Gospel-Centered People

A few years ago my family and I huddled in our den to await the much-anticipated arrival of Hurricane Ike. As the sun set over the Houston area on that September evening, the entire city braced for a direct hit. By eleven o'clock that evening, hurricane-force winds were buffeting the city, knocking out power and sending debris into the streets. For the next eight hours my family and I sat in the dark praying for daylight to come. I can vividly recall counting down the hours until sunrise while listening to the incessant pounding of rain on our roof, the whistling winds outside of our windows, and the sound of falling trees and snapping branches in my yard. Images of a destroyed roof and treeless landscape filled my mind. When the light of morning finally peeked over the horizon, I was able to get my first glimpse at the damage. Remarkably, our house was intact. No missing shingles, no broken windows, and apart from a few fallen limbs, our house and property looked completely normal. After a very long and sleepless night, we were pleasantly surprised by what the daylight revealed. Light has a way of putting even the darkest and stormiest of nights into perspective. Although we had expected the worst, the daylight revealed that our greatest fears were unfounded.

Although they should have known better, the Thessalonians feared being swept away by the Day of the Lord, the storm of God's judgment (2:2-3). 236Despite Paul's words promising their deliverance from such a fate (1 Thess 4:13-18; 5:9-11), they were still unnerved by the prospect of having to experience it. While we know their fears were unfounded, no person with insight into the darkness of this period of human history would desire to experience it. The Bible describes the Day of the Lord as a future time of unprecedented calamity and destruction on the created order (Zeph 1:14-18), as well as unmitigated judgment and condemnation for those who reject God (2 Thess 2:9-12). Throughout both letters, Paul sought to reassure the Thessalonians that genuinely converted people do not need to fear this judgment. He continues to reassure them with these words:

With this statement, Paul reminds them that their salvation is not dependent on their not letting go of God, but on God's not letting go of them. Just as the morning revealed my storm fears to be unfounded, so also Paul seeks to dispel the darkness of the Thessalonians' confusion with the daylight of God's truth. In this passage Paul reveals three identifying characteristics of genuinely converted believers: they are transformed by God's grace, they are guided by God's Word, and they are secure in God's salvation.

They Are Transformed by God's Grace

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

Do you remember what it was like when you became a Christian? Unfortunately, the further you get from your conversion experience the less likely you are to reflect on what Jesus' death means to you. Much of the Thessalonians' confusion about their future destiny resulted from their lack of understanding about their spiritual identity. Paul takes them back to the basics of their salvation by reminding them of what it means to be in Christ. He does not want the Thessalonians to forget that their salvation provides the only basis by which they have the assurance of escaping the Day of the Lord. So He wastes little time transitioning his thoughts from the deceptive work of the antichrist to the transforming work of the real Christ. Sharing these particular words with the Thessalonians must have proven to be joyful for Paul because, 237in contrast to those who will fall to the deception of the antichrist, the faithful Thessalonian believers have chosen to embrace the truth. In verses 13 and 14 we find a powerful synopsis of how the gospel transforms a person's life.

God Loves and Chooses (2 Thess 2:13)

If the Thessalonians were looking for a word of assurance concerning their salvation, they were sure to find it in Paul's statement, "But we must always thank God for you, brothers." As the consummate encourager, he restates his words from 1:3. Paul is once again conveying his confidence in their salvation by suggesting that he is under obligation to express gratitude to God for His work in them. His thanksgiving, however, was not based on what they were doing for God, but on what God did for them. While our work for God bears witness to an internal transformation, it must never become the sole basis for our assurance. The hope of our assurance rests squarely on God's unconditional love and sovereign election. In other words, we do not earn God's love or prove ourselves worthy of God's election by what we do for God; both His love and His election are unmerited gifts of what God has done for us.

Salvation then is not a subjective experience of doing things for God; rather, it is an objective standing based on what God has done for us in Christ. It is a gift we receive and not a right that we earn. Paul describes this gift:

This thought is amazing: What sin makes impossible, grace makes possible. What we could never do on our own, God does for us at Christ's expense. Paul describes the source of our salvation when he writes these words to Timothy: "He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Tim 1:9).

The Thessalonian believers needed the security that only God could give. God chose them for salvation "from the beginning." Because their names were etched indelibly in the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev 13:8), they were in no danger of experiencing the wrath of God. If the 238Thessalonians' future depended on them, then they had every reason to fear. But Paul sought to reassure them that their future depended on God, and as he tells them repeatedly in both letters, God is more than capable to bring to completion the work that He begins.

Why God chooses to love and save anyone is a great mystery that simply cannot be answered this side of heaven. Concerning the salvation of the Israelites, Moses offered these words of explanation:

Alongside the mystery of why God chooses to save comes the security of knowing what it means to be saved. It would be unthinkable for God to lose anyone whom He chooses to save. The result of resting in this promise provides you with a confidence to face the future without fear. John Stott makes this point well when he writes,

Let the devil mount his fiercest attack on the feeblest saint, let the antichrist be revealed and the rebellion break out, yet over against the instability of our circumstances and our characters, we set the eternal stability of the purpose of God. (Stott, Gospel and the End, 177)

This type of confidence in the purpose of God was the missing link in the Thessalonians' defense against the attacks of the false teachers.

God Sanctifies and Calls (2 Thess 2:14)

The Thessalonians' election by God did not nullify their responsibility to act on the truth. Paul provides a stark contrast between those who perish because they "did not accept the love of the truth" and those who are saved "through belief in the truth" (2:10, 13). In both cases we make a deliberate choice, either to accept or to reject the gospel. In the case of those who accept the gospel, we find the mysterious tension between God's work of election (past) with human beings' responsibility to believe the truth (present). Further, to reveal this tension Paul points to the Spirit's activity in every aspect of salvation—from His initial call to salvation to His ultimate work in glorification (2:13-14; 1 Thess 4:7-8; 5:23).

239As is the case throughout the Thessalonian letters, Paul's purpose in writing is more pastoral than it is theological. This explains why his message on salvation is short and to the point. The Thessalonians had responded to the calling of the gospel (1 Thess 1:2-5), but they were failing to live in the security of the gospel. They did not need a how to lesson about salvation; they needed a What now? lesson about salvation. Paul addresses this directly when he writes, "He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess 2:14). The calling of the gospel and the obtaining of glory go hand in hand. God did not "appoint [them] to wrath" but to salvation and ultimate glory (1 Thess 5:9). Through the gospel, the Thessalonians had the entire trinity on their side. God elected and called them, the Lord Jesus died to redeem them, and the Holy Spirit was sanctifying them. Armed with an understanding of their future security, the Thessalonian believers had no reason to lose heart over the claims of the false teachers. MacArthur sums it up well:

Based on this sovereign scheme, there was no need for the Thessalonians to be insecure about their salvation, anxious about the Lord's return, or fearful that they were in the Day of Judgment of the ungodly. (MacArthur, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 288)

They Are Guided by God's Word

2 Thessalonians 2:15

The only effective means by which to confront error is to "stand firm" and "hold to" the truth. To have this kind of tenacity and resolve against the strong winds of false teaching requires believers to know both what they believe and why they believe it. Paul speaks of the Thessalonians holding to the "traditions you were taught, either by our message or by our letter." The word traditions refers to a body of truth "handed down" (Mark 7:13; Acts 6:14). This truth would include Paul's teaching and any other apostolic word (1 Cor 11:2).

The Thessalonians had a deep reservoir of truth from which to drink. Though his initial stay in Thessalonica was brief, Paul's teaching during this stay was extensive (1 Thess 3:4; 4:1-2; 5:1-2; 2 Thess 2:5; 3:10). In addition to his oral instruction, the Thessalonian believers also had his first letter from which to gain wisdom, instruction, and direction. Of 240course, Paul's main concern was to provide the Thessalonians with an objective standard of truth by which they could judge the legitimacy of any doctrine or teaching that made its way into the church. Had they exercised this kind of discipline in the first place they never would have been moved from their foundation by false teaching.

The contemporary church would do well to heed Paul's admonition to cling tightly to what has been "handed down" by the apostles and prophets—the Word of God. The proclivity of many Christians is to be constantly on the lookout for some new thing to breathe life into the church. But according to Paul, the answer will not come by finding something new; it will come when the church renews its focus on something old—the Scriptures. Jude captures this when he exhorts the church "to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all" (Jude 3). Peter challenged his readers to "pay attention" to the prophetic word (2 Pet 1:19). David promised "great reward" to the one who obeys God's Word (Ps 19:11). Jesus affirmed that the one who loves Him will "do" what He commands (John 15:14).

The implication for those who are preachers or teachers is that they will take seriously the calling to "teach" the traditions (2 Tim 2:2). Unless the church is grounded in truth, it will continue to be vulnerable to false teaching (Eph 4:14). Further, since only God's Word has the power to renew life, why would we seek any other means by which to grow the church (Ps 19:7; cf. John 6:68)?

They Are Secure in God's Salvation

2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5

Paul's depiction of the Christian faith reveals a Christianity that is far from passive. When we embrace Jesus Christ as Lord, we begin a lifelong journey of active faith. Our journey begins when we exercise faith by believing the truth (2:13). It progresses as we aggressively "stand firm" and "hold to" the truth (2:15). We will not rest until we reach our ultimate destination when we "obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2:14). This perfectly describes the Spirit's work of sanctification. He sanctifies us positionally when we respond to the gospel and are saved. He sanctifies us progressively as we yield to Him and are transformed into Christlikeness. We will be saved perfectly when we receive the reward of our faith and stand in the presence of Jesus Christ.

241Until we receive the reward of our faith, the journey continues. However, to navigate this journey successfully, we need help. Despite our active faith, even our best efforts will fail apart from God's enablement. Paul therefore turns his attention from the Thessalonians' response to God, to God's work in the life of the Thessalonians.

A Grounded Faith (2 Thess 2:16-17; 3:5)

Any mariner will tell you that the best way to keep from getting seasick is to keep your eyes on the horizon. When everything is shifting around you, you must find something stable on which to fix your eyes. The same principle applies when living out our faith. If there is anything certain about our lives, it is that our lives are uncertain. In the midst of our uncertain world we need something certain on which to fix our eyes. As Paul demonstrates in his prayer for the Thessalonians, our certainty comes from the grace and love of "our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father" (2:16).

Because Paul recognized the impossibility for the Thessalonians to live out their faith in their own strength, he prays for their ongoing encouragement and increasing stability. He identifies both the Lord Jesus and God the Father as the source of this encouragement and stability. Noticeably absent from his prayer are requests for God to lift their burdens or to judge their detractors. He instead prays specifically for God to "encourage" their hearts and "strengthen" them in "every good work and word." In 3:5 Paul adds to this request by praying specifically for God to "direct [their] hearts to God's love and Christ's endurance."

Paul basically had two specific prayer requests for the Thessalonians. First, he prayed for their ongoing spiritual productivity. In this regard he asked for God's intervention in their lives, not to remove any of their burdens, but to bring them encouragement. Second, he prayed for their ongoing spiritual growth. Such growth would be evident by their increasing love for God and their ability to endure suffering by following in Jesus' footsteps (3:5). Hence, Paul's desire for this young church was for them to be diligent in their service for God and deep in their walk with God. For those in spiritual leadership, we can find no more appropriate example of how to pray for your people.

A Guarded Faith (2 Thess 3:2-3)

242In His intercessory prayer for His disciples, Jesus makes at first blush what may appear to be a startling request. Listen to His penetrating words:

There are two very sobering revelations in His request: that Jesus knows how much the world hates His disciples, and that Jesus would desire for His disciples to remain in an antagonistic world.

One of God's great mysteries is how He uses evil and suffering as tools to accomplish His purposes. We have already seen this principle at work in the Thessalonian church when Paul reminded them that God was using their suffering as a means by which they would be "counted worthy of God's kingdom" (1:5). Although Satan is an ubiquitous foe in the Christian life, God provides His people with sufficient strength to overcome. Recognizing that both he and the Thessalonian believers must have God's help in this spiritual war, Paul once again turns his attention to prayer.

With regard to his personal need, Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for his deliverance "from wicked and evil men" (3:2). For him to request prayer from the Thessalonians says much about how he felt about them. At the same time, the Thessalonians must have been honored by their spiritual father's request for them to pray for him. As a new believer, I can vividly recall one of my respected mentors asking me to pray for him. Although I stumbled over my words as I voiced my prayer, I will never forget how honored I was to be asked to pray. Perhaps you could do the same for a young believer. Enlist his prayer support for the challenges that you face in your life and ministry. At the same time, ask how you can pray for him. One of the most significant joys in the Christian life is the privilege of praying for and with one another. This brings at least three benefits:

We acknowledge our dependence on God. Even on our best days, we are powerless to win any spiritual battle without God's intervention. In this passage Paul reveals dependence on God. We need God's enablement 243to keep going (2:17), His direction to keep growing (3:5), His protection to keep us safe (3:2-3), and His provision to keep advancing (3:1, 4).

We are reminded that we are in this battle together. Spiritual tunnel vision is a very real danger for suffering and hurting Christians. We would do well to recall God's message to a suffering Elijah when God informed him that he was not the only suffering prophet in the land (1 Kgs 19:18). In a strange way, it is comforting to know that you are not the only one who needs to be comforted. In other words, it's comforting to know that you share with one another in the sufferings of Christ (1 Pet 4:12-14).

We are compelled to stay humble. Whether you are an illustrious apostle or an unknown church member in Thessalonica, everyone needs prayer and everyone can pray. As John Phillips rightly notes, prayer grants anyone direct access into God's presence. He writes,

Prayer links us with the throne of the universe. It connects us with the mind, heart, and will of God.... Prayer is one of the forces of the universe, as real as the forces of gravity, electricity and magnetism. God always takes into account the factor of prayer when He is resolving the total equation of the universe. (Phillips, Exploring 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 221)

A Growing Faith (2 Thess 3:1, 4)

Paul's life passion was to advance the gospel (Rom 1:15-17; 15:20). To hear him request prayer for the "Lord's message" to "spread rapidly" (v. 1) comes as no surprise, but his request goes beyond the advancement of the gospel to the receptivity of the gospel. To add even more specificity to his prayer request, Paul adds, "just as it was with you." In other words, he knew that if others received his preaching with the same enthusiasm as the Thessalonians, then the gospel would be sure to spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. For the gospel to "spread rapidly" at least three ingredients must be present.

There must be a word to be proclaimed. Paul identifies this word as the Lord's message. This message is synonymous with the gospel (1 Thess 1:8). For Paul, the gospel was not an addendum to be tacked on at the end of the sermon; the gospel was the sermon from beginning to end. This of course does not mean that Paul did not expound the Scriptures. He was thoroughly biblical in his approach (Acts 17:1-4; 28:17-29). His messages were thoughtfully prepared and purposefully preached in such a way that the gospel was central. We would do well to follow 244in Paul's footsteps by evaluating every sermon before we preach it to ensure that it is Christ-centered and gospel-focused.

God must prepare the way. While this might sound obvious, we must not miss the point. Paul's request for the Thessalonians to pray makes clear that he was totally dependent on God to ensure both receptivity to and advancement of the gospel. His request for prayer is in the present tense, which suggests ongoing action. He was asking the Thessalonians to make their prayers for the advancement of the gospel an ongoing priority. They were also exhorted to pray specifically for the message to spread rapidly. Paul envisioned an unobstructed pathway on which the gospel could advance. At the same time, however, he was well aware of the "wicked and evil men" who were seeking to thwart the message and the messenger (v. 2).

There must be receptive people. The preaching of the gospel does not guarantee the rapid advancement of the gospel. Those who hear the message must honor the message by receiving it. Paul's reference to the Thessalonians' receptivity ("just as it was with you") is a reminder to us once again of how the gospel transformed these people. Though Paul, Silas, and Timothy were forced to leave the city under duress (Acts 17:5-10), the message they left behind was doing its work. Even many months later, as Paul pens his second letter, he can still rejoice in the continuing work of the gospel. For God's work to advance, the gospel must be preached and received. Perhaps this is a contributing factor as to why some churches grow and others do not. Despite godly leadership and faithful gospel preaching, some churches never see explosive growth. The gospel will never fully take root and spread rapidly without the receptivity of the people. Paul knew this from personal experience. After his successful campaigns in Philippi and Thessalonica, he was greeted by ridicule in Athens (Acts 17:32) and persecution in Corinth (Acts 18:17). The same preacher with the same message experienced different results. Why? Ultimately, the results must be left to the sovereignty of God, but at the same time we cannot ignore the varying degrees of receptivity in each city. Perhaps we now have a better understanding as to why Paul desired that the Thessalonians pray for receptivity to the gospel message. Without it, the message would never spread rapidly.

Conclusion

There are a number of important principles to be gleaned from this passage.

245Genuinely converted people will bear fruit. This is a recurring theme in the Thessalonian letters (1 Thess 1:2-10; 2:13; 3:6; 4:9-10; 2 Thess 1:3-4). While the Thessalonians were not a perfect church, there is no doubt that they were a redeemed church (2:13-14). This passage provides a template for us to evaluate how evident the fruit of the gospel is in the churches. Consider these five characteristics of the Thessalonian church:

• They loved Scripture (2:15).
• They were growing in love and perseverance (2:17).
• They were praying for the advancement of the gospel (3:1).
• They were standing firm against the attacks of Satan (3:3).
• They were obedient to God's commandments (3:4).

We would be hard pressed to find any pastor who desires anything less for his church.

We must expect opposition to the gospel. This theme also recurs in the Thessalonian letters (1 Thess 1:6; 2:14, 18; 3:7; 2 Thess 1:4-5; 3:3). The "evil one" was working tirelessly to hinder the advancement of God's message in Thessalonica. Yet, despite his efforts, the gospel was flourishing. The presence of opposition does not signal the absence of God. The opposite is often the case. Satan has no need to inject himself into any church where God is not working. Why would he? Where there is no threat there is no need for his intervention. However, where God's Word is advancing and God's people are growing, you are likely to find opposition. In fact, you will most likely discover that the greater the spiritual victory, the more heightened the level of persecution. So while everyone around him is reveling in the glory of God's activity, the wise pastor is exhorting his people to be on guard against the enemy's attack. Contrary to the experience of many Christians, the church is not a playground—it is a battleground. The eternal destinies of people hang in the balance. Why would we expect anything less than the fullest force of opposition against everything we do? Paul did not live his life in a spiritual vacuum. He knew the inherent dangers of ministry. Knowing the dangers you and I also face, listen soberly to Paul's words to the Corinthians:

God sanctifies those whom He saves. Again, this theme runs throughout 1 and 2 Thessalonians (1 Thess 3:12-13; 4:3; 5:23-24; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2:13, 16-17; 3:5). In this passage Paul expresses gratitude to God for sanctifying them by the Spirit (2:13), guaranteeing their ultimate glorification (2:14), encouraging them to persevere (2:16-17a), strengthening them in their work (2:17b), guarding them from the evil one (3:3), and directing their path for them to accomplish His purposes in them (3:5). Indeed, those of us in positions of spiritual leadership should endeavor to pray for God to do these things in our people. God never intended for the Christian faith to be a destination; it is a journey whereby God's people are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 3:18).

Reflect and Discuss

1. Describe a time when you experienced the truth of God's Word relieving you of fear.
2. How does recognizing your identity in Christ provide you with the security necessary for living victoriously for Christ?
3. How can Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians (2:16-17) and Paul's request for prayer (3:1-2) inform the ways we pray privately and corporately?
4. What were the "traditions" to which Paul referred? Why did he exhort them to hold onto them?
5. What ingredients are necessary for the Word of the Lord to "spread rapidly"?
6. How does the receptivity of the audience factor into the advancement of the gospel message? What can we do to affect receptivity?
7. Why should you expect opposition when you preach or share the gospel? What are some ways that this opposition comes today?
8. How does prayer bring God's people together?
9. Based on this passage, identify how God transforms those whom He saves.
10. What must the church do to ensure its gospel-centered focus? What are some things that would detract a church from having/maintaining this focus?