2 Thessalonians 1

Greeting and Thanksgiving

¹ Paul, Silas, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ² Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. ⁴ Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

God’s Justice and Glory

⁵ All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result, you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. ⁶ God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you ⁷ and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. ⁸ He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might ¹⁰ on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

Prayer for God’s Strength

¹¹ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. ¹² We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Footnotes:

1.“Perseverance and faith” (verse 4) emphasizes the strength and endurance of the Thessalonians under persecution. The Greek term hypomone denotes patient endurance, not merely waiting, but remaining steadfast despite suffering.

2.“Worthy of the kingdom” (verse 5) refers to the Thessalonians’ endurance as evidence of their participation in God’s kingdom. The Greek word axios means deserving or fit, but here, it stresses the transformative work God is doing in their lives as they suffer for His sake.

3.“Blazing fire” (verse 7) uses the imagery of divine judgment. Fire in Scripture often symbolizes God’s purifying presence and judgment (e.g., Exodus 19:18). Here, it conveys both the power and majesty of Jesus’ return.

4.“Everlasting destruction” (verse 9) indicates a final, eternal separation from God’s presence. The Greek word olethros refers not to annihilation, but to ruin or loss. The emphasis is on the eternal nature of this judgment, being cut off from the glory of the Lord.

5.“Marvel at Him” (verse 10) conveys the awe and wonder believers will experience when Jesus is revealed in His full glory. The Greek word thaumazo means to be filled with amazement or astonishment, highlighting the overwhelming majesty of Christ’s return.

6.“Worthy of His calling” (verse 11) indicates that God’s work in believers is what makes them worthy. The Greek verb kataxioun means to make deserving or fit, and Paul prays that God’s grace will bring about this transformation in the Thessalonians.

7.“Every desire for goodness” (verse 11) suggests that the Thessalonians’ longings to do good works come from God’s prompting. Paul prays that God will empower them to fulfill these desires and live out their faith in practical ways.