despite the viciousness of men against them, will be given white robes and crowns, and set in high places with Christ, to rule and reign with Him. (Rev 20:6)[v11] 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:
Knowing that the saints in Thessalonica would be together with the rest of the saints and Christ in that final day (as well as all of us who are born again in Him), Paul prayed that their words and deeds would reflect ones who were worthy of that calling, which is not to say that any man is worthy of it, but that we should act in a manner that is becoming of those who have been washed clean by the blood of Christ. As we have been given abundant mercy, so we also should show abundant mercy, that we may be perfect in the works of faith according to His power (Mat 5:48, Luke 6:36), meaning that even the work itself is not of our own, but of the grace of God, to receive the grace of understanding, strength, faith, and compassion to do the works of charity assigned to us in His Word, and also to give us the grace of reward for our works after our spirits have been regenerated by the Holy Ghost.[v12] 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.
There are many who claim to be of Christ, and yet shame His holy name by their cowardice, laziness, greed, and other sins, being unworthy to claim the title of "Christian" because they do not abide by His doctrine. We are also glorified in God and Christ, not that we share in the glory that is rightly due only to the Living God for His many mercies, but that we are guaranteed, by His promises, redemption, full pardon, adoption, and calling, and so the prayer of Paul is a good example to us that we should pray that these things be applied to our minds, hearts, mouths, and hands, so that all we do will honor the Lord Jesus Christ, being the least we could do to show our thankfulness for His bountiful mercies.Chapter 2
|
[v1] Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
After encouraging the church in patience while enduring suffering, Paul moves on to the subject of Christ's second coming, which is what is meant by "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," and "our gathering together unto him" is the time in which Christ gathers His church unto Himself, to meet Him in the air, as Paul described to them in the first epistle. (1Th 4:17)[v2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
The church should not be so quickly broken off from the foundation of the faith which we have learned from the apostles in Scripture. To be "shaken in mind" is a similar description to being "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Eph 4:14), like a ship that is unstable in a storm, shaking sailors from its foundation into the violent sea of false doctrine.Nor should we "be troubled," shocked, frightened, or surprised, by anyone coming with false doctrine, such as pre-tribulation rapture, in which they ignore the clear doctrines that speak of the signs of Christ's second coming, and instead believe that Jesus could return at any moment, without sign or warning. These false doctrines should be rebuked and avoided, no matter the justification false preachers might give, either by so-called "prophetic" revelation (i.e. "neither by spirit"), nor if they attempt to use enticing words of man's wisdom (i.e. "nor by word"), nor mathematical calculations or so-called "probabilities," like in the countless failed attempts to predict the return of Christ (which contradicts His Word, Mat 24:36), nor using anyone else's words, such as referring to a popular false preachers who believed in such heresies, "nor by letter as from us," meaning either that no one should attempt to use the New Testament epistles out of their context to create a false narrative, nor should anyone believe a counterfeit version of a letter from the apostles, which was a more common threat in that day.
(Read "The Beginner's Guide to Christian Rapture" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Including every warning in the last verse, "let no man deceive you by any means," neither by feigning to have a "revelation" from God, nor by using the Word of God in bad faith, attempting to reinterpret the Scriptures out of their context, or by any other reason because the Scriptures are sure and clear on this matter. The second coming of Christ will not occur until there comes a great falling away, which is opposed to the false doctrine of "revivalism," in which churchgoers falsely believe there will be a "great revival" before the end, but in reality, those falling away from the Gospel of Salvation in Christ, and away from the truth of His doctrine to the cotton-candy (i.e. all sweetened fluff and no substance) messages of false preachers, will be large in number.(Read "Revivalism: The Devil's Design" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
perdition (n): entire loss or ruin; utter destruction; the utter loss of the soul or of final happiness in a future state; future misery or eternal death
(See 'perdition', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Nov 7, 2024, [webstersdictionary1828.com])
[v4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
The son of perdition will oppose the doctrines of Christ in Scripture, and will lift himself up above God's authority, reshaping the law and prophets into his own image. This he will do, not only in those corrupt religious cults who falsely label themselves "Christian," but also in many other religious institutions around the world, claiming that he is above "all that is called God," or in other words, whatever the world claims is "God," the son of perdition will hold himself above that authority, and claim a religious dictatorship.When Paul says that the son of perdition will sit "in the temple of God," this is could be meant a number of ways, or perhaps a combination of all of the following. This could be a temple that is highly revered by the world, such as the Vatican temple for example, in which he will sit in the seat of the Roman Pontiff, an antichrist, and not only declare himself to be "God," but perform miracles to show himself to be "God," which should not be taken to mean the Living God; rather, to astonish the audience and make them believe he is the image of what their carnal minds have imagined to be "God." There could also be a circumstance in which Solomon's temple in Jerusalem could be rebuilt, and the son of perdition would enter therein, perform miracles, and convince the people that he is God incarnate, to become a false messiah for the Jews who have rejected the real Messiah, Jesus Christ, and are ideologically predisposed to follow a false god.
[v5] Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
Paul had preached these things boldly to them in Thessalonica before he was forced to flee, and worked the miracles of God in their presence, that they might know this is the working of God, and should not turn from His Word. Even in the end days, when the working of miracles by the son of perdition appear, we should not be deceived, and trust in the Word, because such miracles under false pretense are designed to test us, to see who we will follow. These things which are written in this epistle are no different than the things he preached to them while he was with them in the city, and therefore, there was no excuse for them to be troubled or shaken by any other doctrine.[v6] And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
This is not meant in the sense that knowledge was withholden from us, or from the world, because these are things that were taught to us by the Holy Ghost through Paul, and therefore, we already have this knowledge, so it was not withheld from us. This is meant in the sense that there are many antichrists (1Jo 2:18), and that they all wanted the glory that the son of perdition will receive from men, to be given a crown and authority, but they were withholden from having this, until the final antichrist would "be revealed in his time," or in other words, he would not be revealed in the time he wanted; rather, he would be revealed in the time the Lord has chosen.[v7] For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
The inquity, or the wickedness, that will be shown by the son of perdition in his day "doth already work," meaning that the very seats of antichrists (1Jo 2:18) are working now to build up preeminence for themselves, to gain prestige, honor, status, and rank among nations. These are called "mystery," not in the sense that they are not well understood, for the principles of sin are well known to those who study the Scriptures, but they are mysterious because of their secretive, covert nature, by which the men who work iniquity do these evils behind closed doors, but preach the false works-based heresies in light of day, drawing people to become institutionalized and ritualistic in their minds, preparing the way for the son of perdition to make war against the Gospel of Christ and His elect, and to take temporarily ruling authority over the world.This dark power, in the thrones of various religious entities, most notably the throne of the Roman Pope, which the Lord has allowed to grow, will continue with God's permission to grow, until the final antichrist comes, and then he is taken out of power by the return of Christ.
[v8] And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
The vicious man, who will have thrown off the laws of God and men, having power to depose kings, will be defeated by the true King of Kings. This will be done by consuming him, which is meant to destroy him in this context, "with the spirit of his mouth," which could be in the sense of a blowing a great wind by the mouth of the Holy Spirit (Isa 11:4), or perhaps by simply speaking the truth of His Word to him, which will be done in "the brightness of his coming," which is the light and majesty in which He returns, in great flames of justice, to cast the son of perdition into fire and brimstone.[v9] Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
The final antichrist is the firstborn of Satan, coming to this world after the Devil's "working," who is the father of lies, and a murderer from the beginning that abides not in the truth, and is selfish in all things, whose being is antithetical to charity. (John 8:44) He will not have "all power" in the sense of God's power, but will have all power among men and of Satan, having ability to work "signs and lying wonders," which will seem quite legitimate to the world, but they will be miracles that are not wrought in truth, and will be consumed when Christ returns, just as the rod of Moses became a serpent and consumed the other serpent rods of the magicians. (Exd 7:9-12)[v10] And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
The phrase "deceivableness of unrighteousness" is not meant in the sense that unrighteousness itself is deceitful, although it can be, but this is meant that when unrighteousness is seen, the evil is exposed, and so it is a pretentious unrighteousness, or unrighteousness with a "righteous" appearance only, and those who reject Christ's commandment to judge righteous judgment, instead of judging according only to the appearance (John 7:24) will perish along with the son of perdition they served because they elected to follow the darkness of their hearts in willful blindness. The Lord God did not unlock their understanding by the power of the Holy Ghost (1Co 2:14) because they were not given the gift of love for the truth, having no interest in the inestimable value of God's knowledge and wisdom, which they could have asked Him to give them at any time (Jms 1:5), and by understanding, they could have been given repentance and faith unto salvation, which they most thoroughly rejected in favor of the hopelessness of their own works to save them.(Read Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v11] And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
Some view this verse as a contradiction, since delusion is a lie or deception, which the previous verse rebukes, and that is clearly a sin, of which God cannot be the author because He cannot lie. (Tts 1:2) However, in this passage, God is sending them "delusion" in the sense of error, a passing of information to them, taken from the minds of men, which has great power to convince them to set their minds away from the truth, "that they should believe a lie," which is a lie of their own creation, where they have accepted error by their own will, instead of rejecting it, as would be God's hope for them when facing the trial of error.For those Christians who still me be confused by this, God tests men by presenting them with other men who speak against the truth. For example, in Deuteronomy 13:1-4, God explains to the Jews that if a prophet appears and gives a sign from a vision, and the vision comes to pass (i.e. his prophecy was true), but he teaches false doctrine, they should not follow or hearken unto that prophet, and He goes on to say that "the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul," or in other words, God tests His children to make sure they will abide by His Word, no matter how convincing an argument might be, and so He presents error to us through the mouths of wicked men, to test us to make sure we follow Him, and thereby, love Him more than anyone or anything.
[v12] That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Those who fail the test of error are those who have not had their understanding unlocked by the Holy Ghost, to be given a love of the truth, which means that, no matter how much they claim to love the Lord Jesus Christ, they do not love Him because they cannot love Him if they do not have a love of the truth. Because they do not love the truth, and therefore do not love him, they love lies, which means they love unrighteousness, and therefore, they love their father the Devil, proven by the fact that they have pleasure in lies (as well as other sins, which are propogated by lies), which also means they will be damned to hell and the lake of fire in the end.[v13] But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Paul was not accusing the Christians in Thessalonica of having no love of the truth, but rather, he was accusing false teachers and the false converts who follow them into perdition, and so he encouraged them that he continually gave thanks to God that they who were saved by the grace of Christ were not among the damned. God has chosen those who were born again, not from the beginning in the sense of when time began, but BEFORE time began, of which we have no word in our earthly language to descirbe other than "eternity" (because using the word 'before' implies time, and so the only thing we can typically say to describe this is that we were chosen in Christ "before the foundation of the world," Eph 1:4), which is why the word 'beginning' is used so we can try to understand it, and so we were chosen of Him because He is omniscient and timeless, seeing all things, including the deep things of the heart (Pro 21:2), and sanctified His elect (i.e. set us apart for a holy use), not that we were holy before we were saved (for we are only given holiness by Christ), but that we were sanctified unto the truth, that we would understand and believe it. (John 17:16-17)[v14] Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are called in two ways in this passage, the first to the Gospel of Salvation in Christ, and the second "to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ," which is the enjoyment in Heaven together with Him, but the latter cannot be obtained without the former. When Paul called it "our gospel," it is not meant that it belongs to him, or that he crafted it, but rather, he preached it because of his strong faith in it, so it became "his gospel" because Christ intrusted it to Paul, and so he distinguishes it apart from the false gospel of corrupt teachers.[v15] Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
We ought to stand firm on the doctrines of Christ, and not be so easily swayed from the doctrine we have learned in Him, so that we would not be counted among them that fall away, nor be led astray by the feigned performance of the son of perdition. The traditions we should hold on to are those that are taught to us by the Word of God, through the epistles of the apostles, for discipline of our thinking and behavior, delivered to the church for the protection and blessings of the saints, but not by the religious traditions of men, which depart from the Scriptures, and are vain, self-serving doctrines that benefit the lusts of men of corrupt minds. (1Ti 6:5)[v16] Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
So not to give praise to himself and the apostles, Paul reasserts that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who has loved us to give us these things, and he rightly equates Christ with God, who we share as a Father, not in the divine sense, which is reserved for Christ alone, but in the familial sense, having a spiritual lineage given to us by the Holy Spirit by the will of God and Christ. The Lord is the source of all "consolation" (i.e. comfort), which He gives to His children forever in Heaven, but also here on earth, to counter the vexations of Satan against us, that when sorrows and frustrations weight heavy on us, we have "good hope through grace," that by the promises of the Father and Son, we know all things work together for good to them that love God and are called (Rom 8:28), and that our grief will be turned to comfort in due time.[v17] Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
Faith and comfort go hand-in-hand, as one who has a sure faith in Christ cannot avoid comfort of the heart, and so in context, this means that one should not be troubled that Christ would return at any moment to find them sleeping (Mark 13:36), but that we should work out of love, and not out of fear, because the good works do not earn us salvation. Rather, our good works were established in us when we were saved because the saving grace of Christ is the foundation of our sound doctrine and good works.Chapter 3
|
[v1] Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
Paul invites the church to join him in prayer (Rom 15:30), a reminder that he is not above them in status, but oversees them in love, and must rely on the same grace that they do, thus needing their prayer for him, that the gospel they preached might be able to march forward at full speed, without hinderance by enemies, as happened with the threat of violence in Thessalonica, but was overcome by the grace of God, who saved so many in the city, and is now glorified by those who praise Him as a result of the great mercy of Christ.[v2] And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.
This is not to say that a wicked man can be reasonable in wickedness, because fools are unreasonable in wickedness by definition, but rather, they are "unreasonable AND wicked," since the two go hand-in-glove. One who reasons out the understanding, which is to use straight ways of thinking with logical pathways, will find repentance of sins at the end of that path (Isa 1:18), so long as his heart has been softened by the Lord (Eze 11:19), although it is Jesus Christ that saves men and gives them understanding; they are not saved by the reasoning of their own minds, only led to the truth by the logical pathways of reason which God created. Notice that Paul said "ALL MEN have not faith," and that is because no man has faith of himself, just as no man can reason himself into salvation, nor can he seek God on his own (Rom 3:11), because repentance, faith, and understanding are all gifts that God must give men (2Ti 2:25), or else they cannot be saved, and so only those who are Christ's born again sheep have faith, which is why there are so many churchgoers who have no true faith in Christ, but feign faith because they must do so to be counted among men in religious institutions, honoring Christ with their lips only, even though their hearts are far from His Word. (Mat 15:8)[v3] But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
After expressing that "all men have not faith," Paul then reminds the Thessalonican Christians that the "Lord is faithful" to His promises, meaning that He observes His contractual agreements, upholds them, and will not fail to maintain the foundation of repentance and faith which He laid in them when they were first saved. This gift of repentance and faith has established us in the Gospel of Salvation, so that, although we might be led astray at times by the craftiness of wicked men, we will never fall away, because Jesus told us that those who fall away were false converts. (Luke 8:13, Heb 6:6)Because those false converts were never regenerated by the Holy Ghost, they were not kept from evil, and turn to the easier, wider path when the narrow path gets too rocky. We who are born again in Christ are kept from the evil, not in the sense that we do not experience evil in our surroundings or against us directly (because that is to be expected, and cannot be avoided in this earthly life), nor in the sense that we will never commit sin while we still live in the flesh (for which we must come to the Lord in repentance), but that the power of evil will have no hold on us, to restrain us in slavery as it has for world, because the Lord gives us endurance and strength through the Holy Ghost.
[v4] And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.
Paul says "touching you," which is a phrase used in the sense that this subject matter concerns them, as if these words would reach out and touch them, to gain their attention. Paul had faith that the Lord, who saved them, would finish the work of faith which He began in them (Heb 12:2), and that all wisdom, understanding, strength, and patience came from the grace of God, without which, they could do nothing, and would be given over to evil, just like the world.[v5] And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
The love of God is to keep His commandments (1Jo 5:3), and so our minds should be set on the things of His Word, to live and speak as He instructed, but also that our hearts, which is the seat of our passions, should be driven to do His good works, which requires the guidance of the Holy Ghost, to set the passion of our spirits in the right direction, and that our spirits would overcome the lust of the heart. (Jer 17:9) Paul then mentions "the patient waiting for Christ," which is said that they would exhibit the same patience that Christ showed us, when He took the railing, unjust reproaches, and persecutions with gentleness and longsuffering, and although it can be a comforting thought to believe that Christ will return in a matter of days or months, we must wait patiently for the direction and timing of God the Father, submitting to His plan and purpose in the proper season, as did Christ before us.[v6] Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
Although most 21st-century church buildings put all the responsibility of judgment and removal of disorderly members in the hands of a teacher or elders, the Biblical structure of the church puts the responsibility in the hands of all members of the church, with or without office. (1Co 5:9-13) Therefore, Paul did not address only elders and deacons, but all "brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is by the authority given to us by the Son of God, who reigns as the head over all the church. (John 10:16, 1Pe 2:25)The context of 'brother' in this passage is clearly meant to be those who call themselves "brethren" in the church, which is a spiritual brotherhood, not in the physical sense of blood relation or neighbors. This includes women, because "brethren" encompasses sisters as well, and this is not in regard to station or rank of any kind, meaning that our responsibility to judge matters within the church extends to rich or poor, low or high office, including that of elders and deacons, although there are some rules in respect to accusations against an elder that should be followed to prevent slander. (1Ti 5:19)
If anyone who calls himself a "Christian" and is a member of the church, and he does not conduct himself in an orderly manner according to the Word of God as the apostles gave it to us in the epistles, which means he does not conduct himself in a quiet manner, nor does he work diligently in his own business (1Th 4:11), and instead ignores his responsibilities to go out and preach a false pre-tribulation rapture scenario, believing that Jesus would return at any moment, then we should depart from him, or in other words, remove him from the church. We should note that Paul instructed us to "withdraw" ourselves from such persons, which is not to say that we cannot ever speak to them, as in the manner of "shunning" that is done in some corrupt religious cults, but we should not have regular, intimate conversation with them, so they would not be encouraged by our kindness and affection to continue into their disordly conduct, and that they would gain no opportunity to gossip, which can only be accomplished if the church as a whole works together in one according, having the same mind in philosophy and righteous judgment. (Phil 2:2)
[v7] For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
Now, the Thessalonians not only had written word, but also an example when they saw Paul work, both in his mannerisms and words, and in the doctrine which he taught. There was no disordly conduct shown to them by the apostles, meaning that they walked "holily and justly and unblameably" among them (1Th 2:10), so there was no reason for them not to know the foundation of the Gospel they believed when they were saved, and the general manner in which they should behave themselves.[v8] Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
Paul and his companions did not "eat any man's bread for nought," or in other words, they did not take anything for free, which would have been within their power, to live on the donations given to them by the preaching of the Gospel (1Co 9:9-11), but they went above and beyond, to labor "night and day." Paul was a tentmaker (Acts 18:3), and so he could preach during the day, work tent crafting in the evening, and teach at night, so that their presence among the church would "not be chargeable," meaning that there would be no financial burden to the church whatsoever.[v9] Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
The power, or authority, for ministers of the Gospel to pray for charity from the church for the purpose of providing for their households while they work diligently in study and teaching, is a grace of God given to the preachers of the Word, if they so choose to have it. Paul is pointing out that they have the "power to eat and to drink" from the charity of the church (1Co 9:4), but chose not to do it that they would have a proper example to follow, so they would not be led astray by false teachers, busy bodies, and idle men who do not set themselves to work diligently, and also that the church should not fund those lazy preachers who do not work, handling them in the same manner as disorderly men.[v10] For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
When Paul and his companions first preached to them after they were saved, they taught the church that they should work to earn their keep. This is not said in the sense that those who are sick, feeble, and/or elderly should have to work for their keep, for there are some who cannot do labor that would normally be tasked to their role as a male or female, but rather, those who have ability to work should work, and those who refuse to work, or make excuses for work they could be doing, should be refused financial assistance for their own good, that their grumbling bellies would be the driving force of correction to cause them to do the right thing.[v11] For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
Paul received report, specifically from Timothy, but likely from other trust sources reported through Timothy, which may have been delivered by letter to Paul, that there were some in the church who were not working any kind of occupation or business, even though they had full capability to do so, but used the false pre-tribulation doctrine (i.e. "Jesus is coming back at any moment") as an excuse to not work, and simply live off the wealth of those in the church who did work, which is not fair, just, or charitable in any sense. Even before the fall of man, in which they received curses, where each sex was tasked his/her own duties of work, Adam was tasked to do work in the Garden (i.e. "to dress it and keep it," Gen 2:15), and so duty has been a part of mankind's purpose from the beginning of our creation. The people who chose to have no work, who do not dedicate themselves to tasks of long-term interest that will produce things that will benefit the church, and likewise, society as a whole, tend towards the habits of busybodies, which are those who meddle in the businesses, homes, and affairs of others, inquiring into things which are none of their concern, and regurgitate whatever they hear, to create a sense of importance for themselves without having any practical importance, and such people are not just a plague on nations, but they are leeches in the church, who suck up the value of the earthly labor provided by workers who have dedicated themselves to charity in Christ.[v12] Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Observing that some might be led astray by the busybodies among the church, and that not all of them were given over to sin of laziness, Paul gave an urgent instruction to them that, by the authority of Jesus Christ, they were to work with their own hands, providing for themselves and their households, and create enough prosperity to also provide for others in need. (Eph 4:28) They were also to "eat their own bread," meaning that they should stop eating the bread of others in idleness, and instead acquire their own bread through hard work, eating that which they have earned.[v13] But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
To the rest of the church, who worked diligently, minded their own business, and were charitable to the poor and needy, Paul encouraged them not to become exhausted in doing good work, the good of which is only done faithfully by the will of God, through Christ which strengthens us (Phil 4:13), because by becoming "weary," they may be prone to withhold charity from those who have been lazy and disorderly, and furthermore, they may become bitter towards the poor who may be rude and ungrateful.[v14] And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
If anyone in the church does not heed this instruction from Paul, then the church should not ignore the man in a lazy attempt to avoid controversy, but rather, we should take notice of him, and address the matter properly and openly for all to see. The church should be in one accord that, if a man rejects proper rebuke on this matter, then we should keep no company with him, but remove him from the church, so he would feel shame, which is a gift from God, that he would be brought to full awareness of his own guilt of sin, that he might come to grief of his wrongdoing in repentance, and then turn from it to do good, and have reconcilation with the church.[v15] Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Such a one that is excommunicated from the church should not be counted as an enemy, meaning that they are not counted as one who would withstand the church, unless they prove themselves to be the enemies of Christ by doing nefarious deeds, such as turning away the faithful from church, like in the case of Elymas the sorcerer. (Acts 13:8) If such nefarious exceptions are not found in the excommunicated, then they should not be treated as an enemy, but corrected as one would correct his own brother, telling him the truth with affection and compassion for his sake, holding no bitterness against him despite his evil deeds, but still keep him at a distance until he comes to repentance of his wrongdoing, so he can be reunited with the brethren.[v16] Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.
This is Paul's prayer and hope that Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6), would not only grant them peace in the faith and knowledge of the blood of Christ, by which we attain righteousness through His grace, but also in the world, as much as is possible, that we might live peaceably with our neighbors (Rom 12:18), and also peace among one another in the church, that we would each be given the discipline and resolve of the Holy Ghost, so that there would be no contentions among us. (1Co 11:16)[v17] The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.
The epistle was written by dictation, but Paul elected to write the salutation with his own hand writing, so they would know the letter was not counterfeit. This correlates with his desire that they would not be troubled by word, spirit, or epistle (2Th 2:2), knowing it was from Paul, and thereby they could rest easy in faith that the Holy Ghost had delivered instruction to them, by which they could properly refute false doctrine.[v18] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
This is a standard ending to Paul's letters, in which he wished for the grace of Christ to bless them richly. He also ends with "Amen," which means "truly" or "of truth," which is a declaration that all that was said in this epistle was correct, and that we believe it is of the Holy Ghost, who guided the hand of Paul to write these things for our instruction.
