1 Thessalonians 2

PLUS

CHAPTER 2

 

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica (2:1-12)

1-2 Some of Paul’s enemies were falsely saying that Paul preached only to get money. In New Testament times, there were many false preachers who were greedy for money, and who preached only to gain benefit for themselves. But the Thessalonians knew that Paul’s preaching was not like that. His preaching was with the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:5). They knew that Paul’s visit to Thessalonica had not been a failure (verse 1); it had resulted in a church being established there. Furthermore, because of the way Paul suffered for the Gospel, they could see that he didn’t preach for his own advantage. They knew that in Philippi Paul had suffered a great deal (Acts 16:19-24). But in spite of that, Paul had come immediately to Thessalonica and had fearlessly begun to preach there in spite of strong opposition (Acts 17:5-6). No false preacher would have done that.

3 Here Paul refutes the false accusation that his motives for preaching were selfish and impure. Paul’s appeal—that is, his preaching of the Gospel—did not spring from error or impure motives, or a desire to trick people.

4 Paul spoke nothing untrue, because God had entrusted His truth, His Gospel, to Paul. The words that Paul spoke were God’s words, not his own words. Furthermore, Paul’s motives were not impure, because he had been approved by God (see Romans 1:1,5; 1 Corinthians 4:1; 2 Corinthians 2:17; Ephesians 3:7).

Paul never tried to trick or deceive people; he sought to please only God, not men. In other words, he never tried to put on a false front in order to please men or to win their approval (see Galatians 1:10).

The Gospel of Christ never “pleases” natural or sinful man. Natural, worldly man always opposes the Gospel. When we preach Christ, we must never try to please men; if we do, our “gospel” will be not the true Gospel but a false gospel. We must speak the truth boldly; we must speak out against sin and evil. We must not fear the opposition of men (see 2 Corinthians 4:1-2,5).

5 Paul never used flattery. He never tried to flatter people by minimizing their sins, by telling them that their sins were nothing to worry about. He never gave people false hope, nor did he give them false promises. He never told people that following Christ was easy.

6 Paul and his fellow preachers sought praise only from God, not from men (see John 12:42-43).

In verse 7,3 Paul calls Silas and Timothy APOSTLES, together with himself. In the New Testament, the apostles were men appointed by God to preach the Gospel and to establish churches (Acts 14:4; 1 Corinthians 15:5,7).

Because they were apostles, Paul, Silas, and Timothy had the right to expect support from the new believers in Thessalonica (1 Corinthians 9:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9). However, they had not burdened anyone by demanding support (verse 9). Therefore, no one could accuse them of preaching for money!

7-8 Let us look at the conduct of Paul, Silas, and Timothy, which is described in these verses. Let all pastors, preachers, and elders follow their example. These apostles not only shared the Gospel with the Thessalonians; they also shared [their] lives with them (see 2 Corinthians 12:15; 1 John 3:16).

9 Wherever he traveled as an apostle, it was Paul’s custom to earn his own living. He did not ask for money or support from the churches that he established (see Acts 18:3; 20:33-34; 2 Thessalonians 3:8).

10-12 Here again, we see the behavior of Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Let all Christian leaders follow their example.

God calls us into his kingdom and glory (verse 12). As soon as we believe in Christ, we enter God’s kingdom; that is, we come under God’s rule and authority. And when Christ comes again, we shall enter God’s glory (see 1 Peter 5:10).

But let us remember this: if to enter into God’s kingdom and glory is our privilege, then to live lives worthy of God is our duty! If we want to enter into His kingdom and glory, we must live lives worthy of Him who has called us. If we don’t, instead of glory we shall receive punishment.

The Thessalonians Are Paul’s Glory (2:13-20)

13 The Thessalonians had accepted Paul’s preaching as the word of God. Paul’s purpose was to communicate God’s word, not man’s word. Thus it was always his hope that his listeners would receive his teaching as coming from God (1 Corinthians 2:4-5; Galatians 1:11-12).

God’s word is a living word, which is at work in [those] who believe (see Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23).

14 All Christians must be ready to suffer for Christ (2 Timothy 3:12). Our faith is tested through suffering (James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-7). Thus Paul knows that the Thessalonians’ faith is true, because even through much suffering their faith has remained firm.

The Thessalonians had become imitators of God’s churches in Judea. Judea was the southern province of Israel; its capital was Jerusalem. The churches in Judea had suffered severe persecution from the JEWS. One of the main persecutors had been Paul himself (Acts 8:1,3). Just as the churches in Judea had endured persecution, so had the Thessalonians endured persecution. In this way, then, the Thessalonians had become imitators of the Christians in Judea.

15-16 Wherever Paul went, the Jews bitterly opposed him (Acts 9:23; 13:45; 14:19; 18:12; 21:27). The Jews especially hated Paul because he had once been one of them but had now become a Christian; in their minds, he was an apostate, a traitor.

The Jews killed the Lord Jesus (verse 15); that is, the Jews accused Jesus before the Roman governor and persuaded the governor to execute Him (Mark 15:1; John 18:28; Acts 2:22-23). The Jews were fully responsible for Jesus’ death. The Jews had also killed their own Old Testament prophets (Acts 7:51-52). Wherever the apostles went, the Jews opposed them and tried to drive them away from that place (Acts 13:50; 17:5,13-14). The Jews tried to stop Paul from preaching to the Gentiles. In doing these things, the Jews opposed God Himself. The wrath of God has come upon them, Paul says (verse 16). Paul is talking here about the final judgment of God; for the Jews, God’s judgment will seem like wrath. It is so certain to come upon them that Paul talks as if it had already happened. Indeed, the Jews experienced a foretaste of God’s judgment twenty years after this letter was written, when the Jewish capital of Jerusalem was utterly destroyed by the Romans, and the few Jews who escaped death were scattered.

17-18 Paul was torn away from the Thessalonians, because his enemies there forced him to leave the city (see Acts 17:5-9).

SATAN always opposes God’s servants, and tries to keep them from doing God’s work. Satan is under God’s ultimate authority—because everything in the universe is under God’s authority. Nevertheless, Satan has great power, and he uses it to interfere with God’s work.

Why couldn’t Paul return to Thessalonica? Because Jason and some other Thessalonian believers had “posted bond” in order to free Paul from custody and allow him to leave the city (Acts 17:9). If Paul returned to Thessalonica, that bond would have to be forfeited, and Jason and his companions would suffer great loss. Thus, by means of the bond, the city officials were able to keep Paul from returning to their city.

19-20 When Paul stands before the judgment seat of the Lord Jesus, he will be able to glory in the Thessalonian believers. They will be his joy and crown (Philippians 2:16; 4:1). In Paul’s time, the winner of a race was given a “crown” made of special leaves. But unlike a crown of leaves, which soon withers, Paul’s crown will last forever. And so will the crown of each believer (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).