2 Thessalonians 2 (5)

Pray Psalm 52.9.
I will praise You forever,
Because You have done it;
And in the presence of Your saints
I will wait on Your name, for it isgood.

Read 2 Thessalonians 2.11-14.

Reflect.
1. Paul indicates there are two kinds of people in the world. What are they?

2. Paul mentions two types of beliefs in these verses. What are they?

Meditate.
Two peoples exist in the world – those who know God through Jesus Christ and those who do not. Those who do not have chosen, Paul says, to believe the lie that God is either irrelevant or non-existent. They have turned away from Him, under the deluding power of the devil, to seek pleasure in unrighteousness. Note: Pleasure in itself is not bad; what’s bad is finding pleasure in unrighteousness (cf. Ps. 16.11). The people of the lie will be condemned for rejecting God to indulge all manner of unrighteousness.

Those who believe in the truth that is in Jesus have been loved and chosen by God for this grace; and they must build on the gift of salvation to grow in the Lord, becoming increasingly sanctified. Paul thanks God for the Thessalonians, that not only has His grace reached them for salvation, but His grace is working in them “through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”

In the Gospel we are called to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word here translated obtaining (περιποίησις) means to experience, to have something as a possession. Salvation is not just something we affirm in our heads; it is an experience that encompasses and transforms our whole lives for the glory of the Lord. We experience more of the salvation we have received as we work hard at our sanctification. We remember that Paul said (1 Thess. 2.12) we are called to the Kingdom and glory of God. Here he affirms that again; thus he reminds the Thessalonians of the ultimate objective of doing everything for the glory of God and His truth.

We should follow Paul’s example of giving thanks for faithful believers, and of letting them know that we pray for them and rejoice in their faithfulness. And we should follow the example of the Thessalonians in working out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2.12).

Prepare.
1. How is salvation related to sanctification? How are both of these related to the Kingdom and glory of God?

2. How should understanding the plight of lost people affect us? What can you do to show the love of God to the lost people in your Personal Mission Field?

3. How should the possibility of obtaining the glory of our Lord Jesus Christaffect the way you live each day? 

He calls them beloved of the Lord, for this reason, that they may the better consider that the sole reason why they are exempted from the almost universal overthrow of the world, was because God exercised towards them unmerited love. John Calvin (1509-1564 AD), Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2

Thank You for loving and saving me, Lord; help me today to work out my salvation as I…

Pray Psalm 52.
Give thanks to God for His mercy and many blessings, and pray for lost people, that they might turn from wickedness and the lie, and worship God through Jesus Christ.

Sing to the Lord.
Psalm 52 (Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Why do the mighty boast in sin? God’s love endures, it knows no end!
They with their tongues vain boasts repeat, and like a razor, work deceit.

Men more than good in evil delight, and lies prefer to what is right.
They utter words, both harsh and strong, with their devouring, deceitful tongue.

God will forever break them down, uproot, and cast them to the ground!
He from their safety tears them away, no more to know the light of day.

The righteous see and laugh and fear, and say, “Behold, what have we here?
Such are all who at God conspire, and wealth and evil ways desire.

“But as for me may I be seen in God an olive ever green!
Ever in God, most kind and just, shall I with joy and gladness trust!”

Thanks evermore to our Savior be raised! His faithfulness be ever praised!
Here with Your people, loving God, I wait upon Your Name, so good!

T. M. Moore

Where do 1 and 2 Thessalonians fit in the unfolding of God’s covenant? Our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, can help you understand the setting of all the books of the Bible, and how they fit into God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Watch the brief video introducing this course at The Ailbe Seminary (click here), then plan to register in our Certificate in Kingdom Studies program, featuring Introduction to Biblical Theology.

For more insight to our great salvation, check out the ReVision series that begins here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006).All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).