Miles de Libros Cristianos Gratis. Accede a nuestra Biblioteca Virtual

Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Thessalonian 3:1

Para un estudio avanzado de: “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Thessalonian 3:1” utilice nuestra app.

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is] with you:

Section IV. ( continued). Ch. 2Th 3:1-5

1. Finally ] See note, 1Th 4:1. The chief topic of the letter is disposed of, and the wishes and hopes immediately arising out of it have been expressed. For what remains:

brethren, pray for us ] So in 1Th 5:25 (see note): a frequent request with St Paul addressed to “brethren,” concerned in everything that concerns their Apostle and the Christian cause. Their prayers, desired generally in 1Th, are now to have a more specific object, viz., that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified (R.V.)

On “the word of the Lord,” see note to 1Th 1:8.

This singular metaphor of the running word is probably suggested by Psa 19:5, where the course of the sun is pictured in glowing poetic language “rejoicing as a hero to run a race” (2Th 3:5), while the latter part of the Psalm sets “the law of the Lord” in comparison with his glorious career. St Paul applies 2Th 3:4 of the Psalm in Rom 10:18, with striking effect, to the progress of the Gospel. See also Psa 147:15, “His word runneth very swiftly.” Through “running” the word is “glorified,” and that is true of it which Virgil writes in his splendid lines on Fama ( Aeneid IV. 173 ff.):

“Mobilitate viget viresque adquirit eundo.”

even as it is with you ] Lit., even as also with you. They are to pray that the work of the missionaries may be as successful in Achaia as it was in Macedonia: comp. 1Th 1:5 ; 1Th 2:1. From Thessalonica “the word of the Lord has sounded forth” over all the neighbouring region, and “in every place your faith is gone forth:” might it only be so in Corinth! Reading Act 18:5-11, we gather that St Paul’s work in the Achaian capital was at first discouraging in its results; and it was during the earlier period of his residence there that he wrote these letters (comp. 1Th 3:7-8, and notes).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Section IV. Words of Comfort and Prayer

Ch. 2Th 2:13 to 2Th 3:5

Passing from the last Section, we breathe a sigh of relief, and gladly join in thanksgiving for those who will “prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luk 21:36).

Under the solemn feelings awakened by his contemplation of the image of Antichrist, the Apostle turns to his readers, blending thanksgiving with exhortation and renewed prayer on their account. (1) He renders thanks to God Who had chosen and called them to salvation, 2Th 2:13-14; (2) he urges them to be steadfast, 2Th 2:15; (3) he prays that God’s love may be their comfort, 2Th 2:16-17. In turn he (4) requests their prayers for himself, ch. 2Th 3:1-2; (5) he assures them of God’s faithfulness, and of his own confidence in them, 2Th 2:3-4; and (6) prays once more for Divine guidance on their behalf, 2Th 2:5.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Finally, brethren, pray for us – That is, for Paul, Silas, and Timothy, then engaged in arduous labors at Corinth. This request for the prayers of Christians is one which Paul often makes; see the notes, 1Th 5:25.

That the word of the Lord may have free course – That is, the gospel. The margin is run. So also the Greek. The idea is, that it might meet with no obstruction, but that it might be carried abroad with the rapidity of a racer out of whose way every hindrance was removed. The gospel would spread rapidly in the earth if all the obstructions which men have put in its way were removed; and that they may be removed should be one of the constant subjects of prayer.

And be glorified – Be honored; or appear to be glorious.

As it is with you – It is evident from this that Paul met with some obstructions in preaching the gospel where he was then laboring. What they were, he mentions in the next verse. He was then at Corinth (see the introduction), and the history in the Acts of the Apostles informs us of the difficulties which he had to encounter there; see Acts 18.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

2Th 3:1

Finally, brethren, pray for us

The power of prayer

The Apostle Paul is now writing from Greece, either from Athens or from Corinth.

The note at the foot of the epistle mentions Athens. The same ancient subscription testifies that the first epistle was written from Athens. There is, however, the strongest reason for believing that both the epistles were written from Corinth; and without discussing the question we will assume that at least this second epistle was. Thus we see that Paul desired that the Word of the Lord might be as unimpededly spread and as illustrious in renown when he preached it in Corinth as when he had published it in Thessalonica.

I. And first, an apostle asking help of private Christians. God alone is really independent. Only God can say, I am that I am. All the creatures of God within the range of our knowledge are mutually dependent, including man, the divinest of all terrestrial beings. The highest officers which the Church of Christ has known were apostles, and those were extraordinary functionaries; yet one of these, and that the greatest, pens the words of our text, saying to the young men and to the little children in the Church of Thessalonica, Brethren, pray for us. The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Now, ye are the body of Christ and members in particular, and it is just this mutual dependence which is recognized in the request of Paul as embodied in the text. There are four things which are likely to make us forget our dependence upon others–gifts or endowments, office, position or standing, and past successful service. These four things–gifts, office, position, successful service–are very likely to make us forget our dependence upon others unless we be on the watch against the mischievous influences which occasionally proceed from them. And there are four things in others which tend to make us overlook the assistance they can afford us–low temporal estate (especially in these days when wealth is becoming in our churches a false god), the possession of a single or but few talents, a retiring disposition, and the not holding any office in the Church of Christ.

II. Let us look at prayer cooperating with preaching and securing its success. Who can tell what is being wrought, and what has been effected, by the ordinance represented by this Little word pray? In asking his friends in Thessalonica for assistance the apostle said to them Pray. Prayer is very different from preaching, and yet a moments reflection will show how they work together. Prayer speaks to God for man; preaching speaks to man for God. Prayer seeks to bring God to man; preaching aims to bring man to God. Prayer moves God towards man; preaching persuades man to seek after God. Prayer makes known unto God mans request; preaching reveals to man Gods mind and will. Preaching casts in the seed; prayer brings the rain and the sunshine. Preaching deposits the leaven; prayer secures the hand which adds its working. Preaching utters the good tidings; prayer carries the sound to the ear and makes that all sensitive. Preaching is doing the practical work which man can do; prayer asks for what God only can do, and for that which is necessary to the success of that which the man can do. But although prayer occupies this lofty position, we are all more or less in danger of being diverted from it. Those who reason much upon religious matters are diverted by a secret scepticism. Those who are carnal and walk as men are diverted by their fondness for a quick and visible return for all their efforts. Those who think of themselves more highly than they ought to think are diverted by self-sufficiency. Those whose estimate of human nature is too valuable are diverted by their too strong expectation of what may be done by the simple presentation of the truth; for there are men so excessively simple that even now, after eighteen centuries of trial, they will tell you that if you only put Gods truth as well as you can before men they will take it in.

III. Thirdly, at a Church in a Macedonian city being requested to sympathize with a Church in a city of Achaia. This request recognizes the common relations of man and the supreme relations of Christ. Thessalonica, as the school boy knows, was a chief city of Macedonia, a then northern and Roman division of Greece, as Corinth of Achaia was the southern division of the same country. The Macedonian city had become, under the Romans, great, populous, and wealthy, and contained a large number of Jews. It has been called, very justly I think, the Liverpool of Northern Greece, on account of its commerce, ships sailing from its harbours to all parts of the then commercial world. Corinth was also a magnificent mercantile city, extremely rich and densely populated; the population consisting of Jews, Greeks, and Romans, with a smaller proportion of Jews than were found in Thessalonica. Where Thessalonica has been compared to Liverpool, Corinth has been likened to modern Paris. Now considering that the two cities were but some four or five hundred miles apart–that they were chief cities in two provinces of the same country–and that they had several national and civic features in common, the existence of sympathy, it may be said, must be taken for granted, and as scarcely worthy of remark. But would such a saying be reasonable and true? Men in great cities are generally inclined to become isolated, and exclusive, and self-absorbed. Moreover great cities are proverbially envious, and jealous, and contemptuous of each other–compare, for instance, Glasgow and Edinburgh–so that it is no small thing to have the men of one city greatly concerned for the men of another. Now Paul would have the Gentile in Thessalonica lovingly interested in the Jew of Corinth, and the Jew of Thessalonica in the Gentile of Corinth. The disposition which looks upon all men now as a family, and all Christians as a household, is preeminently the spirit of Jesus Christ, and to this Paul appeals when he writes: Brethren, pray for us that the Word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified, even as with you.

IV. The latter part of the text expresses the one thing to be desired wherever the Gospel is preached. This is the fourth object at which we said we would look. The language here employed is evidently derived from the public races. The word here rendered have free course is elsewhere translated run. Paul in passing from Athens to Corinth would go along the isthmus where the Grecian games were celebrated. He would see the stadia and theatre; he would look upon the busts and statues of successful competitors, and would see the very trees which yielded the corruptible crown. Accustomed, like the Great Teacher, to draw his illustrations from near sources, he would naturally use an institution which increased the fame of the renowned city. Hence he speaks of the Word of the Lord running as a racer without impediment, or as a chariot without a drag on the wheel, and being honoured and applauded at the end of the course. In plain language Paul requests the Thessalonians to pray that the Word of the Lord may speedily be communicated to man, may be cordially received, may appear to be not the word of man but the Word of God, and may produce all promised results, being universally acknowledged as worthy of all acceptation. Now these words imply that there were hindrances to the spread of the Gospel in Corinth. Some of these were peculiar to Corinth and others were common to all places. Our Lord Jesus Christ had forewarned his apostles of these obstacles when he spoke to them of the hatred and persecution which they would encounter for the Gospels sake, also in some of the similitudes by which he represented the kingdom of heaven, especially in the parable of the sower. Therein Christ teaches that the counteracting work of sense, the want of comprehension and appreciation in the hearers, the lack of depth of feeling, the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust of other things, the wealth and pleasures of this life impede the Word. All this every hearer has more or less experienced, and every preacher more or less observed, ever since Christ spake the parable whose lessons we are quoting. Now from the commencement of his apostleship Paul saw this. Paul was not a man to look on the most pleasant side of an object. Invariably, as we all know, he turned a thing round and round, and looked at it on all sides. Heathenism and Judaism had opposed the spread of that Word in Thessalonica, especially Judaism. The Jews envied the apostles their miraculous powers and their influence over the Gentiles, and raising a fierce tumult against them, drove them from the city; but they could not banish the word of the Lord, and now in Corinth it found embodiment again. The luxury of the city, the vain show, the expensive habits of the people, the attractive immorality, the self-indulgent habits of the citizens, presented peculiar obstacles in Corinth, but the chief of them are common to all places, all races, and all ages of the world. Men do not care for any word of the Lord. They do not feel their need of this peculiar Word of the Lord that we call the Gospel. Men have their ears filled with the words of man. But, it here occurs to me that we have scarcely noticed recently what is meant by the Word of the Lord. According to the text the Word of the Lord is something definite and positive. That of which Paul speaks, is not any or every word of the Lord, but some word which, on account of its importance and blessedness, he calls The Word. It is the Gospel of our salvation, which is sufficiently definite to enable one to detect another Gospel. Now some men seem to say that the Gospel of our salvation is not definite at all. As the God revealed in the Bible is a personal God, so the Word of the Lord is a peculiar and positive revelation that Paul here actually personifies, so distinct and well defined does it appear to his eye. Then this Word of the Lord has a special mission to mankind. It needs to have free course. Its free course is like the going forth of the sun from horizon to meridian, spreading on its way light and heat, fruitfulness and life. Or, returning to the allusion of the text, its free course is like the successful running of a racer, or the driving of the charioteer, upon whose supremacy is staked, not the laurel, but liberty and life–not crowns, but the very existence of peoples and of kingdoms. Hence the prayer that the Word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified. Brethren, you who know the Word of the Lord publish it. Keep it not as a sacred trust in the treasury of your spirit. As you, then, publish the Word of the Lord, lay your account to the existence and to the manifestation of impediments. Expect to see it proceeding, sometimes, slowly as a chariot whose wheels are locked–slowly as a racer encumbered by reason of long and heavy train. Yet imagine the reverse of this–the Word of the Lord having free course. Think of this; nay, more expect this. Remove impediments by your own hands if possible; but in every instance ask the Lord who spake the Word to give His Word free course. Give others who are publishing the Word of the Lord your interest. Pray for all mothers and fathers of the land. (S. Martin.)

Prayer for ministers

If Paul with all his supernatural endowments required the prayers of Gods people, how much more ordinary ministers. The progress of the gospel is not to be attributed to the power of the minister, however great, but to the power of God in answer to prayer.

I. The nature of prayer generally.

1. Sincere desire.

2. Believing expectation of the blessings supplicated. The prayer of the man who doubts, of the heart which wavers, refuses to give glory to God by confiding in the promises He has made. But there must be some ground on which the believing expectation rests, viz., the testimony of God concerning His Son, and not mere sincerity, good character, attendance or the ordinances of religion.

3. The influence of Gods Spirit. Without the Spirits regenerating power, we can have no spiritual vision or believing confidence. We cannot call God Father but by the Spirit of adoption, and therefore cannot offer the prayer of children.

4. Petitions in accordance with the revealed will of God. It is possible to seek what God has never promised, and even what He has forbidden. It is important, therefore, not to trust our own feelings, but to rely upon Gods Word.

II. The duty of prayer for ministers in particular. Such prayer–

1. Connects devotion with public instruction. Mere critical hearing or indifferent hearing destroys the chances of edification. We should remember that we are not only in the presence of the preacher, but of the preachers God. When we link the pulpit to the throne, there will be a blessing in the feeblest ministrations.

2. Associates ministerial success with its true cause. There is a great danger of attributing this to the talent of the preacher, and giving the glory to man which is due to God alone. Prayer will help us to recognize the agency of God in the instrumentality of man.

3. Creates a right state of mind in regard to ministerial failure. The blame may be not his but yours. Success may be withheld not because of any failure in his powers, but in the failure of your prayers.

III. The influence of a praying people on the state of the world and the Church with regard to the diffusion of the Gospel. Prayer exercises an important influence in this direction because it–

1. Increases and maintains love to God. Prayer leads to acquaintance with God, and the more we are acquainted with God the more we shall love Him.

2. Love to man. Prayer for conversion is at once an evidence and a means of growth of that love.

3. Zeal. Without zeal there will be no success; but what promotes love to God and man will inflame zeal; and inflamed zeal gives energy to philanthropy.

4. Practical activity, which is inseparable from love and zeal.

5. Patience. Without prayer, difficulty assumes unreal proportions and begets despondency; but by prayer the believer knows that they are not unsurmountable, and works hopefully for their removal.

6. Devotedness. Prayer is the secret of entire consecration, without which there can be no success. (J. Burnet.)

The power of prayer

I once knew a minister who was constantly successful, who enjoyed a revival every year for twelve years, and could not account for it until one evening at a prayer meeting a brother confessed that for a number of years past he had been in the habit of spending every Saturday evening till midnight in prayer for his pastor the next day. That explained the secret, in part, at least. Such a man praying would make any ministry successful. (C. G. Finney, D. D.)

Prayer and success

No one can tell how much power maybe imparted to a pastors preaching if even one person be among his hearers whose thoughts are wrestling with God that the word may be made effective unto salvation. In a church it was noticed that for several years one young man after another became a communicant. This could not be referred to the preaching of the pastor, nor to any known agency. At last it was found that an old coloured woman who sat in the gallery had been doing this. She selected one young man whom she saw in the congregation, and made him the object of her prayers. She prayed for him in her home and when she was at church. After he united with the church she selected another. And thus for years She had been praying. This reminds us of the legend so sweetly put into verse by Adelaide Procter:

The monk was preaching: strong his earnest word,

From the abundance of his heart he spoke,
And the flame spread,–in every soul that heard
Sorrow and love and good resolve awoke;
The poor lay brother, ignorant and old,
Thanked God that he had heard such words of gold.
Still let the glory, Lord, be thine alone,
So prayed the monk, his breast absorbed in praise;
O Lord, I thank Thee that my feeble strength
Has been so blessed; that sinful hearts and cold
Were melted at my pleading,–knew at length
How sweet Thy service and how safe Thy fold;
While souls that love, Thee saw before them rise
Still holier heights of loving sacrifice.
So prayed the monk, when suddenly he heard
An angel speaking thus: Know, O my son,
Thy words had all been vain, but hearts were stirred,
And saints were edified, and sinners won
By his, the poor lay brothers, humble aid

Who sat upon the pulpit stair and prayed,

God give us in all our churches the lay brother who prays. He is the best prayer book. (George S. Mort, D. D.)

Confidence in prayer

Upon one occasion of great difficulty, Melancthon and Luther had met together to consult about the best means to be adopted. After having spent some time in prayer, Melancthon was suddenly called out of the room, from which he retired under great distress of mind. During his absence, he saw some of the elders of the reformed church, with their parishioners and families. Several children were also brought hanging at the breast; while others a little older were engaged in prayer. This reminded him of that passage, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings has thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and avenger. Encouraged by this pleasing scene, he returned to his friends with a mind set at liberty, and a cheerful countenance. Luther, astonished at this sudden change, said, What now! what has happened to you, Philip, that you are become so cheerful? O Sirs, replied Melancthon, let us not be discouraged, for I have seen our noble protectors, and such as, I will venture to say, will prove invincible against every foe! And pray, returned Luther, filled with surprise and pleasure, who, and where are these powerful heroes? Oh! said Melancthon, they are the wives of our parishioners, and their little children, whose prayers I have just witnessed–prayers which I am sure our Godwill hear: for as our heavenly Father, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has never despised nor rejected our supplications, we have reason to trust that He will not in the present alarming danger. (Scottish Christian Herald.)

That the Word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified–

The unfettered gospel

St. Paul had just prayed for the Thessalonians, he now asked them to pray for him. But it is worthy of remark that the first point mentioned has no reference to himself, but to his work. His life was in danger, and in verse 2 he begs them to pray that he may be delivered, etc.; but this was not the thing nearest his heart.

I. The Word of the Lord. What this was we may gather from the record of another missionary (Act 10:36-43). It included the heavenly mission, miracles, life, death, resurrection and future coming of Christ, and the certainty of pardon through trust in Him.

1. How inestimable this privilege.

2. How universal.

II. Its free course. Marg. run, indicating progress overcoming whatever obstructions. The psalmist prayed that Gods saving health might be known among all nations: how much more should we, the professed servants of Him who said Go ye into all the world, etc. We should pray that the gospel may have free course–

1. In ourselves.

2. In our families, including servants.

3. In our neighbourhoods.

4. Among our countrymen in overgrown towns and neglected villages.

5. Among our emigrants, so many of whom go forth, no man caring for their souls, to found our colonies.

6. Among the heathen.

III. Its glorification, i.e., its eminent success. What kind of success the Apostle explains, as it is with you. How was that? The word of the Lord came to them–

1. In power (1Th 1:1-10; 1Th 2:1-20; 1Th 3:1-13; 1Th 4:1-18; 1Th 5:1-28), as a fire burning in the conscience; as a hammer breaking their wills; as a two-edged sword, discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. This glorious power was given to the Word by the Holy Ghost.

2. Bringing assured peace and joy. They were not merely startled by it at first, but the more they heard the more they were edified.

3. Resulting in continued obedience.

4. Ministering to the increase of holiness.

IV. The connection of prayer with all this. The gospel will not run and succeed as a mere matter of course. But prayer lays hold of the power of God which alone can–

1. Overcome difficulties. Is anything too hard for the Lord.

2. Make the gospel effectual in salvation. (D. Fenn.)

The glorification of the Gospel

I. The great object of Christian devotion.

1. The free and unimpeded circulation of the gospel.

(1) There are impediments–the spirit of persecution, the prevalence of idolatry, superstition, and infidelity, the inconsistency and corruptions of the Church–all of which are resolved into the opposition of the human heart.

(2) The allusion is to the stadium or racecourse–in which it was necessary that every obstacle should be removed, crooked places made straight, etc. The Son of God is riding forth in the chariot of His gospel, and the prayer is that nothing may be allowed to stop His progress.

2. The removal of hindrances was only a means to the end of the glorification of the gospel.

(1) It would not be enough if in every part the most unrestricted freedom were enjoyed, that all obstacles to evangelism were removed, that spacious churches were everywhere raised, and that all rank and authority were made subservient to the progress of truth.

(2) The word of God is glorified only when it is the medium of spiritual renovation, when its supreme authority is acknowledged by its professors, when its discoveries are cordially received, its injunctions practised, its holy influences exemplified.

II. The duty of fervent prayer in order to its accomplishment. The connection between prayer and the success of the gospel involves many important principles.

1. Prayer honours the agency of God. If we have the ear of God we are sure of His hand. If the spirit of supplication be poured out upon us, that itself is a pledge of success. And God honours prayer because prayer acknowledges that it is not by might, nor by power, etc.

2. Prayer is expressly enjoined. Ask, and it shall be given you. For all these things I will be inquired of, etc.

3. All history demonstrates that the spirit of prayer is invariably connected with success. No one ever prayed for himself that did not succeed. Let this encourage the anxious inquirer. Can you refer to any praying church that was not a successful church?

4. Those engaged in promoting this object have especial claims on you. Pray for us. It is the prayer of the Christian minister. Like Moses of old, he is upheld in the hands of prayer.

5. In proportion to the spirit of prayer shall we cherish the spirit of activity, liberality, and zeal.

III. Known instances of success are grounds of encouragement. As it is with you. Not that we are to be satisfied with success; on the contrary, notwithstanding it, we have much cause for humiliation. Still humiliation is not incompatible with thanksgiving for what has been done in and by us. The apostle quotes the case of the Thessalonians as an illustration of what God can do and a pledge of what He will do. Look upon the history of your own conversion. What God can do for you He can do for every one. Conclusion: The subject–

1. Demands inquiry.

2. Encourages hope.

3. Enjoins activity. (J. Fletcher, D. D.)

The success of the gospel

I. The object proposed. That the Word of the Lord may have free course, etc.

1. By the Word of the Lord we understand that revelation of Gods will contained in the Holy Book, a revelation of every doctrine necessary to be believed, and of every duty to be practised. This is the Word of the Lord–

(1) For it bears the stamp of Divinity upon it, being authenticated by miracle and fulfilled prophecy.

(2) Because the subject matter is what God alone could reveal. Creation, mans nature, the way of salvation through redemption by Christ, and regeneration by the Spirit.

2. This gospel is the great instrument which is intended for human salvation. It is Gods instrument for enlightening the mind; His tender of pardon; His directory of the way to heaven. The age prior to the gospel abounded with great men; but the world by wisdom knew not God. The gospel, however, is the power of God unto salvation.

3. The object proposed is that this Word of God may have free course. Some see here a reference to the Greek races. Here is a course to be run, and the glory relates to the crown and the plaudits of the spectators. But the more natural view is that of a river. The gospel is the river of the water of life. Wherever it comes the wilderness and solitary place are made glad. Trees of righteousness laden with fruits of peace overhang its margin.

(1) The gospel in its course has met with opposition from high and low, rich and poor, etc. Heathens and infidels have entered the lists against it. Its progress has been impeded by subtle errors. But the greatest obstacle has been the inconsistencies of its professors.

(2) The text contemplates this gospel as rising and bearing down every opposing barrier, and rolling the majestic tide of truth to the utmost regions.

4. And be glorified. It is glorious in itself, but it is the manifestation of this glory that the text has in view. The Word of the Lord is glorified–

(1) In its rapid and extensive progress. This was the case when three thousand were converted under the ministry of Peter, when Luther arose, and Wesley, and in modern missions.

(2) In its effects on the character of its converts, e.g., Saul of Tarsus.

(3) In the happy deaths of Christians.

II. The means indicated. Pray for your ministers because–

1. They are instruments of God for the dissemination of the gospel. The gospel is an offer of peace and they are ambassadors of God; it is good news and they are the messengers; it is a mystery for mans benefit and they are the stewards; the world is a field and they are the cultivators; the Church is an edifice and they are the builders. Other powers are auxiliary, e.g., Sunday schools, tract and Bible societies; but preaching leads the way and has the special sanction of Christ. In view of all this, pray for us.

2. They meet with many discouragements, arising from their weakness, their responsibility, and their failures.

3. The efficacy of their preaching depends upon the unction of the Spirit, and this can be secured only by prayer.

4. It is your duty. It is enjoined by God. They pray, study, preach for you; the least that can be asked is that you should pray for them.

5. It will be beneficial to yourselves. Without prayer you cannot expect to profit by their ministrations.

Conclusion:

1. Great is the efficacy of prayer.

2. You cannot be neutral in this work. You are either for the gospel or against it, and prayer or the neglect of it will determine which. (J. Brown.)

The gospels conquests

A captain once rushed into the presence of the general in hot haste, and said: General, we can never fight them, they are so numerous. Captain, said the general, coolly, we are not here to count them, but to conquer them, and conquer them we must. And conquer them they did. (J. Ossian Davies.)

The diffusion of the gospel

It begins in the individuals heart; and secretly, silently, but powerfully, it spreads till the whole nature is penetrated by its influence, and animated to a new character. It is silent as the dew of heaven, but as saturating also. Like a sweet stream, it runs along many a mile in silent beauty. You may trace its course, not by roaring cataracts, and rolling boulders, and rent rocks, but by the belt of verdure and fertility that extends along its margin. The fact is all great forces are silent; strength is quiet; all great things are still. It is the vulgar idea that thunder and lightning are the mightiest forces. Gravitation, which is unseen, binds stars and suns in harmony. The light which comes so silently that it does not injure an infants eye, makes the whole earth burst into flowers, and yet it is not heard. Thus love and truth, the compound elements of the gospel leaven, are quiet but mighty in their action; mightier far than hate, persecution, bribes, falsehood, and swords. Souls are won, not by might, or by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts; and this Spirit is secured by the quiet efficacy of prayer. (J. Cumming, D. D.)

Spreading the gospel

At the close of the war with Great Britain I was in new York. One Saturday afternoon a ship was discovered in the offing, which was supposed to be a cartel, bringing home our commissioners at Ghent from their unsuccessful mission. The sun had set before any intelligence from the vessel had reached the city. Expectation became painfully intense as the hours of darkness drew on. At length a boat reached the wharf, announcing the fact that a treaty of peace had been signed, and was waiting for nothing but the action of our government to become law. The men on whose ears these words first fell, ran in breathless haste to repeal them to their friends, shouting as they rushed through the streets, Peace, peace, peace! Every one who heard the sound repeated it. From house to house, from street to street, the news spread with electric rapidity. The whole city was in commotion. Men bearing lighted torches were flying to and fro, shouting like madmen, Peace, peace, peace! When the rapture had partially subsided, one idea occupied every mind. But few men slept that night. In groups they were gathered in the streets and by the fireside, beguiling the hours of midnight by reminding each other that the agony of war was over. Thus every one becoming a herald, the news soon reached every man, woman and child in the city; and in this sense the whole city was evangelized. All this, you see, was reasonable and proper; but when Jehovah has offered to our world a treaty of peace, why is not a similar zeal displayed in proclaiming the good news? Why are men perishing a all around us, and no one has ever personally offered them salvation through a crucified Redeemer? (Dr. Wayland.)

The progress of Christianity

In the first 1,500 years of its history Christianity gained 100,000,000 of adherents; in the next 300 years 100,000,000 more; but in the last 100 years 210,000,000 more. Make these facts vivid. Here is a staff. Let it represent the course of Christian history. Let my hand represent 500 years. I measure off 500, 1,000, 1,500 years. In that length of time how many adherents did Christianity gain? 100,000,000. I add three finger breadths more. In that length of time how many adherents did Christianity gain? 100,000,000. In the 800 years succeeding the Reformation Christianity gained as many adherents as in the 1,500 years preceding. But I now add a single fingers breadth to represent one century, How many adherents has Christianity gained in that length of time? 210,000,000 more. Such has been the marvellous growth of the Christian nations in our century, that in the last eighty-three years Christianity has gained more adherents than in the previous eighteen centuries. These are facts of colossal significance, and they cannot be dwelt on too graphically and too often. By adherents of Christianity I mean nominal Christians, i.e., all who are not Pagans, Mohammedans, or Jews. At the present rate of progress, it is supposed that there wilt be 1,200,000,000 of nominal Christians in the world in the year 2,000. (Joseph Cook.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

CHAPTER III.

The apostle recommends himself and his brethren to the prayers

of the Church, that their preaching might be successful, and

that they might be delivered from wicked men, 1, 2.

Expresses his confidence in God and them, and prays that they

may patiently wait for the coming of Christ, 3-5.

Gives them directions concerning strict discipline in the

Church; and shows how he and his fellow labourers had behaved

among them, not availing themselves of their own power and

authority, 6-9.

Shows them how to treat disorderly and idle people, and not to

get weary in well doing, 10-13.

Directs them not to associate with those who obey not the orders

contained in this epistle, 14, 15,

Prays that they may have increasing peace, 16,

And concludes with his salutation and benediction, 17, 18.

NOTES ON CHAP. III.

Verse 1. Finally, brethren] The words do not mean finally, but, furthermore-to come to a conclusion-what remains is this-I shall only add-any of these phrases expresses the sense of the original.

Pray for us] God, in the order of his grace and providence, has made even the success of his Gospel dependent, in a certain measure, on the prayers of his followers. Why he should do so we cannot tell, but that he has done so we know; and they are not a little criminal who neglect to make fervent supplications for the prosperity of the cause of God.

May have free course] They were to pray that the doctrine of the Lord, , might run, , an allusion to the races in the Olympic games: that, as it had already got into the stadium or race course, and had started fairly, so it might run on, get to the goal, and be glorified; i.e., gain the crown, appointed for him that should get first to the end of the course.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

The apostle now draws towards the close of his Epistle, as appears by the word

finally, which he also useth in the close of other Epistles, as 2Co 13:11; Eph 6:10; Phi 4:8; . It imports the adding of something that remains. And that which he first addeth, is the desire of their prayers; as he had desired them in the former Epistle, 1Th 5:25; and so of other churches, 2Co 1:11; Eph 6:19; Heb 13:18, &c. He had prayed for them in the foregoing chapter, and now he begs their prayers. It is a mutual duty that ministers and people owe to one another. Though the apostle gave himself to the word, and prayer also, Act 6:4, yet the prayers of many may be more prevalent than of one, though an apostle: and they being concerned for the advancing of Christs interest in the world, as they were Christians, were therefore engaged to pray for him. And the apostle was sensible of the greatness of the work which was in his hand, and his own insufficiency, without God, therefore he desires prayer; and it is of them whom he here calls brethren: he knew the prayers of the wicked and unbelievers would avail nothing; and though he was a great apostle, yet the greatest in the church may stand in need of, and be helped by, the prayers of the meanest brethren. And their prayers he desires are, first, with respect to his ministry,

that the word of the Lord may have free course, or may run; that the course of it may not be stopped, it being as a river of the water of life. The apostle was to teach all nations, and so desires the word may pass from one nation to another, yea, and run down from one generation to another, that it may spread and diffuse itself, and disciples might be multiplied. This is called the increasing of it, Act 6:7; the growing and multiplying of it, Act 12:24; the growing and prevailing of it, Act 19:20; which Christ sets forth by the parable of the mustard-seed, which grew and spread; and of the leaven, that diffused its virtue in the meal, Mat 13:31-33; the apostle referring here to the external course of the word, rather than its inward efficacy in the soul, as also Christ seems chiefly to do in those parables. There are many things that hinder the course of the gospel; sometimes wicked rulers make laws against it, sometimes great persecutions have been raised, sometimes false teachers oppose it, sometimes professors prove apostates and scandalize the world against it, sometimes reproaches are thrown in the way of it. And to the free course of it is required, on the contrary, a provision of suitable help herein, both of magistracy and ministry, and the bestowing of the Spirit, and the blessing of endeavours used herein. All these are to be prayed for, as the former to be prayed against.

And be glorified: he means, that it might have honour, reputation, and high esteem in the world, and not lie under reproach; as the Jews accounted it heresy, and the Gentiles foolishness: as it is said of those Gentiles, Act 13:48, they glorified the word of the Lord, by their honourable respect to it, and joy in it. As also that it might produce glorious effects in the world, in subduing people to God, and making men new creatures, and bringing them out of the devils into Christs kingdom, &c.; that it may evidence itself to be from heaven, and the power of God to mens salvation, and not an invention of man; to which we may add, that it may be honoured in the unblamable and exemplary walking of the professors of it.

Even as it is with you: the glorious success of it with them he had largely shown before in both these Epistles; and he would have them pray for the like with others. Those that have felt the power of the gospel themselves to their conversion and salvation, should pray that others may partake of it with them. Herein they show their charity to men, and love to God, which the apostle here puts them upon, as that which would be acceptable to God; and the rather, because their own experience might teach them what God was able to do for others. Or else the apostle in these words sets forth these Thessalonians as a pattern of the mighty success of the word: it had its free course and was glorified among them; they received it as the word of God, and not of men. As if the apostle should say: They that would know the glorious success of the word of the Lord, let them go to Thessalonica.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

1. Finallyliterally, “Asto what remains.”

may have freecourseliterally, “may run”; spread rapidly without adrag on the wheels of its course. That the new-creating word may”run,” as “swiftly” as the creative word at thefirst (Ps 147:15). Theopposite is the word of God being “bound” (2Ti2:9).

glorifiedby sinnersaccepting it (Act 13:48; Gal 1:23;Gal 1:24). Contrast “evilspoken of” (1Pe 4:14).

as it is with you(1Th 1:6; 1Th 4:10;1Th 5:11).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Finally, brethren, pray for us,…. The apostle now proceeds to the last and closing part of the epistle, which respects church discipline, and the removing of disorderly persons from their communion; and introduces it with a request to pray for him, and the rest of his fellow ministers, particularly Silvanus and Timothy, who joined with him in this epistle: he signifies that nothing more remained; this was the last he had to say, that they, “the brethren”, not the preachers of the word only, but the members of the church, would be solicitous for them at the throne of grace; as it becomes all the churches, and the several members of them, to pray for their ministers: with respect to their private studies, that they might be directed to suitable subjects; that their understandings might be opened to understand the Scriptures; that their gifts might be increased, and they be more and more fitted for public service: and with respect to their public ministrations, that they be brought forth in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ; that they have a door of utterance given them to preach the Gospel freely and boldly, as it ought to be spoken; and that their ministry be blessed to saints and sinners: and with respect to the world, and their conduct in it, that they be kept from the evil of it, and so behave as to give none offence, that the ministry be not blamed; and that they be not allured by the flatteries, nor intimidated by the frowns of the world, but endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ: and with respect to their persons and state, that their souls may prosper, and that they may have much of the presence of God, and much spiritual joy, peace, comfort, and strength of faith; and that they may enjoy bodily health, and their lives be spared for further usefulness. This request is frequently urged by the apostle; which shows his sense of the importance of the work of the ministry, the insufficiency of men for it, the necessity of fresh supplies of grace, and the great usefulness of prayer. The particular petitions he would have put up follow,

that the word of the Lord may have free course. By “the word of the Lord”, or “of God”, as the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read, is meant the Gospel; which is of God, and not of man, comes by the Lord Jesus Christ, and is concerning him, his person and offices, and concerning peace, pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation by him, as the subject matter of it: and the request is, that this might “have free course”: or “might run”: be propagated and spread far and near: the ministry of the word is a course or race, and ministers are runners in it, having their feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; which is the message they are sent with, and the errand they run upon: which comes from heaven, and is to be carried into all the world, and spread: Satan and his emissaries do all they can to hinder the progress of it; God only can remove all obstructions and impediments; when he works none can let; all mountains become a plain before Zerubbabel. Wherefore the apostle directs to pray to him for it, with what follows,

and be glorified, even as it is with you; the Gospel is glorified when it is attended upon by large numbers, and is heard with a becoming reverence; when it is received in the love of it, is greatly prized and highly esteemed; when it is cordially embraced, and cheerfully obeyed. It is glorified when sinners are converted by it, and the lives of the professors of it are agreeably to it; and thus it was glorified in these several instances at Thessalonica; and therefore the apostle puts them upon praying, that it might be so elsewhere, as there; even “everywhere”, as the Syriac version adds.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Apostle’s Pious Request.

A. D. 52.

1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: 2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. 5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

In these words observe,

I. The apostle desires the prayers of his friends: Finally, brethren, pray for us, v. 1. He always remembered them in his prayers, and would not have them forget him and his fellow-labourers, but bear them on their hearts at the throne of grace. Note, 1. This is one way by which the communion of saints is kept us, not only by their praying together, or with one another, but by their praying for one another when they are absent one from another. And thus those who are at great distance may meet together at the throne of grace; and thus those who are not capable of doing or receiving any other kindness may yet this way do and receive real and very great kindness. 2. It is the duty of people to pray for their ministers; and not only for their own pastors, but also for all good and faithful ministers. And, 3. Ministers need, and therefore should desire, the prayers of their people. How remarkable is the humility, and how engaging the example, of this great apostle, who was so mighty in prayer himself, and yet despised not the prayers of the meanest Christian, but desired an interest in them. Observe, further, what they are desired and directed to pray for; namely, (1.) For the success of the gospel ministry: That the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, v. 1. This was the great thing that Paul was most solicitous about. He was more solicitous that God’s name might be sanctified, his kingdom advanced, and his will done, than he was about his own daily bread. He desired that the word of the Lord might run (so it is in the original), that it might get ground, that the interest of religion in the world might go forward and not backward, and not only go forward, but go apace. All the forces of hell were then, and still are, more or less, raised and mustered to oppose the word of the Lord, to hinder its publication and success. We should pray, therefore, that oppositions may be removed, that so the gospel, may have free course to the ears, the hearts, and the consciences of men, that it may be glorified in the conviction and conversion of sinners, the confutation, of gainsayers, and the holy conversation of the saints. God, who magnified the law, and made it honourable, will glorify the gospel, and make that honourable, and so will glorify his own name; and good ministers and good Christians may very well be contented to be little, to be any thing, to be nothing, if Christ be magnified and his gospel be glorified. Paul was now at Athens, or, as some think, at Corinth, and would have the Thessalonians pray that he might have as good success there as he had at Thessalonica, that it might be as well with others even as it was with them. Note, If ministers have been successful in one place, they should desire to be successful in every place where they may preach the gospel. (2.) For the safety of gospel ministers. He asks their prayers, nor for preferment, but for preservation: That we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, v. 2. Note, Those who are enemies to the preaching of the gospel, and persecutors of the faithful preachers of it, are unreasonable and wicked men. They act against all the rules and laws of reason and religion, and are guilty of the greatest absurdity and impiety. Not only in the principles of atheism and infidelity, but also in the practice of the vice and immorality, and especially in persecution, there is the greatest absurdity in the world, as well as impiety. There is need of the spiritual protection, as well as the assistance, of godly and faithful ministers, for these are as the standard-bearers, who are most struck at; and therefore all who wish well to the interest of Christ in the world should pray for them. For all men have not faith; that is, many do not believe the gospel; they will not embrace it themselves, and no wonder if such are restless and malicious in their endeavours to oppose the gospel, decry the ministry, and disgrace the ministers of the word; and too many have not common faith or honesty; there is no confidence that we can safely put in them, and we should pray to be delivered from those who have no conscience nor honour, who never regard what they say or do. We may sometimes be in as much or more danger from false and pretended friends as from open and avowed enemies.

II. He encourages them to trust in God. We should not only pray to God for his grace, but also place our trust and confidence in his grace, and humbly expect what we pray for. Observe,

1. What the good is which we may expect from the grace of God-establishment, and preservation from evil; and the best Christians stand in need of these benefits. (1.) That God would establish them. This the apostle had prayed for on their behalf ( ch. 2:17), and now he encourages them to expect this favour. We stand no longer than God holds us up; unless he hold up our goings in his paths, our feet will slide, and we shall fall. (2.) That God will keep them from evil. We have as much need of the grace of God for our perseverance to the end as for the beginning of the good work. The evil of sin is the greatest evil, but there are other evils which God will also preserve his saints from–the evil that is in the world, yea, from all evil, to his heavenly kingdom.

2. What encouragement we have to depend upon the grace of God: The Lord is faithful. He is faithful to his promises, and is the Lord who cannot lie, who will not alter the thing that has gone out of his mouth. When once the promise therefore is made, performance is sure and certain. He is faithful to his relation, a faithful God and a faithful friend; we may depend upon his filling up all the relations he stands in to his people. Let it be our care to be true and faithful in our promises, and to the relations we stand in to this faithful God. He adds,

3. A further ground of hope that God would do this for them, seeing they did and would do the things they were commanded, v. 4. The apostle had this confidence in them, and this was founded upon his confidence in God; for there is otherwise no confidence in man. Their obedience is described by doing what he and his fellow-labourers had commanded them, which was no other thing than the commandments of the Lord; for the apostles themselves had no further commission than to teach men to observe and to do what the Lord had commanded, Matt. xxviii. 20. And as the experience the apostle had of their obedience for the time past was one ground of his confidence that they would do the things commanded them for the time to come, so this is one ground to hope that whatsoever we ask of God we shall receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight, 1 John iii. 22.

III. He makes a short prayer for them, v. 5. It is a prayer for spiritual blessings. Two things of the greatest importance the apostle prays for:– 1. That their hearts may be brought into the love of God, to be in love with God as the most excellent and amiable Being, the best of all beings; and this is not only most reasonable and necessary in order to our happiness, but is our happiness itself; it is a great part of the happiness of heaven itself, where this love shall be made perfect. We can never attain to this unless God by his grace direct our hearts aright, for our love is apt to go astray after other things. Note, We sustain a great deal of damage by misplacing our affections; it is our sin and our misery that we place our affections upon wrong objects. If God directs our love aright upon himself, the rest of the affections will thereby be rectified. 2. That a patient waiting for Christ may be joined with this love of God. There is no true love of God without faith in Jesus Christ. We must wait for Christ, which supposes our faith in him, that we believe he came once in flesh and will come again in glory: and we must expect this second coming of Christ, and be careful to get ready for it; there must be a patient waiting, enduring with courage and constancy all that we may meet with in the mean time: and we have need of patience, and need of divine grace to exercise Christian patience, the patience of Christ (as some read the word), patience for Christ’s sake and after Christ’s example.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

Finally ( ). Accusative of general reference. Cf. 1Th 4:1.

Pray (). Present middle, keep on praying. Note as in 1Th 5:25.

That the word of the Lord may run and be glorified ( ). Usual construction of after , sub-final use, content and purpose combined. Note present subjunctive with both verbs rather than aorist, may keep on running and being glorified, two verbs joined together nowhere else in the N.T. Paul probably derived this metaphor from the stadium as in 1Cor 9:24; Gal 2:2; Rom 9:16; Phil 2:16; 2Tim 4:7. Lightfoot translates “may have a triumphant career.” On the word of the Lord see on 1Th 1:8. Paul recognizes the close relation between himself and the readers. He needs their prayers and sympathy and he rejoices in their reception of the word of the Lord already,

even as also it is with you ( ). “As it does in your case” (Frame).

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

Finally [ ] . See on 1Th 4:1.

May have free course [] . More literally, simply, and better, may run. Have swift progress through the world. An O. T. idea. See Psa 147:15, and comp. Isa 55:11 and Act 12:24.

Be glorified [] . Acknowledged in its true power and glory. Comp. Joh 12:28. The phrase the word of the Lord – be glorified, only here.

Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament

Practical Service (Prayers Desired)

1) “Finally, brethren, pray for us” (to loipo proseuehesthe, adelphoi) “for the rest, pray ye, brethren,” or “pray for us, brethren”, or (peri hemon) pray concerning us our cares and our needs; 2Co 1:11 teaches that one may help another through prayer; Eph 6:18.

2) “That the Word of God may have free course” (hina ho logos tou kuriou treche) “in order that the Word of the Lord may run (freely), or unobstructed”, that the hearers might be enabled by the Spirit to comprehend or grasp the message; 1Th 1:5; Pro 1:22-23.

3) “And be glorified” (kai doksazetai) “and may be glorified”; as they yielded souls and bodies in service to Jesus Christ and His cause, 1Co 6:20; 1Co 10:31; Gal 1:24; Act 11:18.

4) “Even as it is with you” (kathos kai pros humas) as it is even with you all”, 1Th 1:3; 1Th 1:6-10; 1Th 2:13; 1Th 5:11.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

1 Pray for us. Though the Lord powerfully aided him, and though he surpassed all others in earnestness of prayer, he nevertheless does not despise the prayers of believers, by which the Lord would have us aided. It becomes us, after his example, eagerly to desire this aid, and to stir up our brethren to pray for us.

When, however, he adds — that the word of God may have its course, he shows that he has not so much concern and regard for himself personally, as for the entire Church. For why does he desire to be recommended to the prayers of the Thessalonians? That the doctrine of the gospel may have its course. He does not desire, therefore, so much that regard should be had to himself individually, as to the glory of God and the common welfare of the Church. Course means here dissemination; (692) glory means something farther, — that his preaching may have its power and efficacy for renewing men after the image of God. Hence, holiness of life and uprightness on the part of Christians is the glory of the gospel; as, on the other hand, those defame the gospel who make profession of it with the mouth, while in the meantime they live in wickedness and baseness. He says — as among you; for this should be a stimulus to the pious, to see all others like them. Hence those that have already entered into the kingdom of God are exhorted to pray daily that it may come. (Mat 6:10.)

(692) “ Estendue et auancement;” — “Extension and advancement.”

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES

2Th. 3:1. Have free course and be glorified.Probably St. Paul took this image from the Old Testament. In Psa. 147:15 the word of the Lord is said to run very swiftly.

2Th. 3:2. Unreasonable and wicked men.The word for unreasonable only occurs twice beside in the New Testament: once, the malefactor on the cross says, This man has done nothing amiss, or out of place; and again the barbarians beheld nothing amiss come to Paul when the viper had fastened on his hand. The thief is a good commentator here. Men who by their vagaries hold even their friends in painful suspense, and especially such as are indifferent to morality, seem to be meant.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.2Th. 3:1-2

Prayer for Ministers.

Prayer should not be all on one side. It is a mutual obligation and privilege. The Thessalonians are reminded how often they were the subject of anxious prayer, and they are how asked to remember their own ministers at the throne of grace. Mutual prayer intensifies mutual sympathy and affection, and deepens the interest of both parties in promoting the success of the gospel. Note:
I. That prayer for ministers is apostolically enjoined.Brethren, pray for us (2Th. 3:1). True prayer is spontaneous. It does not wait to be formally authorised. A loving heart loves to pray. Nevertheless, there are laggards in this duty, and they may be prompted to the exercise by employing all the weight of apostolic authority and example. If apostles felt the need of prayer, how much more should we! Ministers are but men; but by the use of the word brethren the writer indicates that ministers and people have common privileges, common wants, and common dangers. The ministerial office has also its special responsibilities and perils, and nothing helps more vitally the efficient discharge of its duties than the constant prayers of an appreciative and devoted people.

II. That prayer for ministers should have special reference to the success of the gospel.

1. The gospel is divine. The word of the Lord (2Th. 3:1). The gospel is a message to man, but it is more than a human message. It is the voice of God speaking to man through man. If it had been simply of human origin, it would have been forgotten and superseded by the changing theories ever teeming from the fertile brain of man. Every human institution is liable to be supplanted by another. There is nothing permanent in philosophy, government, or morals that is not based on eternal truth. The gospel is abiding, because it rests on unchanging truth. It is the word of the Lord.

2. The spread of the gospel is beset with difficulties.That the word of the Lord may have free course (2Th. 3:1). The pioneers of the gospel in Thessalonica had to contend with the malignant hatred of the unbelieving Jews, with the seductive theories of the Grecian philosophy, and with the jealous opposition of the Roman power. All hindrances to the gospel have a common root in the depravity of the human hearthence the difficulties occasioned by the inconsistencies of half-hearted professors, the paralysing influence of scepticism, and the violence of external persecution. The chief difficulty is spiritual, and the weapon to contend against it must be spiritualthe weapon of all-prayer. Savonarola once said, If there be no enemy, no fight; if no fight, no victory; if no victory, no crown. We are to pray that the gospel may have free coursemay run, not simply creep, or loiter haltingly on the way, but speed along as a swift-footed messenger. Take courage from thy cause: thou fightest for thy God, and against His enemy. Is thy enemy too potent? fear not. Art thou besieged? faint not. Art thou routed? fly not. Call aid, and thou shalt be strengthened; petition, and thou shalt be relieved; pray, and thou shalt be recruited.

3. The glory of the gospel is to change mens hearts and ennoble mens lives.And be glorified, even as it is with you (2Th. 3:1). You Thessalonians, notwithstanding your imperfect views and defective conduct, are samples of what the gospel can do in changing the heart and giving a lofty purpose to the life. Pray that its triumph may be more complete in you, and that its uplifting influence may be realised by others. That which Plato was unable to effect, says Pascal, even in the case of a few select and learned persons, a secret power, by the help only of a few words, is now wrought upon thousands of uneducated men.

III. That prayer for ministers should be offered that their lives may be preserved from the violence of cruel and unbelieving enemies.And that ye may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith (2Th. 3:2). Not all have faith, even among those who profess to have it, and it is certainly true of all those who scout and reject the gospel. The unbelieving are perverse and wicked, and it is from this class that the minister is met by the most unreasonable and malicious opposition. Perhaps the most dangerous foes with which a minister has to contend are those who make some profession of religion, but in heart and practice deny it. Men will write for religion, fight for it, die for itanything but live for it. The minister, girdled with the prayers of his people, is screened from the plots and attacks of the wicked.

Lessons.

1. The success of the gospel is a signal demonstration of its divine authorship.

2. Ministers of the gospel have need of sympathy and help in their work.

3. The grandest spiritual results are brought about by prayer.

GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES

2Th. 3:1. The Ministerial Request.

I. The request presented.

1. That the power of religion may be eminently experienced in our own souls.

2. That we may be preserved from the official dangers to which we are exposed.

3. That we may be able ministers of the New Testament.

4. That prudence and fidelity may distinguish our labours.

II. The grounds on which it rests.

1. It rests on the mutual connection which subsists between ministers and people.

2. On the law of love.

3. On its advantages to yourselves.

4. On the prevalency of fervent prayer.

5. On its connection with the salvation of souls.Sketches.

2Th. 3:2. Unbelief

Abandons the guide of reason.

II.

Leads to a vicious life and causes trouble to others.

III.

We should pray to be delivered from its evil results.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Text (2Th. 3:1)

1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also it is with you;

Translation and Paraphrase

(Finally) brethren, for the future (please) be praying for us, that the message of the Lord may run (without ceasing) and be glorified (in the lives of many people) just as (it) also (does) among you.

Notes (2Th. 3:1)

How often Paul asked for prayer. (See notes on 1Th. 5:25, par. 1.) Do you ever pray for preachers and missionaries? They are only men. They need your prayers.

Notice how unselfish Pauls prayer was. He did not ask for prayers for his own ease, but only that the word of God may make progress.

Please recall now the chapter topic of chapter three, Withdraw from idlers, and recall point I in the outline of chapter 3, Request for prayer (2Th. 3:1-2).

The word finally does not necessarily indicate a conclusion, but only a new phase of discussion which does happen here to be the closing one. (The Greek is to loipon, for the future, what remains, hereafter, henceforth, for the rest.)

Note that the gospel is the word of the Lord, and not the wisdom of men.

Paul speaks here of the word of the Lord as living and moving. Compare Heb. 4:12. Also Psa. 147:15. The word of God is not a dead writing, but a dynamic living power.

The gospel needs free course. It can be hindered by opposition and sometimes almost stopped altogether. A runner could not make very good time running in a junk yard, Satan likewise makes the path of the gospel a real obstacle course, But prayer can clear out the obstacles.

How different this verse sounds from popular denominational expressions. Men say, Pray for a great moving of the Spirit. Paul said, Pray that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified. (Amer. Stan. Vers,)

Paul compliments the Thessalonians by indicating that the word of the Lord had free course in their hearts. This was a deserved compliment. But it is one that can easily be lost. We cannot rest on past laurels. The word of God must continue its course in our hearts without letup.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

III.

(1) Finally.The practical portion is introduced in the same manner as in the First Epistle (1Th. 4:1), for the rest, as to what I have yet to say.

Pray for us.St. Chrysostom remarks: Himself had prayed for them; now he asks them to pray for him. How much of a Christian teachers power, increasing as time goes on, comes from the accumulation of intercession from his spiritual children! St. Paul leaves people praying for him everywhere (Rom. 15:30; 2Co. 1:11; Eph. 6:18-19; Col. 4:3; 1Th. 5:25; comp. Heb. 13:18). In all these cases the request is for active help in his work of evangelising: not that he may fall into no danger, says St. Chrysostom, for that he was appointed unto. (Comp. 2Ti. 2:9.) That stands for in order that, and does not introduce merely the subject of the prayer.

May have free course.Quite literally, as in the margin, may run along. Speed and security are contained in this idea: no hesitation about the next turn, no anxious picking of the way, and no opposition from devils and bad men. Bengel compares Psa. 147:15.

And be glorified.The word does not mean merely obtain applause, win distinction, as a successful runner; it always implies the recognition or acknowledgment of inherent admirable qualities. (See Notes on 2Th. 1:12; 1Th. 2:6.)

Even as it is with you.Such praise would flush the Thessalonians to pray for him with greater fervour and assurance. With you means, in the Greek, in your direction, on turning to you: people had only to look at Thessalonica, and they were forced to recognise the character of the gospel.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Chapter 3

A FINAL WORD ( 2Th 3:1-5 )

3:1-5 Finally, brothers, keep on praying for us, that the word of God may run its race and receive its crown of glory–as it does in your case–and that we may be saved from these wicked and evil men, for the faith is not for everyone. You can rely on the Lord who will make you steady and who will guard you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you both do and will do what we command you to do. May the Lord direct your hearts so that you may feel the love of God and display the endurance which Christ can give.

Once again Paul comes to the end of a letter with the request that his people should pray for him (compare 1Th 5:25; Rom 15:30 ff.; Phm 1:22). There is something deeply moving in the thought of this giant among men asking for the prayers of the Thessalonians who so well recognized their own weakness. Nowhere is Paul’s humility more clear to see. And the fact that he, as it were, threw himself on their hearts must have done much to bind even his opponents to him, because it is very difficult to dislike a man who asks you to pray for him.

But in spite of his love for and trust in men Paul was a realist. The faith, he said, is not for everyone. We can be certain that he said it not cynically but sorrowfully. Once again we see the tremendous responsibility of free-will. We can use it to open our hearts and we can use it to shut them. Faith’s appeal is not selective, it goes out to every man; but the heart of man can refuse to respond.

In the last verse of this passage we see what we might call the inward and the outward characteristics of the Christian. The inward characteristic is the awareness of the love of God, the deep awareness that we cannot drift beyond his care, the sense that the everlasting arms are underneath us. One of the basic needs of life is security and we find that need met in the consciousness of the unchanging love of God. The outward characteristic is the endurance which Christ can give. We live in a world where there are more nervous breakdowns than at any time in history. It is a sign that more and more people have the feeling that they cannot cope with life. The outward characteristic of the Christian is that when others break he stands erect and when others collapse he shoulders his burden and goes on. With the love of God in his heart and the strength of Christ in his life a man can face anything.

DISCIPLINE IN BROTHERLY LOVE ( 2Th 3:6-18 )

3:6-18 Brothers, we command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, keep yourselves from every brother who behaves like a truant from duty and who does not conduct himself in accordance with the teaching which they received from us, for you yourselves know that you must imitate us because we never played the truant from work when we were among you nor did we eat bread which we had received from you without paying for it, but in labour and toil we kept on working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you. It is not that we had not the right to claim support from you, but we kept at work that we might give ourselves to you as an example for you to imitate, for when we were with you we used to give you this order, “If a man refuses to work, neither let him eat.” For we hear that there are some amongst you whose behaviour is that of truants from work, who are busy in nothing except in being busybodies. To such we give orders and exhort them in the Lord Jesus Christ that they should quietly go on working and so eat their bread. Brothers, don’t grow tired of doing the fine thing. If anyone does not obey the word we send to you through this letter, mark him; don’t associate with him that he may be shamed. Don’t reckon him as an enemy, but give him advice as a brother.

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always and everywhere. The Lord be with you all.

Here is the greeting of me Paul in my own hand-writing, which is the sign of genuineness in every letter. This is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Here Paul is dealing, as he had to deal in the previous letter, with the situation produced by those who took the wrong attitude to the Second Coming. There were those in Thessalonica who had given up their work and had abandoned the routine claims of every day to wait about in excited idleness for Christ to come. Paul uses a vivid word to describe them. Twice he uses the adverb ataktos ( G813) and once the verb ataktein ( G812) . The word means to play truant. It occurs, for instance, in the papyri, in an apprentice’s contract in which the father agrees that his son must make good any days on which he plays truant. The Thessalonians in their excited idleness were truants from work.

To bring them to their senses Paul quotes his own example. All his life he was a man who worked with his hands. The Jew glorified work. “He who does not teach his son a trade,” they said, “teaches him to steal.” Paul was a trained Rabbi; but the Jewish law laid it down that a Rabbi must take no pay for teaching. He must have a trade and must satisfy his daily needs with the work of his hands. So we find Rabbis who were bakers, barbers, carpenters, masons and who followed all kinds of trades. The Jews believed in the dignity of honest toil; and they were sure that a scholar lost something when he became so academic and so withdrawn from life that he forgot how to work with his hands. Paul quotes a saying, “If a man refuses to work, neither let him eat.” It is the refusal to work that is important. This has nothing to do with the unfortunate man who, through no fault of his own, can find no work to do. This has been called “the golden rule of work.” Deissmann has the happy thought that, when Paul said this, “he was probably borrowing a bit of good old workshop morality, a maxim coined perhaps by some industrious workman as he forbade his lazy apprentice to sit down to dinner.”

In this we have the example of Jesus himself. He was the carpenter of Nazareth and legend has it that he made the best ox-yokes in all Palestine and that men came from all over the country to buy them. A tree is known by its fruits and a man is known by his work. Once a man was negotiating to buy a house and bought it without even seeing it. He was asked why he took such a risk; his answer was, “I know the man who built that house and he builds his Christianity in with the bricks.” The Christian should be a more conscientious workman than anyone else.

Paul disliked the busybody intensely. There may be greater sins than gossip but there is none which does more damage in the Church. A man who is doing his own work with his whole strength will have enough to do without being maliciously interested in the affairs of others.

Paul commands that those who disregard his instructions must be dealt with by the community. But they are to be dealt with not as enemies but as brothers. The discipline given by a man who contemptuously looks down upon the sinner and speaks to hurt may terrify and wound but it seldom amends. It is more likely to produce resentment than reformation. When Christian discipline is necessary it is to be given as by a brother to a brother, not in anger, still less in contempt but always in love.

At the end Paul adds his autograph to authenticate his letter. “Look,” he says, “this is what my handwriting is like. Mark it, so that you will know it again.” And then, with the truth expounded, with praise and rebuke lovingly intermingled, he commends the Thessalonian Church to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

-Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)

Fuente: Barclay Daily Study Bible

4. Hopeful prayer for their continued firmness, 2Th 3:1-5.

1. Finally Note, 1Th 4:1.

Pray for Rather, concerning us. The prayer is rather for the success of the gospel, and for Paul only as its minister.

Have free course A circumlocutory translation of simply the word for run. Compare Psa 147:15: “His word runneth very swiftly.” The prayer is, for the rapid spread of the gospel.

Be glorified By a triumphant universality in the salvation of men.

Is with you It being your true glory, and you being the happy models for a Christian world.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men. For all have not the faith.’

Paul the seeks their prayers continually, not for himself and his needs, but for the effectiveness of the Gospel through his ministry. As with the Lord’s prayer (Mat 6:9-13) the concentration is on the setting apart of God’s name through the establishing of His Kingly Rule and the doing of His will, not on ourselves.

‘That the word of the Lord may run and be glorified.’ The picture is of the word of the Lord going out with speed and vigour (Psa 147:15), and being so effective that it receives the respect and honour due to it. We can compare Isa 55:11-13. It effectively brings about His purposes. ‘The word of the Lord’ may signify ‘the teaching and truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ’, or alternately ‘the teaching and truth that came from Him’, or indeed both. It would include the Scriptures for they were the inspired source of the truth about Him. Paul longs for it to be swiftly and powerfully successful everywhere, as it had been among the Thessalonians, ‘as also with you’.

‘And that we may be delivered from the unreasonable and evil men. For all have not the faith.’ His second prayer is for deliverance, not for his own sake but so that the word of God may go forward. ‘The unreasonable and evil men’ indicates those who seek to prevent the spread of the Gospel by underhand tactics. Every dirty trick was being played against him. Any method to hand was employed to get rid of him. The word for ‘unreasonable’ signifies something that is ‘out of place’.

‘For all have not the faith (or ‘do not have faith’). The ambiguity is not important as to have faith always meant holding the faith. They have not responded to the truth presented and therefore they are not believers. Instead they have believed the lie (2Th 2:11), and reveal it in their behaviour. That it has within it the thought of faithfulness to God is suggested by the contrast with God’s faithfulness in 2Th 3:3. He may thus have very much in mind the persecutions by the Jews that he was facing, as he had also faced them in Thessalonika. We must remember his method of going into the synagogues to preach as a Rabbi. This inevitably aroused conflict in those who would not respond to the truth and who thus rejected the new covenant.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Exhortations to Pray: Readiness of Spirit Paul then asks for their prayers that God would establish his ministry and deliver him from wicked men (2Th 3:1-2), and in turn, the Lord would do the same for them (2Th 3:2). Paul expresses his confidence in their willingness to be sanctified as they obey his charges (2Th 3:4) and he prays for them to walk in love in their hearts while being mindful of Christ’s Return (2Th 3:5). This passage emphasizes a readiness of heart for Christ’s Second Coming.

2Th 3:1-2 Comments – Paul’s Prayer for the Gospel to be Proclaimed Freely – Paul’s prayer in 2Th 3:1-2 was for the Word of God to be preached freely and to be received and glorified in the hearts of his hearers. Now, Paul knew that not every single hearer would receive his message. Years of evangelism had taught him that many would receive if they could only hear. The Jews in Thessalonica, who also followed him to Berea, and the merchants in Philippi had of recent troubled Paul’s efforts in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ; for when they came against him, Paul had no legal recourse. He was able to stand in his Roman citizenship to protect himself, but the Gospel had no legal protection. Ultimately, this legal battle would be fought in a courtroom at Caesarea Philippi and a legal appeal would take him before the Emperor Caesar. At this time in history, the Roman Empire recognized Judaism as a legal religion that could be practiced freely in every town, while Christianity was little known, and when it was, it was perceived as an extreme sect of Judaism, or a new religion. It would take three hundred years before the Roman Empire would officially bow to the Christian faith and Constantine would declare it as the official religion.

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

The Holy Spirit’s Role in Preparing the Church for the Second Coming (Their Sanctification) – After Jesus Christ finished His eschatological discourse to the disciples He instructed them to watch and to pray (Luk 21:36).

Luk 21:36, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

This is what Paul does in 2Th 2:13 to 2Th 3:15, which emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in preparing the Church for Christ’s Second Coming, and its opening verse refers to the sanctification of the Holy Spirit.

Outline – Note the following outline:

1. Exhortations to Watch (Readiness of Mind) 2Th 2:13-17

2. Exhortations to Pray (Readiness of Spirit) 2Th 3:1-5

3. Exhortations to Work (Readiness of Body) 2Th 3:6-15

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

Concluding Exhortations and Greeting. 2Th 3:1-18

The apostle asks his readers to intercede for him with the faithful Lord:

v. 1. Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you,

v. 2. and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for all men have not faith.

v. 3. But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil,

v. 4. And we have confidence in the Lord, touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.

v. 5. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ.

The points of doctrine concerning which the apostle had felt uneasiness with regard to the Thessalonian Christians the apostle had now touched upon. But there still remained the necessity of speaking also of the daily life and conduct of his readers, since their false ideas had reacted upon their entire manner of living. Paul introduces this section with fine pastoral tact: As for the rest, pray, brethren, in our behalf, that the Word of the Lord may run and be glorified, as also with you. After the leading instruction on the topic of the last things the apostle might have turned abruptly to the admonitions which must of necessity accompany all doctrinal teaching. But, instead, he pleads with the Christians of Thessalonica to make intercession for him before the Lord. Without a trace of selfishness, however, he asks that their prayer be made in the interest of the Word of God, since all his anxiety was for its rapid propagation. As he expresses it, he wants the Word of the Lord to run, to be spread, without hindrance, as quickly as possible, everywhere. And that his plan did not include a mere external Christianizing, a mere veneer of Christianity, which so many of the modern schemes have in view, is shown by the fact that he also desires the glorifying of the Gospel, that he wants the Word of the Lord glorified by its fruit, by the actual demonstration of its divine power and truth. So much had been accomplished in the case of the Thessalonians, and so much the apostle desired to see accomplished throughout the world, for such was his zeal for the Master whom he was serving with such whole-souled eagerness.

To this most important petition Paul now adds a second, whose connection with the first is obvious: And that we may be delivered from the perverse and wicked men, for not all have faith. Paul wishes that he and his fellow laborers might be delivered, literally, torn from the grasp of perverse, ill-disposed, and wicked men, whose one object is to resist and hinder all divine and human order. Whether these men are false brethren, heretics, or enemies outside of the Church, their influence is always for evil; the harm which they do to the cause of Christ cannot be readily computed. It is a sad fact, and one that often causes sincere Christians much anxiety, that not all men have faith, that a great many of them will deliberately resist the glorious message of their redemption through the blood of Jesus and prefer the way of everlasting damnation to that of eternal joy and happiness.

This sad thought, however, leads, by contrast, to that other: But faithful is the Lord, who shall certainly confirm you and protect you from the evil (or, from the Wicked One). The fate of the adversaries of Christ is a sad one indeed, but Christians cannot afford to spend any time in brooding over their perversity. So far as the believers are concerned, they know that theirs is a faithful God, whose promises concerning their salvation are sure. There cannot be the slightest doubt in their minds that He most surely shall confirm and establish them in their faith and holy life until the end. This includes also that He will keep and protect them from all evil, so that the devil, the world, and their own flesh may not seduce them, nor lead them into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice. This powerful and constant help and protection belongs to the Christians by virtue of God’s promises and therefore cannot fail.

For that reason, Paul can write in all confidence: But we have confidence in the Lord about you that what we enjoin you are doing and will do. The apostle’s confidence is in the Lord, since he knows that the Lord’s strength is powerful enough to uphold His own at all times and to direct their feet into the paths of sanctification. He is sure that, with this power to inspire and to guide them, his readers will not only at the present time be found engaged in such works as are pleasing to the Lord, but will also in the future not disappoint the faithfulness of God and their great teacher’s belief in them. To this end, then, he prays: But the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God and toward the patience of Christ. Not only the beginning of a Christian’s spiritual life, but also the progress and the end of it depends upon God’s power in the Word. And one of the strongest motives that may be urged upon Christians is that they consider the wonderful love of God toward them, in order to be filled with a similar love, that they ponder upon the patience of Christ under provocations which no other man could have endured, in order to pattern their own lives after His example. The Thessalonians particularly needed this admonition, though presented in the form of a prayer, because of their impatient desire for the speedy coming of the last day. But the value of God’s love and of Christ’s patience as examples to stimulate the love and the patience of the believers is just as great today as it ever was, and should find a marked reflection in their entire life.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

EXPOSITION

CONTENTS.The apostle now comes to the conclusion of his Epistle. He beseeches the Thessalonians for an interest in their prayers, that the gospel may be rapidly diffused and glorified by numerous conversions, and that he and his fellow workers may be enabled to preach it unhindered by the opposition of their enemies. He expresses his confidence that the Lord will preserve them from evil and render them obedient to his instructions, it being his earnest prayer for them that they might be directed into the love of God and the patience of Jesus Christ. The apostle then proceeds to admonish them on account of the disorderly conduct which many of them exhibited. He had heard that there were some among them who walked disorderly, and who, either from dread or from excitement on account of their belief in the immediate coming of the Lord, had desisted from their worldly employments. He commands such to return to their duties, giving himself as an example, inasmuch as, when at Thessalonica, he had laboured with his own hands for support. If, however, such disorderly persons were not to be persuaded, then he enjoins the members of the Church to withdraw from them and exclude them from their society, in order that they might be ashamed and brought to repentance and amendment of life. lie invokes peace upon them from the Lord of peace; he authenticates his Epistle to guard against imposition; and concludes with his apostolic benediction.

2Th 3:1

Finally; furthermore; for the rest; introducing the concluding part of the Epistle (see 1Th 4:1). Brethren, pray for us (see a similar request in 1Th 5:25). Observe the unselfishness of the apostle’s request. He does not ask the Thessalonians to pray specially for himself, but for the unimpeded diffusion and success of the gospel, and for himself only in so far as that he might be freed from all hindrances in preaching the gospelthat God would be pleased to crown his labours with success. That; introducing the subject matter of prayer; what he requested the Thessalonians to pray for. The word of the Lordnamely, the gospelmay have free course; literally, may run; that all obstacles to its progress may be removed; that its diffusion may be free and unimpeded; that, like the sun, it may rejoice as a strong man to run his race (Psa 19:5; comp. Psa 147:15, “He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly”). And be glorified; namely, in the conversion of souls (comp. Act 13:48). The allusion may be to the applause given to the victors in the foot races which constituted so considerable a part of the Grecian games. This personification of the Word of the Lord is a favourite figure with the apostle. “In St. Paul’s language there is but a thin film between the Holy Ghost, the Divine personal Spirit, and the spirit in the believer’s inmost being. And so in St. Paul’s conception there is but a thin film between the Word preached and the living Word of God who is God” (Bishop Alexander). Even as it is with you; a recognition of the eagerness with which the Thessalonians had received the gospel.

2Th 3:2

And that; a further addition to the prayer. We; either I Paul, or else Paul and Silas and Timothy. May be delivered; not may “come off victorious whether by life or death” (Calvin), but may be rescued from our enemies. Jowett observes that we have here the shrinking of the flesh from the dangers which awaited the apostle. But there is no trace of cowardice in these words; the apostle desires deliverance, not for his own sake, but for the sake of the free diffusion of the gospel. From unreasonable; a word whose original meaning is “out of place;” then used in an ethical sense, “wicked,” “absurd,” “unreasonable;” perhaps here applied to persons who will not listen to arguments. And wicked men. By these unreasonable and wicked men are not to be understood the Jews of Thessalonica, from whom Paul formerly suffered, for their influence would hardly extend to Corinth; nor Christians who were only so in name (Calvin), and specially the Judaizing Christians, for there is no allusion as vet to their attacks upon the apostle; but the fanatical and unbelieving Jews at Corinth (see Act 18:12). For all men have not faith; or, the faith; the faith is not the possession of all. Faith here is the Christian faith: all men have not received itobviously alluding to the unbelieving Jews. The words cannot mean, all men have not the true faithreferring to pretended Christiansfalse brethren, but secret enemies (Calvin). Nor is it to be rendered “all men have not the capacity of faith.” Others understand by faith that upright and candid disposition which would engage men to receive the testimony of the apostle; and others fidelity, as if the apostle meant, “There are few men whom we can trust.”

2Th 3:3

But; in contrast with the men just mentioned. The Lord is faithful; as if the apostle had said,” Man may be faithless, but the Lord is faithful” (see Rom 3:4). “In contrast to the infidelity of man, he praises the fidelity of God” (Bengel). By the Lord, Christ is meant. In the former Epistle, faithfulness is attributed to God (1Th 5:24), here to Christ. This faithfulness of Christ consisted in watching over his Church, and in effecting its diffusion in spite of all the opposition of these unreasonable and wicked men. Who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil; or, the evil. The word “evil” may be either masculine or neuter: if masculine, then it denotes “the evil one;” if neuter, then “evil” in general. There is nothing in the word itself to determine its meaning; this must be learned from the context. Most commentators (Calvin, Bengel, Olshausen, Hofmann, Macknight, Ellicott, Eadie, and Bishop Alexander) suppose that the evil one is meant; and it is so rendered in the R.V.: “Guard you from the evil one.” But it is better to take the word abstractly “evil” in general, whether evil persons or evil things; as a contrast to “every good word and work” (2Th 2:17). So Alford, Lunemann, De Wette, Jowett, Lillie. There is the same difference of opinion with regard to the words in the Lord’s Prayer: “Deliver us from evil;” or “from the evil one” (R.V.). Here, also, notwithstanding the high authorities on the opposite side, we consider that our Lord’s words are not limited to the evil one, but are to be taken generally”evil” in the widest sense, as being much more forcible.

2Th 3:4

And we have confidence in the Lord. The apostle confidently expects the obedience of the Thessalonians, but his confidence is not fixed on themon their own efforts, endeavours, and resolutionsbut on the Lord, namely, Christ; on his grace and strength communicated to and perfected in weakness. The obedience of the Thessalonians flowed from the grace of Christ; it was in consequence of the communication of the influences of his Spirit that they were enabled to make progress and to persevere in the Christian life. “Here,” observes Professor Jowett, “as elsewhere, the apostle speaks of believing, hoping, doing all things in Christ. We lead an ordinary life as well as a religious one; but, with the apostle, his ordinary life is his religious one, and hence he uses religious expressions in reference to all that he says and does.” The apostle lives in the sphere of Christ. Touching you; with reference to youthe direction of his confidence. That ye both do and will do the things which we command you. There is here the same union of Divine assistance and human effort, of God’s working and man’s working, which pervades the whole scheme of the gospel salvation (see Php 2:12, Php 2:13).

2Th 3:5

And the Lord; namely, Christ, for so the word “Lord” is to be rendered in St. Paul’s Epistles. Bishop Wordsworth supposes that the Holy Ghost is here invoiced, as both God and Christ are afterwards mentioned in the petition; but the term “Lord” is not applied by, the apostle to the Holy Ghost; ‘2Co 3:17 is the only apparent exception. Direct your hearts; as the heart is the fountain of Christian lifethe centre of the will. Into the love of God. Here not God’s love to us, specially “the manifestation of the love of God in Christ and his work of redemption” (Olshausen); nor the love of God to man, which is to be the pattern of our love to God; but, objectively, our love to God. This love of God is the fulfilment of the Law; and hence the apostle prays that the Thessalonians may be directed into it as the source and essence of all acceptable obedience. And into the patient waiting for Christ. The words, “patient waiting,” are but one word in the original, generally translated “patience” or “endurance.” The clause has been differently interpreted. Some (Calvin, Hofmann, Jowett) render it, as in the A.V., “patient waiting for Christ.” And this is conformable to the context, as the object of Paul was to repress all impatient longing for the advent. But such a meaning is not linguistically justifiable. Others render it, “patience for Christ,” that is, steadfast endurance for his sake (De Wette); but there is no preposition in the original. The words simply mean “Christ’s patience,” or “the patience of Christ” (R.V.), the patience which he exhibited under his unparalleled sufferings. The Thessalonians were exposed to persecutions, and therefore the apostle prays that they might be directed into the patience of Christ, as this would enable them to bear all their sufferings with composure. Love and patience comprehend the active and passive virtues of Christianity.

Now follows a warning against the disorderly life and conduct which the expectation of the immediate advent of Christ had produced. On account of the supposed nearness of the day of the Lord, great disorders had arisen in the Thessalonian Church. Work had been given up by many, who walked about in fanatical idleness. The apostle had censured this conduct in his former Epistle (1Th 4:11, 1Th 4:12), but the evil had rather increased than diminished; and, accordingly, he severely rebukes this spirit, and sets himself to correct the disorders occasioned by it.

2Th 3:6

Now we command you, brethren. An injunction, not specially directed to the elders or office bearers, but to the members, of the Church in general (see 1Th 5:14). In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Strengthening the command, as being given in the Name and authority of the great Head of the Church; not we, but Christ himself commands you. That ye withdraw yourselves. A nautical expression, denoting to “shorten the sails;” hence metaphorically to keep out of the way, to withdraw; that ye avoid intercourse and fellowship with; no allusion as yet to excommunication. From every brotherfollow Christianthat walketh disorderly; literally, out of the ranks (see 1Th 5:14). And not after the tradition; or, the instructions; not the example of the apostle, which is afterwards mentioned, but the instructions which he orally delivered when at Thessalonica, and subsequently confirmed by the Epistle which he had written to them (see 2Th 2:15). Which he received of us. Here the readings of manuscripts differ. Some read “which you received of us,” and others “which they,” namely, those represented by the brother that walketh disorderly, “received of us” (so R.V.).

2Th 3:7

For yourselves know; without it being necessary for me to say anything about the matter; ye yourselves are witnesses. How ye ought to follow (or, imitate) us; better, perhaps, to be restricted to Paul than used as inclusive of Silas and Timothy. For we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; referring to the apostle’s residence in Thessalonica.

2Th 3:8

Neither did we eat any man’s bread; a Hebraism for “neither did we get our sustenance,” as bread was the staff of life. For nought; gratis, free of expense. But wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable unto any of you. The apostle makes the same declaration in his First Epistle, expressed in almost similar terms: “For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail; for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God” (1Th 2:9).

2Th 3:9

Not because we have not power; that is, to demand support. Paul, as an apostle, had the right of maintenance from the Churches among whom he laboured. This right of support he insists upon in the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1Co 9:1-18). But for the sake of his converts, to give them an example of diligent working, and to remove every impediment to the progress of the gospel, he often waived his rights. Thus he did at Thessalonica (1Th 2:6, 1Th 2:9), at Corinth (Act 18:3; 2Co 11:9), and at Ephesus (Act 20:1-38 :340; in all these places he laboured for his maintenance as a tent maker. Butwe acted soto make ourselves an ensample unto you to followimitateus.

2Th 3:10

For even when we were with you; during our residence in Thessalonica. This we commanded, that if any man would not work, neither should he eat. This or similar expressions have been shown to be a proverb in frequent use among the Jews. Thus: “Whoever doth not work doth not eat” (‘Bereshith Rabba’); “Let not him who would not labour before the sabbath eat on the sabbath” (‘In Lib. Zenon.’). It is a law of nature, and the apostle here sanctions it as a law of Christianity. There is here a reference to the sentence pronounced on man in Paradise in consequence of disobedience: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Gen 3:19). Labour, indeed, may in one point of view be considered as part of the curse, but it is also a blessing adapted to man’s fallen nature. Labour is the law of God; idleness is the parent of many crimes and is productive of misery. He who has no business allotted to him ought to choose some useful occupation for himself.

2Th 3:11

For; the reason for the allusion to this proverb. We hear. The apostle had either heard from Timothy who had rejoined him from Thessalonica, or from the report of the bearers of the First Epistle. That there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. There is here a paranomasia or play upon words, the words “working” and “busybodies” being cognate. It is difficult to preserve the resemblance in a translation. “Busy only with what is not their own business” (Jowett); “Working at no business, but being busybodies” (Ellicott); “Not busy, but busybodies” (Wordsworth). The word “busybodies” denotes busy in useless and superfluous things, about which one need not trouble himselfoccupied about trifles. The apostle refers to the fanatical excitement in the Church on account of which the Thessalonians, instead of occupying themselves with the fulfilment of the duties of their earthly calling, busied themselves about matters which were unprofitable and vain.

2Th 3:12

Now them that are such we command and exhort by (or, as the best manuscripts read, in) our Lord Jesus Christ; in him, as the source of authority; “In his Name.” That with quietness. In contrast to being busybodies, with calmness of spirit, freedom from excitement. They work, and eat their own bread; not the bread of others, but their own, for which they have laboured and which they have earned. They would thus be independent of the liberality and generosity of others. (For similar exhortations, see 1Th 4:11; Eph 4:28.)

2Th 3:13

But ye, brethren; contrasted with those who walk disorderly, ye who have not neglected your worldly employments. Be not weary in well doing; or, as it is in the margin, faint not in well doing; “lose not heart in well doing” (Ellicott). The phrase has been differently interpreted. Thus Chrysostom explains it that indolent persons, however justly they may be condemned, must not be suffered to perish from wanta meaning opposed to the context. Calvin renders it that, although there are many that are undeserving and abuse our liberality, we must not on this account leave off helping those who need our aid: let not the sloth of those disorderly persons hinder or damp your charitya most needful admonition, but it does not exhaust all that is meant by the precept. Others restrict it to diligence in our earthly duties: though others be idle, working not at all, let not their example lead you astray; be not ye weary in doing what is right and proper (Lunemann). But the phrase is to be understood in its general sense, denoting holy and upright conduct (see Gal 6:9, where the same exhortation is given).

2Th 3:14

And if any man obey not our word by this Epistle, note that man. Some attach the words, “by this Epistle,” to” note that man,” and render the clause, “Note that man by an epistle to me.” Thus Calvin: “He desires that they may be reported to him, that he may reprove them by his authority.” So also in the margin of our A.V.: “Signify that man by an epistle.” But the presence of the article denoting a definite Epistle, “this Epistle,” and the order of the words in the Greek, are against this interpretation. Others render the clause, “Note that man by this Epistle;” point out to him the injunctions and the warnings which are contained in it against such a line of conduct; but such a meaning is too artificial. It is better, therefore, to attach the words, “by this Epistle,” to “our word,” as in the A.V.: “If any man obey not our word by this Epistle.” “Note that man;” that is, set a mark upon him, note him for the sake of avoidance, excommunicate him from your society. And have no company with him. Exclude him from your fellowship meetings, your love feasts. That he may be ashamed; the design or object of thus noting him. As if the apostle had said, “Bring the force of Christian opinion to bear upon him. Show your moral indignation by excluding him from the Christian community.” The noting or excommunicating was more of the nature of a correction than of a punishment, and its design was the reclaiming of the offender.

2Th 3:15

Yet; or as it is in the original, and; a purely connective particle. Count him not as an enemy; an entire outcast. But admonish him as a brother; a Christian brother. No hostile feeling was to be united with this avoidance of intercourse with the erring, but rather loving admonition, inasmuch as he was still a Christian brother.

2Th 3:16

Now the Lord of peace himself. In 1Th 5:23 it is “the God of peace” who is invoked: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly.” Here it is Christ who is named as “the Lord of peace.” He is the Lord of peace, as the Author, the Procurer, the Mediator of peace. Pease is here to be taken in its widest sensepeace with God, complete salvation. Give you peace always by all means. Some manuscripts read “in every place,” but the reading in our version is best attested”always by all means;” “at all times and in every way;” whether it be outward or inward, for time or for eternity. The apostle could desire no higher blessing for his converts. The Lord be with you all.

2Th 3:17

The salutation of Paul with mine own hand. The apostle usually dictated his Epistles to an amanuensis, but wrote the concluding words with his own hand. Thus Tertius was his amanuensis when he wrote the Epistle to the Romans (Rom 16:22). Probably the Epistle to the Galatians is an exception (Gal 6:11), and also the Epistle to Philemon on (Phm 1:19). The same authentication expressed in the same words is found in the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1Co 16:21), and in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col 4:18). Which; referring, not to the salutation, but to the whole clause; which circumstance. Is the token; the mark of authentication. Of every Epistle. Such authentication was especially necessary in the case of the Thessalonians, as it would seem that a forged epistle had been circulated among them (2Th 2:2). Some restrict the words to the Epistles which the apostle would afterwards write to the Thessalonians (Lunemann); but they are rather to be understood of a caution which the apostle practised, or was to practise, in all his Epistles. Some refer the token to the words, “The salutation of Paul with mine own hand,” and although these words are only found in two other Epistles, yet it is asserted that the other Epistles were otherwise sufficiently authenticated. But it appears better to understand by the salutation the benediction which follows; and a similar salutation or benediction is found at the close of all Paul’s Epistles (see 1Th 5:28).

2Th 3:18

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

HOMILETICS

2Th 3:1.Intercessory prayer.

1. Its duty. We must not be selfish or confined in our prayers, but bear each other’s burdens before a throne of grace. Christian love finds its outlet in intercession. A desire for the salvation of others must manliest itself in prayer for their conversion. God is the Hearer of prayer, and will answer our prayers for others as well as for ourselves. The command of God to make intercession for all men should constrain us, and the example of holy men should encourage us.

2. Its objects. Sinners, that they may be saved; believers, that they may be confirmed in the faith and kept from evil; ministers, that their ministry may be blessed; the gospel, that it may have free course and be glorified.

2Th 3:3.Perseverance of the saints.

1. Its nature. By the perseverance of the saints is meant that all true believers, those who are united to Christ by faith and sanctified by his Spirit, can never fall from the faith; that they shall always abide in a state of grace or favour with God; and that they shall continue in holiness unto the end.

2. Its ground. The perseverance of the saints is founded on the faithfulness of Christ. “The Lord is faithful.” He who has begun the good work will carry it on; he who intercedes for us in heaven will obtain his requests; he who has bestowed upon us his Spirit will not withdraw his grace.

3. Its uses. The perseverance of the saints is full of comfort to confirmed believers; it is that which imparts security to all their other blessings, transforms their hopes into assurance, and fills them with joy unspeakable. On the other hand, it affords no encouragement to licentiousness, for it is a perseverance in holiness; it is not that believers will be saved whatever their conduct may be, but that they will persevere in holiness unto the end.

2Th 3:5.The patience of Christ.

1. Its perfection. As seen in his conduct toward God and man during his sufferings, and in contrast to the conduct of the most patient men, as for example Job, Moses, and Paul.

2. Its example. We have need of patience in this world of toil and suffering. A contemplation of the patience with which Christ endured his unparalleled sufferings is the best antidote against impatience under any sufferings which we may be called upon to endure.

2Th 3:6.Avoidance of evil company.

The apostle commands us to withdraw ourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and to have no fellowship with those who obey not his instructions. We must avoid making wicked men our companions, otherwise we shall soon be led astray and contaminated by their evil principles. The happiness or misery of the young for time and for eternity is, humanly speaking, dependent upon those whom they now choose as their intimate companions.

2Th 3:10.The sanctity of labour.

True religion hallows earthly labour. Christianity is not designed to draw a man out, of the world, to cause him to neglect his earthly duties, or to make him idle; but to consecrate and sanctify his worldly employments; to cause him to perform them in a religious spirit, and to look up to God as his chief Master. Paul himself wrought at the occupation of a tent maker; and a far greater than Paul, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, was for the greater part of his life engaged in the occupation of a carpenter. “Earthly things,” observes Dr. Arnold, “are precious when we use them as the materials with which we may build for ourselves a heavenly habitation; and the humblest and most ordinary trade or employment may be carried on with such a temper and such a spirit that it may advance us daily on our way to heaven; and the angels themselves may behold us engaged in it with respect and love.”

2Th 3:11.Evil of being busybodies.

Busybodies are idle, yet busy; idle as regards their own work, but busy with the business of others; ever meddling with what belongs not to them; always counselling others and interfering with their concerns, whilst neglecting their own;a character at once mean and degrading, the cause of much annoyance to themselves and of mischief to others.

2Th 3:13.Weariness in well doing.

1. The specification, of some different forms of well doing. The advancement of men’s temporal interests, the promotion of religion, the diffusion of the gospel, working with and for Christ. We must remember that we ourselves must first be good before we can do good; there must first be well being before there can be well doing. Good works can only proceed from good men.

2. The causes of weariness in well doing. A love of ease and a wish not to put ourselves to trouble; a want of self-denial; the monotony of the work; a want of cooperation and sympathy; a want of apparent success; a want of realization of Christ’s claims on our lives and services.

3. Considerations why we should not be weary in well doing. Our duty as Christians; the bright example of Christ; the reward which awaits usthe rest which remains for the people of God.

HOMILIES BY T. CROSKERY

2Th 3:1, 2Th 3:2.The prayers of the Thessalonians asked by the apostle.

He had prayed for them; he now asks them to pray for him.

I. MINISTERS NEED THE PRAYERS OF THEIR PEOPLE. “Finally, brethren, pray for us.”

1. Because their work is a great work.

2. Because it is weighted down with opposition and hinderance.

3. Because ministers feel their need, not only of human sympathy, but of Divine grace, wisdom, and strength.

4. Because such prayers knit the hearts of pastor and people more closely together.

II. THE DOUBLE PURPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR THE APOSTLE. It was for no mere personal or selfish object, but had exclusive reference to the furtherance of the gospel. To pray for ministers is to pray for the gospel.

1. It was a prayer for the rapid spread of the gospel. “That the Word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as it is also with you.”

(1) There were grave hindrances in its way presented by Jewish prejudice, Gentile fanaticism, and the jealousy of the Roman power. He is anxious that the gospel should not go halting and picking its steps, but “like a strong man rejoicing to run a race,” overleaping all barriers of space and prejudice and hatred, Ministers have their “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” It is God only who can remove all impediments and make the mountains a plain before Zerubbabel.

(2) The apostle was anxious that the gospel should be glorifiedas “the power of God unto salvation”by the conversion of large numbers of people, by their cheerful obedience to the truth, and by their orderly walk in the gospel. He quotes the example of the Thessalonians themselves”even as it is with you”as worthy of imitation in spite of some exceptional defects. The courteous reference would lead his converts to pray for him with deeper interest and. fervour.

2. It was a prayer for deliverance from obstructive enemies. “And that we may be delivered kern unreasonable and wicked men.” The impediments to the free progress of the gospel were evil men. They were his Jewish enemies at Corinth who rose against the apostle and brought him to the judgment seat of Gallio (Act 18:12).

(1) It was a prayer that his career might not he cut short by their malignity. The apostle’s life was, perhaps, the most valuable in all the world in that generation, but it seemed to be at the mercy of men without scruple or mercy. He was, indeed, “in deaths oft.” His enemies either lay in wait for him to destroy him, or roused the fanaticism of mobs against him.

(2) It was an enmity directed by men without any check from’ reason or principle. His most persevering enemies through life were the Jews. No reason or argument could satisfy them or mollify their hatred. Their conduct was easily explained by the fact that “all men have not faith.” As if nothing better could be expected from godless and blaspheming Jews.T.C.

2Th 3:3, 2Th 3:4.The apostle’s cheerful assurance and confidence on behalf of the Thessalonians.

He dismisses all thoughts about himself, and returns to the thought of comforting his converts.

I. THE DOUBLE BLESSING IN STORE FOR THEM. “Who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”

1. An essential factor in their Christian comfort was establishment

(1) in the doctrines of the gospel, which were threatened by godless or fickle speculators;

(2) in the grace of faith, which may be weakened by persecution or by misconceptions of truth;

(3) in the profession of faith, which true believers will be able to hold fast to the end.

2. An equally essential factor was their preservation from evil, either

(1) in the form of sin, that it should not have dominion over them or reign unto death;

(2) or in the form of Satanic temptation;

(3) or in the form of opposition from unreasonable and wicked men.

II. THE ARGUMENT TO ASSURE THEM OF THIS DOUBLE BLESSING. “The Lord is faithful.” He will be true to his promises, and not suffer one of them to fail. The Lord Jesus is at once the Author and the Finisher of our faith. “We are complete in him;” we are “strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2Ti 2:13). “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Php 4:13).

III. THE CONFIDENCE OF THE APOSTLE BASED ON THIS ASSURANCE. “But we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that you are both doing and will do the things which we command you.”

1. The ultimate ground of his confidence touching them was in the grace and strength of the Lord, not in themselves, or their wisdom, or strength.

2. The matter of his confidencetheir present and future obedience to his commands. There must be a patient continuance in well doing; a ready, universal, perpetual obedience to the commands he had already given them by the authority of Christ, and to those which he was now about to give to them.T.C.

2Th 3:5.The apostle’s further prayer for his converts.

They needed grace to enable them to discharge all these duties.

I. THE LORD JESUS IS THE TRUE DIRECTOR OF THE HEART. “The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and the patience of Christ.”

1. The heart needs direction. It is the fountain of life and feeling and action. But it is often wayward in its impulses.

2. The heart that is self-led is misled. We cannot direct our own hearts, neither can apostles do it for us; the Lord only can do it. He directs us by his Spirit, not only into all truth, but into all right feeling and all acceptable obedience. He only can change us into his own likeness.

II. THE RIGHT DIRECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN HEART. “Into the love of God, and the patience of Christ.”

1. The love of God is the spring of all evangelical obedience, and the motive force of all spiritual power. The Thessalonians had love already, but the apostle prays for fuller measures of it, that they may be prepared for yet more exact and thorough and unquestioning obedience.

2. The patience of Christ, which so characterized him, is to be copied in the lives of his followers exposed to similar persecutions. His sufferings are their sufferings; and they need his patience to enable them to endure thrum, as well as to sustain that “patient continuance in well doing” in the midst of evil which will keep them free from restlessness and disorderly walking.T.C.

2Th 3:6.The apostle’s method of dealing with the idle busybodies of the Thessalonian Church.

This is one of the leading objects of this Epistle.

I. THE NATURE OF THE OFFENCE REBUKED BY THE APOSTLE. “Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition they received from us.”

1. It was a habit of idleness caused by the unsettling tendency of the belief that the day of the Lord‘s coming was near at hand to wind up all human affairs. They were, therefore, “working not at all,” allowing themselves to be ignobly dependent either upon richer brethren or upon ecclesiastical funds.

2. Linked with this idle habit was the disposition to be “busybodies“concerning themselves with matters that did not belong to them. “Bishops in other men’s dioceses,” as the figure of the apostle elsewhere describes the same class (1Pe 4:15); like the younger widows who “were wandering about from house to house, and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies” (1Ti 5:13). This unworthy habit of life was a serious annoyance and interruption to neighbours, as well as an unwarranted tax upon the generosity of their rich patrons.

3. It was an aggravation of the offence that the offenders were not only “brethren,” but were living in deliberate disregard of the apostle‘s oral instructions during his first visit to Thessalonica. “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither let him eat.” Thus they showed a reckless defiance of apostolic counsel. This was surely to “break rank,” as the word “disorder” suggests.

II. THE APOSTLE‘S COMMAND TO THE CHURCH RESPECTING THESE OFFENDERS.

1. The time was past for mere requests or exhortations. He had addressed them in this milder tone in the First Epistle: “We beseech you that ye study to be quiet, and do your own business” (1Th 4:11). But his request had been disregarded.

2. The command he now addresses to them was backed by Divine authority. “We command you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(1) Because he is the Source of all authority in the Church;

(2) because the conduct of the Thessalonian busybodies was a dishonour to the Lord who bought them;

(3) because it was a command to which obedience could be secured so long as the Christians “directed their hearts into the love of God, and the patience of Christ.”

3. It was a command to the body of the Church to “withdraw themselves“ from the disorderly brethren.

(1) It was no command to excommunicate them. It was no case of expulsion or exclusion from Church fellowship, but

(2) what may be called social excommunication. The brethren were to avoid all unnecessary intercourse with them, perhaps the richer members to encourage them no longer in their indolent and restless fanaticism by their ill-placed generosity, and thus bring them to a sense of shame and repentance for their laziness and talebearing.T.C.

2Th 3:7-10.The example of the apostle himself as a support to his command.

I. THE APOSTLE‘S EXAMPLE. “For we were not disorderly among you, nor did we eat bread for nought from any one, but in toil and weariness, working night and day.” Though there were rich people in the Church, he accepted no gift from them, but laboured at his craft assiduously to earn a living for himself.

1. His refusal of support from his converts did not invalidate his right to it. “Not because we have not authority”an authority which he fully expounds in 1Co 9:1-27.for “the labourer is worthy of his hire,” and has he not “a right to forbear working”?

2. It was based upon a supreme regard to Thessalonian interests.

(1) “That we might not be a burden to any one of you,”

(2) and “that we might give ourselves for a pattern unto you to imitate us.” The apostle had evidently in view the extravagances of conduct that were beginning at an early period to spring from misunderstandings respecting the time of the Lord’s coming. He was not ashamed of his handicraft. No Christian man ought ever to be ashamed of honest labour.

II. THE APOSTLE‘S INJUNCTION TO THE DISORDERLY. “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any one will not work, neither let him eat.”

1. This does not apply to those who cannot work, but to those who will not. The command does not touch cases of charity.

2. It is a command based on the original law of Eden. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Gen 3:19). Work is a Divine order, not repealed by Christianity but lifted up to higher blessing and dignity. The idle man ought, therefore, to be allowed to suffer the effects of his idleness.

3. It is a command which, when obeyed, will introduce tranquillity into life, and at the same time conduce to an honest self-respect. “That working with quietness they eat their own bread.”

(1) They would thus be eating their own bread, not the bread earned by others’ toil, nor that reserved by the same toil for the use of the really destitute and poor.

(2) They would thus carry more quietness into their own lives as well as those of their neighbours, for there would be no time for intermeddling with other people’s concerns. We should live “quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty” (1Ti 2:2).T.C.

2Th 3:13.Exhortation to well doing.

“Brethren, be not weary in well doing.”

I. THIS IMPLIES THAT THEY HAD BEEN HITHERTO ENGAGED IN WELL DOING. “Walking honestly to them that were without” (1Th 4:12).

II. IT IS AN INJUNCTION NEEDED BY THE VERY CONDITION OF THE THESSALONIAN CHURCH. Their charity might have been abused by the idle, but they were not to be discouraged by these examples of fanatical restlessness from the practice of beneficence.

III. IT IS AN INJUNCTION POWERFULLY RECOMMENDED ALL THROUGH THE GOSPEL.

1. It was putting into practice the patience of Christ, for which the apostle prayed in their interest.

2. God is glorified by well doing. (Joh 15:8.)

3. God remembers it. (Heb 6:9, Heb 6:10.)

4. A blessing attends it. (Jas 1:25.)

5. It follows us into our final rest. (Rev 14:13.)T.C.

2Th 3:14, 2Th 3:15.The true spirit of faithful dealing with an erring brother.

The apostle returns to this subject again.

I. HIS REITERATED COMMAND. “If any man obey not our word by this Epistle, note that man, and have no company with him.” Let him be a marked man, like a leper in your midst, standing wholly isolated in a heathen city. This would be a social extrusion deeply felt by a “brother” who would be cut off from the cordial greetings of the Church.

II. THE DESIGN OF THIS SOCIAL EXCOMMUNICATION. “That he may be ashamed.” It is not “for destruction,” but for edification; it is to bring the offender to a due sense of his sin, and to a resolution for its abandonment.

III. THE SPIRIT IN WHICH THE COMMAND IS TO BE CARRIED OUT. “Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.”

1. It is an injunction not to regard him as your enemy, or as an enemy of Christ, as if he had denied the faith, or sunk into profligacy, or relapsed into heathenism. There must be neither hostility nor carelessness on your side, but rather “the love that suffereth long, and is kind.”

2. It is an injunction to affectionate admonition. “But admonish him as a brother.” How this would be consistent with the withdrawal of all intercourse it is unnecessary to speculate. There was to be a faithful dealing with him that he might be won back, and “Satan have no advantage” over him.T.C.

2Th 3:16.A prayer for peace.

“Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way.”

I. THE AUTHOR OF THIS BLESSING. “The Lord of peace himself”Jesus Christ.

1. He is our abiding Peace. (Eph 2:14.)

2. He gives it as his legacy to the Church. (Joh 14:27.)

3. He guides into the way of peace. (Luk 1:79.)

4. He is the Prince of peace. (Isa 9:6.)

5. Peace is preached by him. (Eph 2:17; Act 10:36.)

II. THE PEACE IN QUESTION INCLUDES:

1. Reconciliation, with God.

2. Peace with one another.

3. Peace in all the relations of life.

4. Peace in the midst of speculative disturbances.

5. Peace in the midst of persecutions.

6. Peace in the prospect of death.

III. IT WAS A PRAYER FOR A CONTINUOUS PEACE. “Always.” It was to be as uninterrupted as a river (Isa 48:18), with no breaks made in it by the world, the flesh, or the devil. None but the Lord of peace could sustain such a peace in power.

IV. IT IS PEACE TO BE ACQUIRED IN EVERY WAYBY PRAYING, BY PREACHING, BY CONVERSATION.

V. THE PENDANT TO THIS HAPPY PRAYER. “The Lord be with you all.” A comprehensive benediction upon the disorderly as well as the orderly brethren of Thessalonica. “Be with you all””by his presence to comfort and refresh; by his power to keep and preserve; by his grace to assist; and by his Spirit to counsel, advise, and direct.”T.C.

2Th 3:17, 2Th 3:18.The closing salutation with its autographic significance.

“The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every Epistle: so I write.” He takes the pen out of the hand of his amanuensis and writes the closing words himself.

I. IT WAS IMPORTANT TO AUTHENTICATE THE EPISTLE. There were letters falsely attributed to him (1Th 2:2). It is essential for Christians to know the distinction between the human and the Divine. The Thessalonians would be able to identify his large, bold handwriting (Gal 6:11).

II. THE SALUTATION WAS NOT A MERE SYMBOL OF FRIENDSHIP, BUT A PRAYER FOR HIS BELOVED CONVERTS. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”

1. His Epistles began with prayer; they end with prayer“fencing round that which he said with mighty walls on either side.”

2. All the good he desires for his converts is included in the grace of the God-Man. The prayer implies the Divinity of Christ. His name alone appears in his parting supplication.

3. It is a parting request for all the brethren without exception, including even those who received his rebukes.T.C.

HOMILIES BY B.C. CAFFIN

2Th 3:1, 2Th 3:2.Prayer for missions.

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF IT. Prayer is a mighty power; we must use it. We must not stand by indifferent and uninterested, and leave the progress of the gospel to missionaries abroad, to God’s ministers at home. We must all take our part in the work. Success in that work depends in large measure on the prayers of the faithful. All who pray earnestly for the work of missions are really helpers, as really, though not in the same degree, as the most hardworking missionaries. Faithful prayer is as necessary as faithful preaching. The united prayers of the Church, the mighty volume of supplication that ascends in behalf of missions, is the strength of those who labour in loneliness and self-denial among heathen and savages. Each one of us, however humble, may contribute his share to the great result. All who do so are coworkers in the blessed work of saving souls. It is a high privilege; the Lord has committed the progress of Christianity to the prayers of his people. We may well ask ourselves if we have been as energetic as we ought in that great spiritual work.

II. THE DUTY OF PRAYER.

1. For the spread of the gospel. St. Paul urges it constantly upon his converts. He had been praying for the Thessalonians; now he asks for their prayers in return. It is a commandment. He bids us pray that the Word of the Lord may run, that it may meet with no check in its onward course, but spread ever further and wider, from city to city, from country to country, till “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” This is the only limit. The Church must not be stationary; it must be always in movement. The water of life is living water, ever welling up fresh and clear; it is a running stream. Stagnation means corruption. The gospel must keep moving onward, winning fresh hearts, exerting an ever-growing influence over those who have long felt its power. To stand still is to go back, to win no new victories is to lose its ancient triumphs. It is our bounden duty to help on this progress by our earnest prayers. We are met by an inert mass of apathy; we must strive to kindle it into life by our fervent supplications. “Ask, and ye shall have.” The apathy of which, it may be, we complain so bitterly, may be due in large measure to our own spiritual sloth, to the sluggishness of our prayers. Where the Word of the Lord runs, it will be glorified; it is living and powerful; it will manifest its energy in the blessed lives, the holy deaths, of converted men; it will show forth the glory of the Lord in that glory of holiness which, springing from his indwelling presence, will transform the souls in whom that presence abides.

2. For the missionaries themselves. They are exposed to many dangers; it was so with St. Paul. He was now at Corinth, a city where there was a great work to do, for the Lord had much people there. But be met with much opposition, at first from fanatical Jews, afterwards from “false brethren” and “false apostles” He bids the Thessalonians pray that he might be delivered from these men, not for his own sakehe counted not his life dear unto himselfbut that he might finish his course with joy, and be blessed in saving many souls. So we should pray now for faithful missionaries, that they may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men.

LESSONS.

1. Pray constantly for the success of the gospel in all the world. Christ bids you; his apostles bid you.

2. Do not think yourself too weak and sinful to do so; such humility is false humility; it defrauds God’s ministers of the assistance which you are bound to give them.

3. Believe in the power of prayer; it is an important element in a living faith.B.C.C.

2Th 3:3-5.St. Paul’s confidence.

I. HE TRUSTS IN THE LORD.

1. The Lord is faithful. All men have not the faith; the faith is not the possession of all. These unreasonable and wicked men seem to be beyond its saving influences. But the Lord is faithful. He is the Truth; his promises are sure. Amid the tumult of opposition, the rude fanaticism of the Jews, the sneers of the philosophic Greeks, St. Paul still trusted in the Lord. “The Lord is faithful.” It is a great word; we may well pray that it may be engraven in our hearts, as the centre of our hopes, the strength of our souls.

2. He will strengthen the Thessalonians. It is what St. Paul prayed for in the last chapter. He knows that his prayer is heard. God will stablish the Thessalonians. He has built his Church upon a rock; the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The rain may descend, the flood may come, the stream of adversity may beat vehemently against the Church of God; it cannot fall, for it is founded upon the rock. God is faithful. He will keep them from the evilfrom the evil which surrounds them in the world, from the power of the evil one. The words sound like a reminiscence of the Lord’s prayer. Compare also 2Ti 4:18, “The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.” St. Paul, it seems, was accustomed to use the same holy words which we say in our daily prayers. How many generations of Christians that prayer has helped in their heavenward journey! They are safe now with Christ. We are marching onwards to that rest which they have reached. We have the same helps which they had. Let us seek that holy confidence which St. Paul had. The Lord is faithful; he will stablish you; he will keep you from the evil.

II. HE HAS CONFIDENCE IN THE THESSALONIANS. Or rather in the Lord touching them. It is in the Lord always that he trusts; but that confidence in the Lord reaches to the Thessalonians; he believes that they are doing now, and will continue to do the things which he commands them, because he is sure that the Lord will stablish them, and keep them from the evil. It is an exhortation delicately expressed in the language of confidence. He trusts them; the consciousness of being trusted is a strong motive for obedience; there is a sense of shame in disobeying a master, a teacher, who reposes implicit confidence in his pupils. Mark the delicate tact of the apostle.

III. HE DOUBTS THEM NOT, YET HE PRAYS FOR THEM.

1. For growth in love. In 1Th 3:11 he had prayed that God would direct his way to the Thessalonians; here he prays that God would direct their hearts into the way of love. The way of love is the way that leads to God, who is love. We need to be directed thither. Our attention is often distracted by the various paths which lead this way and that in the journey of life. God can direct us by his Spirit into the one path which leads to God. That path is love, self-denying, self-forgetting lovethe love which comes from God and ends in God. For love is of God, it is his gift; it comes from him who is the only Fountain of pure and holy love. And it ends in him; for God only is the true Object of our highest love; only in him can the deep yearnings of our souls find their proper satisfaction. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart.” It is his commandment, the first of all the commandments. He does not mock us with commands which we cannot obey; he giveth his Spirit; and the gift of the Spirit is the gift of power. He can direct; he will, if we seek it in persevering prayer, direct our hearts into the love of God.

2. For growth in patience. The Church of Thessalonica needed patience; it was much afflicted from the first. The Lord Jesus Christ was the great Example of patience. He endured the cross, despising the shame. If we would run with patience the race that is set before us, we must consider him, always looking unto Jesus. In our sufferings we must meditate on the sufferings of our Lord and Saviour, and pray for grace to follow his example. We need his patience, such patience as he had. We must pray for it. The Lord will direct us to it.

LESSONS.

1. The Lord is faithful; trust in him. He is true; he will establish the hearts of his chosen.

2. We must be stern with ourselves, but gentle with others; gentle words of confidence win those whom harshness would only repel.

3. Pray for love; pray for patience.B.C.C.

2Th 3:6-15.The importance of the common duties of daily life shown.

I. BY ST. PAUL‘S EARNEST APPEALS.

1. He commands, and that in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There were some among the Thessalonian Christians who walked disorderly, whose lives were not ordered according to the teaching which they had received from St. Paul. The Church generally was sound, as the Epistle shows, but there was a section that needed counsel and firm treatment. Probably the prevalent restlessness about the approach of the day of the Lord so filled their minds that it seemed hard to attend to less exciting matters. In view of an event so awful, the little details of daily occupation seemed trivial and insignificant. The whole course of life, with all its complex interests, might any moment be abruptly checked by the sudden coming of the Lord. It was hard to descend from the contemplation of a topic so absorbing to the little duties of work and everyday life. But the apostle commands, and that with the greatest earnestness. It is just in those little duties that our responsibility chiefly lies. It is in the small matters of daily life that the battle between good and evil is fought out for each individual soul. “The daily round, the common task,” is the field in which we are trained for heaven; or, if not for heaven, it must be for hell. Ordinary lives are commonplace; they do not present opportunities for showy action; there are few emergencies, little excitement in them. The lives of most of us are, by God’s appointment, ordinary and commonplace; it is the discipline for eternity which he has provided for us. The quiet, faithful performance of those common duties is the best preparation for the coming of the Lord. He cannot find us better employed than in the work, whatever it may be, which his providence has given us to do. And, in truth, those commonplace lives afford ample opportunities for self-denial, if only we will use them; a road for drawing daily nearer to God, if only we will take the path pointed out by his providence, not some self-chosen way of our own. A commonplace life may be in the eyes of the holy angels full of beauty and heroism. To do each little duty, as it comes, faithfully and thoroughly; to keep the thought of God’s presence constantly before us, and to try in all things, great and small alike, to please him; to persevere all the day, and every day, in the quiet life of duty;this involves a sustained effort, a lofty faith, a holy love, which are in the sight of God of great price. The life of duty, however humble and quiet that duty may be, is the life of holiness. Religious fervour, religious excitement, if it ends in excitement and does not issue in obedience, is but a counterfeit in the sight of God; it will not abide the day of his coming. In the First Epistle St. Paul had bidden the Thessalonians to study to be quiet, to do their own business, to work with their own hands. He speaks more strongly now. Probably the excitement had increased; it had led to the disorder which he condemns. He commands them now, and that in virtue of his apostolic authority, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose ambassador he was. Sometimes God’s ministers must speak with authority. They must be instant in season, out of season; they must reprove, rebuke, exhort; but such rebukes will avail little, unless they are administered with much long suffering, with humility and godly fear, and enforced by that authority of character which only holiness of life can give. To possess such authority, a man must have that reality the absence of which is so soon detected; he must have that ready sympathy which is such a source of power and success in ministerial work.

2. They must withdraw themselves from every brother that walketh disorderly. St. Paul is not issuing a sentence cf excommunication, as in 1Co 5:1-13. and 1Ti 1:20. The conduct of these Thessalonians was not so utterly wicked as that of the incestuous person at Corinth; their errors were not so dangerous as those of Hymenaeus and Alexander. But they were neglecting the duties of their station; they were living in disobedience. It was not right for Christians to recognize such men as brethren; their lives were a scandal; they were bringing discredit upon the Christian name. True Christians must be jealous for their Master’s honour; they must sometimes show openly their disapprobation of inconsistency. It is a difficult and painful duty. It is necessary, in performing it, to keep a very careful watch over our own motives; to speak and act in deep humility and real charity; to cast first the beam out of our own eye; to remember the Saviour’s rule, “Judge not.” But though a difficult duty, it is sometimes a duty. A true Christian must not live on terms of intimacy with men who disgrace their Christian profession. He will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners. All his delight will be in the saints who are on the earth. Especially he must avoid the companionship of those who make a great show of religion and live ungodly lives. No sin is more dangerous than hypocrisy; none is more strongly condemned by our Lord.

II. BY HIS EXAMPLE.

1. He did not behave himself disorderly. He illustrated in his life the power of true religion. He was a man of warm affections, of enthusiastic character, full of high hopes; but he never allowed any excitement of feeling to interfere with the quiet performance of daily duties. His life and preaching supplemented one another. His preaching disclosed the motives which prompted his actions and regulated his life; his life was his preaching translated into actionit showed the reality, the living force, of the truths which he preached.

2. He worked with his own hands. He always asserted the right of the apostles and their companions to maintenance from the Churches. The Lord hath ordained, he said, that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But he did not claim this right for himself. It was not pride that prompted his conduct; he accepted the gifts of the Philippians. But he knew the value of an example of self-denying and absolutely disinterested labour. The Gentile world had never seen such a life. It was a power in itself; it constrained the admiration and won the hearts of men; it forced them to admit the reality of a religion which sustained him in such unparalleled self-sacrifices. So he would not eat any man’s bread for nought. For nought, he says in his humility; though he knew well that his converts in Thessalonica owed to him, like Philemonon, even their own selves. He wrought with his own hands, and that night and day. It was hard, uninteresting, ill-paid labour. It required the close application of many hours to earn even the simple livelihood which contented him. But he worked on in patience, knowing the power of example.

III. HE INSISTS ON THE DUTY OF HONEST LABOUR.

1. Are had done so during his stay at Thessalonica. He had given his opinion in the words of a short, stern proverb, “If any will not work, neither let him eat.” Labour is the ordinance of God; a punishment at first (Gen 3:19), but it is turned into a blessing (Psa 128:2) to those who accept it as the will of God, and use it as a discipline of obedience and self-denial. Work, in some form or other, is a necessity for us; without work, life soon becomes dreary, full of restlessness and dissatisfaction. To have nothing to do is far from enviable; it is full of ennui and weariness. Time is a priceless talent, given us that we might work out our own salvation; to waste it day after day, to “kill time,” as the saying is, is a miserable misuse of the good gifts of God. We must all work, if we would be happy here, if we would be ready to meet the Lord when he cometh. Mental labour is the lot of some, manual labour of others. God has ordered our lot and appointed our work. Work of some sort we must have. None have a right to eat their bread without labour, neither the rich nor the poor.

(1) If God has given us worldly means, still we have no right to eat the bread of idleness. We must find work to do, the work which the Master has set us. If we need not work for ourselves, we must work for others. There is work enough for all in the vineyard of the Lord; only in work can we find peace and satisfaction. Without work, we are eating the bread which we have not earned; without work, we must in the end be restless and unhappy; without work, how can we bear to read those awful words, “Thou wicked and slothful servant”?

(2) And the apostle forbids indiscriminate almsgiving. When the Lord said, “Give to him that asketh thee,” he did not mean to the idle and the worthless. Give freely, but give to the old, the sick, the helpless. It is a difficult thing to give rightly; it needs study, thought, prayer. We must not encourage idleness, but neither must we allow our heart to be hardened by the imposture which we meet so often. Be generous, full of sympathy to the afflicted, but let the idle be corrected by the stern discipline of hunger. To give to such is doubly wrong; it encourages the slothful in their sinful idleness, and it robs the really poor.

2. He repeats his exhortation now. There were busybodies at Thessalonica, who neglected their own business, and busied themselves with matters which did not concern them, or with curious questions which were beyond their reach. It is always so with the idle; the restless thoughts must find occupation, and commonly find it in mischief. St. Paul exhorts them again. He does not sternly leave them to themselves; he longs for their spiritual welfare. He exhorts them, and that in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, to work with quietness; not to let excited feelings interfere with the quiet, well ordered life of Christian duty; but to eat their own bread, the bread earned by honest labour; not to live on the alms of others, when they might preserve a manly, Christian independence.

IV. HE ASKS THE BRETHREN TO SUPPORT HIS EXHORTATIONS.

1. They must not be weary in well doing. There is much to make Christians weary; their own helplessness and sinfulness; the disappointments, misunderstandings, ingratitude, which they meet with in their work. But they must persevere in the quiet walk of duty; they must do good, seeking no reward save that which comes from our Father who seeth in secret. Weariness is hard to bear; it will press heavily upon us at times. We must run with patience the race that is set before us, looking always unto Jesus.

2. They must carry out his censures. His Epistle was an authoritative document; it came from the Lord’s apostle, armed with the Lord’s authority. It must be obeyed; it was the duty of the Church to enforce obedience. The brethren must show their concurrence with St. Paul by not keeping company with any professing Christians who may still persist in disorderly conduct. But they must be careful not to sin against the law of love. The offender is a brother still; they must admonish him for his soul’s sake; they must show by their conduct their sorrow, their disapproval of his disobedience, that the disapprobation of Christians known and respected may bring him to a sense of shame. and, by God’s grace, to amendment of life.

LESSONS.

1. Duty seems sometimes dull and prosaic, but it is our appointed path; do each little duty as in the sight of God.

2. There is a true dignity in honest labour; never despise it in others; work yourself in the station to which God has called you.

3. Be careful in your choice of companions; avoid the disorderly; seek the society of the pious and obedient.B.C.C.

2Th 3:16-18.Conclusion.

I. THE CLOSING PRAYER FOR PEACE.

1. Only the Lord can give it. Again we have the solemn , himself. He is the Lord of peace; it is his: “My peace I give unto you.” He only can grant that chiefest blessing. The Thessalonians might have their difficulties, their dangers; they might be weary. But it is the weary and the heavy laden whom the Lord calls to himself. “Come unto me,” he says, “and I will give you rest.” Only we must take up his yoke, the yoke of obedience; only we must bear his burden, the burden of the cross; and we shall find peace, rest for our souls. For his yoke is easy. It seems not so at first; we are tempted often to be disorderly, to forsake the quiet path of duty; it is hard to resist temptation. But if we come to Christ and learn of him, the blessed Master, he will teach us the grace ant blessedness of obedience, and we shall gradually learn something of his own lessonto do our Father’s will as it is done in heaven, gladly and with cheerful submission. His burden is light. It seems not so at first; the cross is sharp. But he bore the cross once for us; he bears it with us now. When he strengthens us we can do all things; the heavy burden becomes light when we rest on his strength. He is the Lord of peace. Peace is his to give; he will give it to the chosen.

2. He can give it always. At all times and in all ways we need the peace of God. We want it in the Church, in the commonwealth, in the family; we want it all the day and every day. We shall have it if he is with us, for with his presence comes the gift of peace. “The Lord be with you.” It is a precious benediction. We listen, we accept it in humble thankfulness. We must strive ourselves to keep ourselves in the love of God, to realize the deep truth of his presence, to draw daily nearer and nearer to him.

II. ST. PAUL‘S OWN SALUTATION.

1. His autograph. He writes the concluding words with his own hand. His Epistles were sacred writings; they were the work of an inspired apostle; they had the stamp of Divine authority. St. Paul marks their importance by his closing words. He did not, perhaps he could not, write the whole; he writes his signature at the last. In his own handwriting, perhaps, as some have thought, large and clumsy (comp. Gal 6:11 in the Greek), but known and loved by his converts, he sends his last word of love; he salutes, he greets them with the embrace of Christian charity.

2. His fast benediction. As always, he ends with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He had prayed in his first Epistle that it might rest upon them. Now he adds the significant word “all.” He had been obliged to blame some of them, to blame them severely; but he will not end his Epistle with words of censure. He prays that grace may be with them all. He loves them all; he longs for the restoration of those who were living disorderly, for the continual progress and sanctification of the whole Church. And so he prays for grace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ can convert the erring; that same grace can comfort and confirm the faithful. St. Paul closes all his Epistles with a prayer for grace. The grace of God should be always in our thoughts, in our hearts, in our prayers for ourselves and others.

LESSONS.

1. Only God can give true and lasting peace; seek it of him; he giveth to all men liberally.

2. We need it always, everywhere; then pray always, everywhere.

3. By grace ye are saved; refer everything to the grace of God; trust only in that grace, not in works of righteousness which we have done.B.C.C.

HOMILIES BY R. FINLAYSON

2Th 3:1-5.Intimation of the close of the Epistle.

“Finally, brethren.”

I. REQUEST FOR PRAYER ON BEHALF OF THE PREACHERS.

1. For the diffusion and glorification of the Word of the Lord through their instrumentality. Diffusion. “Pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may run.” The Word of the Lord is the Word as given by the Lord to be diffused. It is especially the offer of salvation to perishing men on the ground of Christ’s work. The Thessalonians are asked to pray that the Word of the Lord, by their preaching, may run, i.e. have free and rapid course. In the same way we are to pray that the Word of the Lord may be everywhere preached. This is a motto for a Bible Society: “Pray that the Word of the Lord may run.” By both means may it accomplish its course. Let no country be shut to the preaching of the gospel, to the circulation of the Scriptures. Let the earth be filled with knowledge. Glorification. “And be glorified.” For this, too, prayer needs to be made. May the Divine Spirit accompany the Word in its course through the world. And, wherever it comes, let it be glorified. Let it be shown to be the Word of the Lord, by its powerful saving effects upon the hearts of all who hear it or read it. Commendatory statement with reference to the Thessalonians. “As also it is with you.” In its course through the world in those days, the Word came to Thessalonica. And they presented no obstacle in their hearts to its reception. They received it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the Word of God. And it was signally glorified in its being the means of their being turned from idols to the living and true God. Let the Word of the Lord also be glorified in our conversion, in the transformation of our characters. Let us be willing trophies of the power of the Word to change us to the Divine form.

2. For the presence of a condition without which they could not be instrumental in diffusing and glorifying the Word of the Lord. “And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men.” In most places the preachers had to encounter unreasonable and evil men. If these had their way, the Word of the Lord would be impeded, by there not being freedom for preaching it. The Thessalonians, then, are asked to pray, on behalf of the preachers, for their deliverance from these unreasonable and evil men. They are not forbidden to pray for their personal salvation, but they are enjoined to pray against them as impeders of the Word. Let Divine restraint be laid upon their unreasonableness and malice, but let Divine speed be granted to the Word. Reason for expecting the existence of unreasonable and evil men. “For all have not faith.” The meaning is not that all have not aptitude for faith. It is one of the devil’s lies that religion is only a matter for some people. The meaning is, that all are not, in the way of faith, receptive of the Word. We need not, therefore, wonder if, in the case of some, their want of sympathy with the Word shows itself in forms of unreasonableness and malice. They are only working out their position more vigorously than some others, even as Paul did in his pre-Christian state.

II. THEY HAD CONFIDENCE THAT THE LORD WOULD ASSIST THE THESSALONIANS. “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and guard you from the evil one.” They at once turn away from their own case to the case of the Thessalonians. There were unreasonable and evil men at Thessalonica too. But the Lord was to be trusted in as Protector of his Church in every place, and stronger than the unreasonable and evil men. And their Lord Protector, the preachers were persuaded, would make them immovable against the assaults of their enemies, and would deliver them from the evil one, the inspirer of their unreasonableness and malice.

III. THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD EXTENDED TO THE COOPERATION OF THE THESSALONIANS WITH THE LORD ASSISTING THEM. “And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command.” In the language, “And we have confidence in the Lord,” there is a carrying forward of the thought. Their confidence in the Lord extended to the Thessalonians doing their part. They had no doubt that in the present they were doing what they were commanded. They had no doubt also in their resolution for the future. This expression of confidence has the force of hopeful exhortation.

IV. PRAYER THAT THE LORD WOULD ASSIST THE THESSALONIANS. “And the Lord direct your hearts.” Though the Lord promises to assist us, and to assist us in connection with our good resolution, yet we need to pray for his assistance. The prayer is for the directingnot mere directing, but the powerful directingof our hearts. Of ourselves our hearts are misdirected. But, in virtue of his triumph on Calvary, the Lord has power over our hearts to direct them aright. There is a twofold direction mentioned.

1. The central dispositions. “Into the love of God.” Our hearts are rightly directed, when they are directed in love toward him who is the Centre of our being. As being should tend toward its source, so should we tend toward God. As it is natural for a child to love his parents, so surely it is natural for us to love him by whom we have been made, and for whom we have been made. It was the object of the Lord, in his personal ministry on earth, to hold up before men the immeasurable goodness of God. So it is his object in our hearts, by his Spirit, to hold up Divine excellence, so that we may be powerfully attracted toward God. And in this love, as it is real and active, is there motive power for the keeping of the commandments of God handed to us by inspired men. The Lord, then, give us this love for ourselves and our friends. May God be so presented to us that all misdirection of our hearts shall be powerfully overcome.

2. The special disposition in their situation. “And into the patience of Christ.” By the patience of Christ we are to understand the patience exhibited by Christ which is held up before us as our ideal. “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.” In the midst, then, of unreasonable and evil mennot more unreasonable and evil than those which assailed Christlet them in the same spirit endure.R.F.

2Th 3:6-15.Duty of withdrawing from a disorderly brother.

I. DUTY STATED. “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 they received of us.” The commandment, being in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, was as authoritative as though it had been given directly by him who has the absolute right to command in the Church. It was a commandment relating to a brother walking disorderly, and not after the received tradition. It is implied that a definite order had been appointed by the Lord for the conduct of members of the Church. This order, handed to the preachers, had been handed by them to the Thessalonians. But how was a brother to be dealt with who did not observe this order? Our Lord had laid down the rule with regard to one who offended directly against a brother. “And it thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the Church: and if he refuse to hear the Church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.” What we have here differs from that in being the case of one who by his conduct offended against the general order and reputation of the Church to which he belonged. In 1Co 5:1-13. there is the ordaining of discipline in a case of very great scandal in the Corinthian Church. “For I verily, being absent in body, but present in spirit, have already, as though I were present, judged him that hath so wrought this thing, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ,… to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” The disorderliness in the Thessalonian Church was not of the gravest nature. Nor was it disorderliness with the greatest amount of deliberation; but was rather the consequence of a false impression with regard to the coming. Nor was it the most confirmed disorderliness, being after clear enunciation of duty as shown in 1Th 4:11, 1Th 4:12, and, we may suppose, after warning as directed in 1Th 5:14; but disorderliness to which discipline had not yet been applied. There is allowed, then, to the disorderly person the position of brother, and apparently the right to sit down at the Lord’s table. But the right minded members of the Thessalonian community are directed to withdraw from him. Let him, in the way of discipline, be shunned in private intercourse. Let him be made clearly to understand that no countenance is given to him in his disorderly course.

II. DUTY ENFORCED BY THE EXAMPLE OF THE PREACHERS. “For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; neither did we eat bread for nought at any man’s hand, but in labour and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you.” An appeal is made to what was within their own knowledge and observation. They were aware, without their requiring to be told, that there had been nothing disorderly in the behaviour of the preachers among them. They had practised what they had taught. They had been an example in all particulars of the order of which they had been the medium of delivery. Special reference is made to their being an example of independence acquired by manual labour. It could not be said of them that they had eaten bread for nought at any man’s hand. They had eaten bread in labour and travail, working night and day, to be raised above the point of being burdensome to any of them. Very similar language is used in the First Epistle. “For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: working night and day, that we might not burden any of you.” The thought there is that, by their having adopted this course, they were placed above all suspicion of selfishness. They were only givers to the Thessalonians, as mothers to their infant children. We are here told what led to their supporting themselves by the labour of their own hands. It was the consideration of example. In the excitement into which the Thessalonian Church had been thrown by the announcement of the coming, there had been early observed a tendency to neglect the duties of their worldly calling, which could only result in their making themselves a burden. To counteract this tendency, they had thrown the influence of their example into the scale of industry. As they were not burdensome to the Thessalonians, let none of them be burdensome to any. Reservation of right. “Not because we have not the right, but to make ourselves an example unto you, that ye should imitate us.” As preachers they had the right to be maintained by those to whom they ministered. In preaching they were as much labouringgiving out their strength, even the strength of their bodiesas when they were tent making, or engaged in other manual labour. And, according to the principle which is brought in elsewhere, the labourer is worthy of his hire. In certain circumstances they felt free to accept of maintenance from those among whom they laboured, and thus to give their whole strength to spiritual work. Even at Thessalonica they felt free to accept of a gift from the Philippian Church. They did not feel free to accept of maintenance from the Thessalonian Church, simply because it was necessary, by their example, to encourage among them a spirit of independence in connection with diligence in performing the duties of their worldly calling.

III. DUTY ENFORCED BY THE PLAIN MANNER IN WHICH THE PREACHERS HAD TAUGHT. “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat.” In the First Epistle it had been said, “And that ye study to he quiet, and to do your own business, anti to work with your hands, even as we charged you.” The Thessalonians are now referred back, beyond that point, to the time when the preachers were with them. In prescribing starvation as the remedy for the shirking of labour, Christianity has a certain aspect of severity. And yet, in this respect, Christianity is only sanctified common sense. There may be doubt in particular cases whether a man has the ability to work or the opportunity to work. But there can be no doubt of this, that if he has the ability to work and the opportunity and will not work, then he should be allowed to starve. That is to say, let the struggle go on in him between hunger and indolence. There is no call for our interposing in the name of Christian charity, which needs to he salted with salt, if it would not lose its flavour. We may expect that the struggle will end in hunger gaining the mastery over his indolence. And there will be an experience gained which may make him a profitable member of society for the time to come. It is well that the Christian rule is so plainly laid down. For there is a false spiritualism that looks askance at labour. It has even been attempted to throw a Christian halo around idleness in the order of the mendicant monks. But there is a sensible practical tone about Christianity which must commend it even to those who are not in sympathy with its central teaching. We do not need to engage in our worldly business with a grudge, as though all the time gained to the body were lost to the soul. We may feel free, with Paul and Silas and Timothy, in labour and travail, to work night and day, that we may not be burdensome to any. There is indeed danger, and very great danger, of our going over to the other side, and neglecting our spiritual duties, becoming worldly in our business. But that is to go beyond the intention of Christ. He means that, by attention to our spiritual duties, we should be fitted for our worldly duties. He means that we should he mindful of him, and loyal to his laws in our worldly duties. He means that, through the right performance of our worldly duties, our highest spirituality should be promoted. And blessed is he who can work out this problem aright in his life.

IV. OCCASION FOR LAYING DOWN THE DUTY. “For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies.” There were some, the few among them, who did not observe the order given by the Lord. Specially, they did not observe the Lord’s appointment of labor. They are described as working not at all. They were not idlers pure and simple, to begin with. They did not work, because they thought the coming was already commenced. They were really in a high state of tension. And, as their energies were not allowed scope at all within their proper work, they had to find scope in work beyond. This is brought out in the Greek as it cannot so well be brought out in the English translation. It is literally, and in a paradoxical way, “working nothing, but working beyond.” They did not busy themselves with work that belonged to them; they even energetically busied themselves in a meddlesome way with work that did not belong to them.

V. THE DISORDERLY BRETHREN ADDRESSED. “Now them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.” The Lord’s authority and suasion is brought to bear on them as a class. It was not sufficient excuse for them that they took the Lord’s coming to be imminent:. Even though their impression had been well founded, they were not therefore justified in freeing themselves from the Divine ordinance. If we knew when definitely we were to die, it would still he our duty, our strength being continued to us, to work up to the very last moment. That would be in the way of preparing for our change. So they should rather have thought of being called away from their ordinary work by Christ at his coming. They would thereby have saved themselves from much sinful; and disquieting speculation and intrusion into what did not concern them. When we work, and work with all the might of our nature, within our own proper sphere, we can have the accompaniment of quiet. We can have restlessness banished from our mind; and we can avoid the annoyance that comes from meddling with the affairs of others. When we work, too, with a diligent hand, we are put in a position of honorable independence. We do not need to be a burden upon others. We can eat our own bread, eat what we have earned by the sweat of our brow. To orderliness, then, in the form of attention to the duties of their worldly calling, with all the weight of the Lord’s authority, with all the charm of the Lord’s suasion, the preachers sought to bring back the few among the Thessalonians who had been disorderly.

VI. THE CHURCH ADDRESSED AS RIGHT MINDED. “But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.” From the way in which the Church is addressed, it can be seen that the right minded from their numbers were properly representative. From the context, “well doing” is to be understood in its less restricted sense. Those were doing well, in honouring the Lord’s appointment of labour. The position in which they were placed was trying. It was hard for them to work on amid all the excitement that prevailed, especially if they themselves had the impression that the coming was impending. What need was there for work, when a new order of things was being introduced? Was it not more commendable to lay down their tools and devoutly wait for the heavens being opened over them? By this unsettling influence some of their number had been carried away. And the position of matters was aggravated by the support of these unprofitable members being thrown upon the Church. All the more honour, then, to them, the right minded, that, amid temptation, they held to the old order, that they thought it the right thing to labour on diligent]y, till they actually heard their Lord’s voice on earth commanding them to cease from labour. Let them not weary in following an upright course. When an upright man sees his unscrupulous neighbours taking many an advantage which in his conscience he is not free to take, he is tempted to ask what advantage there is in uprightness. But, though the disadvantages were a hundred times greater than they really are, it would still be our duty to follow the Divine leadings. Let us not weary in the path that leads to God and life. There is nothing that is in the end wearying and wearing out but a mind that is conscious of wrong doing.

VII. FURTHER SPECIFICATION OF THE COURSE TO BE FOLLOWED WITH THE DISORDERLY BROTHER. “And if any man obeyeth not our word by this Epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.” The right minded being numerous could act in the name of the Church. The disorderly brother could be called before them, or before a court representative of the Lord’s authority in the Church. In some way his attention was to be specially directed to the part of the letter which pertained to him. And obedience was to be demanded of him to what was laid down in the letter. The ground was taken from under the position he occupied by the announcement that the coming was to be preceded by an apostasy and the revelation of the man of sin. That put the coming into the distance, and gave an aspect of stability to the old order of things, including the six days’ labour of the fourth commandment. But it was not easy to get rid of all the false excitement at once. And the habit of idleness had to be overcome, so far as it had been formed. Against these hindrances the authority of the teachers was to be brought to bear. If after trial he persisted in neglecting to work, then the course to be followed was to note that man, and have no company with him. He was to be dealt with even as others who are mentioned in l Corinthians 5: “But now I write unto you not to keep company if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one, no, not to eat.” The idler among them was to be a marked man, even as the greater offender; the whole sentiment of the Church was to be brought to bear against his idleness. They were not to have free intercourse or companionship with him. They were not to admit him into their privacy. They were not to invite him to their houses, to contribute to his support, or in any way to show him countenance in his disorderly course. They were to do this with a disciplinary end in view, viz. to shame him out of his idleness. It was a shame for a man, being able-bodied, to be idle and to throw himself as a burden upon others. It was especially a shame in a Christian, who was surely not to be behind his heathen neighbour in the ordinary duties of life. By producing in him a feeling of shame his amendment would be secured. Caution to be observed. “And yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” They were not to take the extreme step of cutting him off altogether from Church fellowship. He was not hopelessly removed from good. There was nothing decisive against the reality of his Christianity. They were therefore, while withdrawing from him, to acknowledge him as a brother, giving him to feel that, on returning to orderliness, they would welcome him back to freedom of Christian intercourse. There is a rule laid down here for our guidance in Christian intercourse. We are only to have free intercourse with those who are at one with us in the great essentials of the Christian faith and life. We are not to be on easy terms with those of whose sentiments, or of whose mode of life, we cannot approve. That would be to tolerate their sentiments, to tolerate their conduct, and thus to compromise our position and open up the way for our own deterioration. It would also be to encourage them in their position and prevent their amendment. Our duty is to withdraw from them, so far as it is necessary to conserve our own position, and so far as it is necessary to convince them that we do not countenance them in their position. But we are not to go to the extreme of bearing ourselves toward them as though they did not belong to the Christian circle. We are not to treat them as enemies. But we are to perform toward them the brotherly duty of trying to remove sin from them, so as to open up the way for the restoration of all suitable Christian intercourse. It is to be feared that many Christians are not sufficiently careful as to those with whom they freely associate. They look to position, to convenience, to companionableness, to sympathy in smaller matters, and not so much as they should do to the great ends of intercourse. There are even those belonging to the Christian circle against whose ideas and conduct it is necessary for us to protest. When they are habitually worldly, or unsettling, or uncharitable, or unbrotherly in conversation, or given to intemperance, even as we love the order which Christ approves, and as we would not be partakers with them in their sins, we must withdraw from them, while not, in moral cowardice, shirking the duty of speaking out what we think and admonishing them for their good.R.F.

2Th 3:16-18.Concluding words.

I. SALUTATION.

1. Invocation of peace.

(1) From whom peace is invoked. “Now the Lord of peace himself.” We are to rise above what we can do for others to the Lord of peace himself. He has purchased peace for us by his death. “He is our Peace;” “The chastisement of our peace was upon him.” He is, therefore, the sovereign Dispenser of the blessing of peace in the Churches. Peace was the legacy he left to his believing people in the world. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” When, after his resurrection, he appeared to his disciples, he hailed them with the salutation of peace. “As they thus spake,” we are told, “Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you;” and yet again, on the same occasion, he said, “Peace be unto you.” We wish, then, for all in whom we are interested, that our ascended Lord would bestow peace upon them, even as he bestowed peace upon the disciples before he ascended.

(2) The peace invoked. “Give you peace.” “Peace be with you,” is a sentiment which we should have in our hearts, and often on our lips, especially in parting with our friends, as Paul here in his letter parts with the Thessalonians. They leave us for a time, but not without our sincere wishes for their peace. Now, what is the peace that we wish especially for those that we are interested in? To be clear with God. There is no greater evil than to be in a state of unreconciledness to God. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” They have sometimes a peace, a want of such dispeace as might be expected, but only by blinking the facts of their case. They do not thus get quit of their sins, any more than men can get out of debt by pertinaciously refusing to look into their accounts. Their state remains unaltered. Their sins will find them out, it may be in this life. Certainly, when earthly things cannot longer preoccupy them, and in the presence of eternal realities they are thrown back upon themselves, then will conscience fill them with dispeace. For persons who are insensible to their actual condition as sinners we can only wish dispeace. “Let sinners in Zion be afraid, let fearfulness surprise the hypocrites.” What we wish for our friends is a peace that corresponds to facts. We wish them to be in a state of reconciliation, and to be conscious of that. We wish them to be so that they can inquire most narrowly into their state, and honestly come to the conclusion that they have an interest in Christ, while repeated self-examination can only result in the discovery of something more in their character that needs to be removed. To have a feeling of repose in God. We are such beings that our peace is only to be found in dependence, in leaning. We are apt to seek a resting place in the creature; but, alas, all that is beneath the highest fails us, and we are driven from one resting place to another, like the dove that could find no rest on the unstable waters. “Return unto thy rest, O my soul.” True peace is only to be found in him from whom our being has come and to whom it tends, in leaning our weakness on his strength, our ignorance on his wisdom, our sinfulness on his grace. This is a rest out of which we cannot be driven, which makes us independent of the creature, which cures our restlessness of spirit. And as this is what we so much wish for ourselves, so we wish it for our friends. To have a feeling of satisfaction in being employed as God wants them to be employed. It is essential to our peace that our faculties should be truly and healthily employed. “Great peace have they who love thy Law.” And what we wish for our friends is that, in some worthy way, they should work out the plan of their life given them by God. To have peace from without. It is said that, when a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. And that is often strikingly fulfilled. But it is not what every one can enjoy. Even Christ had his enemies, who gave no cause of offence to any. And we cannot calculate on escaping, who fail so much in our social duties. But still we wish this outward peace for our friends so far as it may please God. Let them be delivered from unreasonable and evil men. “Let no root of bitterness springing up trouble them.” May causes of annoyance, elements of discord, be removed from families and from Churches!

(3) Time for which peace is invoked. “At all times.” That would not be a good wish which was limited to a certain time, and was not made to extend over a longer period. If we wish peace at all, we will not wish it merely for a day, or for a month, or for a year, but for all time. Let them not by carelessness lose their evidences. Let not the coming years bring discord into their hearts or into their circle. The Lord give them peace in the season of affliction. The Lord especially give them peace in their dying hour. The Lord give them peace when they enter upon a new and solemn scene. May peace abide with them forever.

(4) Ways in which peace is invoked. “In all ways.” The Lord of peace knows best how to see to the peace of our friends; with him, therefore, the ways may be left. The Lord use us, if we are his way of promoting their peace. The Lord work even against them in his providence, if that is necessary to their being ejected from their false confidences. The Lord especially, increase their faith, that their peace may flow as a river, broadening and deepening, until it loses itself in the ocean of eternity.

2. Invocation of the Lord‘s presence. “The Lord be with you all.” This is a brief but comprehensive form of salutation. The Lord be with our friends, wherever their lot is cast. The Lord go with them where they go, and dwell with them where they dwell. The Lord be with them in their going out and in their coming in. The Lord be with them in their basket and in their store. The Lord especially be with them in the great work of their life.

II. REMARK REGARDING THE HANDWRITING OF THE SALUTATION. “The salutation of me Paul with mine own hard, which is the token in every Epistle: so I write.” Paul, here dissociating himself from Silas and Timothy as joint writers, singles out himself by name. It is he who has given turn and form to the thought throughout. It is he who pre-eminently had the care of the Gentile Churches. At the close of 1 Corinthians, and also at the close of Colossians, there is the same language as here. “The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand.” In those places there is no salutation preceding; we require, therefore, mentally to supply a salutation. Here, where there is a salutation preceding, we are supplied with what the salutation is. We are to think of the weak-eyed Paul as seated in his room in the city of Corinth, and dictating the letter to the amanuensis beside him. While he had anything on his mind to say to these Thessalonians in the way of commendation, or direction, or advice, the amanuensis continued to write. But, having fully unburdened his mind, he took the roll of parchment into his own hand, and, in his own handwriting, put down these words: “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.” Still continuing to write, he adds the explanatory note: “The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand.” In his explanation he includes his reason for giving his own handwriting: “Which is the token in every Epistle: so I write” (i.e. in these characters). A forged epistle in his name had been circulated in Thessalonica; to prevent such imposition in future, he gives them, in the few words in his own handwriting, a token or seal by which to assure themselves of the genuineness of his letters. Let them accept of no letter which did not carry with it the evidence of its genuineness.

III. BENEDICTION. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” This is the short form which is found in the First Epistle, with the thoughtful addition of “all.” There were some persons in the Thessalonian Church who had come under his censure. As in the sixteenth verse he has included them in his salutation (“with you all”), so now he includes them in his benediction. He leaves the Thessalonians for the time, with no grudge in his heart against any, but with the catholic desire that they should all be dealt with, not according to their own demerit, but according to the merit of their Saviour, of which he is sovereign Imputer.R.F.

HOMILIES BY W.F. ADENEY

2Th 3:1.Prayer for missions.

Money is not the sinew of the spiritual wars of the Church. The necessary appeals for money so urgently pressed by the friends of missions should not blind our eyes to the higher needs of those great enterprises. All the wealth of the Stock Exchange could not convert one soul. As it was in Israel’s great battle with Amalek, when Joshua could only prevail in the field so long as Moses prayed on the mountain, the missionary is successful in proportion as the Church is prayerful. In order that this assertion may not fall powerless as an empty, dogmatic platitude, inquire how it may be substantiated by a consideration of the chief elements of true success in the mission field.

I. THE SPIRITUAL CHARACTER OF THE LABOUR OF THE MISSIONARIES. Money cannot make missionaries. It may send men abroad, feed, clothe, and house them, but it cannot put an apostolic spirit in them, nor cheer and strengthen that spirit when it flags; and yet without such a spirit no missionary work can be looked for. Careys do not come with good balance sheets, nor are Moffats evolved out of glowing financial reports. The great want of the missionary societies is men, not money.

1. Prayer is necessary that the right men may be forthcoming. God only can find the men, and the most gifted men will fail except they go in pursuit of a Divine vocation. St. Paul was appointed “not from men, nor through man” (Gal 1:1); he was sent on his specific mission through indications of the Holy Spirit in response to the prayers of the Church at Antioch (Act 13:2).

2. Prayer is necessary that missionaries may be sustained. There is much to damp the ardour and depress the spirit of the missionary amid all the degraded scenes of his work. St. Paul had been praying for his friends at Thessalonica; in return he sought their prayers for his work. He so identified himself with his mission as to regard prayer for the mission as prayer for himself.

II. THE EXTERNAL PROGRESS OF THE TRUTH. St. Paul asks for prayer “that the Word of the Lord may run.” Nothing is more striking than the fact that the rate of progress of Christian missions is not at all proportionate to the perfection of the mechanism with which they are organized. The years of biggest subscriptions are not always the years of most numerous conversions.

1. Prayer is necessary that God may remove obstructions to the progress of Christianity. Governments may hinder missions. Countries are sometimes closed against missionaries. Then we must pray that God would open a way. What doors has he opened in our day! The Word is now free to run through the vast populations of China. “The great dark continent” is opening up to the light. This is not done by money. “It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.”

2. Prayer is necessary that God may dispose the minds of men to receive the truth. In a neighbouring Macedonian Church lived the first European resident converted by St. Paul, and of her it is said, “whose heart the Lord opened, to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul” (Act 16:14). Therefore we must pray that God’s Spirit may go with the Word, to prepare the soil to receive it and to quicken it when it is sown.

III. THE INTERNAL FRUITFULNESS OF THE GOSPEL. The apostle is not satisfied with desiring that the Word of the Lord may “run;” he wishes also that it may be “glorified.” This further wish strikes a high note. It reminds us that missionary success cannot be measured by the numbers of the converts. The great question iswhat is the character of them? Statistical reports are delusive. The missionary who can make no sensational return of long lists of converts may be doing the most real, solid, lasting work in laying the foundation of true Christian character in a few. There are nominal Christians in heathen lands who are a dishonour to the name they bear, as there are also at home. Prayer is necessary that a right character may be cultivated in mission Churches. Christ was glorified when the man who had been a fierce demoniac sat clothed and in his right mind at the feet of his Deliverer. The Christian who has been a savage is the finest witness of the power of the gospel. But it is very difficult to irradicate the vices of heathenism, as missionaries know to their sorrow. Let us pray for this most hard but most needful work.W.F.A.

2Th 3:3.Security.

It is interesting to notice how much anxiety St. Paul spends on the normal and permanent character of his Christian converts. He is not satisfied with having won their first confession of faith, nor is he content that now and again they should flash out with some brilliant display of spiritual energy. His chief concern is with their life throughout, his chief desire for the strength and persistence of its higher character. It is important for all of us to bear in mind that salvation is not an isolated act, that it is a chronic condition. We are always in danger of failing unless we are kept in a continuous Divine security.

I. THE TWO ELEMENTS OF SECURITY.

1. Internal stability. We are in danger of falling through our own weakness. Badly built houses do not wait for an earthquake to throw them down; they crumble to pieces.

(1) The first requisite for security is a good foundation. Christians should see to it that they are building on Christ, and not on their own doings and habits.

(2) The next requisite is compact, solid building. The building of wood, hay, and stubble is fragile, though it may be erected on a foundation of rock. We want firm principles, sound habits, decided convictions.

2. External protection.

(1) We are in danger from the evil one. In estimating our measure of security we have to take into account the character of our environment. The ship may be well built and yet it may not be able to withstand the pressure of ice floes. The strongest house may give way before an avalanche. The. Christian is beset by temptations. It is not enough that he is firm in his personal will to do right; he needs protection from external inducements to go astray.

(2) To be secure against this danger we need to be guarded. We can never be strong enough to withstand the whole force of an attack of Saran. Some providential warding off of the fiercest blows seems to be necessary.

II. THE GREAT GROUND OF SECURITY. St. Paul does not wish, or hope, or pray for the security of his friends. He knows and is confident that they have a good ground of security. Our fears are due to our unbelief. Faith has her feet on an immovable rock.

1. The ground of our security is Christ.

(1) He strengthens us with internal stability. The indwelling Christ is the source and secret of Christian vigour. Weak, wavering Christians have too little of Christ in their lives.

(2) He guards us against external assaults. Christ has faced and met and defeated the tempter. He interposes the presence of his Holy Spirit between the evil spirit and our hearts.

2. The reason for trusting in Christ for security is his faithfulness. It should be sufficient for us to have confidence in his goodness. He is so gracious, so kind, so generous to help, that we may be sure that he will aid his people in their greatest dangers. But we have more than this assurance. He has promised help (Mat 28:20); he is appointed by God as our Saviour, and therefore, in fulfilment of his great mission, fidelity leads him to see to the security of his people. W.F.A.

2Th 3:5.The patience of Christ.

The Christian life has two aspects, a heavenward and an earthward aspect. In its heavenly relations it should be filled with love to God; in its earthly relationsespecially when under such trials as befell the early Christiansit needs to be fortified to endure with patience. The latter grace claims particular attention.

I. GREAT PATIENCE IS REQUISITE FOR THE ENDURANCE OF EARTHLY LIFE. Very great differences in successive ages and in various individual lots make the amounts of patience necessary for each man to be very unequal. It would be foolish for one in our own day, to whom the lines have fallen in pleasant places, to pose with the solemn, martyr-like demeanour which was natural to Christians in the days of persecution. They needed patience to face cruel calamities which we happily are spared. Nevertheless, “man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward;” the quietest public times see the bitterest private sorrows in some households; great, awful spiritual troubles come upon men whose external circumstances are placid and sunny; and even where no one heavy blow falls, innumerable small vexing cares, like the Egyptian plague of flies, fret and wear the soul. Therefore patience is still greatly needed. It is one thing to suffer trouble and quite another thing to bear it, not to be crushed by it, not to rebel against the Power that sends it, even in secret thought, but to stand up under it, with dumb, unmurmuring endurance, like those sad, calm Caryatides that have stood for centuries bearing on their patient heads ponderous temple structures.

II. THE PATIENCE OF CHRIST IS THE MODEL AND THE INSPIRATION FOR THE PATIENCE OF CHRISTIANS. This wonderful patience of Christ may be best appreciated when we come to meditate on its relation to his circumstances and experience.

1. His previous glory. They who have once known better days feel the smart of adversity most keenly. From heaven’s throne to the crosswhat a descent!

2. His extreme sufferings. Was ever there sorrow like his? Gross insult was added to cruel torture; and insult tries patience worse than pain.

3. His sensitive nature. There are men who seem to feel a needle prick more acutely than others feel a sword thrust. Our Lord was one who felt most acutely, with the painfully delicate perception of the most refined nature.

4. His powers of resistance. He might have summoned legends of angels to his assistance.

5. The marvellous spirit with which he endured all. “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter.” He not only prayed for his murderers, but he calmly weighed their guilt and defended them on account of their ignorance. This wonderful patience of our Lord is a model for us; it is also an inspiration. As we turn from the petty complaints of men to the sight of that awful, Divine patience, surely our murmurings must be shamed and silenced.

III. IT IS REQUISITE THAT GOD SHOULD DIRECT OUR HEARTS INTO THE PATIENCE OF CHRIST.

1. The patience must penetrate to our hearts. Patience of language and of constrained demeanour is superficial and will not satisfy God, nor can it remain long without the deeper patience of the heart.

2. Our hearts cannot receive this patience till they are directed aright by God. It depends on our disposition, which we must have moulded by the hand of God into a firm faith and a calm endurance.

3. This patience follows love to God. Our hearts are to be first directed into love. When we love as Christ loved we can endure as he endured.W.F.A.

2Th 3:10.Pauperizing charity.

There appear to have been idle, talkative persons in the Thessalonian Church who neglected their trades while they made themselves very prominent in the Christian assemblies, expecting to be supported out of the common funds. St. Paul justly rebukes their disgraceful conduct. He points to his own example. Even he, an apostle, devoted to the work of the Churches, did not draw from the funds of the Churches, but supported himself by his own labour. The wholesome direction which he gives has a certain grim humour about it. Here is his remedy for the tiresome, loquacious idlers: starve them into industry. That process will bring them to their senses. It would have been well if the same wise, manly counsel had always prevailed in the Church. A weak and foolish administration of Christian charity has too often fostered the poverty it aimed at curing. Some of the reasons which make it positively wrong for the charitable to support the idle should be well weighed by those persons who are more kind hearted than reflective.

I. IT INJURES THE RECIPIENT. Thus paupers are bred and multiplied.

1. The sin of idleness is encouraged; for idleness is a sin. Those who encourage it will have to bear part of the guilt of it.

2. The indolent are tempted to many vices. The idle members of the Church gave to the Thessalonians the greatest trouble. Work is a moral antiseptic.

3. Independence is destroyed. The able-bodied pauper is quite unmanned by the loss of his independence. There was some sense in those stern old Elizabethan laws against sturdy beggars and vagrants.

II. IT INJURES THE GIVER.

1. Where public funds are thus misappropriated, an injustice is done to those who contribute to them. We do not pay poor rates in order to encourage idleness, nor do we give communion offerings for that unworthy object. District visitors who have the administration of moneys subscribed by other people should remember this, and not permit soft-heartedness to oust justice.

2. Where only private benevolence is concerned, the heart is hardened in the end by the sight of the abuse of charity.

III. IT INJURES THE TRULY NEEDY. We take the children’s bread and give it to dogs, and the children starve. The idlers are the most clamorous for assistance, while the deserving are the most backward to make their wants known. Suffering in silence, they are often neglected, because greedy, worthless persons step in first and ravage the small heritage of the poor.

IV. IT INJURES THE COMMUNITY.

1. It discourages industry generally. Not only are the idle encouraged in their discreditable way of living, but a tax is put upon industry, and men do not feel so strongly inclined to work honestly for their daily bread.

2. It propagates the worst class of society. The idle part of the population of great cities are the canker of civilization. There vice and crime breed most freely. It is the law of England that no man need starve. But it is right and necessary that when the state gives bread it should compel labouri.e., of course, if there is health for work. Idleness is the curse of the East; Syrian felahin will sit to reap their corn. Wise Christians will ever protest against this fatal vice, and all who administer Church funds should feel a heavy responsibility resting upon them to guard against increasing it by well meant but foolish doles of charity.W.F.A.

2Th 3:14.Church discipline.

There are several references to Church discipline in the writings of St. Paul, showing that he was desirous to see order and a healthy character of Church life maintained among his readers. In an earlier verse of the present chapter (2Th 3:6) he advises the Thessalonians to withdraw themselves “from every brother that walketh disorderly;” now he bids them not keep company with those who refuse to obey his apostolic message.

I. IDLENESS IS AN OFFENCE HEAVY ENOUGH TO MERIT CHURCH DISCIPLINE. The preceding verses show that St. Paul has in mind those idle busybodies who walked disorderly (2Th 3:11, etc.). We visit dishonesty, intemperance, etc., with censure. The apostle goes further, and selects idleness for special notice by the Church. So great does he feet the evil of it to be.

II. NEGLECT OF APOSTOLIC INJUNCTIONS IS THE IMMEDIATE OCCASION FOR THE EXERCISE OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE. The idle are first to be admonished (2Th 3:12). When admonition fails, further measures must be taken. The apostles had no ambition to be lords over Christ’s heritage; though their commanding influence naturally gave great weight to their directions, similar to that which comes unsought to the European missionary among converts from heathen savagery, Nevertheless, it was not this adventitious authority that St. Paul relied upon. He wrote under inspiration. His message was prompted by the Divine Spirit. When we refuse to hearken to the admonitions of the New Testament we are resisting the Holy Spirit of God.

III. CHURCH DISCIPLINE IS TO BE EXERCISED BY MEANS OF QUIET SEPARATION. There is no word here of physical force. It was impossible for a Christian community living in a pagan city to call in the aid of the civil power to execute its decrees; but there is every reason to believe that, had the possibility of anything of the kind been contemplated in the mind of St. Paul, he would have repudiated itholding as he did that his weapons were not carnal. Further, there is no reference to spiritual excommunication, no cursing with bell and book. Simple separation is all that is advised. This is a peaceful, gentle, but effective mode of censure. It would, of course, directly stop the evil practice of idlers living on the Church funds. And it would administer a rebuke that would be all the more eloquent that it was silent. It is always our duty to see that our Church fellowship is kept pure. We should have the courage to separate from those who disgrace the Christian name. We should be careful for our own sakes that the society we select to move in is healthy and elevated in moral tone. For the sake of others we should discourage unworthy conduct by refusing to associate with those who are guilty of it. Some who are not brave enough to do this are guilty of great meanness in talking against offenders behind their backs, while treating them in the most friendly way when in their presence.

IV. THE OBJECT OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE IS TO RECOVER THE OFFENDER. The most stern penalties are to be inflicted with a merciful end. Here the mild punishment of quiet separation is to aim at restoring the wrong doer. First he is to be shamed, as he will be if there be any right spirit in him. Men should feel ashamed of idleness. Then and throughout he is to be regarded, not as an enemy, but only as an erring brother. Thus tender and sympathetic should Christians be with one another in regard to their failings, remembering that it is only through the forgiving grace of Christ that any of us enjoy the privileges of Christianity. There is no room for a Pharisee in the Church, and we must beware lest the exercise of Church discipline develop his ugly spirit.W.F.A.

2Th 3:16.Peace from the God of peace.

After giving directions about the small trouble that disturbed the Thessalonian Christianssmall indeed when compared with the bitter factiousness and the graver sin that subsequently disturbed the Church at CorinthSt. Paul prays that peace may reign among them and that the Lord may be with all of them, with the erring in their restoration as well as with the faithful brethren. The peace which he desiderates so earnestly is clearly more than mutual concord; it is that deep peace of God in the heart which is at the root of peace among men, and is itself the greatest of blessings.

I. PERFECT CHRISTIAN PEACE IS UNIVERSAL. What most strikes us in regard to the peace here referred to is the universality of its scope and area.

1. Perfect Christian peace is continuous and unbroken. It is to be enjoyed “at all times.” In closing the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, St. Paul wished his readers to “rejoice alway” (1Th 5:17). Now he prays that they may have continuous peace. If we cannot have the joy of the angels we may have the peace of God, which is better. As there are some who have happiness without peace, so there are others who have peace without happiness. There is a transient superficial calm which the world calls peace; but volcanoes slumber beneath, and in a moment it may be shattered as with an earthquake. There is no peace in the wicked. There is an eternal peace for the people of God.

2. Perfect Christian peace comes through various means. St. Paul adds the curious phrase, “in all ways.” It is not only that peace may be enjoyed continuously in spite of changing and adverse circumstances, but those very circumstances, even the most unfriendly of them, are to minister to the peace. This may appear paradoxical, but in experience we find that the troubles and distractions which would upset all peace if we only had the surface peace of earth drive us nearer to God, and so help us to realize more perfectly the eternal peace of heaven.

II. PERFECT CHRISTIAN PEACE FLOWS FROM CHRIST. It is not to be got by any efforts of our own wills. We cannot pacify ourselves any more than the sea can calm the raging of its own wild waves. He who said, “Peace, be still!” to the storm on the lake is the only One who can quell the tempests that surge in human hearts. Christ infuses his own peace because he is the Lord of peace.

1. He is at peace in his own soul. Peace is contagious. The peaceful gives peace. We may often see how much one quiet, self-possessed man can do to allay the panic of a whole crowd. “My peace I give unto you,” said Jesus (Joh 14:27).

2. He reigns in peace. Christ does not provoke enmity and warfare except against evil. Among his own people he reigns pacifically.

3. He directly bestows peace. St. Paul’s wish is a prayer. We pray that Christ may breathe his peace into us by a direct inspiration. This richest, deepest, purest blessing is for those who dwell near to their Lord and drink of his Spirit.W.F.A.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

2Th 3:1. The apostle now proceeds to the close of his epistle; and as he had so often and so ardently prayed for his Thessalonians, he here begs their prayers for him and his fellow-labourers in the gospel; and as having upon his mind a continual sense of their distresses, he again intimates, that under all their discouragements they ought to remember, that though so many of mankind would prove faithless, the Lord Jesus Christ would prove faithful; and they ought to imitate, obey, and depend upon him, as well as patiently wait for his second coming, 2Th 3:1-5. Instead of may have free course, some render the word , may run: and they think that this and the next words allude to the applause given to those who made a speedy progress in the races, which constituted so important a part of the Grecian games.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

2Th 3:1 . ] see on 1Th 4:1 .

] on our behalf . But the apostle’s wish is completely unselfish, as he refers to the promotion of Christianity, and to himself only so far as he stands in connection with that object.

] comp. on 2Th 1:11 .

] Genitivus subjectivus ; see on 1Th 1:8 .

] may run . A representation of quick and unimpeded advancing.

] is passive: may he glorified . Pelt erroneously understands it as middle. But the gospel is only glorified when it is recognised as what it is, namely, as a (Rom 1:16 ). Nicolas de Lyra arbitrarily limits the verb to the “ miracula , veritatem ejus declarantia.”

] even as it is among you . A laudatory recognition of the eager desire for salvation, with which the Thessalonians surrendered themselves to the preaching of the gospel. Comp. 1Th 1:6 ff. The words are closely connected with . According to Hofmann, with whom Mller, although wavering, coincides, the words are to be united with , passing over . Incorrectly, because is a higher idea than , whilst it adduces that point by which the external act of can only receive its internal value. Accordingly is too important to be considered only as a subsidiary point “appended” to .

] see on 1Th 3:4 .

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

2Th 3:1-5 . Paul requests the Thessalonians to pray that the gospel may be more widely diffused, and that he himself (and his companions) might be delivered from the persecutions to which he was exposed. He then expresses his trust that the Lord will assist the Thessalonians, and also declares his confidence that they will obey his (the apostle’s) commandments , and he unites therewith an additional benediction.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

2Th 2:13 to 2Th 3:15 . Hortatory portion of the Epistle.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

III
Closing Exhortations

1. 2Th 3:1-5

The Apostle seeks their prayers, and commends to them generally a faithful perseverance in the true Christian spirit

1Finally, brethren, pray [Greek order: pray, brethren,] for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course [may run]1 and be glorified, even as it is with you [also with you];2 2And that we may be delivered from unreasonable [perverse]3 and wicked men: for all men have not faith [not all have faith].4 3But the Lord is faithful [faithful is the Lord],5 who shall stablish [establish] you, 4and keep you from evil [or: the evil one].6 And [But]7 we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do8 and will do the things which we command you.9 5And the Lord direct [But may the Lord direct]10 your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ [the patience of Christ].11

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

1. (2Th 3:1-2.) Finally, pray, &c. (here the article is wanting only in F. G.), equivalent to , 1Th 4:1 [Ellicott: but, owing to the article, slightly more specific. Comp. 1Th 4:1, Exeg. Note 1.J. L.]. Grotius: Vox properantis ad finem. It might be understood temporally: henceforth; but here it is better to take it in the sense of furthermore, moreover, what I have still to say, after the leading instruction on the subject of the last things. Pray for us (see 1Th 5:25, and the note there), as we for you. These words also show the conclusion to be near. The subject of the prayer is again expressed in the form of purpose. It is a thoroughly disinterested prayer that he contemplates; not for his own personal concern, but for a main object of his apostolic calling (comp. Eph 6:19); not, that God would strengthen him in faith;Paul did not, indeed, assume any such lofty position, as that he himself could not be a castaway (1Co 9:27); yet it would have been contrary to decorum, to ask his children for their prayers in that regard [?];but, that the word of the Lord may run; the word of the Lord (1Th 1:8), or the word of God (1Th 2:13), is the gospel. At 1Th 4:15 the phrase had a somewhat more specific meaning. To run is to fulfil its course swiftly and without hindrance; not bound (2Ti 2:9); to spread itself to where it is not yet; and, where it is already, to bestir itself, and come into proper circulation. [Comp. the Sept. Psa 147:15 : .J. L.]And be glorified, not merely commended, and its glory recognized (Act 13:48), but really glorified by its fruit, and actual demonstration of its Divine power and truth; Calvin: in the renewal of men into the image of Christ; whereby, certainly, are called forth many praises to God (comp. 2Th 1:12; Rom 11:13).Even as it is also with you (1Th 3:4); be thus cheers them (comp. 1Th 2:13). Your prayers are to help the missionary work. The two present tenses after denoted something continuous; whereas the aorist subjunctive with the second : and that we may he delivered, marks a single occasion, deliverance from an actually existing peril. Here now in the second instance is a question of personal preservation, but here also again with a view to his office, that he may be kept safe for that. We may mean I Paul, or else I and Silvanus and Timothy; but certainly not, I and you Thessalonians, since he reverts to them again at 2Th 3:3. Theodoret remarks that the prayer seems to be twofold, and yet is but one; for when the ungodly are subdued, the word of the message also has unobstructed course. Theophylact: He prays thus, not that he may run no danger, for to that he was even appointed. But we cannot understand the deliverance as does Calvin: sive per mortem, sive per vitam; for his desire here is to be preserved to his earthly office. The are properly such as are not in their place; the neuter denotes at Luk 23:41 a criminal act; the masculine is here rendered by the Vulgate, importunis; Cicero explains it once by ineptus; but here it signifies not merely people who act improperly, but such as hinder and resist Divine and human order; Wetstein: facinorosus, flagitiosus. Still there is rather couched in the expression a certain reserve, though it does denote perverse, base men; Berlenb. Bibel [Bengel]: ungereimte [absurd]; and then has a more forcible import: bad, wicked. Paul has in his mind deliverance from snares, as at Rom 15:31; for it would be a mistake to think of the contradiction of heretics (Chrysostom, Theophylact: such as Hymenus and Alexander; Zwingli thinks that Paul intends hypocrites and false brethren; Calvin: at least faithless Christians in name, along with furious Jewish zealots). The early date of the Epistle does not accord with the idea of false teachers, but very well with that of fanatical Jews, who expressly laid wait for the Apostle at Corinth (De Wette and the moderns generally); Act 18:9-10 answering perfectly to our 2Th 3:1, and Act 18:12 sqq. (the accusation before Gallio) to our 2Th 3:2. This again is a fine stroke of unstudied, artless coincidence with the apostolic history; a proof of genuineness.For not all have faith. He thus gives the reason why he is compelled to speak of such men, from whose hands the point is to be delivered, and for whom one cannot simply pray: Convert them! (comp. Joh 17:9 with John 5:20). Some allege that Paul cannot be bringing forward the common-place: All do not believe, and thence infer that we must understand his meaning to be: It is not all who pass for Christians, that have true faith (so Calvin [Jowett] and others); they therefore think that the adversaries are (Calvin: at least in part) false Christians. But there is thus introduced what is not found in the expression, meaning Christian faith absolutely, not true faith in opposition to that which is merely pretended. However, the sentence is no bare commonplace; nor yet is it suitable, as the phrase is abused for a frivolous excuse; and as little is it an assertion of the absolute Divine decree, as if God were unwilling to give faith to all; but a grievous charge: There are even people too , treacherous and impure, to be susceptible of faith.12 It is a fine remark of Bengel, how appropriately Paul writes thus to those very Thessalonians who had been so prompt to believe: Be not surprised, if this is not the case with all.

2. (2Th 3:3.) But faithful is the Lord.Not in German, but in Greek [and English] there is observable an antithesis between and of 2Th 3:2 (comp. 2Ti 2:13). But this is no reason for translating that by faithfulness; denotes Christian faith; but this is essentially faithfulness to God, trust in His faithfulness, whereas unbelief is faithlessness, distrust of His grace. There is peril in having to live amongst such unbelieving and therefore also faithless men. To this grief, therefore, he at once opposes the consolationto mans unfaithfulness the invariable faithfulness of God. The faithful Lord suffers not the to get the upper hand. The Lord (according to the best reading) is Christ. That it can here, as in the Septuagint, mean only God (namely, the Father), is asserted by Hilgenfeld in the interest of the spuriousness of the Epistle, but without any valid reason (comp. 1Co 16:7 along with Rom 1:10). It is to be observed that Paul does not dwell on his own distresses, but the reflection, that the Thessalonians in their locality have the same experience of human wickedness as himself in Corinth, leads him at once back again to his own afflicted spiritual children, who are, indeed, as yet less experienced than he.Who shall establish you (not simply may, 2Th 2:17), so that such as have not faith shall not be able to drag you off with them; and keep you from the evil. How this last word is to be taken is doubtful, as in Mat 6:13; Joh 17:15, and elsewhere. It may be that it is to be understood as neuter, as at Rom 12:9 : from the evil with which perhaps bad men threaten you; the Lord will keep you, so that whatever is done to you outwardly shall do you no inward hurt, and that which is properly shall not come to you, nor shall you be worsted in the conflict; and He will also so far avert outward harm, that the trial become not too severe (1Co 10:13).13 Possibly, however, it is to be regarded as masculine; , the Prince of evil, whose instruments evil men are, dares not touch you (comp. Eph 6:16; 1Jn 2:13; 1Jn 5:18). It is at any rate improper to take the singular: the evil (man) as collective for evil men [the Dutch Annotations, Koppe, Rosenmller, Flatt, allow this interpretation.J. L.]. But Lnemanns assertion that it must be understood as neutral, on account of the opposition to 2Th 2:17 [a point which Alford also makes.J. L.], is groundless; especially after the separation made by (2Th 3:1), of which, indeed, Lnemann generally makes too little account (see the close of the Introduction). In favor of the masculine are Calvin, Bengel, Rieger, Von Gerlach, Olshausen [and very many others, from cumenius and Theophylact to Ellicott and Wordsworth.J. L.], also Hofmann: From the evil man he comes to the Evil One, who might rob him of the fruit of his labor; we add, by persuasion or else by seduction, and refer to 1Th 2:18; 1Th 3:5. Whether it be neuter or masculine, Pauls promise is: God will establish you for the conflict, and protect you in it.

3. (2Th 3:4-5.) But we have confidence in the Lord touching you.After reliance on God, there now follows again (as in 2Th 2:15) an exhortation, expressed in the delicate and winning form of confidence. Theodoret: For he is not forcing them, but seeking their free conviction: keep yourselves worthy of this good opinion. You can surely do so, since the Lord strengthens and guards you. This at once leads to, and prepares for, the special exhortation of 2Th 3:6 sqq. In the Lord, the same expression as in Gal 5:10; comp. Php 2:24; Rom 14:14. In Him our confidence in you has its strong foundation; we boast not of the flesh, and place not our hope in you as men, but only in the Lord; and yet in the Lord touching you;14 because ye stand in Him as we do; ye will thus receive the exhortation in the name of the Lord, and the Lord in whom ye stand will guide your hearts, and make you willing and able. The verb is found also at 1Th 4:11, and the substantive at 1Th 4:2; it is synonymous (at least on the practical side) with , 2Th 2:15. As faith originated only in an act of obedience, so likewise it is only in this way that it can be maintained. Obedience is thus connected with preservation. By understanding the verse in this way: What we command and ye do, that ye will also do, we should rend asunder what belongs together. Far more natural is this: what we command you, ye both do and will do (henceforward and with a constant improvement). This exhortation he immediately seals again by a precatory benediction: But may the Lord direct, &c. Theodoret: We need both, purpose and strength, from above.15 The Lord alone can give you success. The Lord is, as always, Christ; not, as Hilgenfeld again decides, God (the Father). Basil the Great, Theodoret, Theophylact [Wordsworth], would have it, that Paul is speaking of the Holy Spirit, because it could not be said: May Christ direct your hearts into the patience of Christ (were this valid, it would hold still more strongly, inasmuch as it concerns the first member of the verse, that it could not be said: May God direct your hearts into the love of God). But the argument is not convincing. It were contrary to the whole usage of the New Testament, to understand by the Lord the Holy Spirit; 2Co 3:17 (to be explained by 2Th 3:6) is of quite another sort. Rather, Christ is repeated at the end of the second member, because it is remote from the subject, and separated from it by (comp., moreover, 1Co 1:7-8). Thus Christ, the Faithful (2Th 3:3), who alone can make you do what is right, in whom alone we have confidence in you (2Th 3:4), may He plainly direct (1Th 3:11, our way; here) your hearts (2Ch 12:14, Septuagint), so that they reach out sincerely towards the mark. But the passage in Chronicles is not an irrefragable proof, that here also the mark of the must necessarily be a proceeding of the Thessalonians; the mark itself might be a Divine concernment, to which their hearts are to reach out in faith and trust. In the case of the first member, the love of God, it would no doubt be simplest to regard the genitive as a genitive of the object: love to God [De Wette, Lnemann, Alford, Lectures, Ellicott, Webster and Wilkinson, &c.], not the love which God gives or prescribes, though, of course, our love is awakened by a discernment of the love which God has to us. But in the second member a similar explanation does not present itself as quite so natural. Calvin translates: expectationem Christi, and explains it still more distinctly to be the hope of the coming of Christ, under the constant endurance of the cross. Already Chrysostom proposes this view amongst others. And so Hofmann: It denotes the waiting, of him who holds to Christ as his hope; but what he alleges for this,that, for example, in Jer 14:8 Septuag. God is called the ,is a different expression from what we read here. Even the (1Th 1:10), or the . (2Th 3:3 there), does not support the assumed sense of . Proof is wanting, that the last phrase denotes a waiting for Christ. Rev 3:10 likewise is probably to be understood differently. Moreover, patientia propter Christum prstita (Bengel) goes beyond the simplest genitive. Nor can we well judge otherwise of the interpretation: patient, steadfast adherence to Christ. De Wette appeals on behalf of his explanation: steadfastness in the cause of Christ, to (2Co 1:5, and similar phrases in Col 1:24; Heb 11:26), which, however, is by no means quite homogeneous with the expression before us. But if we explain, as Pelt would have us do (and as Calvin holds to be possible): patience as coming from Christ or as wrought by Him, or with Grotius: cujus causa est Christus, we then exchange the genitive of the object for the genitive of the author. Even the first member Pelt would actually understand in a corresponding way: love, which God infuses into our hearts; but such a sense of he cannot establish even by his appeal to . Is it necessary, then, that both genitives be taken in the same way? Lnemann rids himself of the parallelism, and understands the matter thus: love to God (object) and the steadfastness of Christ (genitive of possession); the latter in the sense that it also is ours, in so far as the Christians endurance in affliction for the gospels sake is essentially the same with the steadfastness that was peculiar to Christ Himself in His sufferings. To this would belong the idea which Chrysostom also admits as possible: endurance as Christ endured.16 For our own part, we did not consider ourselves bound by the parallelism at 2Th 2:13; but there and were really more heterogeneous than the parallel genitives in our text. Inwardly, also, the latter are too strictly cordinate, for us to venture on quitting the parallelism. We should therefore prefer with Olshausen to understand both genitives as genitives of the subject. Nor indeed is it said: May the Lord fill your hearts with love, &c. (which could then be nothing but a dispositon of heart in the Thessalonians), but: May He direct them, according to our understanding, into the love which God has to us, and has especially manifested in the work of redemption, and into the patience of Christ, to wit, that with which He resigned Himself for us to suffering, and at all times supports us. May He direct your hearts to this centre, from which proceeds all the Christians strength: the love of God, as most fully revealed in the patience of Christ. This will be to you not merely an example, but a source of strength for withstanding the evil (2Th 3:3). The Thessalonians particularly needed this admonition to humility in order to check their eschatological impatience, which showed itself practically in their and (2Th 3:6; 2Th 3:11). The address thus introduces in the most natural way the exhortation that follows.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. (2Th 3:1.) That the word of God have free course and be glorified is not a thing that happens of itself, but is in part committed also to our fidelity. Every praying person, even though he himself has not the teaching faculty, is on his part a co-worker therein, [Scott: The success of the gospel is as really promoted by fervent prayer, as by faithful preaching.J. L.] We are not indeed to see life and movement in the Church only where extraordinary phenomena are making a stir. On the in-conspicuous advance of quiet, faithful labor there rests a constant blessing. And yet the drowsy state of nominal Christendom must weigh upon our hearts, and raise the question whether we have been as assiduous as we ought in that spiritual work, which the Apostle requires from Christians.

2. (2Th 3:2.) Faith is not every mans affairthis is a word which, like that other, prove all things (1Th 5:21), is often enough subjected to frivolous abuse. Many an individual takes shelter in the subterfuge, that he is not at all organized for faith; for others faith may be the right thing, perhaps even honorable in them; but for him it is impossible to believe; nay, the Apostle himself says, &c. It is, however, of perverse and wicked men that he says, that faith is not for them (see the Verantwortung des christlichen Glaubens, 2d ed., p. 16 sq.). Roos: What is here spoken of is not that natural unaptness for faith, which exists in all men, but an unaptness which a man brings on himself by a prolonged departure from God, and by contracting a Satanic obduracy and wickedness.17 Stockmeyer: Faith is not a thing that a man has so completely in his own power, that he can say at any moment when he pleases: Now I will believe; there is required a certain preparation of soul, that is not found in every man. But it is a very perverse application of this, to say: I too belong to the very class that has no concern with faith. What, then, can I do in that direction? And if faith is not every mans affair, is it so, that so much really depends on faith? is it so, that one can be saved only by faith? Surely God will not be so unjust! But the Apostle does not say that a man can do nothing in this direction, so that he is innocent in the matter. Whence comes it that the disposition of many men is unsusceptible of faith? Did God make them so? Is it God, who to some only will grant what is necessary to faith, while he refuses and withholds it from others, however earnestly desirous even they may be to obtain it? That be far from Him!18 The Apostle teaches us to derive all want of susceptibility from a quite different source, even mens own fault (comp. 2Th 2:10-12). He will by no means apologize for unbelief, as if it were an unmerited fate from which some men cannot at all escape. He rather refers us to their own guiltiness, namely, their destitution of love for the truth, and that from the pleasure they have in unrighteousness.At the commencement especially of a living Christian state we readily suppose, as the truth has become too strong for us, that others also should in like manner yield to it. Or, if that does not happen, we readily fall to blaming our elders and teachers for not having testified the truth with sufficient fervor. They, indeed, are required earnestly to examine themselves, whether they are not chargeable with some neglect or mismanagement. But the example of the Apostles, yes, of Christ Himself, shows us, that even the most faithful preaching is resisted by the natural heart of man. To this fact we must learn, with whatever loving sorrow, to reconcile ourselves, and least of all are we to try by means of false concessions to make the truth plausible to the enemies of the faith. Roos: A preacher of the gospel tries with all fidelity to set such people right. But, if he has a clear insight into the state of their souls, he finds personal relief even when seeing no fruit of his labor. He knows that God will not require their blood at his hand. Such is the consolation of Jesus Himself, Mat 13:14-15.

3. Roos: Deliverance from the wicked did take place, but not in such a way as the human sense might have desired; for Paul and other servants of God were often until their death harassed with such people; and yet God saved them from them by restraining their fury (frequently by means of the Roman authorities), by letting many, blasphemers die at the right time, by humbling the whole Jewish people through the destruction of Jerusalem, and lastly by so ordering all things, that the Apostles, harassed and persecuted by the Jews in a daily trial of their faith, were only the more widely driven around in the earth.

4. (2Th 3:4.) Roos: Paul wrote and did everything in the Lord and by the Lord (comp. 2Th 3:6; 2Th 3:12; 1Th 4:1-2; and elsewhere). These were not in Pauls case mere customary pious phrases; he had the feeling of them, and was convinced that in nothing did his commands, hopes, and instructions go beyond the power, and at the same time the light and inward impulse, given him by the Lord Jesus. He knew that he was not left to his natural reason and discretion, but that, being in, Jesus, he saw by His light, worked in His strength, and by Him was held and controlled. Happy is he, of whom this is the experience. Whatsoever he doeth prospers [Psa 1:3].In the Lord we may also have confidence in others, who likewise stand in the Lord. To trust in men out of the Lord leads astray, and one must often learn, that all men are liars (Rom 3:4). The idealism of faith in humanity is then easily changed into that so-called knowledge of men, which looks for nothing but baseness in every one. Love, on the contrary, hopeth all things, and believeth all things (1Co 13:7), without being blind to the corruption of nature; but it knows God who is greater than our heart [1Jn 3:20], and believes in His power to save and subdue. Relying on the Lord for everything, it believes also in the perfecting of His work in the hearts of His own, and throughout all interruptions still hopes for it. [Barnes: Not primarily in you, &c. He must be a stranger to the human heart, who puts much confidence in it even in its best state.J. L.]

5. (2Th 3:5.) Our heart must be directed to the love of God, as the foundation of all faith, and to the patience of Christ, as the chief manifestation of that love;the latter, not merely in order to the contemplation of that greatest exemplar, but from this direction towards the character of God and Christ faith itself receives something of this Divine nature [2Pe 1:4], participates in these primary forces of life, so that it now does everything according to this rule, and from this impulse. Love enkindles love in it; the patience which Christ learned and practised, yea, with which He continually bears with us, brings this seed into the heart of the believer and from this vine there grows as a branch the patience of the Christian (Rieger). Patience must not be wanting to love; otherwise the latter also would soon cease.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

2Th 3:1. Diedrich: He had brought them by means of the word to faith; a stream of blessing should now also through their prayers and love flow back again to him, so that he may be able to deliver his testimony with ever-growing efficiency.Chrysostom: Let no one from an excessive humility defraud us of this assistance.Starke: Since upright teachers carry the word of God amongst the people, it is reasonable that they be remembered in prayer; but, if they do not at once see fruit, they should labor on, and call to mind the Divine promises.Heubner: The Christian Church should not be a motionless sea; stagnation brings corruption and death. The gospel must keep moving; it must run; this running produces everywhere, even where the gospel is not a stranger, new life and vivacity.The missionary spirit knows no other goal than that described in Isa 11:9.

2Th 3:2. Faith is not every mans, though God offers faith to every man, Act 17:31 (Berlenb. Bibel).19Grotius: Such as take pleasure in vice will not believe us; because they love the works of darkness, they hate the light.Rieger: (We must have this told to us) partly that under a similar experience we may be less frightened, partly also that we may escape the frequently plausible temptation to refine and cut and carve at the doctrines of the faith, till every one should be able to find himself suited.Paul strove to become all things to all men, but still he hoped for nothing more from it, than by all means to save some (1Co 9:22).Starke: Patiently to undergo suffering for Christs sake, and yet to pray God for deliverance therefrom, are not inconsistent with each other; especially when the deliverance has for its object not so much our own ease as the glorification of the Divine name.

[Lectures: , … So far, then, from there being any ground for exalting reason against faith, it is only faith that can either restore the dislocation, or rectify the depravity, of our fallen nature.The Same: No man can reject the Divine testimony concerning Christ, when fairly and fully presented to him, without thereby inflicting immediate and serious damage on his whole inward lifewithout, in fact, becoming, whatever appearances there may be to the contrary, a worse man, as well as a guiltier man, than he was before.J. L.]

2Th 3:3. The faithfulness of the Lord is the only ever sure refuge.

2Th 3:4. Chrysostom, Theophylact: We have confidence in the Lord, that is opposed to pride; touching you, that is opposed to indolence.Bengel: Nulli homini per se fidas.Calvin: Authority and obedience have here their limits: Nothing except in the Lord![ Burkitt: The character of that obedience which the gospel directs; it must be universal and perpetual.J. L.]

2Th 3:5. Diedrich: Truly Christ Himself is all patience with us, and so He teaches us in Him also to be all patience.

2Th 3:1-5. Heubner: Exhortations to prayer and faithfulness.

2Th 3:4-5. That heart is well disposed, and capable of all that is good, which through the grace of the Lord is directed into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. 1. The most natural thing for us would be, to abide with all love by the love of God, to which we owe ourselves and all things. But, as regards God, we are truly unnatural children, have little need of intercourse with Him, are frequently able to go a long time without Him, readily suffer ourselves to be withdrawn from Him by His gifts instead of being thereby led to Him, become altogether disheartened under the strokes of His discipline, do not love what He loves, His will, His commands. He gives effect to his love by sending His Son to save us from the fleshly temper of our heart. Not until our hearts allow themselves to be turned towards this love proceeding from God (1Jn 4:10; Rom 5:8), does there rise in us also love to God. But, 2. that this spirit may take full possession of us, there is need of continual labor and effort; our hearts must allow themselves to be directed to Christ, the perfect pattern of patience, as He practised it throughout His whole life even to the cross towards His disciples, towards the people, towards His wicked foes. We must be thankful to Him, that He becomes not weary of bearing also with us. Thus we too learn patience, and receive strength for it out of His strength; thus do we learn to wait for His help, and patiently to hold fast the hope of His glorious coming (after Stockmeyer.)

Footnotes:

[1]2Th 3:1.[. Revision: E. V. margin, and everywhere else. Here it combines Tyndale, Geneva, Bishops Bible: have free passage, with the Rhemish: have course.J. L.]

[2]2Th 3:1.[ . Ellicott: The gently contrasting (?) them with others where a similar reception had taken place. Rather, the compares them withputs them alongside ofothers, where, in answer to their prayers, a similar reception should yet take place.J. L.]

[3]2Th 3:2.[. The English margin, Hammond, Wordsworth: absurd; Benson, Scott, Conybeare, Alfords English Test., Ellicott, Am. Bible Union: perverse; Riggenbach: verkehrten. See the Exegetical Note.J. L.]

[4]2Th 3:2.[ . Riggenbach, after De Wette and Lnemann: nicht Alter (Sache) ist der Glaube; Ellicott: it is not all that have faith. See the Exegetical Note, and the Revision of this verse, Note e.J. L.]

[5]2Th 3:3.There is a preponderance of authority (including the Sin.) for ; against the reading [A. D.1 F. G. Vulg. Lachmann.J. L.] is likewise the fact, that according to parallel passages, such as 1Co 1:9, it is the more obvious. [The Greek order should be retained in the translation, as it is by Riggenbach, Ellicott, Am. Bible Union, and others, making the instantaneous echo of .Sin.2 Thessalonians 1 : ; but corrected into . .J. L.]

[6]2Th 3:3.[ . See the Exegetical Note.J. L.]

[7]2Th 3:4.[. Revision: Not only do we rely on the faithfulness of the Lord, but we have a gracious confidence also in you; nor, indeed, can you expect the promised confirmation and security, apart from your own obedience, and patient continuance in well-doing, but only in and through that.J. L.]

[8]2Th 3:4.The reading varies between and [Riggenbachs translation follows the former, which is that of Sin.1, while Sin.2 has the other.J. L.]; the insertion of before is too feebly supported (B. F. G., but not Sin.).

[9]2Th 3:4. is wanting in Sin. B. D.1 Vulg. [It is cancelled by Alford and Ellicott; Lachmann brackets it, as he does also the words .The latter half of the verse is arranged in Greek thus: that the things which we command you ye both do and will do.J. L.]

[10]2Th 3:5.[ . Ellicott: A gentle anithesis () to what precedes;I doubt you not, my confidence is in the Lord; may He, however, vouchsafe His blessed aid.J. L.]

[11]2Th 3:6.Before all the uncials give the article , which is omitted by the Elzevir after a few late authorities. The English Version translates , patience, here in the margin, and always elsewhere, 31 times, except Rom 2:7 and 2Co 1:6. Here it follows the Bishops Bible.J. L.]

[12][fr den Glauben empfnglichthe expression employed also by De Wette and Lnemann. It is not, however, of a want of susceptibility of faith in the most desperate class of sinners, that Paul speaks, hut of the actual destitution of faith in some to whom the gospel came. And the fact is stated in general terms; not so much as something that had just transpired in the particular city or region where the Apostle was now laboring, but rather as something that holds good, as with the force and regularity of a law, wherever the gospel is preached (Lectures, p. 560). Comp. Mat 19:11.J. L.]

[13][Taken as neuter, might perhaps have a special reference to the great current of evil which had already begun to flow, and which in the second chapter had been traced; onward to its fatal issue. Lectures.J. L.]

[14][ ; towards and upon you, in regard to you; Germ, auf euch.J. L.]

[15][Wir bedrfen beides, Vorsatz und Kraft, von obensound doctrine, but scarcely an accurate rendering of: , .J. L.]

[16][Sobesides LnemannAlford, Ellicott, Lectures, patience such as Christ exhibited.J. L.]

[17][See the foot-note to p. 156.No doubt, there are degrees of wickedness in unrenewed men, as there are degrees of grace, faith, and holiness in Christian men. But in the case of every Christian man it is true, that his faith is the gift of God (Eph 2:8); and of every unrenewed man to whom the gospel comes it is no less true, that his unbelief is the sinful product of a sinful and blinded heart (Joh 3:18-20; 2Co 4:3-4 : &c.J. L.]

[18][Das sei ferne!the German version of , which in our English Testament is, God forbid! Comp. E. V. Gen 18:25.J. L.]

[19][Luthers version of : Jedermann vorhlt den Glauben; English margin: offered faith.J. L.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

DISCOURSE: 2216
THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL

2Th 3:1. Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may hare free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.

THE light of the material sun is hailed and welcomed by every nation under heaven: but how much more is the light of the Sun of Righteousness to be desired! If the one be necessary for our comfort in this life, the other is necessary to guide us in the way to life eternal. Hence the Apostle not only laboured to spread the Gospel himself, but endeavoured to interest all the Lords people in its behalf; that by their united supplications they might obtain from God whatever should conduce to its establishment in the world.
In this request of his we see,

What we should desire for the word of God

That it should have free course

[It is surprising that any should be averse to the circulation of the Scriptures; or should be jealous of the Scriptures, unless accompanied with human compositions to forestall and determine the judgment of the reader. What is this but to supersede the use of that judgment which God requires us to exercise? yea, what is this, but to return to popery? The Papists locked up the Scriptures in an unknown tongue, and forbad the laity to read them; and sent forth among the people small portions of them only, and counteracted those portions by the most erroneous comments and grossest superstitions. Far be such conduct from Protestants: freely have we received, and freely we should give: nor should we relax our efforts to disseminate the Scriptures, till every human being shall have them in his possession, and be enabled to read in his own native language the wonderful works of God [Note: See Psa 19:4 and Rom 10:18.].]

That it should be glorified

[What is implied in this expression, we are at no loss to determine. We have only to see how it was glorified with them, i.e. the Thessalonian converts, and we have the perfect model of its being glorified amongst ourselves.

In two ways is the word of God glorified; first, in the conversion of sinners; and, next, in the edification and salvation of saints.

How the Gospel wrought to the conversion of the Thessalonians, we are distinctly informed: they received it, not as the word of man, but as the word of God: it came to them, not in word only, but in power: and by it they were turned from idols to serve the living God [Note: 1Th 1:5; 1Th 1:9; 1Th 2:13.] Similar effects were produced by it in other churches [Note: Act 6:7; Act 19:20.] And who must not confess that the word is glorified when such wonders are wrought by it? But that it is so, is expressly affirmed by the voice of inspiration itself [Note: Act 13:48-49.].

Nor was the Gospel less powerful for their continued edification. This was greatly advanced among them, as the Apostle himself testified [Note: 2Th 1:3-4; 2Th 2:13-14.] Yet nothing but the pure word of God was, or could be, effectual for this end [Note: 1Pe 2:2.]. As the rod of Moses wrought all those miracles in Egypt and the wilderness, so was the Gospel the rod of Gods strength: and in the production of such miraculous events, both the word itself, and God in it, were greatly glorified [Note: Act 21:19-20.]: nor is it possible to see such effects yet produced in the hearts and lives of men, without acknowledging, that he who hath wrought them to the self-same thing is God [Note: 2Co 5:5.] ]

Let us next inquire,

II.

How that desire is to be obtained

The Apostle speaks of himself and all his fellow-labourers, as instruments whereby the Gospel was propagated throughout the world. And the same is true of ministers in all succeeding ages, even to the present day: they are Gods ambassadors to a rebellious world. But the prayers of Gods people are no less necessary than the efforts of his ministers: for it is God alone that can give effect to any exertions; and it is prayer alone that can interest him in our behalf
[It is God alone that can raise up ministers, or fit them for the work [Note: Rom 10:15 and 2Co 2:15-16; 2Co 3:5.] Hence we are directed to pray that God would send forth labourers into his harvest [Note: Mat 9:38. Eph 4:12-13.].

It is God alone that can open places for them to labour in. Men universally of themselves reject the Gospel: but when God opens a door for his servants, no attempts of his enemies can shut it [Note: Act 18:10-11. 1Co 16:9 and Rev 3:8.] It is God alone that can give success to their endeavours. That same divine power, which first opened the understandings of the Apostles, must open the hearts of others to attend to them [Note: Luk 24:45. with Act 16:14.] And then only does the word effect any radical change in men, when it comes in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power [Note: 1Co 2:4-5; 1Co 3:5-7.].

Hence St. Paul so earnestly entreated the prayers of the Thessalonian Church, and yet more earnestly the intercessions of the saints at Home [Note: Rom 15:30-32.]. God has in mercy made his servants and his people mutually dependent on each other: the people being quickened by the exertions of their ministers; and ministers being strengthened by the prayers of their people: and thus the builders and the building are advanced together, and all are edified in love.]

We conclude this subject with,
1.

A word of admonition

[Many profess a reference for the Bible, and even display a zeal for conveying the Holy Scriptures to heathen lands, who yet make but little use of it for themselves. But this zeal for the good of others will never be admitted as a substitute for personal religion Many of the religious world also, who study the Bible and profess to love the Gospel of Christ, are far from adorning that Gospel by holy tempers, and by heavenly lives Let such persons look well to themselves; for not he that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of our Father which is in heaven ]

A word of encouragement

[Let any one see what was effected in the days of old by a few poor fishermen: and take courage to exert himself for God The same power that wrought effectually in that day will concur with us Let us not then despond, as though our weakness were any obstacle to success; for God will display his own power by means of it [Note: 2Co 12:9.], and ordain strength in the mouths of babes and sucklings. Whether therefore we address ourselves to the translation of the Scriptures into foreign languages, or labour for the circulation of them at home, let us only implore help from God, and we shall not be permitted to labour in vain, or run in vain.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

CONTENTS

The Apostle closeth his Epistle with this Chapter. He takes an affectionate Leave of the Church, begs an Interest in the Prayers of the People, and prays the Lord to bless them.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

(1) Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: (2) And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. (3) But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. (4) And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. (5) And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

In folding up this beautiful Epistle, the Apostle makes an earnest, and an affectionate request, to be remembered by the Church at the throne in prayer, together with Silvanus, and Timotheus, whom he joined with himself in this letter. And I beg the Reader to remark with me, the great burden of his request, namely, that the word of the Lord might be blessed among the Lord’s people. Paul makes use of the figure of a free course, which like an unobstructed river, runs on, and washes, and makes fruitful every place where the Lord sends it. And, observe, it is God’s glory, when his people are made blessed by the free course of his word. Every child of God should remember this. It becomes a great strengthener to faith, when the Lord enables any of his to consider, that when our souls being made blessed in Christ, Christ is glorified in us. We not only bless him with our hearts, when we give him praise for his mercies, but we glorify him also when our wants give him occasion to fill into our emptiness.

And let the Reader further observe the drift of Paul’s prayer, that he, and his faithful companions, who preached the truth as it is in Jesus, might be delivered from the opposers of those precious doctrines, Paul, and his brethren in the ministry, taught. Not the openly profane, but false teachers. Paul could not mean the openly profane, when he said for all men have not faith. This was too notorious a truth to need the remark. But the all men the Apostle here alluded to, which had not faith, were plainly those who preached unsent. Men who had not the faith of God’s elect. Tit 1:1 . May the Lord deliver all his faithful, both ministers and congregations, from such men, in all ages of his Church!

The Reader will not overlook, I hope, the very blessed prayer Paul closed up this paragraph with. He opened the first part of it with calling upon the Church to pray for him and his companions. And here, in the close of it, after assuring the Church of God’s faithfulness, to stablish and keep them from evil, he recompenseth their kindness in praying for them. And what a sweet and comprehensive prayer it is. Surely none but God the Spirit could have taught it. And the Lord (said he) direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for, (or, as the margin renders it, the patience of,) Christ. Reader! do observe how all the Persons of the Godhead are here included in this short, but blessed prayer. The Lord the Spirit direct your hearts. And where directed? Into the love of God. And how is this to be attained? In a patient waiting on and through Christ. And short as this direction is, if the Reader be taught of the same God who directs the heart to mark the Lord’s leadings, he will discover that this is the direct way, and the only way to comfort. The child of God that goes to the throne in anything of his own, such as his experiences, or his enlargements, as men call them, or the exercises of his own graces, is going a round-about way, and wearying himself for very vanity. Whereas direct acts of faith upon Christ’s Person, and the pleadings of Christ’s blood and righteousness, and God’s faithful covenant promises in Christ; the precious soul that doth so, is truly directed by the Lord the Holy Ghost, and led by the hand to the mercy-seat of God in Christ. Such a soul must speed well, thus led, thus fed, thus taught, and thus, enabled to plead. I warrant ye, on the authority of God’s yea and Amen promises, he shall prove a wrestling seed of the stock of Jacob, and come off a prevailing descendant of the true Israel. To all such, whom I met at any time going to the pardon office of Jesus Christ, I would say, oh! remember me when you see the King, for sure I am you will get near to him. Yea, I would beg of God the Holy Ghost to direct my heart to go with them. And what might not a company of Christ’s redeemed ones expect, when going together to the Heavenly Court, whose hearts were all directed by the same Almighty Lord, into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Jesus Christ?

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Patience

2Th 3:5

‘The patience of Christ.’ It is so the phrase runs in our R.V. as also in the margin of the A.V., in place of the A.V. ‘patient waiting for Christ’. The phrase once spoken is felt to be inevitable; Paul could not have written otherwise. Patience is so truly the word of the Christ life. We have all traced, as St. John does, in the features of the Christ before High Priest or Pilate and on the cross, the likeness of the suffering Servant of Jehovah, who bore our griefs, carried our sorrows; the Sufferer as a lamb brought to the slaughter, a sheep before the shearers, dumb and opening not his mouth. Such an one has lived out by His own patience to the end His precept of patience to His followers. With His example there we can believe it true that ‘he that endureth (has patience) unto the end shall be saved,’ and that ‘in your patience ye shall win your souls’.

I. If patience is a word of the Christ life, if part at least of the secret of Christ is divulged in its syllables, we shall be sure it will be a part of the secret of a ministry in His name. By enduring, being patient, unto the end, we shall be saved, not only as Christians, but as pastors of the flock of Christ: by our patience we shall win our souls, and by our patience shall we win the souls of others. If we must ‘in all things approve ourselves as the ministers of God,’ first in that list of all things must stand, as with Paul, the ‘much patience’.

II. Why is such a patience a victorious quality? I suppose, first and last, because it is a special form of the quality which wins all victories everywhere; it is a form of selflessness; it gains life by losing life. When patience fails us, it is a preference of self to something worthier than self; we break out on an opponent or a fellow-worker because pride is brushed against or our personal activity is checked; we throw up a task because we want ease or because the strain will not be rewarded. The patience of saints is their effacement of their personal interests and likings in the interest of the Great Will. But if that Will is the Great Will, and the things that are done upon earth, It doeth them, then to be patient, that is, to be at one with the power which ‘doeth them,’ must be to succeed, must be a victory which overcomes the world.

III. But also (though we shall be praising the same truth in the language of the secular) patience is success because it is the true adjustment of the soul of man to the world of fact which environs him, it is the apt correspondence by which we live and survive. The moral laws of the universe, like the physical, work very slowly; human nature moves as the glaciers, scarce measurably; human character is built as the coral reefs, during aeons; religious faith is shaped by a discipline as deliberate as that which moulds through ages the types of animal life. Therefore the shepherding of men is an industry which must be plied with no hope of quick returns and a contentment with the smallest profits. Clearly patience is the correlative in the worker to the vastness of scale and the tardiness of movement in the work. In a slow world the man who can wait is the man who wins, for it is he who is the fittest and survives. In a vast world the man whose mind is wide enough to mirror that vastness, the man who (to invert a historic saying in politics) studies God’s universe with a small-scale map and so is not daunted by its distances, this man has the intelligence which enables him to be , a labourer together with God.

But lastly (and still I believe we are but phrasing anew the thing first said, though we give it now the highest name we know), is not Patience in work just another word for Faith? We can be patient because we know Whom we have believed, and that we are patient is the proof that we have believed. Patience is faith not in the activity of a moment, but the activity which goes on; it is faith, might one not say, in its dimension not of intensity, but of time. No wonder, then, if patience is faith, that it should be the victory that overcometh the world.

J. Huntley Skrine, Sermons to Pastors and Masters, p. 151.

Patient Waiting for Christ

2Th 3:5

All life is a mystery. The loftiest archangel cannot himself create the lowliest living organism. All creation confesses to her God, ‘With Thee is the fountain of life’. But how much more impenetrable is the veil spread over that highest conceivable vitality, which we call spiritual life? This, of all mysteries, is the most profound. It is an effluence from the essential life of God; the breath of the Holy Spirit in the heart of man; it is Christ living in us, the hope of glory.

I. God has provided the means for the deepening and strengthening of this higher life in His people, by which He is pleased to act upon them individually, and, through them, upon the world; to meet their present needs in the conflict which is upon them. We want grace in our time of need. That time is now, and the promised supply is at hand, and ready for our use. Thank God! that needful present grace is ours in Christ; we have the Father’s footstool at which to kneel; we have a High Priest Who is with us always; we have the promised Comforter, who abides with us for ever; we have the holy Communion of Saints in the Church of God; and we have the means of refreshment which God has provided for us on our pilgrim way. The Great Householder has provided abundantly for His servants during His absence. But this does not embrace the whole provision made for our spiritual training and education. We are being disciplined for eternity; we are heirs of an everlasting kingdom; children of a Father Who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light; and it is not worthy of our heavenly calling that our thoughts, desires, and joys should be bounded by our present needs and their supply, although these needs concern our immortal souls, as well as our mortal bodies, and that supply comes from the ever-living God.

II. We must look not only inward and upward, but onward onward to the ‘glory that shall be revealed’. The heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ must not be absorbed in ‘this present,’ however lofty and noble its responsibilities may be. We shall see greater things than these. ‘Our life is hid with Christ in God.’ But it will not always be so. ‘When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory.’ This passage affords a clue to one of the truest helps, and unmasks one of the greatest hindrances, of spiritual life. What if this life, which is of Divine origin, like a bulb which fails to pierce some uncongenial clay, ceases to struggle upward; it is the partial paralysis of life. Our highest privilege is this ‘We have the mind of Christ’; but He is Himself expecting until His enemies be made His footstool. The Great Husbandman has watched every blossom and ripening cluster of the mystic Vine. The ultimate design of our Great Advocate, who prayed, ‘Father, I will that those whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am,’ has never been for one moment absent from His mind. For this final triumph He is waiting and working. Nor will He rest until His latest promise to the seventh Church is fulfilled ‘To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My Throne….’

III. Now, only as our hearts beat truly with His, only as our most real desires are in unison with His, can we live that spiritual life which to live is Christ.

Our Lord’s earthly life was lived, and His ministry fulfilled, in the light of His Return to Judgment. In His Sermon on the Mount, in His charge to His Apostles, in His private discourses, in His most impressive parables, in His farewell converse, in His good confession before the Sanhedrin he pointed to That Day. After His Ascension, the promise of His Return was the consolation which angels poured into the bereaved hearts of the Apostles. Thus it runs as a golden thread through all the Epistles. St. Paul never wearies of it; St. James urges patience in contemplating it; St. Peter reminds the elders of the Advent of the Chief Shepherd; St. John comforts by the assurance, ‘When He shall appear, we shall be like Him’; St Jude re-echoes Enoch’s warning, ‘The Lord cometh’. And the last book of the inspired canon bears on its forefront, ‘Behold, He cometh with clouds,’ and closes with the threefold watchword, ‘I come quickly’.

IV. As we drink in the spirit of these Scriptures, we are tempted to exclaim, ‘Surely there will not be one laggard heart: all will watch and wait and long for the return of their absent Lord’. But has it been so? Looking broadly over the history of the Church of God, have the servants of the Householder been watching for His return? Has not the parable of the Ten Virgins been continually repeated ‘While the Bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept’?

From one cause or another, the Church has relaxed her vigil. There are, indeed, those who watch for the faintest sound of the footfall of their returning Lord. But they are few and far between. Perhaps of all hindrances to spiritual life none is more insidious than the answer to the ringing Advent call, ‘Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep’. But if slothfulness hinders His return, watchfulness helps the spiritual life (in the exercise of faith and patience) more than words can say. This lifts the heart to that which is imperishable and eternal. This cheers us on in our patient work for Him at home, for we hear His voice, ‘Occupy till I come’. This, too, is the mainspring of missionary work. The time is short, the Master near.

Bishop Bickersteth, late of Exeter, Church Congress, 1878.

References. III. 5. Archbishop Magee, Sermons at Bath, p. 271. I. E. Page, Preacher’s Magazine, vol. xviii. p. 133. S. H. Fleming, Fifteen Minute Sermons for the People, p. 133. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxiv. No. 2028. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Thessalonians, p. 277. III. 7-12. Expositor (6th Series), vol. xii. p. 102. III. 9. Ibid. (6th Series), vol. vi. p. 382. III. 10. W. Richmond, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xlv. p. 188. H. H. Almond, Sermons by a Lay Headmaster, p. 149. F. S. Root, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xlviii. p. 198. III. 10-12. Expositor (6th Series), vol. xi. p. 282. III. 13. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. li. No. 2918. III. 14. Expositor (6th Series), vol. iv. p. 207. III. 15. Ibid. vol. ii. p. 257. III. 16. F. D. Maurice, Sermons, vol. v. p. 321. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxiii. No. 1343. W. H. Griffith-Thomas, The Record, vol. xxvii. p. 799. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Thessalonians, p. 288. III. 17. Expositor (5th Series), vol. x. p. 199; ibid. (6th Series), vol. ii. p. 253; ibid. vol. x. p. 75. III. 17, 18. Ibid. vol. viii. p. 372.

Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson

XII

THE PLAN OF SALVATION SOME LESSONS ON DISCIPLINE

2Th 2:13-3:18 .

We shall close this second letter to the Thessalonians by presenting four thoughts that follow a consideration of the man of sin.

1. Paul’s plan of salvation. It is expressed in these words (2Th 2:13-14 ): “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Once I was talking to a distinguished theologian who has had much to do with the teaching of the Word of God to collegiates, and I asked him how he developed the analytical power in his students, and then I read this well-ordered plan of salvation. Let us reduce it to its constituent elements. Confining ourselves to what is here, let us see-what God’s plan is:

(1) “God chose you.” What then is the first element of the plan? Election.

(2) “From the beginning.” When did he choose you? In eternity.

(3) Unto what did he choose you? Salvation.

(4) What the means? “Through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth,” i.e., that through which we get to salvation is faith in the gospel and the renovating power of the Holy Spirit.

(5) “Whereunto,” that is, unto these things that have just been said, “He calls you.” There is the calling of God.

(6) How did he call you? “Through the gospel.” Away back yonder in eternity, God chose a man, and we do not know anything about it. Down here in time God calls the man that he chose. How does he do it? Someday that man hears a gospel sermon preached, and the Holy Spirit reaches his heart just as if a voice said to him, “Come to me! Come to me now!” That is his call.

(7) What is the object of the calling? “To the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ was glorified when he was raised from the dead and exalted to his place at the right hand of God in heaven. When he calls us, he calls us unto that glory; that where Jesus is, we may be; that what Jesus is we shall be; that the power that Jesus exercises we shall exercise; that what Jesus inherits, we shall inherit. That is the plan of salvation in these two verses election from eternity, unto salvation, in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, called in him through the gospel and the work of the Spirit unto the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. The prayer that Paul asked those people to offer for him. We get so accustomed to saying, “pray for me,” that we do not mean it, and the people who say, “yes, I will,” do not mean it. Paul never asked that unmeaningly, and he always knew exactly what he wanted them to pray for in his behalf. He put great stress upon the prayers of God’s people for the preachers. Now, we in our greatness may not need such things, but the little apostle was bound to have it. He felt that he could not get along unless God’s people lovingly and earnestly prayed for him.

The preacher goes out in his self-sufficiency, thinking that he has the world in a sling, and that he can do like Brother J. B. Jeter and Jesse Witt, who were employed by Virginia as missionaries. Riding along two and two, they came to an old log church and saw a great many horses hitched. Concluding that there was a religious service, they went in and heard the sermon. The first thing people say on leaving a church is, “What do you think of that sermon?” So as these two preachers stepped out, Jeter says to Witt, “What do you think of that sermon?” Witt modestly said, “Well, Brother Jeter, I am not much, but I do believe, that by the help of the Lord, I could beat that sermon myself.” Jeter responded, “I could beat it, Lord or no Lord.” When the young preacher or Christian goes out into his work with perfect confidence that he can do a thing, “Lord or no Lord,” whether the brethren sympathize with him and pray for him or not, he makes a mistake.

In the days of my pastorate there were two or three people, particularly two old ladies, that when I felt very much depressed and my mind was dark, and I could not determine just what to preach about nor how to say it, and Saturday night had come, I would step over to see one or the other of these old ladies and state my case, and I would say, “Now, you pray for me.” The solemnity with which either one of them would listen to what I said, the tenderness with which they would talk to me, and the suggestions they would make would be such that when I would leave that house I would have a sermon, and I would know how to preach.

Here is what Paul asked for, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also it is with you.” That preaching at Thessalonica was the most successful preaching Paul ever did, and he always wanted to do as well somewhere else; that the word might have free course. Compare that prayer with one like this: “Lord, I have to preach next Sunday before a crowd of critical people; I need a new spotted cravat; I would like to have a mince pie for dinner, and I would like to know where I am to get my winter suit.” Notice what he asked for. This is the thing on Paul’s mind not eating, clothing, worldly honor, or money, but that the word of the Lord that he preached might have free course and be glorified. In other words, “Just let me do as well as I did at Thessalonica.” Sometimes a failure does more good than a success.

I knew an old Baptist preacher one of our early missionaries here in Texas. Sometimes he would get upon a mountaintop, and at other times he would be “snowed.” I have sympathized with him in the midst of a great revival meeting when he realized what a miserable failure he had made. Once he said, “Brethren, my mind is dark tonight; I am not using this great occasion for the Lord; pray for me.” There was a wave of sympathy produced by the modesty and humility of the man that would so tenderly and so pathetically confess his failure. There were more conversions that night than any other night in the meeting.

The next thing that Paul prayed is that he might be delivered from unreasonable men. The greatest thorn that a preacher can confront is an unreasonable man, or woman. Just one obstinate, fussy man in a community can block the way of angels. He ‘is the toughest proposition that ever the aspiring mind of man attempted to dispose of. Paul knew all about it, and he wanted to be delivered from that class of men. Then from unreasonableness there was wickedness. One sinner can do much evil. One man can go around the outskirts of a meeting and whisper and slander and sneer and suggest, and almost break up the meeting. He says, “For all have not faith.”

J. M. Pendleton made that his favorite text, and what a sermon he could preach from it! When he got to be an old man he visited his daughter, Mrs. Waggoner, wife of the president of the State University. I had read different sermons of his on that text. But I paid his expenses and gave him $20 to come to Waco and preach a new sermon on the same text. It was a great sermon one that I shall never forget.

I have seen brethren get down in a meeting and pray that the meeting would not close until every man, woman, and child in the community had been converted. That does not happen, “for all people have not faith,” and if we stopped at a place until we led everybody in that place to Christ before we go anywhere else, we would never move.

3. A case of discipline: 2Th 3:6 : “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 they received of us.” That is just as positive and binding as if Jesus Christ in person had commanded it. “If a member of any church will not walk in the gospel which has been preached by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven, and has a fixed standard of his own, and won’t make the gospel the rule of his life, and stubbornly goes against it, then we command you brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw from that man.”

One of the greatest evils in the world today is the lack of scriptural discipline in the churches.

A great many country churches have a great deal of discipline; much of it is very injudicious and unscriptural. A great many city churches have no discipline at all; they just let things wag along. They would not take up a case of drunkenness, of audacious murder, of awful fraud, though the whole cause of Jesus Christ be suffering from the lack of scriptural discipline, and if I had to mention today wherein the ministry is most deficient, I would instantly put my finger upon discipline. First, they do not know what it is. Second, they do not know how to manage it. Third, when they find out they are afraid of it.

Let us look into this case of discipline: Paul appeals first to his teaching, next to his example: “You know my example; I never walked disorderly. I was guilty of no deceit, covetousness, or uncleanness. Boldly, justly, unblamably I lived among you when I was preaching to you. There you have my teaching and my example. Now, you have my commands.”

Let us see at what particular point this disorder came in. We want to know exactly the nature of the offense. First, some of them would not work; they were lazy deadbeats, hanging around, living off the brethren. That is an awful sin. Paul saw that unless he could impress upon these people, the dignity of honest labor no matter what kind of labor, whether honest work with a wheelbarrow, cutting wood, plowing, spinning, weaving, cooking, washing, it is honorable, and that there is a dignity and majesty about labor then religion would lose the respect of the honest and industrious. Second, they were busybodies. Of course, an idle man is bound to have some business; a man that has no work to do is bound to be working at something, and if he is idle, then he will move around and do a great deal of talking. He will be busy about somebody else’s business.

Paul knew some women of that kind, as we find in a subsequent letter. He tells Timothy that they were tattlers and gadabouts. When once the tongues get to wagging and buzzing and humming in a community, then the archangel and a legion of his angels could not pick up the evil impressions as fast as they can sow them. They had idle people at Thessalonica. Most of these people were poor, hardworking people, and here was a lot of fellows that would put their hands in their vest pockets (if they had any vest) and talk about the glories of the coming of Christ, and they were filling their souls with the anticipation of Christ coming down, and they did not want such a thing as working for a day’s victuals to come between them and their joyful reflections.

John Wesley was once asked: “Mr. Wesley, if you knew that Jesus Christ was coming tomorrow night, what would you do?” He said, “I would go right along filling my appointments for tomorrow up to the time. When he comes I would like for him to find me working just that way.” These men thought it a mark of superior Christianity that they should so retire from all occupation as to contemplate in pious, sweet meditation the second coming of Christ. It is a glorious theme to meditate about, but never quit doing a duty to meditate about anything.

Let us look further into this case. He says, “Brethren, you remember when we were with you, this we commanded you, if any will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busy bodies.” Here is his command to the disorderly: “We command and exhort in Jesus Christ that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.” But if they wouldn’t, here is the injunction to the church: “If any man obeyeth not our word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.”

I have never yet seen that kind of corrective discipline. He says if there is a man who is walking disorderly (and he mentions what he calls disorderly walking), don’t let him partake of the Lord’s Supper. As he says elsewhere, “with such a one, no, not to eat.” That is not turning him out of the church. Let a man of that kind see good men not wishing for his company; not rudely, but quietly turning away from him; it makes an impression on him. He sees that he is shunned by those who discountenance his disorderly methods.

Look again at the discipline: Why should they not keep company with them? It is to bring him to be ashamed of himself. But we are not through with it yet: “Count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” The idea in most of the country churches is, “I move that we turn him out.” That leaves out a wide scope of corrective discipline, of laboring discipline, of faithful dealing with brethren.

4. Paul’s authorship. In the last verse it is written: “The salutation of me, Paul, with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle, so I write.” That proves, first, what is elsewhere so frequently asserted, that Paul was not accustomed to writing his letters. He dictated them. He suffered from acute ophthalmia, or to put it in plainer English, sore eyes. And when he wrote he made great sprawling letters. He wrote only one of his letters with his own hand, and that was the letter to the Galatians, and he called their attention to it: “You see with what sprawling letters I have written to you.” Inasmuch as his custom was to dictate his letters, when he heard that the Thessalonians were reporting that they had seen a letter from Paul that said that Christ was coming right away, Paul says, “I wrote no such letter.” And to guard against imposition upon the minds of his churches, coming from forged letters, as soon as he found out that a letter had been forged in his name, he adopted the expedient here of attesting his letters. “Now, hereafter you will know whether a letter is from me thus: ‘The salutation of me, Paul, with mine own hand; so I write.’ ” In other words, “When a man says he has a letter from me, you look to see if it has my signature. If I dictate a letter my signature will be there to show that it is really a letter from me.” That is the token of the Pauline epistles. And it is only in the letter to the Hebrews that he did not do it, and I will tell you why he did not follow his custom and append his name to that letter when we come to it.

QUESTIONS

1. On 2Th 2:13-14 , answer: (1) What the first constituent element of salvation? (2) When did God choose them? (3) Unto what did he choose them? (4) Through what? (5) How made effectual? (6) Through what did he call? (7) What the object of his calling?

2. What was the meaning of “the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”?

3. In 2Th 3:1-2 what two things does Paul ask the brethren in his behalf?

4. What may we infer as to our need of the prayers of our brethren, and the suitable objects of prayer?

5. What illustration of self-sufficiency given?

6. What was the meaning of “all have not faith”?

7. What was the case of discipline in 2Th 3:6 , and what the greatest deficiency of the ministry today?

8. What three reasons assigned for this deficiency?

9. To what two things does Paul appeal in this case of discipline?

10. What was the nature of the offense?

11. What was the general topic of discussion among -these people, and how does Wesley’s program illustrate the contrary idea?

12. What remedy did Paul propose for the case?

13. What should be the attitude of the church toward one who if subject to corrective discipline?

14. What bearing has 2Th 3:14 on the extent of apostolic authority and the inspiration of the letter?

15. What the proof from this letter that Paul found it necessary to attest his letters with his own signature; why did he usually dictate his letters to an amanuensis, and which one of his letters was written altogether in his own handwriting?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

Ver. 1. Finally, brethren, &c. ] Quod superest, , That which yet remains, brethren. Ministers have never done, but have somewhat more to say ( Redit labor actus in orbem ) when they have said their utmost.

Pray for us ] As he had done for them, 2Th 2:16-17 . See the like,1Th 5:231Th 5:23 ; 1Th 5:25 . See Trapp on “ 1Th 5:23 “ See Trapp on “ 1Th 5:24 “ Oh, pray (said a dying Dutch divine) that God would preserve the gospel: Pontifex enim Rom. et Concilium Tridentinum mira moliunfur, For the pope and his Trent conventicle are plotting strange businesses.

May have free course ] Gr. , may run its race, as the sun doth, Psa 19:4-5 . Eusebius saith that the gospel spread at first through the world like a sunbeam. (Hist. ii. 3.)

And be glorified ] As it was, Act 13:48 . The word never worketh till it be received with admiration.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

1 5 .] Exhortation to pray for him and his colleagues (1, 2). His confidence that the Lord will keep them (3) and that they will obey his commands (4). Prayer for them (5).

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

1 .] On . (= ), see 1Th 4:1 .

] On the use of telic conjunctions with verbs like , see note on 1Co 14:13 .

. . . ] the Lord’s word i.e. the Gospel: see reff.

] Contrast to ‘ being bound :’ see 2Ti 2:9 may spread rapidly .

. ] See reff. The word of the Lord is then glorified, when it becomes the power of God to salvation to the believer see Rom 1:16 .

] for they had thus received it: 1Th 1:6 .

] among you (reff.).

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

13 3:15 .] HORTATORY PORTION OF THE EPISTLE.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

2Th 3:1 . In addition to offering prayers on their behalf, Paul asks them to pray for the continued success of the gospel (“may others be as blest as we are”!) and (2Th 3:2 ), for its agents’ safety (Isa 25:4 , LXX, a reminiscence of). The opponents here are evidently (2Th 2:10 f.) beyond hope of conversion; preservation from their wiles is all that can be expected. For a speedy answer to this prayer, see Act 18:9 f. The repeated use of in 2Th 3:1-5 , brings out the control of God amid the plots and passions of mankind. . The general sense of the term is given by Philo in his queer allegorising of Gen 3:9 ( Leg. Alleg. , iii. 17, ); commonly it is used, as elsewhere in the N.T., of things, but here of persons, either as = “ill-disposed,” or, in a less general and derivative sense = “perverse” ( cf. Ngeli, der Wortschatz des Paulus , p. 37), or “froward”. The general aim of the passage is to widen the horizon of the Thessalonians, by enlisting their sympathy and interest on behalf of the apostles. They are not the only sufferers, or the only people who need prayer and help. , so ran the ancient proverb. Paul writes from Corinth that while everyone has the chance, not all have the desire, to arrive at the faith. is the faith of the gospel, or Christianity. By a characteristic play upon the word, Paul (2Th 3:3 ), hurries on to add, “but the Lord is faithful”. (for which Bentley and Baljon plausibly conjecture ) shows how lightly his mind rests on thoughts of his own peril as compared with the need of others. It is impossible to decide, either from the grammar or from the context, whether is neuter or masculine. Either sense would suit, though, if there is a reminiscence here of the Lord’s prayer (so Feine, Jesus Christus u. Paulus , 252 f., and Chase, Texts and Studies , i. 3. 112 f.), the masculine would be inevitable, as is indeed more probable for general reasons (so e.g. , Hofmann, Everling, Ellicott, etc.)

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3

From prayerful desires for his beloved Thessalonians the apostle turns to ask their intercession on behalf of the testimony of the Lord generally, and especially of himself and his companions in their continual exposure to the adversary.

“For the rest, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men, for all have not faith. But faithful is the Lord who shall stablish you and keep from evil. And we have trust in [the] Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we charge. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the* patience of the Christ” (verses 1-5).

* The omission of the article in the Received Text has no known MS. to warrant it. Erasmus, the Complutensian, and R. Stephens rightly read it; Beza seems to be the bad guide who misled the Elzevirs after the Authorised Translators, who may or may not have noticed it. It is strange that Bishop Middleton did not observe the fact.

It is beautiful to see how grace binds all believing hearts together through Christ. The apostle was the most gifted and energetic servant whom the Lord ever raised up to spread the knowledge of Himself throughout the world. In him the call of sovereign grace, not only as a saint but as an apostle, found its highest expression: “not of men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead.” He neither received the gospel of man nor was he taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. And when it pleased Him Who separated him from his mother’s womb, and called him by His grace, to reveal His Son in him that he might preach Him among the nations, “immediately I conferred not,” says he, “with flesh and blood.” Yet the same man, who was thus formed and led of God manifestly to break the very semblance of a successional chain in official position as well as in the revelation of the truth, earnestly enlists the prayerful interest of the youngest brethren, his own newly-born children in the faith, in world-wide labours, both evangelic and ecclesiastic, encompassed with grave and frequent perils. On the one hand no one, no thing, must intervene between the risen Christ and His servant sent on the mission of His grace, on the other he (most markedly independent of men in his mission, in order that no mist may obscure the call of Christ or the message of His love) is the most dependent of all men on divine guidance and support, and thus the most desirous of the sustaining prayers of the saints.

What gracious wisdom shore was in God’s thus ordering must be apparent to any spiritual mind. Was it Paul and his companions who alone reaped the blessing of the saints, however young in the faith, thus praying? Could anything be more strengthening or elevating or purifying to the believers themselves, unless it were direct occupation with Christ Himself, which indeed was promoted in no small degree by this very identification of heart with that which is ever so near His heart? Whatever draws out the affections toward the Lord in that which glorifies Him and His word is so much the purer gain for His treasury and ours, as it is deliverance from self and present things where Satan easily ensnares. And as His word ran and was glorified with the Thessalonians, they could the more really and simply pray that so it should be elsewhere. They were not cast down or distracted by internal and humiliating, complications, which preoccupy the spirit and hinder the outgoing of heart far and wide for the blessing of others to His praise. Paul could freely ask, and they without stint or effort give, their prayers. The word of the Lord might make rapid progress, without a deep result in man, and without glory to Him Who is its source; the apostle would have them pray that it should be glorified even as also among themselves it was, They could therefore the more truly and heartily desire this from God elsewhere.

Besides this, many adversaries fail not, as surely as grace gives an open and effectual door for the testimony of Christ. Never does the apostle, never did a spiritual man, boast of the numbers or the position, of the wealth or the intelligence, of his supporters . no surer sign of the world, nor of Satan’s snare among those who take the ground of faith. The apostle does ask their prayers “that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, for all have not faith.” The word here translated “unreasonable,” , meant originally “out of place,” and hence strange, marvellous, and in a moral sense worthless, as saying and doing what was unsuitable and out of the way. I know not why “the faith” should be preferred to “faith” in the abstract: the Greek will bear either. Nor do these adversaries mean Jews only, though these were prominent and active in bitter unbelief. Faith is natural to no sinner’s heart; it is ever of grace.

There is, however, a blessed resource, as they are told by one who well knew how far party hatred and personal detraction can go: – “But the Lord is faithful who shall stablish you and keep from wickedness” (or “evil” verse 3). His faithfulness answers to the faith of His own, be it ever so feeble; His face is against those that do evil, as His eyes are upon the righteous, and His ears unto their cry. Hence the confidence that He would strengthen the Thessalonian saints and guard them from evil. So faith reasons and is ever entitled to reason. Nor can any ground be stronger; for it is from God to man, not from man to God, as men are prone to reason to their disappointment, shame, and sorrow. For as our Lord Himself warned His own, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” They sleep when they should pray, and may flee or even deny where they ought to stand and confess. How different the other side! “But God commendeth His own love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom 5:8-10 ). So here the argument of the Lord’s grace is before the apostle, who would have the disciples empowered in Him and in the strength of His might, the secret of victory to faith.

But if the end be thus sure, grace makes the way plain, the yoke easy, and the burden light. The obedience of Christ is the law of liberty. To a single eye His path is alone the question. Therefore the apostle has not a doubt that the saints addressed are as desirous of doing the Lord’s will, as he of making it duly known. “And we have trust in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we charge” (verse 4). For there is a distinction between Christ’s giving us rest, and our finding rest to our souls. The former is of sovereign grace, however labouring or burdened we might be, and the gift is free and full to sinners according to the glory of His person and the goodness of the errand on which He came and suffered; the other is of divine government, and we as children of God find rest to our souls day by day, not certainly in self-will which is our danger, but in simple-hearted subjection to Him and confidence in Him, even as He Himself always did the things which pleased the Father Who sent Him, and could say that it was His food to finish His work – that He kept His Father’s commandments and abode in His love. It is in obeying Him only that the believer finds rest to his soul; and so the apostle counts on the Thessalonians here.

Verse 5 comes in beautifully to complete the paragraph: “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of the Christ.” Could anything more effectually strengthen or keep souls in obedience? We need not follow those who in times ancient or modern contend that the Holy Ghost is here objectively before us: there is no sufficient ground for abandoning the usage of scripture. By “the Lord” is meant as elsewhere Jesus the Son of God! to Whom he wishes to keep them straight; and this, by drawing and fixing their affections in the love of God and in the patience of the Christ. But even here, and in both respects, we have to face the doubts of learned men and their difficulties in submitting to the truth. We are told with sufficient confidence, that the first, from the fact of his wishing that their hearts may be directed into it, must be subjective, the love of man to God. The objective meaning, God’s love, is said to be out of the question. This may seem “natural”; but it just destroys the force of the truth. The simple meaning is also the deepest and alone true. The apostle would have our hearts guided into the love of God, the love in which He has His being, forming His counsels, and acting as well as revealing Himself. This too alone secures our love to Him, which is at best tiny indeed, compared with that unfailing source and infinite fulness which Christ personally and in His work has discovered to us, and the Holy Spirit has shed abroad in our hearts. It is, one grants, very natural to think of our love to Him; but the sight of Christ by faith gives the word living power and leads us into God’s love as revealed in Christ, Who alone (and not we) could be an adequate object to draw out and unfold the affections of God and His moral glory. And thus it is that we learn ourselves even to be the object of His love in a way and degree which otherwise had been impossible, for He gives His own to know that “as He is, so are they in this world,” and that the love wherewith the Father loved the Son is in them, and Himself in them (1Jn 4:17 , Joh 17:26 ).

Such love as this alone delivers from self practically; whilst it produces its like in us without effort or thought about it. Nor is there any other means comparable, for it is His way; especially if our hearts are also directed “into the patience of the Christ,” not, I think, the endurance which He showed when here, however true and blessed it may be for us to cultivate that, but His patient waiting for the blissful meeting of His own, thenceforward changed into His glorious image at His coming. For this He waits patiently in heaven, as we now wait for Him on earth. Into the communion of His patience, as well as of God’s love, would He lead our hearts.

Toward the beginning of the first epistle the Thessalonians were said to be converted to serve a living and true God, and to await His Son from the heavens. Here toward the end of the second we have in substance the same elements, with the shade of difference proper to each case. The apostle sought the well-being, enjoyment, and progress of the saints; and what can effect these so well as directing their hearts into the love of God and the patience of Christ? The God whose love we know is His Father and our Father, His God and our God; the words the Father gave to Him He has given to us; and He is coming to introduce us into the glory which will make the world know that the Father sent Him and loved us as He was loved. We ought not to wait for any such demonstration of it, but to rest in His perfect love, as we wait patiently for Christ. Rev 3:10 is a clear instance that has this meaning; and so in 1Th 1:3 . Other occurrences in the sense of “endurance” cannot disprove it. We must leave room for the modifications of language by the context in all speech, most of all in a book so surpassingly rich and deep as the Bible One-sidedness, always a hindrance and a danger, is nowhere so injurious as in the exposition of scripture: yet where is it so habitual? May we be warned and watchful.

It remains to direct the saints how to deal, not with wickedness as at Corinth, but with the disorderly ways of any in fellowship. No sin is to be ignored or passed by in God’s habitation; and His dwelling there is the measure of judgment for His children. What is offensive to Him, what grieves His Spirit, what dishonours the Lord Who made Him known and embodied His will livingly, cannot be indifferent to those who are called to bear witness to His nature, grace, and glory. But one of the ways in which He exercises the hearts of His children is in representing Him aright when they have to face and judge the delinquencies of one another. On the one hand they are responsible never to wink at evil, now that they have all beheld God’s unsparing judgment of it, as well as its demonstrated hatefulness, in the cross. On the other they are not set to legislate, as if they enjoyed continual inspiration by apostolic succession, or that God had not already revealed His mind completely in the scriptures by chosen instruments “from the beginning.” The church is here to obey; the Lord directs with a wisdom and righteousness worthy of Himself, as we learn best in the spirit of dependence, and by real exercises of obedience. The Spirit of God works in the assembly, as well as in each individual, to apply the written word with a divinely given intelligence. For there are dangers owing to nature on either side: the easy-going gentleness which shrinks from duly probing and justly estimating evil; the Draconic severity which visits lesser faults with such rigour that there is no sterner dealing left for what is far worse. Scripture meets all by giving us both precept and example, that principle from God and not man may cover all, and direct conscience in each, with an unforced conviction of His will.

“Now we charge you, brethren, in [the] name of our* Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition which they *received from us.”

* There is a little good authority (B D L etc.) for omitting “our” Lord Jesus. There is, perhaps, more ground of doubt whether it be “they,” “ye,” or “he,” received; but “they” has unquestionably the best evidence in its favour, “he” of the Revised Text, the least.

As yet there had been in the Thessalonian assembly no such case of scandalous wickedness as 1Co 5 afterwards dealt with. Yet in the first epistle the apostle saw reason under the inspiration of God to warn the saints against personal impurity as well as to caution each not to wrong his brother in the matter. It is an offence which especially affronts the Holy Spirit given to us; and the Lord is the avenger in all these things. And in urging what is wholly different, brotherly love, even as the saints are taught of God to love one another, he had exhorted them earnestly to seek to be quiet, and to mind their own affairs, and work with their own hands.

But, as the bright hope (we have seen) had somewhat waned for their hearts, when he wrote his second epistle, he had to feel also that some had heeded too lightly his call to walk honourably toward those without, so as to have need of nothing or of no one. It was not, in my judgment, too enthusiastic absorption with the Lord’s coming which induced any to neglect their daily duty; it may have rather been that excited apprehension of the day of the Lord, as if already set in, which indisposed some to honest labour and gave rise to the gossiping communication of their fears which would naturally flow from such an error, as it has often done singe. Be the motive as it may, the sorrowful fact was then patent, that some in their midst were now walking in the disorderly way already denounced; and the apostle accordingly adopts still more solemn language in directing the saints how to meet the dishonour thus done to the Lord. With that name he binds up his injunction that they should withdraw, or keep themselves, from “every brother” walking so unworthily. The disorderly are not described as wicked persons, but still spoken of as brethren; yet it was a course which even moral men would feel to be disreputable, and this aggravated by their indifference to, if not defiance of, the previous exhortation of the apostle here referred to.

Thus they were inexcusable if the Christian is saved to glorify the Lord. And what were their brethren to do, if that name swayed their hearts supremely? Never was a greater fallacy than to imagine the assembly left to spiritual instinct under the plea of the Lord’s authority. Not so: “if any man thinketh himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge (or take knowledge of) the things that I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord.” “From the beginning” it was so; and it is assuredly quite as necessary now. The church is called to obey even in the exercise of its most serious functions. There is the most frequent temptation to assume discretionary power; and Christendom has everywhere fallen into the snare. But such an assumption is really a departure from the one invariable duty of obedience, the sole path of honour to the Lord, and of blessing to the saints themselves. It ought not to be irksome for any who love His name, it is certainly safe for those who are not merely incompetent for a task beyond man, but are here simply as witnesses of Him. And it is recorded for our admonition that in the only council of which scripture speaks, on an occasion of the utmost moment for the truth and liberty of the gospel, with all the apostles present, not to speak of other chief men among the brethren, there was much discussion before all in Jerusalem, as there had been previously through Judaisers among the Gentiles, till the decisive judgment agreeably to “the words of the prophets” was given by James, and decrees framed accordingly were sent to be kept among the assemblies. Even they, the apostles and the elders with the whole church, needed, and had, the scripture as the end of controversy.

So here, though the occasion was most ordinary, the apostle enjoins the brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. All are bound to walk according to apostolic teaching.

But smaller offences are no more left out of the scriptures than the great. Nor will a love for Christ allow any stain, be it ever so slight, among those who bear His name. The assembly must never be the shelter of evil: what does not suit Him does not suit those who represent Him on earth. But to put away is not His will for all that is offensive to Him. Even of old He could say He hated putting away in the earthly and natural. In the spiritual domain it is only right when, according to His word, it is imperatively due to His glory. Levity in what is so grave one can understand in a petty sect governed by self-will; it is unworthy of those who know what the church is to Him Who gave Himself for it. But in things great or small it is the Lord Who regulates all by His word, which His servants are responsible to apply truly in the Spirit. Hence have we the apostle here enjoining His will on the disorderly walk of some in Thessalonica. To pass it by would be not merely their loss but His shame. To leave it vague would open the door for the self-importance of man ready enough to define and exact. The apostle was given to treat the offence gravely but with measure This was righteous, and man (as of course he is ever bound) ought to be in the place of obedience

But, even in calling the saints to mark their reproof of disorder, the apostle deigns to plead with the hearts and consciences of all. “For yourselves know (says he) how ye ought to imitate us; because we were not disorderly among you, nor did we eat bread for nought from any one, but in toil and travail, working night and day,* that we might not burden any of you: not because we have not title, but to make ourselves an example to you that ye should imitate us” (verses 7-9). How blessedly he can exhort them to follow, conscious of his own following the Master! an incomparably truer “imitation of Christ” than the monastic one so popular in Christendom. Yet he who could say with a good conscience “we were not disorderly among you” was not behind the very chiefest apostles.

* It does seem strange that Alford, Ellicott, Griesbach, Scholz, and Wordsworth should cleave to the received reading, which exaggerates, contrary to, 1Th 2:9 . Lachmann, Tregelles, Westcott and Hort rightly (in my opinion) accept the text of H B F G, etc., against the majority.

Nor did he claim aught from the saints he had left behind, nor from the Thessalonian converts who were learning from him the ways of Christ; but he set a pattern of unselfish grace at great cost to himself. How had some of those begotten by the gospel he preached learnt the lesson? how had Christendom, which would deny the least title in the ministry of Christ to one in this important way following the wake of the great apostle of the Gentiles? Does memory fail, or does not the prohibition of any such toil or travail in a minister of the word figure prominently in the ecclesiastical canon-book? But those who invent tests and rules are not afraid to contradict scripture and in effect to censure the apostle. Their imitation of Christ is more sentimental and pretentious; his was as deep and real as it was very homely and of no account, save indeed to be shunned and despised by the least and lowest of sects, as well as by those who more openly seek the world which their hearts value. The apostle (filled with the love which is of God, and not of the world as Christ is not) sought not theirs but them, and could point to his own daily ways, when among them at the beginning of the gospel, in witness of a self-denial, which of itself rebuked in the strongest yet most gracious way the disorderly brethren, who were working neither day nor night, and were not ashamed to eat the bread of every one who would supply them for nought.

It is to be noticed that this too is not the first time the apostle recalls his labours for his own support while evangelising among them in Thessalonica and teaching the young converts; for he speaks of it in similar terms in the second chapter of his earlier epistle. It was heavenly devotedness, and the mention of it no less single-hearted. He would not be burdensome to any of them. To me, he could say at a later day, to live is Christ. Without doubt this showed itself primarily in dependence on and delight in Christ, in the Spirit’s lifting the heart into habitual rest and joy in the Lord above all that attracts and seduces, and consequent victory over the wiles and power of Satan. But the outer life corresponds with the inner, and the power and grace of Christ not only are in the spiritual affections but issue also in love to God by the outward ways which have the divine impress and savour of Christ. If he exhorted his son Timothy in his last epistle to be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, he knew long before what it was to be so strengthened himself; and this cannot but disclose itself in giving a fresh colour to the ordinary things of this life, so that they become in truth the most extraordinary.

Yet the apostle is careful to assert the labourers’ title, though he speaks as he worked in a total self-surrender: “not because we have not title, but to make ourselves an example to you that ye should imitate us” (verse 9). It is one thing to assert the right that the Lord confers on His service, quite another where it might be misinterpreted or misapplied. Here, as at Corinth, he foregoes that which he carefully explains to be a divinely given title of much moment to maintain both for the givers and the receivers, to say nothing of His wisdom Who so laid down His will. An overflowing charity which thought only of the blessing of others and above all of Christ’s glory filled his spirit and accounts for all, whether it may be maintaining a principle perfectly right in itself and of importance to others, or abandoning at this time his own just claims in honour of Christ and the gospel.

Nor did it cost him nothing. A man of means may preach and teach publicly and privately; but then he escapes necessarily the pressure of manual labour by day or by night. When wearied by his spiritual exertions, he has not to think of filling up with other work every available minute that he can fittingly abstract for the supply of his bodily wants. The apostle, in an energy of devoted love which has never been equalled among the sons of men, tells us in a few words the simple truth of his ordinary life, while enjoining the saints how to mark their sense of the disorder in Thessalonica. And he faithfully lets them know that he was giving them this truly christian zeal as an example for their imitation. How it acted on the Thessalonians in general we know not; but we may be sure that such a gracious abandonment of fleshly ease and of worldly etiquette was eminently suited to inflict the most withering rebuke on the idlers who, liking to talk rather than work, imposed on the kindness of the brethren and dishonoured the Lord. How blessed when the fault of others turns to our learning afresh the grace of Christ as it applies in a world of sin, selfishness, and misery! Still more so, when he who thus teaches walked from first to last in the grace he commends to others; and this, not only as now to the saints generally but to the elders in particular, as we read in his parting address at a later day to the Ephesian overseers at Miletus. “Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered to my wants and to those that were with me. I showed you all things that so labouring ye ought to help the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

What an immeasurable gap between this true-hearted disinterestedness, and the base begging of the mendicant friars, Franciscan or Dominican! For they appealed in a natural way to the feelings of mankind by a show of austerity beyond scripture, and thereby amassed vast wealth in the end, and what men value yet more, incalculable influence and power from the highest to the lowest, save among those who saw through their pretensions to spirituality, or were jealous of a reputation which eclipsed their own. To say with Rabban Gamaliel that one thus working was like a vineyard that is fenced is far beneath the apostle; lowly love was active there. It was to live Christ every day, without the bondage of a vow in a liberty that could accept the offering of his dear and poor children at Philippi. For there is no doubt on the one hand of the right to support, and of the duty on the other hand of the saints to render it ungrudgingly. But grace knows how and when on the labourers’ part to dispense with it, if the glory of Christ or a special lesson to souls so calls for it as here. And how real and faithful is the guidance of the Spirit! For who can suppose that, when the apostle thus wrought with his own hands by midnight lamp in the tent-making of his early days and native land, he foresaw the need of reminding the Thessalonian saints of his habitual and incessant labours in this kind during his brief visit to their city? But what believer can doubt that the Spirit of God led the blessed man, both in thus labouring when there, and in now laying it upon the saints to give his exhortation a weight with which nothing else could compare?

It is possible and even probable that these brethren who showed indisposition to work may have taken advantage of the love that flowed to such as were engaged in the ministry of the word. Selfishness could soon find place to look for that love in their own case where no such service was rendered. An eye single to Christ preserves from any snare of this sort or any other, enabling one to detect and deal rightly with the evil where it appears. And the written word, coming from Him Who saw all that was needed from first to last, provides perfectly for every need that could arise, though not without the Holy Spirit, Who alone can guide us according to scripture, and thus manifests our state good or bad. For we are sanctified unto obedience – the obedience of Jesus.

“For even when we were with you, this we charged you, that if any will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear of some walking among you disorderly, doing no business, but busybodies. Now those that are such we charge and exhort in [the] Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, faint not in well-doing. And if any obeyeth not our word by the epistle, mark him to keep no company with him, that he may be ashamed; and count [him] not as an enemy but admonish as a brother” (verses 10-15).

It is a striking characteristic of Christianity that, as in it not one thing is too great or high for the saint, so neither is aught too little or low for God. He concerns Himself even with a duty so simple and small as a man’s working day by day and not sponging on his brethren. Union with Christ is the key to all. If by grace I am one with His Son, no wonder that my Father should take pleasure in opening His heart and mind to me. But for the same reason it becomes a question practically not of mere right and wrong, but of pleasing Him as children, of representing not an honest man merely, nor yet Adam unfallen (were this possible), but Christ. And if we are in Christ on high, Christ is in us here below. Our responsibility flows from these exceeding privileges, which they ignorantly destroy who would reduce us to the footing of Jews, under the law as our rule of life, an error which looks the more fair because it claims to guard moral rights but is in fact subversive of the gospel, and of Christ’s glory, and so of all we boast.

Who on the other hand could have thought that pious christian men would be so inconsiderate, to say no more, as to live without working, so selfish as to expect support from those who did work or were living on the fruits of industry? Such was the fact at this time, among the saints in Thessalonica, and the apostle had even forewarned them when he was there. It is a danger which might be anywhere and at any time, but at no time or place more likely than where saints are fresh and simple in the life of Christ: the very blessing exposes to the peril. Among decent men of the world such an expectation would be altogether exceptional if not impossible. The common interests of men all but exclude the thought; their selfishness would resent it as intolerable.

Thus the grace of Christ has its perils as well as its joys, perils on the side of exaggeration no less than of short-coming. The only security, the only wisdom, the only happiness, is in looking to Christ, Who assuredly leads not to idleness but to earnest service in a lost world. None who looks to Christ could be a drone: if inclined to it, let him not forget the apostolic charge that whoever does not choose to work, neither let him eat. This would be an effectual cure, if faithfully carried out, and are not the saints bound to do so? It is a just and homely way of dealing, no doubt, but the christian is surely equal to the occasion, not less than a Jew or a Gentile. If anything be contrary to Christ, it is the selfishness that would take advantage of grace; and we are called not to honour but to reprove and repress what is so unworthy of the Christian, because it misrepresents Christ.

This idleness was real disorder of walk. And it is an infectious disease which so much the more demands prompt treatment. “For we hear of some walking among you disorderly, doing no business, but busybodies.” Such never was the Master, never is a true servant. For love in a world of misery delights to serve, instead of demanding the service of others, as pride and sloth do. The Son of man came “not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” And in this He is surely a pattern to us; and assuredly the great apostle proved his greatness in this as elsewhere. The idlers at Thessalonica had therefore the less excuse for their idleness. And there was danger of worse, for those who do no business are apt to be busybodies, as the apostle pungently warns them. Leisure from work is time for mischief, and occupation with the affairs of others without a duty is itself mischief.

But here, too, faith works by love; the truth builds up instead of destroying or scattering. Chastening has its measure, as the end is restoration. “Now those that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread.” The meddlesome effect, as well as its cause, idleness, must be given up. The name of the Lord was incompatible with both; but the apostle beseeches as well as commands. Thus even what nature might teach is bound up with our Lord and Saviour. It is a question of God’s kingdom and not of mere morality, as if we were only men, and grace and truth did not exist in Christ.

But the saints generally are exhorted to go onward in the path of all that suits and pleases Christ. They were neither to be indifferent on the one hand, nor to be stumbled on the other. Disgust at those who walk unworthily is neither grace nor righteousness. It was therefore with a caution to others. “But ye, brethren, faint not in well-doing, and if any obeyeth not our word by the epistle, mark him to keep no company with him, that he may be ashamed, and count him not as an enemy, but admonish as a brother.” It is easy for excellent people to lose heart in doing what is comely and honourable. The dislike of selfishness in others soon produces reaction and repulsion in themselves. The apostle would not have it so, but rather an even and earnest perseverance in all that is fair in the Master’s eyes, whilst dealing plainly with such erring brethren and dishonourable ways. Disobedience was not to be passed by. “Our word by the epistle” was not a word of men, but, as it is in truth, God’s word (1Th 2:12 ) which also works in those that believe, as it leaves those who slight it worse than before. “We” are of God, the apostles could say; “he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth us not.” “Ye are of God,” say they to the saints; but let the saints see that they continue to overcome by faith, as they have overcome the power of evil that would have kept them slaves of the enemy. The faith which heeds God’s word in the greatest thing will not despise it in the least, nor overlook the unbelief of that man who bears the Lord’s name but obeys not the word. It will mark him and avoid his company that he may be ashamed of himself. Is he then put out from the saints, as a wicked person? Expressly the contrary: “count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” He was grievously wrong, and his company refused, but brotherly admonition is the word, not excommunication as if he were an enemy and a wicked man.

It would be unnecessary to say, but for the misleading of great names, that neither the word in itself nor its usage admits of the sense of doing good in acts of beneficence to others. This on the contrary might play into the hands of those the apostle censures. We must not confound with . They occur in the proper and distinctive sense of each in the same context of Gal 6:9 , Gal 6:10 . Honourable and upright practice is the point here.

Further, it might seem incredible beforehand, if one did not know it as a fact, that Luther and Calvin, and men from Grotius down to Winer, though the last hesitatingly and with modification as seeking to heed the article, join in the strange misinterpretation, opposed to ordinary grammar, of taking . as “by an epistle [to me]!” Bengel with the Aethiopic of the Polyglotts connects the words with . in the sense of stigmatizing him by this letter. But this gives a quite unnatural emphasis to these words, which are thereby severed from the true and weighty connection with “our word,” and lend an unusual and (I think) undue force to .

Again, Professor Jowett is not justified in taking here, instead of . Unaccountable it might seem that his nice and ripe scholarship should thus range itself with the older slovenly school which ever imagined that the inspired men use one word for another. But it is mere ignorance; and to treat it as such is the best lesson for the self-exaltation of theologian critics. The copulative is the true expression; the adversative would have been a coarse weakening of the love, on which the apostle counted. They would know how to temper their correction of the evil-doer. Mr. Jowett would have dealt better with the language of a heathen. His rationalism undermined his respect for Paul, and suggested the self-complacent thought that he knew what the apostle intended to say better than the apostle himself.

The conclusion is in perfect and manifest keeping with all that has gone before. “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace constantly in every way. The Lord [be] with you all. The salutation by the hand of me Paul, which is a mark in every epistle; so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all” (verses 16-18).

The saints, through, faith rescued from the wrath to come, are serving a living and true God, and waiting for His Son from heaven – Jesus raised from the dead. Even “that day” shall not overtake them as a thief: as of the day, they are sober, and have on the armour of light; and, triumphing over death, comfort one another with the bright hope of His coming, when we shall ever be with the Lord. The worst deceit and the destructive power of Satan have no real ground of alarm for them, though none know so well the character of both in the latter day: still less has the day of the Lord any terror, though misled and misleading man has striven hard to trouble them by a false apprehension about it. But now, delivered alike from hopeless sorrow by the first epistle, and no less baseless fear by the second, their hearts had been comforted and stablished in every good work and word. And the apostle could and did ask their prayers that the word of the Lord might run and be glorified,and His servants be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; as he had also charged them, unweary themselves in well doing, to deal in brotherly faithfulness with disorderly brethren.

It remained only to commend them suitably to the Lord; and this the apostle does in his closing words. In the first epistle he had said “The God of peace himself sanctify you wholly: and may your entire spirit and soul and body be preserved without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” with the comforting assurance, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.” This beautifully fell in with an earlier stage, when these young saints needed to be reminded of God’s will, even their sanctification, as none were more exposed to the snares of personal impurity than the Greeks of that day: an evil peculiarly offensive to the Holy Spirit given to the saints, as the Corinthians were told yet more strongly afterwards. His prayer went well according to the freshness and energy of the Thessalonians, where this hope shone brightly before their eyes.

The second epistle gives greater prominence to the Lord; but holy separateness has no longer such a place given to it. “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace constantly in every way.” He had looked at disturbing causes both in the world and in the assembly. But greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world, and He that is in the assembly is surely competent to make His gracious and withal mighty presence respected, if looked to, for such as dare to forget it or despair. The Holy Spirit is here to glorify Christ: why then should His own doubt or fear? Why not count on that unspeakable favour of “peace,” whatever the natural threats or springs of disquiet?

“The Lord of peace” is a blessed title in which He stands related and revealed to the saints, who might and ought to be assured that He could not fail to act accordingly. For the name of the Lord is the expression of what He is or does; and what is our sense of that which is due to those related to us when they need succour in their difficulties, compared with His unfailing grace?

Nor is this all. “The Lord of peace himself give you peace constantly,” or, “at all times.” His inspired servant did not wish to raise in their breasts an unwarranted expectation, but had the Spirit of truth directing the desire which, he desired them to feel, was of God. He did even more; not only at all times, but “in every way.” Is it possible to conceive a more studied exclusion of every source of alarm at all times, a stronger guarantee of peace from the Lord of peace Himself (and what fountain of peace can match with Him?) for saints of little experience, passing through a world full of trouble at all times, with a predicted period impending of tribulation beyond all precedent?

The apostle directs them to expect it from the Lord “in every way.” As they had no time wherein they might not look to Him to give them peace, whatever may be in its destined season for Jews or Gentiles, so He would give them peace, not in some way only, but “in every way.” How exactly answering to His own words before to the disciples! “These things have I spoken unto you that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” It was the enemy, not the truth, which had alarmed their souls falsely for a while.

There is indeed a singular but easily conceived various reading “place,” for “way,” in the first hand of the Alex. and Clermont MSS., as well as in the Augian copy (now in Trin. Coll. Camb.) and in the Boernerian (now in the Dresden Royal Libr.) and in two cursives. The Vulgate and Gothic versions represent it; and so apparently Chrysostom, as Montfaucon (not Field) has edited the word. The great Greek commentator has in fact as unduly narrowed the meaning of “peace” as the word in question; for the apostle does not limit his wish to harmony among themselves, but embraces peace in a far higher sense and in all its force. It is therefore an instance not without its instruction, that critics like Griesbach and Lachmann should have the least hesitation in endorsing the ordinary and best attested text: Griesbach marking as possible; and Lachmann actually adopting it as his text. The apostle prayed that peace might be given them in every way, with no mere outward thought of “place.”

This, too, is crowned by “The Lord be with you all:” a wish of small price in eyes which see only a man writing to other men. What is it to those who know by faith God employing a servant under His own unfailing guidance so to communicate His mind and heart to His children while passing through the world? What avail all other helps, if “the Lord” be not with us all? and why should we not have perfect peace, if He is with us, whoever and whatever else be lacking?

There is another notable link of connection with the close of the first epistle, though each perhaps has, as usual, its own distinctive traits. “The salutation by the hand of me Paul, which is a mark in every epistle: so I write.” How in keeping with a very early communication of the apostle, called to write not a few thus carefully to authenticate his letters to the Gentile saints! Still more solemnly in the first had he adjured the Thessalonians by the Lord that the letter be read to all the (holy) brethren. The notion that scripture, addressed even to the whole assembly, was not to be read to or by all, was an interference with divine authority as well as divine grace, which could only be conceived in a degenerate and rebellious age, verging to apostacy. That Paul’s epistles are, as truly as any other of the holy writings, accredited as scripture, 2Pe 3:16 makes sure and plain. And it was the more necessary that they should have in all the mark of his hand in saluting the saints, as he usually employed an amanuensis. (Compare Rom 16:22 , 1Co 16:21 , and Col 4:18 , with Gal 6:11 .)

Also, the concluding words of the two epistles resemble greatly while they differ sensibly. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you,” says the first – be “with you all,” says the second. Here we find the more decided emphasis, where and when it was most needed; whilst the same farewell of divine love appears substantially in both.

Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2Th 3:1-5

1Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; 2and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. 3But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 4We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. 5May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

2Th 3:1 “Finally” This phrase (“for the rest “) is used by Paul to mark off his last major truth or subject (cf. 1Th 4:1). It is the beginning of the conclusion. It is also used to introduce his closing statements (cf. 2Co 13:11).

There is also the possibility that this is a literary marker for the central thrust of a chiasm (cf. 1Th 4:1).

“pray for us” This is a present middle (deponent) imperative. Paul felt the need for prayer and believed it affected the effectiveness of his ministry (cf. 1Th 5:25; Eph 6:19; Col 4:3). See SPECIAL TOPIC: INTERCESSORY PRAYER at 1Th 1:2.

“that the word of the Lord” Paul asks prayer for the sake of the gospel, not himself.

In Gen 15:1; Gen 15:4 the phrase “the word of the Lord (YHWH)” referred to God’s message to Abraham. It is used in a prophetic sense in 1Sa 15:10 and Isa 1:10.

In the NT it occurs in two forms.

1. using rhma (spoken word), Luk 22:61; Act 11:16; 1Pe 1:25

2. using logos, Act 8:25; Act 13:44; Act 13:48-49; Act 15:35; Act 16:32; Act 19:10; Act 19:20; 1Th 1:8; 1Th 4:15

There seems to be no theological distinction between the two forms.

NASB, NRSV”will spread rapidly and be glorified”

NKJV”may have free course and be glorified”

TEV”may continue to spread rapidly and receive glory”

NJB”may spread quickly, and be received with honour”

There are two present subjunctives. The term “spread” is literally “run a race” (present active subjunctive). This may be an allusion to Psa 147:15. “Glory” (present passive subjunctive) in this context must be understood as “honor.” It refers to the gospel being received and rejoiced in. The gospel is honored when fallen humans respond to it appropriately (cf. 2Th 3:2) and are changed.

2Th 3:2 “we will be rescued from perverse and evil men” This is an aorist passive subjunctive. This tense and the article with two adjectives, show that a specific incident is being referred to in Paul’s life. This church understood what incident was intended (cf. 1Th 2:16). Paul, writing from Corinth, had so many trials while there (cf. 2Co 4:8-11; 2Co 6:4-10; 2Co 11:23-28).

“for not all have faith” This is literally “the faith.” This can refer to (1) the personal experience of receiving the gospel or (2) the truth of the gospel in a doctrinal sense. Evil often masquerades as good (cf. Mat 7:21-23). See Special Topic: Believe at Gal 3:6.

2Th 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful” Here the term “faith” is used in its OT sense of faithfulness. Jesus is exactly opposite of the evil men of 2Th 3:2 (cf. 1Th 5:24). See Special Topic: Believe in the OT at Gal 3:6.

“strengthen” In the Septuagint (LXX) this term was used of establishing something like a city. It came to be used metaphorically of establishing or confirming a person (cf. Rom 16:25; 1Th 3:2; 2Th 2:17; 2Th 3:3). The faithful Lord will establish and guard His own from evil, evil men, and the evil one.

“protect” This is one of many military terms in this chapter (cf. 1Pe 1:3-12; 1Jn 5:18).

“from the evil one” This inflected Greek form can be neuter or masculine. The Eastern Church Fathers and Tertullian interpret it as masculine , while the Western Church Fathers interpret it as neuter (cf. Rom 12:9). The NT seems to support the masculine (cf. Mat 5:37; Mat 6:13; Mat 13:19; Mat 13:38; Joh 17:15; Eph 6:16; 1Jn 2:13-14; 1Jn 3:12; 1Jn 5:18-19). See SPECIAL TOPIC: PERSONAL EVIL at 1Th 2:18.

This context has two possible orientations: (1) the false teachers of Paul’s day (antichrists, cf. 1Jn 2:18) or (2) the eschatological evil of the Anti-Christ (cf. Revelation 13). Evil is always present, but so too, the faithful Lord! He will rescue and preserve His followers from evil men and He will strengthen and protect them from the evil one.

2Th 3:4 “We have confidence in the Lord concerning you” This is a perfect active indicative, an action that occurred in the past and has now become a state of being. Paul’s confidence was “in the Lord” but also in these believers. This same balance can be seen in Php 2:12-13. Salvation is both from a sovereign God and a responsive human being (“doing” and “will continue to do”). All of God’s dealings with humans involve unconditional, yet conditional, covenant promises.

“command” This is a military term. It is used repeatedly in this context (cf. 2Th 3:4; 2Th 3:6; 2Th 3:10; 2Th 3:12). This shows Paul’s authority as an Apostle. This term could refer to (1) Paul’s preaching; (2) his first letter, 1 Thessalonians; or (3) his current instructions, 2 Thessalonians

2Th 3:5 “May the Lord. . .of God. . .of Christ” The ambiguity of the term “Lord” is obvious. In the OT it is always YHWH. New Testament authors often quote OT passages where they attribute actions of YHWH to Jesus. The fluidity may be purposeful because the original, inspired NT author wanted to affirm the Deity of Jesus and the unified action of the Triune God (cf. 2Th 2:16-17).

“direct” This is an aorist active optative, which reflects a prayer (cf. 1Th 3:11-13). It is another military term, “make straight by removing obstacles.” It is an allusion to the OT metaphor, “well-worn paths of righteousness” (cf. Luk 1:79; 1Th 3:11). Notice the two aspects of this prayer: (1) the love of God and (2) the steadfastness of Christ.

“hearts” This is used in the OT for the entire person, but can be used more specifically of the mind, which fits this context best. See Special Topic at Gal 4:6.

“the love of God” This genitive phrase can be understood as objectively or subjectively, that is, God’s love for us and our love for Him. In context God’s love for us fits better.

“the steadfastness of Christ” This phrase is used nowhere else in Paul’s writings. It is somewhat ambiguous. It is an active term for “voluntary, steadfast endurance.” Because of Christ’s example of patient endurance (cf. Php 2:6-11), believers can patiently endure.

This genitive phrase can mean the believers’ patience like Christ’s patience or the patience that Christ gives to believers. It is possibly a subjective genitive, like the previous phrase. In either case this patience relates to

1. their current persecution

2. their response to false teaching and its resulting idleness on the part of some church members

3. the believers’ patience, trust, and expectant faith-living in light of the any-moment return and/or delayed return of Jesus (unlike those of 2Th 3:11)

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

pray. App-134. Paul is the only N.T. writer who asks the prayers of those to whom he writes. See Rom 15:30. 2Co 1:11. Eph 6:19. Php 1:1, Php 1:19. Col 4:3. Phm 1:22. Heb 13:18.

that = in order that. Greek. hina.

word. App-121.

Lord. App-98.

have, &c. = run and be glorified. By Figure of speech Hendiadys (App-6) = triumph gloriously.

with. App-104. Compare Act 13:48.

you. Add “also”.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

1-5.] Exhortation to pray for him and his colleagues (1, 2). His confidence that the Lord will keep them (3)-and that they will obey his commands (4). Prayer for them (5).

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Chapter 3

Finally, brethren, pray for us ( 2Th 3:1 ),

Now again Paul is calling for prayer for him. I think that maybe sometimes we are guilty of not praying for those in spiritual leadership feeling they’ve got it made. Far from the truth. Those in the position of spiritual leadership really have probably greater trials, greater temptations than the average person. Satan, I think, works harder against spiritual leadership. How many pastors have fallen in the snare of the devil? Because you see, if Satan can snare a pastor then the repercussions go through the whole congregation. Many people are hurt. So the pastor needs prayer.

Pray for us, Paul says. I would say the same to you, pray for me. I need your prayers. For what?

that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you ( 2Th 3:1 ):

That God’s word might just come forth freely from us. That we would remain faithful to the Word of God and to the truth of God. People often ask me what can I pray for you? And I answer, pray that God will keep me usable.

Paul the apostle said, “I’d beat my body to keep in subjection lest having preached to others I’d be put on the shelf”( 1Co 9:27 ). If we don’t keep our body in subjection, we can be put on the shelf very easily. So many ministers have been destroyed by pride or by greed or by lust. And they let the body get the best of them and they become destroyed, no longer usable. My prayer that I will remained usable. I only have one purpose for living, and one main purpose for living and that is to do the work of the Lord, that which God has called me to do. Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and he be glorified, through his word, even as you have experienced the power of God’s word in your life:

and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith ( 2Th 3:1-2 ).

And that is one of the problems of the ministry, some of the unreasonable people that you have to deal with. And what happens is that they can waste your time. Totally unreasonable. They really don’t want to reason, they just want to throw their trip on you and they become so demanding and so pushy. Paul said pray that God will just deliver me from unreasonable men. For not everybody has the faith.

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and keep you from evil ( 2Th 3:3 ).

The Lord is faithful and God will establish your walk and your life, and God will keep you from evil. He is faithful.

And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you [Paul said, what is it?] that you both do and will do the things which we command you ( 2Th 3:4 ).

I have this confidence that you are going to obey the instructions and the exhortations in this epistle. I just have this confidence, I know.

And that the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ ( 2Th 3:5 ).

Other commentators and translators translate this “and to the patience of Christ”, but “that the Lord will direct your hearts in the love of God”. How we need God’s love to be working in our hearts and lives more and more. For all of our efforts, all our works, all of our sacrifices, all of our gifts, all of our anointings are of no value if the love of God isn’t there working through it.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not love, it is just a meaningless empty sound. Though I can prophesy, I understand all mystery, if I have not love it is worthless. Though I give my body to be burned or I sell everything that I have and bestow on the poor, if I have not love it really profits mean nothing”. Oh, may the Lord cause his love to abound in our hearts, direct our hearts into love and into the patience of Christ.

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ( 2Th 3:6 ),

Now this becomes very serious when you start commanding people in the name of Jesus. That is the way you deal with demons.

That you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly, and not after the truths which you have received from us ( 2Th 3:6 ).

Now Paul is commanding them that you really separate yourselves from the disorderly brothers.

When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he said we are not to have fellowship with those who are drunkards, who are committing fornication, who are living after the flesh, who claim to be brothers in Christ. He said you can’t just exclude yourself from mixing with everyone who does these things. In other words, you live in the world, you can’t get out of that. But with those that say they are brothers, don’t eat with them. Don’t fellowship with them if they are walking disorderly. He is saying now the same thing, only commanding them in the name of Jesus that you withdraw from these disorderly people.

For yourselves know how that you ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you ( 2Th 3:7 );

And so there were those that were coming in after Paul who were creating divisions and all, and Paul said withdraw from them. These guys are teaching you junky stuff, withdraw from them. They are not following the teachings that we gave to you. Now follow after those things that we taught you, for we taught you the truth through the Holy Spirit. And,

Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nothing ( 2Th 3:8 );

We set an example for you, and the pastor should be setting an example for the flock, but a good example to be sure.

I heard of this one pastor who, with his deacon, decided to go hunting one day. And so they got in their pickup and they had their guns on the rack in the back and drove for several hours out into the country. And when they got out there, they found the whole area posted closed. And they said, oh, man, what a shame. We’ve driven all this distance and all, and the whole place is posted closed. The deacon said well, there’s only one possibility of hunting today and that would be over on Farmer Brown’s property, but I hear that he is the meanest guy in the whole town. He’s — everyone stays clear from him.

The pastor says, well, we’ve come this far. He said, I’ll tell you what, I’ll go up to the door and I’ll ask him. He can’t do anymore than refuse us. So he went up to the door and knocked and the farmer came to the door and he said, “Hi, I’m Pastor Jones and my deacon and I came out this morning, drove all the way out here. Decided we do a little hunting, but we found every place closed.” He said, “Do you suppose it would be possible that we could hunt on your property?”

The farmer said, “Pastor Jones, what a joy to see you.” He said, “I’ve been listening to you on the radio and have been so blessed by your ministry.” He said, “Honey! Pastor Jones is here. Can you believe that?” He said, “Hey, it would be a privilege for me to have you hunt on my property. It would be a blessing.” He said, “Would you do me a favor? The horse out there in the coral, the vet just went away and said I’ve got to kill him.” He said, “Would you mind shooting the horse for me before you go.” The pastor said, “No problem, I’ll be glad to do that.”

As he went back to the truck he decided to play a trick on his deacon, sort of tease him a bit. And he said to the deacon, “Boy, you know the stories we’ve heard about that guy are true. That has to be the meanest, orneriest fella I’ve ever met in my life. In fact, the things he said to me have me boiling so inside that I’ve got to do something. I’ve got to get rid of this pressure, or I’m just going to explode.” He said, “Give me my gun.” And he took his gun, aimed at the horse and shot it. And the horse fell over. And he turned around to see the shocked expression of his deacon when he heard, “bang! POW!” And the deacon says, “I got two of his cows, preacher, now let’s get out of here”.

Now Paul says, “Be followers of me”, but that’s to a point. Paul said, “I didn’t eat any man’s bread for naught;” In other words, I didn’t sponge off of any of you. I didn’t come in and eat you bread. I didn’t come in and inflict myself upon you and say “all right, now take care of me and feed me”. I didn’t come in and tell you that God was broke and going out of business if you don’t send your tithes and offerings in this week. “We didn’t eat any man’s bread for naught”,

but worked with labor and travail night and day, that we would not be chargeable to any of you [that we wouldn’t be dependent upon any of you.] Not because we do not have the power to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us ( 2Th 3:8-9 )

In other words, as an apostle, as bringing you the Word of God, They that uh — the ox that treads out the corn is not to be muzzled. Paul wrote to the Galatians to communicate to those who taught them in the Word in every good thing. But Paul said I wasn’t chargeable to you, not that I didn’t have the power, but I just wanted to set an example for you. I wanted to set this kind of an example of working to provide for my own needs that it might be an example to you that you might follow us.

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness you go to work, and you eat your own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing ( 2Th 3:10-13 ).

Again, in another place, Paul said, “Be not weary in well doing for in due season you will reap if you faint not” ( Gal 6:9 ).

It is easy sometimes to become weary in doing good, especially if you don’t see any effect or any results and fruit from it.

And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man [mark that man], and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet don’t count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token of every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen ( 2Th 3:14-18 ).

So Paul signifies that this, his signature attested to the veracity, the truth of this letter being from him. Follow it, obey it, and the teaching that he had given. A great epistle. We’ll get next into first Timothy. So you can go ahead and read first Timothy the first couple chapters. You might as well read the whole book, but we’ll take probably the first three chapters in our next lesson.

Now may the Lord be with you and cause you to abound in all things in Christ. That the love of God might increase in your heart and in your life as God establishes you in your faith and in your walk with Him. God be with you and God bless and keep you during the time that we are absent from one another. May God enrich you through His Spirit in all things in Christ Jesus. “

Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary

2Th 3:1. Finally, brethren, pray for us,

Pray for us, says the apostle, pray for myself and the brethren who are with me, pray for all the apostles and preachers of the Word. Finally, brethren. If this were the last word we had to say to you, we would make just this request, Finally, brethren, pray for us. You cannot tell how much Gods servants are helped by the prayers of his people. The strongest man in Israel will be the better for the prayers of the weakest saint in Zion. If you can do nothing else, you can pray for us; therefore, day and night, be ye at the mercy-seat on our behalf: Finally, brethren, pray for us.

2Th 3:1. That the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

You Thessalonians enjoy the power of the Word. Pray that it may be so everywhere else. Paul is said to have written this Epistle from Corinth or Athens, and he longed that there the Word of God might prevail as it had done at Thessalonica. Pray just now that, in every part of the world, Gods Word may have free course. There are many who stand in the way of it, pray God that they may be swept out of the way, that the Word of the Lord may have free course. We want the gospel to run, and spread, till the whole earth shall know its blessed message.

2Th 3:2. And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

All men are not candid, or true: all men have not faith.

2Th 3:3. But the Lord is faithful,

What a wonderful contrast this is, and how suggestive of comfort! All men have not faith. But the Lord is full of faith, faithful. True, he keeps all his promises: The Lord is faithful.

2Th 3:3-5. Who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts

You see, Paul does not command the Thessalonians to do anything but what he can pray God to work in them. The command of a man, by itself, is nothing, but when he only asks that to be done which he can pray God to do, then there is power about his message: We have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts

2Th 3:5. Into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

May the Lord hear that prayer for all of us, for Christ Jesus sake! Amen.

This exposition consisted of readings from 2 Thessalonians 2 and 2Th 3:1-5.

Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

2Th 3:1. , may run, have free course) quickly; comp. Psa 147:15; without impediment [liter, without a drag on the wheels of its course], 2Ti 2:9.-, may be glorified) Act 13:48.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

2Th 3:1

Finally, brethren, pray for us,-Paul here shows his faith in the efficacy of true and earnest prayers of the Christians. [It was a strength to know that he was remembered by those who loved him in the presence of God. It was no selfish interest that he had in view when he asks a place in their prayers; it was in the interest of the truth with which he was identified. How much a Christian teachers power, increasing as time goes on, comes from the accumulation of intercession from his spiritual children! Paul left Christians praying for him everywhere. (Rom 15:30; 2Co 1:11; Eph 6:18-19; Col 4:3.) In all these cases the request is for active help in his work of evangelizing.]

that the word of the Lord may run-This evidently expresses the desire that they pray that the gospel might not meet with obstruction, but that it might be spread abroad with great rapidity. The gospel would spread rapidly in the world if all the obstructions that men have erected were removed; and he exhorts them to pray for their removal.

and be glorified,-He was anxious that the gospel should not go halting and picking its steps, but like “a strong man to run his course, overlapping all barriers and prejudice and hatred, may meet with no check in its onward course, but spread ever further and wider, from city to city, from country to country, till the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. (Isa 11:9.)

even as also it is with you;-The word was glorified among them by their receiving it as the word of God and trusting it. (1Th 1:2-7.) It was glorified by the manifest influence it had on their conduct and by their work of faith and patience of hope.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

In conclusion the apostle urged them to pray for him that the preaching of the Word in other places might be with power and victory. He affirmed his confidence in them, and expressed his desire for their continual patience.

In a very practical way he rebuked those who were neglecting their earthly calling, making themselves chargeable to the care of others. As he had not withdrawn himself from the ordinary avocation of his life while ministering the Word to them, it was of the utmost importance that they should walk by the same rule. The true attitude of “waiting for the Son” is ever unceasing fidelity to all the responsibilities of the present.

In view of this, the apostle laid down the principle that “if any will not work, neither let him eat.” Any view of life which makes work distasteful and causes its neglect is wrong.

The letter closes with the apostle’s words of tender desire for these Thessalonian Christians. He does not forget their troublous circumstances, and he supremely desires peace for them. However, for him, peace is associated only with the Lordship of Jesus, whom he here speaks of as the “Lord of peace,” and whose presence he evidently considers will assure the Thessalonians that very blessing.

The personal salutation and the apostle’s declaration that such signature is guarantee of the genuineness of his writing were for their safeguarding against spurious communications, such as had caused them trouble in the matter of the Advent. There is the addition of one little word in this final benediction as compared with its form in the first Epistle. It is the word “all.” Thus the apostle takes in those whom he had been rebuking and correcting, and so reveals the greatness of his heart and his love.

Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible

V. FINALLY (3:1-5)

This section, as and make clear, is new, and serves not as a conclusion of the foregoing (2:13-17) but as an introduction to the following discussion (3:6-16), as (v. 4 and vv. 10, 11) and intimate; in other words, vv. 1-5 form a transition (analogous to I 4:1-2) from the first to the second main point of the epistle, from the faint-hearted (1:3-2:17) to the idle brethren (3:6-15). The structure is abrupt (cf. in vv. 3, 4, 5) more so than in I 5:14-22; and the transitions, based on association of ideas ( to and, less obviously, to ), do not quite succeed either in relieving the abruptness or in making definite the underlying connection of thought. The situation may best be explained on the assumption not that a forger is at work (Wrede), or that in 2:16-3:5 considerable material has been deleted (Harnack), but that Paul is replying informally to remarks made by his converts in their letter to him.

Wishing to get their willing obedience to the command of vv. 6-15, he seeks their sympathy in requesting their prayers for him and his cause, and delicately commends their faith (vv. 1-2). Finding, it may be, in the letter from the converts that the idle brethren are disposed to excuse their idleness on the ground that the Tempter is too strong for them, Paul bids them to remember that Christ is really to be depended on to give them strength sufficient to resist temptation (v. 3). Still wishing to get their willing obedience, Paul in the same Christ avows tactfully his faith in them that they will be glad to do what he commands, as indeed they are even now doing (v. 4). But as a stimulus to obedience, they need especially a vivid sense of Gods love for them, and the reminder that Christ can give them an endurance adequate to the situation. Accordingly, Paul addresses a prayer for them to Christ the source of power (v. 5).

1Finally, pray, brothers, for us, asking that the word of the Lord may run its race and be crowned with glory, as it does with you; 2and that we may be delivered from those unrighteous and evil men,-for not for all is the Christian faith. 3Faithful, however, the Lord really is, and he will make you firm and guard you from the evil one. 4Moreover, prompted by the Lord, we have faith in you that the things which we command, you both are doing and will continue to do. 5However, may the Lord incline your hearts to a sense of Gods love and to the endurance that Christ alone inspires.

1. . Though , like (I 4:1 and GF here), is often found at the end of a letter intimating that it is drawing to a close (2Co 13:11; contrast 1Co 1:16, 1Co 4:2, 1Co 7:29), yet it does not of necessity imply that what remains to be said is of secondary importance, as the instances in the other Macedonian letters demonstrate (I 4:1, Php 3:1, Php 4:8). In fact, just as I 4:1-2 paves the way for the important exhortations in I 4:3-5:22 (which are placed, like vv. 1-15 here, between two prayers, I 3:11-13, 5:23 and II 2:16-17, 3:16) so vv. 1-5, introduced as I 4:1-2 by () and the affectionate , serve as a tactful introduction to the important injunction in vv. 6-15.

. This appeal for the prayers of the readers is characteristic of Paul (1:11, I 5:25, Rom 15:30 f. Col 4:2, Col 4:18, Phm 1:22; also 2Co 1:11, Php 1:19); it is inspired here by the circumstances in which he is writing, namely, as (1:4) has already intimated, by persecutions, and that too at the instigation of Jews, as in the light of I 2:15-16 suggests, and as the typical instances narrated in Acts (18:5 ff.) corroborate. This appeal for sympathy is intended not to remind the readers that they are not the only victims of Jewish opposition, but, as the tacit praise of their faith ( ) suggests, to stir up within them such love for him that they will obey with alacrity the command which he is about to give (vv. 6-15).

. The prayer requested is not so much for Paul and his companions personally ( ) as for them as preachers of the gospel (2:14) and as sufferers in the common cause of the kingdom of God (1:4). Hence the object of the prayer ( being here not, as in 1:11, of the purpose, but of the object as in Php 1:9, Col 1:9; cf. v. 12 below and I 4:1, 2Co 8:6) is both (1) that the word of the Lord (I 1:8) may run its race unhindered by the weight of opposition, and be crowned with glory; and (2) that the missionaries of the gospel of Christ may be delivered from those well-known unrighteous and evil men. In each of the clauses with there is an additional remark (a) in reference to the faith of the readers, ; and (b) in reference to the adversaries common to Paul and the readers, the Jews whose hearts are hardened,

On Pauls prayers and requests for prayer, see especially E. von der Goltz, Das Gebet in der ltesten Christenheit, 1901, 112 ff. The language here ( ) is natural enough in itself (Heb 13:18) and is quite Pauline (Col 4:2); but the phrase as a whole reminds one of I 5:25 ( ). The agreement between our phrase and that of I 5:25 is not, however, exact. The of I is not present here, a fact that makes the usual reference to 2:16-17 less distinct (Chrys. cumenius: above he prayed for them, now he asks prayer from them). Furthermore the position of is different; from I 5:25 (cf. I 4:1, 2Co 13:11, Php 3:1, Php 4:8), we should expect it to precede (as GF, et al.) not to follow (BA, et al.) (cf. DE, et al., which put after ). Finally, unlike I 5:25, the object of the prayer is here stated. The significance, if there is any, of the emphatic position of is unknown. Since those unrighteous and wicked men (v. 2) are evidently well known to the readers, it is not improbable that in their letter to him they had prayed for him in Corinth. If this surmise be correct, the present imperative (which, however, is regularly used in the Macedonian letters, the only aorists being I 5:26, Php 4:21 and Php 2:2) with which Paul replies may perhaps be rendered: Keep on praying as you are, brethren, for us.

. That the word of the Lord may run and be glorified. This, the first object of the prayer, expressed in a collocation ( ) which is not found elsewhere in the Gk. Bib., is to the general effect that the gospel of Christ may have a triumphant career (Lft.). The word (used absolutely here as elsewhere in Paul) is, in the light of 1Co 9:24 ff. (cf. Rom 9:16, Gal 2:2, Gal 5:7, Php 2:16), probably a metaphor derived from the races in the stadium. The word of the Lord is (Rom 9:16), competing for the (1Co 9:24) or (I 2:19, 1Co 9:25), that is, for the acceptance of the gospel as the power of God unto salvation. But to indicate the victory of the runner, Paul adds, not, as we should expect, (cf. 2Ti 2:5), or (1Co 9:25), but, with a turn to the religious, be glorified, that is, crowned with glory (compare the kingly crown in Psa 8:6, Heb 2:7, Heb 2:9). But while the general point of the metaphor is clear, the exact force of it is uncertain. In the light of v. 2, however, it is probable that means not to fulfil its course swiftly (Psa 147:4 ) and without hindrance (so Riggenbach and many others); not to run, that is, unhindered, and make its way quickly through the world (Dob., who notes the hope expressed in Mar 13:10, Mat 24:14); but to run its race unencumbered by obstacles (not self-imposed (cf. Heb 12:1) but) superimposed by adversaries, in this context, the Jews (cf. Theodoret ).

In view of the unique collocation, , and of Pauls fondness for metaphors from the race-course, it is unnecessary to see here a literary allusion either to the faithful and expeditious messenger (Briggs) of Psa 147:4, or to Psa 18:5 where the path of the sun in the heavens is conceived as a race-course (Briggs), or to Isa 55:11. In this phrase, evidently coined by Paul, the present tenses (contrast in v. 2 ) regard the race and victory as in constant progress. Each person or group of persons is constantly recognising the gospel at its true worth and welcoming it as the word not of man but of God. The transition to the complimentary is thus easily made.-On , see I 1:8 where has (cf. I 2:13) as do GFP, et al., here. On , see 1:10, 12.

. As it is running and is being glorified with you; or succinctly, as it does in your case. The praise implied in the prayer that the gospel may succeed with all as it succeeds with the readers is designed probably as an incentive not to their prayers for him but to their obedience to the command in mind (v. 6). Sympathy for Paul is to create a willing compliance; if they love him, they will keep his commands. (I 3:4) is to be construed with both and

2. . The (parallel to in v. 1) introduces the second object of : that we may be delivered. The aorist (contrast the present tenses in v. 1) regards the action of deliverance simply as an event in the past without reference to progress. As in 2Co 1:11 where the prayer requested is for deliverance () from the danger of death, and as in Rom 15:30 ff. where it is for deliverance from those that are disobedient in Juda ( ), so here person and cause are inseparable.

. From those unrighteous and evil men. The points to a definite class of adversaries (cf. Rom 15:31) and well known to the readers. That persecutions in Corinth are here referred to is likewise suggested by in 1:4; and that the Jews are the instigators of persecution is the natural inference both from when compared with I 2:15-16, and from the typical instances recorded in Act 18:5 ff.

. For not for all is the faith; it is not everybody who is attracted by the faith (Rutherford). The faith (Gal 1:23) is not the word of the Lord (v. 1), the truth (2:10, 12), or the gospel (cf. 2:14), but the faith which the gospel demands, the faith without which the gospel is not effective as the power of God unto salvation. The explains not the prayer for deliverance, as if only deliverance from them is to be requested since their conversion is hopeless (Schmiedel), but the reason why those unrighteous and evil men exist. The explanation is set forth not in terms of historical fact, for not all have believed (cf. Rom 10:16 ), but in terms of a general principle based on observation (), which GF, et al., read, is to be supplied here as often elsewhere in Paul), for not for all is the faith ( being either an objective or a possessive genitive; cf. Act 1:7, 2Co 2:3 Heb 5:14). In view of the fact that under similar circumstances Paul had expressed himself similarly as regards the conversion of the Jews (I 2:15-16) it is quite likely that here too, in spite of , he has in mind the obstinacy of the Jews. It was their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah that raised a serious problem not only for Paul (Rom. 9-11) but for others (Mar 4:10-12, Act 28:26 ff., Joh 12:37 ff.). Here, however, the mystery alone, not its solution, is stated.

is used of persons only here in the Gk. Bib.; elsewhere, chiefly in Lk. Acts, Job, it is neuter; e. g. (Job 27:6, Job 36:21) or (Pr. 24:55, Pro 24:2 Mac. 14:23; cf. Luk 23:41) and (Job 34:12; cf. Polyc. Phil. 5:3). From its original meaning out of place, unbecoming, came in late Greek to be used ethically = improper, unrighteous; and it is in this sense that, with the exception of Act 28:6, it is always used in the Lxx and N. T. (Milligan, Greek Papyri, 72). For other instances of the word, see Wetstein and Loesner, ad loc., and on Luk 23:41, and the former on Act 28:6. The prevailing ethical meaning makes unlikely the rendering unbelieving which the context might suggest (cf. I 2:16 ). For a conspectus of proposed translations such as unreasonable, perverse, unrighteous (Thayer), etc., see Lillies note; compare also Hatch-Redpath, Concordance, where under in Job 36:21 both , and are noted as variants of -On see I 5:22; D in Luk 23:41 reads for On , see I 1:10.-Born (533), whom Wrede follows, finds an almost verbal dependence on Isa 25:4: But Psa 139:1 would serve as well: , Dob. (cf. Harnack, op.cit.) sees a reference to 1 Mac. 14:14 where Simon ; cf. Isa 9:17 However this may be, it is evident both that Paul read the Lxx and that the collocation is not found elsewhere in the Gk. Bib.

3. . The Lord (Christ) is really (2:4) faithful (cf. Rom 3:3), and as faithful will surely strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. Prompted it may be by a passage in their letter to him saying that some of the converts, probably the idlers, were disposed to excuse their conduct on the ground that the Tempter was too strong for them, and being more anxious about others than about himself (Calvin), Paul turns somewhat abruptly () from the situation in Corinth and his own trials to the similar situation, so far as persecution is concerned (1:4), in Thessalonica, and the moral dangers to which the devil exposed the readers (, not which Bentley and Baljon conjecture). With , here naturally suggested by (v. 2), and with an emphatic (which is unexpected in the phrase or ), Paul reminds them that Christ is really to be depended on to give them strength sufficient to resist the enticement of the devil. Paul assures them not that they will be delivered from persecution (cf. I 3:4) but rather that they will be strengthened both in faith (I 3:2) and conduct (I 3:13, II 2:17), and thus be shielded from the power of Satan (I 2:18, II 2:9), that is, from the ethical aberrations, perhaps specifically the idleness and meddlesomeness to which the Tempter (I 3:2), by means of persecution, entices some of them. The similarity of 1Co 10:13 has not escaped Calvins notice: There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear; ,

The usual phrase in Paul is not but simply (1Co 1:9, 1Co 1:10:13, 2Co 1:18; cf. I 5:24). The change from to = Christ (v. 5) is in keeping with the tendency of II already mentioned (v. 2:13). In fact, the frequency of in vv. 1-5 (four-times) has an interesting parallel in another Macedonian letter, Php 4:1-5 (where occurs four times). The unexpected (G, et al., omit, conforming to Pauls usage), which emphasises the reality of the faithfulness of Christ, may be due simply to the contrast with the faithlessness of the Jews; or it may intimate, as said, that in a letter to Paul the converts, perhaps specifically not the faint-hearted (2:17) but the idle brothers, had expressed the feeling that the evil one was too strong for them, thus accounting for their yielding to temptation. Pauls reply, emphasising the faithfulness of Christ who is stronger than the devil, serves both as a reminder that persecutions are not an excuse for idleness and as an incentive to do what Paul is about to command (vv. 3-4, 6-15).- stands in victorious antithesis to ; for, although grammatically may be either masculine (Eph 6:16) or neuter (Rom 12:9), yet the masculine, in view not only of I 2:18, 3:5, II 2:9 but also of Pauls conception in general of the evil world (cf. 2Co 6:15), is the more probable gender (so Calv. and most modern expositors). For supposed allusions in this passage to the Lords Prayer, see on the one side Lft. and Chase (The Lords Prayer in the Early Church, 1891), and on the other Dibelius, ad loc.-On , see I 3:2. Elsewhere in the N. T. the future is (as ADP, et al., here); in the Lxx it is regularly The reading of B () has a parallel in Jer 17:5; that of GF () is due either to a previous (cf. B in Sir. 38:34) or to an approximation to (Dob.); cf. Sir. 4:20 – is found apart from the Pastorals but twice elsewhere in Paul, Gal 6:13, Rom 2:26 (used in reference to the law). On the construction here, cf. Psa 120:7. The collocation and is without a parallel in Gk. Bib.

4. . With again, introducing a new point, and with the Pauline phrase (Gal 5:10, Php 2:24, Rom 14:14, but not in I), Paul, who is still intent on gaining the willing obedience of the converts, avows with tact his faith that what he commands they will do as they are doing. This confidence is defined as inspired by the indwelling Christ ( ), and as directed to the readers ( ; cf. 2Co 2:3; also Gal 5:10). The insertion of (cf. I 5:11) tactfully prepares for , as (I 4:1) prepares for (I 4:1). Though the words are general, what (that is, quae not quaecumque) we command, both you are doing and will continue to do (the future being progressive; BMT 60), yet it is natural in view both of (cf. vv. 6, 12) and to find a specific reference, namely, not to the faint-hearted (as if vv. 4-5 were a doublet of 2:15-17), and not to the request for prayer (vv. 1-2 Lft.), but to the command in vv. 6-15 (Calvin).

The underlying connection between v. 4 and v. 3 is not evident. In deed, is less obviously dictated by than is by The connecting idea may be that since Christ is really faithful and will surely protect the readers from the wiles of the devil, Paul may dare to express his faith in them, prompted by Christ, that they (probably the idlers) will no longer seek to excuse their idleness but will be willing, as they are able (v. 3), to do what he commands. Or it may be that v. 4 is suggested by something else said in the letter to Paul. In any case, v. 4 prepares for vv. 6-15, as most admit (Ln. Riggenbach, Ell., Wohl., Mill., et al.; so Find. who, however, refers to vv. 1-2).- is characteristic of Paul, though the word is not confined to his writings; the perfect tense here denotes the existing state, I am confident. The specifically Pauline (see I 3:8) does not always appear in this phrase ( or ). While v. 3 hints that the readers are in the Lord, the position of intimates only that Paul is in the Lord, the one who inspires his confidence in the converts; contrast Gal 5:10, is construed with (2Co 2:3, Mat 27:43 and often in Lxx), with (Gal 5:16 Sap. 16:24) with (Php 3:3), and with and dative (2Co 1:9, etc.).-The expected after (I 4:11; cf. below, vv. 6, 10) is inserted by AGFKLP, et al.; but BD, et al., omit. On , cf. Gal 5:10, Php 2:24, 2Co 2:3, etc.; on , see I 4:2.- is read by P and Vulg and (without the first ) by AD; GF have ; B alone is comprehensive with Either B is original with its unexpected aorist after the present , or the seat of the trouble is the itacism which D preserves.

5. . The new point, introduced by , is slightly adversative. Although Paul has confidence in the Lord that they will do what he commands (v. 5 looks not to but to ), yet he is certain that the help of the Lord is indispensable to incline their hearts to keep his command. What they need especially is a sense of Gods love to them and a reminder that Christ can give them an endurance adequate to face the persecutions. Hence the prayer: May the Lord ( = Christ) direct (I 3:11) your hearts (I 3:13, II 2:17) unto the love of God and the endurance of Christ.

In Paul, (Rom 5:5, Rom 5:8:39, 2Co 13:13) means not our love to God but Gods love to us, the thought here being that their inner life may be directed to a sense of the divine love (see SH on Rom 5:5). With an appreciation of the meaning of Gods love, there would be no temptation to infringe upon by the continuance of idle habits (cf. I 4:9-12).-Since elsewhere in Paul = endurance, the rendering Patientem exspectationem (Beza), patient waiting (AV), which demands the objective genitive, is here improbable (see Vincent); see, however, Lft., Schmiedel, and Deb. and compare Ign. Rom 10:3, , an expression which is probably derived from St. Paul (Lft.). Taking = endurance, ; may mean either the endurance which Christ possesses and shares (cf. in 2:14), or which is characteristic of him, and hence an object of imitation as in Polyc. Phil. 8:2; or it may mean the endurance which Christ inspires, as (Rom 15:5) suggests (cf. Moff.).- is not found elsewhere in II; cf., however, I 2:6, 3:2, 4:16, and see Mill. 136. The total phrase appears to be found only here in the Gk. Bib.-The phrase (or ) (or ) occurs frequently in the Lxx (1Ch 29:18, 2Ch 12:14, 2Ch 19:3, 2Ch 20:33, Pro 21:2, etc.); on (cf. in I 3:11), see Sir. 51:20, Judith 12:8. DE, Vulg have (I 2:4); but referring to in v. 4 is emphatic (B. Weiss).

VI. COMMAND AND EXHORTATION (3:6-15)

This section contains the second main point of the letter, prepared for in vv. 1-5, the case of the idlers (Find.). Word has come to Paul (v. 11) orally and by letter to the effect that the idle minority, in spite of his oral (v. 10, I 4:11) and written (I 4:11-12, 5:14) instructions are still begging and meddlesome, some of them still refusing to obey his epistolary injunctions (I 5:27 and below, v. 14). The case having become acute, Paul orders the majority to take severer measures against the idle minority, to add to (v. 15, I 5:14), (v. 6) and (v. 14). Insisting, however, that the delinquents are brothers (vv. 6, 15), and surmising that the majority have not always dealt tactfully with the excited idlers (vv. 13, 15), Paul is careful to explain just why he gives the command (vv. 7-12) and to have it understood that the discipline, being intended for reformation, is to be administered in love (vv. 14-15). In fact, his attitude throughout is not that of an apostle exercising his apostolic authority but that of a brother appealing to brothers in the name of a common authority, the Lord Jesus Christ. He believes that his word will suffice; but he contemplates the probability that a few of the idlers will persist in being recalcitrant.

The connection of thought is clear, the divisions being marked by (vv. 6, 12, 13, 14) and (vv. 7, 10, 11). Though the brethren as a whole are addressed throughout the section (even in v. 12), it is really the majority whom Paul has in mind and upon whom he places the responsibility for the peace of the brotherhood.

6Now we command you, brothers, using the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother who walks in idleness and not in accordance with the instruction which you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, for we were not idle among you, nor did we receive the means of support from any one without paying for it; 8but in toil and hardship, night and day we kept at our work in order that we might not put on any of you the burden of our maintenance.-9not because we have no right to free support, but that we might give in ourselves an examplep for you to imitate. 10For also, when we were with you, this we used to command you: If any one refuses to work, neither let him eat. 11For we are informed that some among you are walking in idleness, not working themselves but being busybodies. 12Now such as these we command and exhort, prompted by the Lord Jesus Christ, that with tranquillity of mind they work and earn their own living. 13Now as for you, brothers, do not grow tired of doing the right thing. 14In case, however, any one is not for obeying our word expressed in this letter, designate that man; let there be no intimate association with him; in order that he may be put to shame; 15and so count him not as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

6. . With a particle of transition (), the point prepared for in vv. 1-5 (especially and v. 4) is introduced, the responsibility of the majority in reference to the case of the idlers. The command (I 4:11 and 4:2) is addressed by a brother to brothers, and is based on the authority not of Paul but of Christ. The phrase in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ differs from in the Lord Jesus Christ (with which the idlers are indirectly commanded and exhorted in v. 12), and from through the Lord Jesus (I 4:2), in that it is not subjective prompted by the indwelling name or person of the Lord Jesus Christ, but objective, with, that is, using that name. By the actual naming of the name, Paul draws attention not only to the authoritative source of his injunction, but also to the responsibility which the recognition of that supreme authority entails.

. The substance of the command is that you hold aloof from (cf. I 4:3 ) every brother who walks idly (or, with Rutherford, not to be intimate with any of your number who is a loafer) and not according to the deliverance which you have received from us. The persons to be avoided are not enemies but brothers (v. 15). Their fault lies in the realm of conduct; they walk (cf. I 2:12, 4:1, 12), that is, live (Chrys.), behave themselves as idlers (). The reference in is to the refusal, on the part of a small fraction of the converts (v. 11 ) to work and earn their own living, and to the resultant idleness, want, and meddlesome demand for support from the church, which are mentioned in I 4:11-12 and warned against in I 5:14 ( ; cf. below, v. 15). As the adverbial clause , parallel to and explanatory of , intimates, this disobedient idleness was contrary to the express instruction given when Paul was with them (v. 10 and I 4:11 ) and reiterated in the first epistle (4:11-12; cf. 5:14).

On the phrase , cf. 1Co 5:4, 1Co 6:11, Col 3:17, Eph 5:20, Act 16:18 Ign. Polyc. 5:1; also 1Co 1:10 ( ); on the meaning of the phrase, see Heitmller, Im Namen Jesu, 1903, 73.- after is to be omitted with BD, et al., as a likely interpolation (Ell.).- it found several times in the Lxx but only once elsewhere in the N. T. (2Co 8:20). From the root meaning set, the further idea, set ones self for, prepare (Sap. 7:14, 14:1, 2 Mac. 5:1), or set ones self from, withdraw (cf. 3 Mac. 1:19, 4:11, and especially Mal 2:5 in parallelism with ), is easily derived. The meaning, which is somewhat uncertain in 2Co 8:20, is clear here, withdraw ones self from, hold aloof from = (Theodoret), or (which is parallel to in Hippocrates, Vet. Med. 10, as quoted by Liddell and Scott); it differs little from (Gal 2:12) and (cf. GF in 2Co 8:20). On the word, see Loesner, ad loc., and Wetstein on 2Co 8:20; also Mill on our passage. For the subject accusative resuming , see Bl 72:5.-It has already been stated (see I 5:14) that may be either general disorderly or specific idly. That the specific sense is intended is evident from vv. 7-9 where is indirectly explained by the reference to Pauls habitual industry (); from v. 10 where as orally communicated by Paul is quoted: if any one refuses to work (), he shall not eat; and from v. 12 where is defined as The fault is not idleness but deliberate, disobedient idleness. What was probable in I 4:11-12, 5:14 now becomes certain; the second epistle explains the first. D, et al., by reading (as in v. 11) blunt the emphasis on the adverb. On , see BMT 485.-Precisely how much is involved in the command to the majority to hold aloof from the idle brethren is uncertain, even in the light of the further specifications in vv. 14-15. The idlers are deprived to some extent of freedom of association with the rest of the believers, though to (v. 14) there is not added, as is the case with the incestuous person in 1Co 5:11, a It is not Pauls intention to exclude the idlers from the brotherhood, for he insists that the admonitions even to the recalcitrant among the idlers, being designed to make them ashamed of themselves and return to their work, be tempered with love (cf. Chrys.). Furthermore, the fact that , as interpreted in vv. 14-15, is an advance over (v. 15, I 5:14) and calls for a slightly severer attitude to the delinquents suggests that, in the interval between I and II, the idlers, influenced both by the belief that the day of the Lord was near and by the severity of the persecutions (vv. 1-5), had become more meddlesome and contumacious than at the time of writing I (see note on I 4:11). It is evident that some of them persist in refusing to obey Pauls orders as conveyed by letter (v. 14, I 5:27); and it is not improbable that some of the more excited idlers were responsible for the disquieting assertion that the day of the Lord is present (2:2).-Most recent editors prefer the excellently attested reading (A), which is supported by (D), and, with corrected orthography, by (EKLP). On the other hand, this reading puts an emphasis upon the idlers which would lead one to expect in the sequel not (v. 7) but Hence (BG, et al.), which fits both and , is the preferable reading, leaving (on the ending, see B. 21:3) to be explained either (1) as an emendation (Weiss, 57) in accord with the adjacent (Pesh et at. have ), or (2) as a scribal error arising from an ocular confusion with – () in the corresponding place of the line above (WH. App.2 172). For B reads (1Co 11:23); cf. G in I 2:13.

7-11. In these verses, Paul gives the reasons why he commands the readers to hold aloof from the idle brethren among them, the separate points being introduced respectively by (v. 7), (v. 10), and (v. 11). (1) First with (v. 7), he reminds them of himself as an example of industry, how he worked to support himself when he was with them, so as to free them from any financial burden on his account, strengthening the reminder by referring to the fact that though he, as an apostle, was entitled to a stipend, yet he waived that right in order that his self-sacrificing labour might serve as an example to them of industry (vv. 7-9). (2) Next with (v. 10), he justifies the present command (v. 6) by stating that the instruction to the idlers referred to in v. 6 ( ) is but a repetition of what he had repeatedly commanded when he was with them, namely, if any one refuses to work, neither let him eat (v. 10). (3) Finally with (v. 11), he wishes it to be understood distinctly that he issues the command because he is informed that some among them are idle and meddlesome.

In reminding the converts both of himself as a visible example of industry (vv. 7-9) and of his repeated oral teaching in reference to idleness (v. 10), it would appear that Paul intends not only to arouse the majority to a sense of their own responsibility in the matter, but also to furnish them with arguments that would have weight even with those who might persist in refusing to obey this command as conveyed by letter (v. 14, I 5:27). At all events, this latter consideration helps to explain why Paul refers them not to what he had written in I, but to what he had said and done when he was yet with them. To be sure v. 8 is an exact reminiscence of I 2:9, and v. 12 recalls what was written in I 4:11-12; but both the example of Paul (vv. 7-9) and the precept in v. 10 (cf. , I 4:11) hark back to the time of the first visit.

7. With an appeal to the knowledge of the readers quite in the manner of I (2:1, 3:3, 5:2; cf. 1:5, 2:2, 5, etc.), Paul advances the first reason () for commanding the readers to hold aloof from every brother who walks idly and not in accordance with the specific instruction received. The reason is that they themselves know, without his telling them, the manner in which they ought to imitate him, namely, by working and supporting themselves. Though addressed to all, the appeal is intended for the idlers. On the analogy of I 4:1, we expect (Lft.); but the abridged expression puts an emphasis on and gives the whole appeal more point and force (Ell.).

. The is not that (I 3:3) resuming , but for, explaining why they know how to imitate Paul. The explanation is stated (1) negatively, and in two co-ordinated clauses ( ), namely, (a) because we were no loafers when we lived among your (Rutherford), and (b) because we did not receive our maintenance from any one for nothing; and (2) positively (v. 8), but we worked toiling and moiling night and day rather than become a burden to any of you (Rutherford). That (only here in the Gk. Bib.) is not general to be disorderly but specific to be idle, to be a loafers (Rutherford) has already been pointed out (see on in I 5:14). is apparently a Hebraism for (v. 10). In view of (not is in Tobit 8:20 ), it means not take a meal, and not simply get food, but more broadly receive the means of support, get a living. Paul received maintenance, lodging probably with Jason; but unlike the idle brothers who were begging support from the church, he did not receive it gratis, that is, without paying for it (cf. 2Co 11:7 ff.; also Exo 21:11 ).

On , cf. I 4:1, and Col 4:6 ; , here and v. 9 in Paul, is rare in Gk. Bib. (Heb 13:7, 3Jn 1:11, 3Jn 1:4 Mac. 9:23, etc.); on , a word found chiefly in Paul, see I 1:6.-The phrase , only here and v. 12 in Paul (cf. Mar 3:20, Mar 7:5, etc., and Lxx passim), represents the Hebrew (see BDB sub voc. and Briggs, ICC on Psa 14:4), which, like the simple , denotes take a meal, get food, and, by a further extension of meaning to spend ones life (or, to earn a livelihood; see Skinner, ICC on Gen 3:19); so Amo 7:12 where Lxx has But the total phrase seems to be unique in Gk. Bib., Lev 10:12 (A) Luk 10:27, Php 4:18 not being exact parallels. A few minuscules, bothered with , read -For the adverbial accusative , which is common in Lxx, cf. in N. T. Rom 3:24, Gal 2:21. For , see I 2:3.-The fact that Paul states not only that he was not idle but also that he did not beg is doubtless due to the consideration that the idlers were begging support from the church (cf. the emphatic in v. 12); the reference in I 5:12 to now becomes definite.

8. . We were not idle (), and we did not receive support from any one without paying for it (), but on the contrary (, this strong adversative being antithetical here as in I 2:3 to both the negative clauses) we were working, etc. But instead of proceeding working in order that we might give ourselves as an example for you to imitate us (v. 9b), and thus coming directly to the point introduced by (v. 7), Paul interjects two considerations designed to increase enormously the value of his example. (1) First, he calls attention to the fact, with which the readers are already acquainted and to which he had alluded in another connection in his first epistle (2:9), that his labour was (a) exacting, in toil and hardship, (b) incessant, by night and by day, and (c) solely in their interests, so as not to put on any one of you a financial burden; and secondly (2), he observes characteristically that he worked to support himself, not because he had no right to demand, as an apostle of Christ, support from the church, but worked, waiving his right to maintenance, in order that he might give in himself a visible and constant example of self-sacrificing industry for them to imitate.

The participle is loosely attached to both and , a construction not uncommon in Paul (see I 2:12, 2Co 7:5).-Some expositors separate the adverbial clauses, putting in sharp opposition to , and taking as an explanatory parallel of more remotely dependent on the foregoing (Ell.; so also De W., Wohl., Schmiedel, et al.). But as Lillie, who inclines to the separation, remarks: Grammatically, however, the words may just as well be taken together in one antithetical clause, antithetical we may repeat, in the light of I 2:3, to both and -The reference to the manner and purpose of his work is evidently advised. But whether the reminiscence of I 2:9, which is almost verbal (except that is closer to 2Co 11:27 than to I 2:9), is likewise conscious is not certain.-BG read here as in I 2:9; ADEKLP, et al., emphasise the duration of the labour by reading the accusative. On the repeated phrase as a whole, see on I 2:9.

9. Using a common ellipsis ( ), Paul qualifies the preceding statement with a view not simply to asserting his apostolic right to support from the church, but also to strengthening the force of his example by reminding the readers that he waived that right. Both the assertion and the waiving of rights are characteristic of Paul, especially as regards the right to receive remuneration for his missionary labour. In 1Co 9:14, he fortifies his contention by quoting the point of a word of the Lord (Mat 10:10 = Luk 10:7). The language in which he expresses here his right differs from that in I (2:6; see notes on 2:5-8, 9) where the same claim is made and waived, and agrees with that in 1Co 9:4 ff. ; (even the wives of missionaries being entitled to support), and especially In the light of the latter citation, we may supply here after the absolute a

But (we worked, waiving our rights) in order that we might give ourselves as an example to you with a view to your imitating us. Since Paul says not (cf. Php 3:17 ) but it is likely that he intends to emphasise the self-sacrifice involved in this waiving of his rights, an emphasis which is conspicuous in a similar connection in the first epistle (2:8 ). The here is likewise more emphatic than the just cited from Php 3:17; Paul gives not simply the command to work (v. 10), but also himself as an example of industry.

On the ellipsis (cf. 2Co 1:24, 2Co 3:5, 2Co 7:9, Php 4:17), whose origin is forgotten in usage (cf. Php 4:11), see Bl 81:1; and on the ellipsis after see Bl 77:13. In the first case we may supply we worked, in the second, we worked, waiving the right, or simply we did it. For , cf. 2Co 2:4, 2Co 13:7, Eph 5:27.- is here not potestatem but ius, not liberty of action but moral right or authority; see Mill. and cf. in Rom 9:21, 1Co 7:37, 1Co 9:4-6, 1Co 11:10.-On , see I 1:7; on the use of here, cf. Eph 4:11 ff.

10. For also when we were with you (cf. I 3:4, II 2:5) this (that follows, being resumed by the recitative as in I 4:15) we were wont to command you (; contrast in I 4:11), namely, etc. The is parallel to in v. 7, and the co-ordinates the first reason for the command of v. 6, that is, the example of industry (vv. 7-9), with the second reason, namely, the oral precept repeatedly given when he was with them (v. 10). The of v. 6, which is now stated ( ), is not a truism: if any one does not work, he has nothing to eat, but an ethical imperative: if any one refuses to work, he shall not eat; nolle vitium est (Bengel). In characterising as Christian this golden rule of labour (Dob.), Paul is true to the traditions of his Jewish teachers and to the example of the Master himself (Mar 6:3). The very phrase itself may well be the coinage of Paul, for the Thessalonians were mainly working people.

Many parallels to this word of Paul, both Jewish and Greek, have been suggested (see Wetstein); but the closest is that found in Bereshith Rabba on Gen 1:2 (a midrash redacted according to Zunz in Palestine in the sixth century; see Schrer, I, 140): if they do not work, they have nothing to eat. But, as Dob. rightly urges, both in the passage cited and in other parallels that have been adduced, the full valuation of labour as a moral duty (Dob.), which is the point of Pauls words, is absent. Deissmann would have it (Light, 318) that Paul was probably borrowing a bit of good old workshop morality, a maxim coined perhaps by some industrious workman as he forbade his lazy apprentice to sit down to dinner. Be that as it may, it is the industrious workman Paul who introduces this phrase, with its significant emphasis on into the realm of Christian ethics. On the imperative in the apodosis, cf. 1Co 3:18, 1Co 7:12, etc. For which negates instead of (which D reads) in conditional sentences, see BMT 370 f. The presence of instead of (1Co 7:12) is due to (cf. 1Co 10:7 ff., Eph 5:3, and Bl 77:12). B* and * read ; L reads

11. With (parallel to in vv. 7, 10), Paul explains (just why we do not know) that he is giving the command of v. 6 on the basis of information received orally or by letter, or both. For we are informed that some among you are living in idleness. In saying some () among them( not v. 8, or ; cf. Rom 11:14), Paul speaks indefinitely (cf. Gal 1:7, Gal 1:2:12, 2Co 10:2, 2Co 10:12, etc.); but he has in mind definite persons whose names may have been known to him from his source of information. Idleness is an affair of the brotherhood (I 4:9-12, 5:12-14), and the brethren as a whole are responsible for the few among them who do nothing but fetch frisks and vagaries (Leigh).

In a paronomasia elegans (Wetstein), common to both Greek and Roman writers, Paul defines (cf. v. 6) both negatively working not at all, and positively being busybodies. The point is not simply that some of the brethren are living in idleness, but also that these idlers, instead of minding their own business (I 4:11), are meddling in the affairs of the brotherhood ( ), seeking in their poverty and want to exact funds from the treasury of the group (see on I 4:11), instead of working to support themselves as they are able and as they ought to do.

The present tense (cf. 1Co 11:18, and contrast the aorist in Col 1:4, Eph 1:15) indicates not we have just heard, but either we keep hearing, a progressive present, or we hear, are told, are informed, a present for the perfect (BMT 16; Vulg. has audivimus). may refer to hearsay (Find., Dob.; cf. 1Co 5:1, 1Co 11:18); but it may just as well indicate information received by letter, by word of mouth, or both (cf. Luk 4:23, Act 7:12, 3Jn 1:4); note in P. Oxy. 294 of a reply to a letter, and to get word by letter.-If there is a distinction (cf. Bl 73:5) between with an infinitive (1Co 11:18) and with the participle, the former construction will refer simply to the fact that they walk, the latter, to the continuous state of walking.-In the light of (v. 7), the may be joined directly with ; since, however, Paul does not elsewhere use in the sense of walk among, it may be better to connect with , the separation being emphatic; cf. 1Co 10:27 (possibly also 3:18, 15:12), and Schmiedel, Moff., Dob. Rutherford. D, et al., obscure the emphasis by reading Vulg has inter vos quosdam ambulare.-To illustrate the elegant paronomasia, commentators refer among others to Demosthenes (Phil. IV, 72) , and to Quintilian (VI, 3:54) non agere dixit sed satagere. Various translations have been attempted (see Lillie); e. g. keine Arbeit treibend sondern sich herumtreibend (Ewald); doing nothing, but overdoing; not busy in work, but busybodies (Edward Robinson, Lex. 1850); working at no business, but being busybodies (Ell.). For other instances in Paul of this play on words, Lft. refers to Php 3:3, 1Co 7:31, 2Co 1:13, 2Co 1:3:2, 2Co 1:6:10, 2Co 1:10:12; see also Bl 82:4.- is found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only Sir. 3:23 (cf. Sap. 8:5 ); cf. Test. xii, Reub. 3:10 and Hermas, Sim. IX, 2:7; it is sometimes equivalent to (2 Mac. 2:30). See further, Deissmann, NBS 52, and cf. in 1Ti 5:13.

12. Having explained in vv. 7-11 why he commands the brothers to hold aloof from every brother who lives in idleness, Paul now turns () to command the idlers to work and earn their own living in tranquillity of mind, the being in contrast with (v. 6). Paul, however, says not we command you idlers, or even those idlers, but in directly and impersonally such as these. Furthermore, though he uses as in v. 6, he adds to it a , tempering the command with an exhortation. And still further, wishing it to be understood that he speaks on the authority not of himself but of the indwelling Christ, he adds in the Lord Jesus Christ. The tone of the verse is obviously tactful. Paul speaks as one of them, not as an apostle but as a babe (I 2:7); and he is confident that this word from him will suffice for most of the idlers, though in v. 14 he faces the contingency that a few of them will continue to be disobedient (I 5:27).

. Not without reference to his own example, Paul commands and exhorts them ( introducing the object) to work and earn their own living, and that too with tranquillity of spirit. They are to depend for their maintenance not upon others (I 4:12) but upon their own exertions (Chrys. notes the emphatic ). In the light of (I 4:11 q. v.), is to be understood as the opposite not of , as if without meddlesomeness were meant, but of the feverish excitement of mind stimulated by the belief that the Parousia was at hand, or, in its new and erroneous form (2:2), was actually present, a belief which together with the persecutions (vv. 1-5) accounts for the increase of idleness and meddlesomeness since the writing of I.

On , which defines the with reference to them individually or as a class, see Bl 47:9 and cf. Rom 16:18, 1Co 16:16 ff., etc.- (I 4:11) and (I 2:11) are not combined elsewhere in Paul; on the with , cf. I 4:11; with Paul elsewhere employs the infinitive (v. 6, 1Co 7:10; contrast 1Ti 5:7). After , supply -On the divine name with , see I 1:1; P omits KL, et al., read the logically synonymous . with Rom 15:30 (see on I 4:2).-On , cf. Act 22:2, 1Ti 2:11 f., Sir. 28:16; marks the quality of mind with which working and earning their own living are to be associated.-On , see v. 8.

13. , O brothers, do not tire of doing the right (Rutherford). With and an affectionate , Paul turns from the idlers (v. 12) to the brethren addressed in v. 6. The new point, general in form (since is applicable to all) but specific in reference (as v. 14 intimates), is a direct hint to the majority, perhaps definitely to those that labour among you (I 5:12), that they keep on trying to do the right thing for the delinquents. The words may imply that in warning the idlers (I 5:14) the brethren had become impatient and tactless.

Chrys., however, thinks that the majority are here reminded that they are not to permit the idlers to perish with hunger. Calv., taking the words generally, interprets Paul as fearing that their experience of the abuse of liberality will tend to make the leaders uncharitable, even to the deserving members of the church.-With the exception of Luk 18:1, the verb is found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only in Paul; cf. Gal 6:9, On the spelling (BD), (A cf. Sym. Pro 3:11, Isa 7:16, etc.), or (GFKLP; cf. Sym. Jer 18:2), see WH. App.2 157 f. From the literal meaning to behave badly in (Thayer), comes to mean also flag, falter, tire, be weary. On the here, see BMT 162.-, a word found elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. only Lev 5:4 (F), is equivalent to (Lev 5:4, 1Co 7:37 f. Php 4:14, etc.); it means probably not to confer benefits (Chrys., Calv., Dob., et al.) but, as most take it, to do the right. Elsewhere Paul uses not (GF; cf. Jam 4:17) but (Gal 6:9, Rom 7:21, 2Co 13:7).

14. Anticipating the probability (cf. I 5:27) that some of the idlers would refuse to obey his evangelic utterance ( referring especially to v. 12) expressed in this letter, he orders the brethren, if the case should arise, to proceed to discipline, not with a view to excluding the disobedient among the idlers from the brotherhood, but in the hope of inducing them to repent and amend their idle ways. (1) First of all, he commands: , designate that man. Just how they are to note him, whether in writing or by naming him publicly at a meeting, is not explained. (2) Then with an infinitive for an imperative (Rom 12:15, Php 3:16), he continues, interpreting the of v. 6: , let there be no intimate association with him. The advance from (I 5:14) to hold aloof from, do not associate with, is necessary, and the severer measures are justified. It will be remembered that Paul had given orders to the idlers when he was present (v. 10, I 4:11), had repeated them in the first epistle (I 4:11-12; cf. 5:14), and has just reiterated them in a conciliatory manner in vv. 6-12 (cf. vv. 1-5), hinting at the same time (v. 13) that the majority must be tactful in their treatment of their delinquent brothers. If, however ( ), in spite of all this, some of the idle brothers persist in disobeying his orders as conveyed by letter (I 5:27), then they must be deprived of intimate association with the rest of their fellows (cf. 1Co 5:9. 1Co 5:11). But even so, absolute separation from the companionship of the brethren is not in mind; for Paul does not add here, as he does in 1Co 5:11, the ; and above all he does add here the significant v. 15. (3) Finally, the purpose of the discipline is explicitly mentioned, that he may be shamed. Reformation, not exclusion from the brotherhood, is intended.

(2Co 1:18) could be the equivalent of (2:1); here, however, it refers most probably to that element of the message of the gospel which is specified in v. 12. The obedience required (cf. Php 2:12) is not to Pauls word as such but to his word as inspired by Christ ( v. 12). B, et al., read for ; cf. B in 2Co 6:11 ( )- refers naturally to the present letter (so most from Chrys. and Th. Mops. to Dob.); but the presence of the article () is not conclusive for this interpretation, as 1Co 5:10 shows. However, were Paul alluding to a letter that the converts are to send him (Erasmus, Calv., Grot., et al.), there would be no point in specifying the procedure to be followed (Ln.); and furthermore in that case we should expect (GF omit ). The phrase is to be joined closely with , the article being supplied on the analogy of I 1:1 () -On , cf. v. 10; for the condition, see BMT 242.- (BA have the imperative; DGFP the infinitive) is found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only Psa 4:7; it occurs in Polybius and Philo; and frequently in papyri, of the signature in writing (e. g. P. Oxy. 42, 5:8 (a.d. 323) ). See further, 1 Clem. 43:1, and Sophocles, Lex. sub voc.- is found elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. only 1Co 5:9, 1Co 5:11, Hos 7:8 (A) Eze 20:18 (A). The command is not direct dont you associate, but indirect let there be no intimate association with him. BA, et al., read the infinitive (not of purpose, but equivalent to an imperative); EKLP, et al., have the imperative. To relieve the asyndeton, GFKLP, et al., insert before In Hos 7:8, Eze 20:18, B has the imperative, AQ the infinitive.- occurs in Gk Bib. only 1Co 4:14; the more common is used either absolutely or with the accus. (Mar 12:6, Luk 18:2 Sap. 2:10, 7:6, etc.); for the passive here, compare the refrain in Psa 34:4, Psa 69:2 (39:15)

15. Even the disobedient idler is a brother, and to do the right thing (v. 13) for him means that the warning is to be administered in the spirit not of hate but of love. And so (), that is, that the moral result aimed at () may not be hindered, this of course must be the spirit and style of your discipline (Lillie), regard him not as an enemy, but on the contrary warn him as a brother (cf. I 5:14 ). This significant sentence is so formed that the stress is laid not on the but on the , as if the majority needed a warning as well as the minority. Evidently Paul wishes the majority to see as he sees that the idlers, even the recalcitrant among them, are brothers, not enemies; and to have a care that the discipline be administered in love and with the sole purpose of repentance and reform. Furthermore, it now becomes clear that to keep away from (v. 6), and not to associate with (v. 14) are far from suggesting the removal of the disobedient idlers from the influence of their brothers. It is noteworthy that the last word is not and , but as in I 5:14, the advance here being in the words , a point which the brethren appear to have been in danger of forgetting (v. 13; see on I 5:13).

Chrys., who sees the fatherly heart of Paul manifested in vv. 13-15, is inclined to suppose that the admonition is to be given not publicly but privately. On , see I 5:13; on , cf. Rom 12:20. The , if not a Hebraism (Bl 34:5; cf. Job 19:11 , 33:10, 41:22), is at least pleonastic, marking the aspect in which he is not to be regarded (Ell.). D, et al., omit the before

VII. PRAYER (3:16)

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace continually, in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all.

16. The prayer for peace addressed to Christ, the Lord of peace, is prompted by the situation which the command (vv. 6-15) is designed to meet. The command alone, however, without the assistance of the indwelling Christ, will not suffice to restore harmony within the brotherhood; hence, to insure this concord, the Lord of peace himself must give them a sense of inward religious peace, and that too continually, in every circumstance of life. In the added prayer: May the Lord ( = Christ) be (sc. or ) with you all, the may be intentional (cf. I 5:26, II 1:3, 10, 3:18; but note also Rom 15:33); both the majority and the idlers need the personal presence as well as the peace of Christ as a surety for harmony and concord within the brotherhood.

A similar situation evokes a similar prayer to the God of peace in I 5:23-24, following the exhortations of 4:1-5:22. On , see I 1:1 and 5:23; on = Christ, see 2:13. GFL, et al., read conforming to Pauls regular usage (see on I 5:23). On , cf. Rom 15:5 and the note of SH; on , cf. Num 6:26, Isa 26:12.- occurs elsewhere in Paul only Rom 11:10 = Psa 68:24; it is equivalent to , ,, (cf. the parallelism in Psa 33:2); see on I 5:16 ff.- (BEKLP, et al.) is used elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only 3 Mac. 7:8 (A); cf. (Php 1:18, Php 1:1 Mac. 14:35) and (Rom 3:2, Num 18:7). As Ven. in 3 Mac. 7:8, so ADGF, the Latins, Chrys. and Ambst, here have the more common expression (I 1:8).

VIII. SALUTATION (3:17)

The greeting by the hand of me Paul; this fact is a taken of genuineness in every letter; this is the way I write.

17. . It would appear that Paul, like his contemporaries, occasionally wrote (Phil. 19) but regularly dictated (Rom 16:22) his letters; and that, again like his contemporaries, he was in the habit of adding to every dictated letter a few concluding words in his own handwriting. Sometimes, and for varying reasons, he calls attention to the autographic conclusion, thus purposely authenticating his letter; so for example in 1Co 16:21, Col 4:18 where as here we have (the genitive being in apposition with implied in ); see also Gal 6:11 = Phm 1:19 It is not at all necessary to assume in any of these instances that a particular suspicion of forgery prompted the summons to attention, though it is not inconceivable in our passage that mention is made of the autographic conclusion in view of the fact that some of the idle brethren (I 5:27, II 3:14) may have excused their intention to disregard Pauls epistolary injunctions on the score that the letter to be read was not genuine.

Not which salutation, nor which hand, as if were attracted by ; but which autographic way of giving the salutation (Lillie). The = token refers to what Paul has written in his own hand; it is a proof of authenticity. In view of the ancient habit of writing, or at least of signing a letter, just as we sign with our pen a letter written or typewritten by the stenographer, it is quite unnecessary to limit the scope of the phrase in every letter. The refers not to the fact but to the manner of the autographic conclusion; mark the handwriting (Rutherford). The Thessalonians had already received a letter from Paul, in which, according to epistolary custom, he had himself written a few closing words (I 5:28 or 26-28). His handwriting, which was characteristic (Gal 6:11), is assumed to be known. In case of necessity, the majority could direct the attention of the recalcitrant among the idlers to the same hand in I and II.

Deissmann (Light, 153, 158 f.) calls attention to ancient procedure in the matter of writing autographic conclusions in evidence of authenticity, and properly urges that it is a begging of the question to assume that Paul only finished off with his own hand those letters in which he expressly says that he did. In a very brief letter from Mystarion to a priest, dated September 13, 50 (BGU, 37), a reproduction of which is given by Deissmann (ibid, 157), the and the date are written in another hand, that is, in Mystarions own hand, a circumstance that proves that somebody at that date (about the time of our letter) closed a letter in his own hand without expressly saying so. In the Passalacqua papyrus (Deissmann, BS. 212 f., Witk., 35), a = is given, as a token of genuineness, to the messenger along with the letter: (Deissmann, ); on the other hand, there is no parallel for a = as contained in the letter itself. The extent of the autographic writing here and elsewhere is uncertain, naturally enough, for we do not possess the original. In our passage, Th. Mops., Chrys., Wohl, and others restrict it to v. 18; Ell., Lft., Mill. and others include vv. 17-18; Schmiedel, Dob. and others include vv. 16-18; and Dibelius includes both v. 18 and the date now lost.

IX. BENEDICTION (3:18)

18. . The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. The benediction is the same as I 5:28 with the exception that is inserted, as in v. 16, to include the censured as well as the steady members (Moffatt).

Most codices add a liturgical after ; B and a few others omit.-The subscription (B), to which GF prefix , and to which AKL, et al., add , is late, and forms no part of the original letter; see on I 5:28.

G G (p). Cod. Boernerianus, saec. ix, now in the Royal Library at Dresden. It is closely related to F, according to some the archetype of F (Souter). Edited by Matthaei, 1791. Im Lichtdruck nachgebildet, Leipzig (Hiersemann), 1909. Contains I and II complete.

F F (p). Cod. Augiensis, saec. ix, Graeco-Latin, now in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge. An exact transcript by Scrivener, 1859. Contains I and II complete.

Chrys Chrysostom.

(e a p r). Cod. Sinaiticus, saec. iv, now at St. Petersburg. Edited by Tischendorf, its discoverer, in 1862. Photographic reproduction by H. and K. Lake, Oxford, 1911. Contains I and II complete.

B B (e a p r). Cod. Vaticanus, saec. iv, now in the Vatican Library. Photographic reproduction by Cozza-Luzi, Rome, 1889, and by the Milan firm of Hoepli, 1904. Contains I and II complete.

A A (e a p r). Cod. Alexandrinus, saec. v, now in the British Museum. Edited by Woide in 1786. Facsimile by E. M. Thompson, 1879. Contains I and II complete.

D D (p). Cod. Claromontanus, saec. vi, Graeco-Latin, now in the National library at Paris. Edited by Tischendorf in 1852. Contains I and II complete.

E E Cod. Sangermanensis, saec. ix, now at St. Petersburg. A copy of D.

Lft Lightfoot.

Dob Ernst von Dobschtz,

P P (a p r). Cod. Porphyrianus, saec. ix, now at St. Petersburg. Edited by Tischendorf (1865). Contains I and II except I 3:5 – 4:17.

Lxx The Old Testament in Greek (ed. H. B. Swete, 1887-94).

Lillie John Lillie, Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians, Translated from the Greek, with Notes (1856).

Born Bornemann.

Calv Calvin.

BMT E. D. Burton, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses in N. T. Greek (18983).

Ln Lnemann.

Ell Ellicott.

Wohl Wohlenberg.

Mill George Milligan.

Find G. G. Findlay.

K K (a p). Cod. Mosquensis, saec. ix, now at Moscow. Collated by Matthaei, 1782. Contains I and II complete.

L L (a p). Cod. Angelicus, saec. ix, now in the Angelican Library at Rome. Collated among others by Tischendorf (1843) and Tregelles (1845). Contains I and II complete.

Vulg Vulgate.

SH Comm. on Romans in ICC. by W. Sanday an A. C. Headlam.

Vincent M. R. Vincent, Word Studies in the N. T., vol. IV, 1900.

Moff James Moffatt.

Weiss B. Weiss in TU. XIV, 3 (1896).

Bl F. Blass, Grammatik des neutestamentlichen Griechisch (1896, 19022).

Pesh Syriac Vulgate.

WH The New Testament in the Original Greek (1881; I, Text, II, Introduction and Appendix).

BDB Brown, Driver, Briggs, Heb.-Eng. Lexicon.

ICC International Critical Commentary.

De W De Wette.

Schrer E. Schrer, Geschichte des Jdischen Volkes im Zeitalter Jesu Christi (4th ed., 1901-9).

NBS A. Deissmann, Neue Bibelstudien (1897).

Th. Theodore of Mopsuestia, in epistolas Pauli commentarii (ed. H. B. Swete, 1880-82).

Grot Hugo de Groot (Grotius).

Ambst Ambrosiaster.

Witk St. Witkowski, Epistul Privat Grc (1906).

Fuente: International Critical Commentary New Testament

Held Firm and Guarded from Evil

2Th 2:13-17; 2Th 3:1-5

This closing section is full of comfort and inspiration. Believers in Christ are the beloved of God; their salvation dates from His eternal love and choice, and His purpose for us is being wrought out in our characters by the Holy Spirit, who ministers to us through the truth. Our comfort is eternal and our hope is unfailing.

Paul was now preaching at Corinth, and he asks that the gospel may run, 2Th 3:1, r.v. Oh, for a divine impatience that we may be content with nothing short of this! When unreasonable and wicked men try you, turn to the Lord, who is faithful to His promises and to His saints. The stronger the gales of opposition and hatred, the deeper should we become established and rooted in the truth. The word direct in 2Th 2:5 may be rendered, make a thoroughfare through; that is, we desire that our hearts should be a highway down which the love of God and the patience of our Lord may pass to a world of sin and fret. Let us ever connect the patience and kingdom of our Lord, as in Rev 1:9.

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

Five Themes (2Th 3:1-5)

In these five verses the apostle sought to impress on the hearts of the young Thessalonian Christians-and every one of us-some thoughts on the following five topics.

1. Prayerfulness. In verse 1 the Thessalonians were asked to remember in prayer the one who wrote this letter. He was the mightiest evangelist, missionary, and teacher of the Word that the church of God has ever known, yet he felt the need of the prayers of these converts so that he could better fulfill his ministry.

How often do you pray for those who are called to preach the Word to others? When you are alone with God, do you remember to pray for Christs undershepherds who seek to care for His flock? Do you pray for missionaries who have gone forth into the regions beyond for the Lord Jesus? Do you remember those who labor in the home fields-often in hard places where there is little to offer cheer and encouragement? Many of Gods people cannot preach, or teach, or travel abroad to take the Word to distant lands; but all can pray.

People sometimes say to me, I do not know what I should pray for. When I get down on my knees, I intend to spend some time in prayer, but in a few moments I have said everything that is on my heart and there seems to be nothing else to pray about. If this is your experience, why not wait quietly before God at such a time, and ask Him to bring to your mind those who are preaching and teaching the Word. Then as they come to mind, mention them individually to God. Pray that they may be sustained and kept from discouragement. There is no one who needs prayer more than those who are bearing the burden and heat of the day in the terrific battle for righteousness.

Paul had preached the gospel to the Thessalonians and he called on them to pray for blessing as he and his companions went elsewhere with their witness. Just as these Thessalonians prayed for Paul, believers today may cooperate with those who are engaged in public ministry. Then when we all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and the Lord gives out rewards for faithful service, He will see to it that recognition is given not only to those who have preached the Word, but also to those who have backed up His servants in prayer.

You may not be qualified to go to the missionfield, but as you remain at home and give of your means to help support a missionary in Africa, China, South America, or a distant island, you will have a large part in his ministry. You may never stand in a pulpit to preach the Word, but by your prayers and intercessions you can bear up those who do.

I am sure of this: if we prayed more for Gods messengers, we would criticize them less. Some people are constantly finding fault with servants of Christ. From the standpoint of these critics, His messengers never do exactly the right thing. If one of them speaks much about sin, he is too stern; if he says more about the comfort and consolation that is in Christ, he is too soft. If he talks especially to the unsaved, he is neglecting the saints; if he addresses himself particularly to Christians, he is neglecting evangelism. It is easy to get into a criticizing mood. But when we are bearing up Gods servants in prayer, the spirit of criticism gives way to one of loving helpfulness.

2. Preservation. Since the apostle and his companions were exposed to great dangers, he said, Pray for usthat we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith (2Th 3:1-2).

It is a sad fact that some men will never believe, no matter how clearly and tenderly the gospel is preached. Many do not have faith because they have closed their hearts and minds to the Word of God. Some say, I have heard the gospel message over and over and I cannot believe the Bible; I cannot believe in the virgin birth of Christ; I cannot believe that He was the Son of God; I cannot believe in His physical resurrection from the dead; I cannot believe in His ascension to Heaven; I cannot believe that He is coming again. I can tell you why they cannot believe. They cannot believe because they have no desire to be free from their sins. They roll sin as a sweet morsel under their tongues, and as long as their sin means more to them than a place in Heaven, they will never be able to believe. Such are the people the apostle described as unreasonable and wicked men/*

Gods gospel is reasonable. He says, Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isa 1:18). He wants to reason with men; He wants them to sit down and face thoughtfully the great eternal truths that are presented in His Word. In 1Co 10:15 Paul said, I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The apostle wanted the Corinthians to exercise reason as they considered what he had said; he wanted them to think it through.

Some people will never ponder the truths of Scripture because they are determined not to believe. They do not wish to be delivered from their evil habits; therefore they are unreasonable and they reject the gospel. Unreasonableness itself is wickedness. God says, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isa 55:7). But if men have no desire to turn from their sins and be delivered from their unrighteousness, He will not force them to do so. God commands all men to repent and if they refuse, He must deal with them in judgment.

Unreasonable and wicked men have not faith. Some people have been troubled by these words, which have been misinterpreted as meaning that God does not give faith to everyone and therefore some individuals cannot believe.

Scripture says, By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8). In other words, the very faith by which we are saved is a gift of God. One view is that if the gift is not given by God to some individuals, they cannot believe and therefore should not be held responsible for the loss of their souls. But that interpretation is unsound, for Scripture also says, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). When men give attention to the voice of God and desire to be delivered from their sins, faith springs up in their souls and they are enabled to believe in Christ and be saved. But when men deliberately spurn the Word of God and persist in their sinfulness, they are numbered among those who have not faith. They do not have faith because they will not give heed to the message.

3. Protection. There is a wonderful promise in 2Th 3:3: The Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. The promise is for young Christians-and old ones too- but here Paul was thinking particularly of the young believers in Thessalonica. They were very much on his heart. He knew they were exposed to all kinds of danger; he knew that Satan would do all he could to turn them away from the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. Paul had prayed for them, even as he had asked them to pray for him. He had confidence in the faithfulness of God.

God is faithful! He gives eternal life to all who believe in Him and He has promised, They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand (Joh 10:28). Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ (Rom 8:35). The life that the believer receives is not conditional, but eternal-therefore that life can never be lost. Those who reason otherwise show that they have never understood the meaning of salvation by pure grace. They still think of human merit as a condition for final salvation. This is the essence of Roman Catholic theology, but many Protestants have never been delivered from it.

The instructed Christian rests not on any imagined faithfulness of his own, but on the faithfulness of God, whose gifts and callings are without repentance (Rom 11:29). He can be depended on to establish us and to keep us from all evil as we seek to walk in obedience to his revealed will. If at times our feet slip because of self-confidence or lack of prayerfulness-like Peter in the high priests porch-He knows how to restore our souls and bring us back to the path of obedience.

4. Perseverance. The apostle had confidence in the saints (see 2Th 3:4). They had believed in Christ and Paul believed in them. Paul knew that those who had trusted Christ were saved, and he counted on seeing them come out on top. We should not get into the habit of underrating and misunderstanding Gods people. I know that many of Gods dear children are enthusiastic for a time and then their keen interest seems to dissipate as they drift away from their first love. But the fact that the Spirit of God dwells in them is good reason for confidence that they will be recovered; they will come at last to the path of subjection to the will of the Lord.

5. Patience. Oh, how much we need the patience mentioned in 2Th 3:5! A better rendering of the verse would read, The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ.

We see the patience of Christ illustrated in Jam 5:7: Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Likewise, the divine Husbandman sits at Gods right hand in Heaven, and He is waiting for the precious fruit of the earth. This means that He is waiting until the last soul is saved in order to complete the body of Christ. Then the Man of Patience, who has been tarrying for all these centuries (as we count time on earth), will rise from the throne and descend from heaven with shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1Th 4:16-17).

We need patience as we wait for Him. This patience rests on our realization of the unchanging love of our heavenly Father, so Paul wrote, The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God (2Th 3:5). What did he mean?

In Jud 1:21 we find a similar thought: Keep yourselves in the love of God. What did Jude mean? How can we keep ourselves in the love of God? Are we responsible to keep God loving us? No, for He says, I have loved thee with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3). Did Jude mean that we are to keep loving God? No, for 1Jn 4:19 says, We love him, because he first loved us.

The following illustration may help to explain what Paul and Jude meant. Suppose my child has been ill and during dark and murky weather he has to be kept in the house. Then one day the sun shines brightly and the doctor says, He can go out today for a few hours, but be sure to warn him to keep in the sunshine. So I say to my boy, Son, you may go out and enjoy yourself, but the doctor says you are to keep in the sunshine. Then the boy asks, How can I keep the sun shining? So I explain, I am not telling you to keep the sun shining; I am telling you to keep in the sunshine. This story, I think, makes clear what is meant by Keep yourselves in the love of God and The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God. We are to keep in the realization of His love, in the constant enjoyment of it.

As we enjoy His love and learn to rely on it, we can wait in patience for the day when all our trials will be ended and the Lord Jesus will come to take us to be forever with Him.

Warning against Idleness (2Th 3:6-15)

Evidently the precious truth of the second coming of our Lord had so gripped the hearts of the Thessalonians that they were fully expecting Him to return in their lifetime. I gather from this passage and the corresponding verses in the first Epistle (4:11-12) that some of the members of the church at Thessalonica who did not particularly enjoy hard work were saying, Well, if the Lord is coming soon, what is the use of working? Why not take it easy? Let those who have enough laid up for the future divide it with us. There is no need to work. The apostle rebuked them and reminded them, When we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat (2Th 3:10).

Work may be of one kind or another; it may be mental or physical. But everyone in this world is expected to do work of some kind. God said to Adam, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread (Gen 3:19). God could provide for us without our working, but it might not be good for us. We benefit physically and intellectually as we use the muscles and minds that God has given us. Professor Henry Van Dykes lines are thoroughly apropos here: Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but the blessing of Earth is toil.

The idle men to whom Paul referred were simply ignoring the divine plan, for honest labor has a prominent place in Christianity. Every Christian knows that he is expected to give his best service in return for the remuneration he receives. It is God who has ordained that men should support themselves by their labor.

When men are not employed properly, there is always the danger that they will busy themselves in matters in which they ought not to interfere. They can become nuisances and be used of Satan to disturb the peace of the church or the peace of those to whom they look for their support. The tongue does not offend so seriously when the hands are kept busy.

It is only right to let the idler see that his behavior does not meet with the approval of his fellow Christians (2Th 3:14). However, such a person is not to be treated unkindly; he is to be admonished as a brother (3:15).

Conclusion (2Th 3:16-18)

The last section of three verses gives us the benediction and concluding salutation. Every authentic Epistle written by Paul closes with a similar message about grace. Here he wrote, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all (3:18). Saved by grace and sustained by grace himself, the apostle ever commended that grace to others.

Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets

2Th 3:2

I. It was, no doubt, with surprise and regret that Paul wrote these words, as it is with surprise and regret that any Christian recognises how vast a multitude of men have not faith. In considering the causes which prevent men from coming to Christ and believing in Him he must divide them into two great classes, those who have never felt any desire to enter into fellowship with Christ, and those who have had some desire, but have stumbled at some difficulty. First of all, there are those who have never felt any desire whatever for the salvation that is in Christ, and that is because they have never felt the degradation and defilement of sin, and their helplessness under the defilement and degradation; or they have never felt the attractiveness of holiness. They may, unconsciously, admire goodness, they may admire truth, and courage, and honour, and love, but they never connected the idea of holiness with these virtues. There is no other way, no other way even proposed, whereby a man may reach maturity and manhood than by becoming a Christian. Without Christ a man may reach a very great deal, but he cannot reach all. The man who is not a Christian, who has no connection with those things which we reach in Christ, is a man only in an imperfect sense of the word, it is only by courtesy that he can be called a man. He is by no means like the person that he is yet to become in Christ. But then, until he himself is smitten with the love of holiness, until the beauty of holiness and union with God stands before him as it is shown us in Christ and wins his heart, or until, on the other hand, providential circumstances and the Spirit of God open up to him the deep degradation and defilement of sin, he is not likely to own that Christ is anything that he needs.

II. Closely allied to this great preliminary obstacle is the misconception which looks upon religion as concerned solely about the life to come, and as not likely to bring in considerable light or strength into our present concerns. Many persons deliberately put aside religion, believing that it would interfere with legitimate pursuits, waste their energies, and introduce gloom and constraint into their life. The professed secularist and the practical secularist each says to himself, “I have occupations and duties now that require all my strength, and if there is another world the best preparation for it that I can make is to do thoroughly, and with all my strength, the duties now pressing upon me.” Most of us have felt the attraction of this position. It has a sound of candid, manly common-sense. It appeals to the Anglo-Saxon within us, and to our esteem for what is practical, and has its foot upon the solid earth. Moreover, it is directly true that the very best preparation, the only preparation, for any future world is to do thoroughly well the duties of the present. Of course that is so. But the whole question remains: What are the duties of the present? Can we determine what these duties are until we determine whether the proclamation made by Christ is true or false? If there is a God, it is not in the future only that we have to do with Him, but now. All our duties must be tinged with the idea of this sovereign purpose and of God’s relation to us. To defer all consideration of God is simply impossible. God is as much in this world as in any world; and if so, our whole life in every part of it must be a godly not a secular life-a life we live well and can only live well in true fellowship with God. A mind that can divide life into duties of the present and duties of the future, really does not understand what life is, and entirely misapprehends what Christianity is.

III. Turning to the other great class of men, we find that many are really willing; their thoughts are always turning towards Christ and His religion; and yet they are continually held back by some misconception of the way in which a fellowship with Him is formed, or some other misconception. One of these misconceptions is the not unnatural, nor altogether unworthy idea that some preparation for coming to Christ is necessary-a deeper conviction, a firmer assurance of continuing in His service, or, perhaps, more feeling is thought to be required. This is a very common state of mind; because it is difficult for any man among us to grasp once for all the idea that Christ has been sent into this world to save us from every kind of evil, and especially from every kind of spiritual faultiness. Uniformly Christ offers Himself to men as they are; He offers the one effectual remedy for our whole condition, whatever it is. And until we accept the remedy that is in Him, we cannot expect to have any more trustworthy repentance or sincere and powerful purpose of amendment. Waiting does no good. To abstain from seeking His help while we strive to make ourselves more worthy of His society, is simply to propose to do the very hardest part of our salvation ourselves. If you are not penitent, Christ is exalted a Prince and a Saviour to bestow repentance. If you are not penitent, you are not very likely to become so anywhere else than at the foot of the cross. It is there that men learn what sin is. If you have no real pain on account of your severance from God, no sorrow that you have preferred your own will to His, no keen thirst for reconcilement to Him, surely this is only what may be expected until we see God and know His love in Christ. This spiritual deadness, which can neither see nor feel as it ought, this is by far the most serious element in our sinful condition; and if without Christ you could save yourself from this, then there is positively nothing else for which you need His aid-nothing at all. The insensibility you are conscious of, your surprising indifference to the spiritual aspect of things, your unconcern about pleasing God, or even about being at peace with God-all this is precisely what identifies you as the person who needed just the revelation of sin and of holiness that Christ made, and just that help of being delivered from sin that Christ offered you. If, then, any one has been delaying to accept Christ, on the understanding that before doing so he must pass through some preliminary and preparatory process, he should recognise that this is a mistake. No preparation is required. What Christ offers He offers freely; He offers to all, He offers on the spot. The preparation for salvation is sin, as danger is the preparation for rescue.

M. Dods, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xlii., p. 64.

References: 2Th 3:2.-Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. viii., p. 98; Homilist, vol. v., p. 217.

2Th 3:5

The Heart’s Home and Guide.

I. The home of the heart. “The Lord direct you into the love of God and the patience of Christ.” The Apostle gathers up the whole sum of his desires for his friends, and presents to us the whole aim of our efforts for ourselves, in these two things: a steadfast love to God, and a calm endurance of evil, and persistence in duty, unaffected by suffering or by pain. If we have these two, we shall not be far from being what God wishes to see us. Now the Apostle’s thought here of “leading us into” these two, seems to suggest the metaphor of a great home with two chambers in it, of which the inner was entered from the outer. The first room is “the love of God,” and the second is “the patience of Christ.” It comes to the same thing, whether we speak of the heart as dwelling in love, or of love as dwelling in the heart. The metaphor varies; the substance of the thought is the same; and that thought is, that the heart should be the sphere and subject of a steadfast, habitual, all-pleasing love, which issues in unbroken calmness of endurance, and persistence of service, in the face of evil. Passive and active patience is the direct fruit of love to God. The one chamber opens into the other. For they whose hearts dwell in the sweet sanctities of the love of God, will ever be those who say, with a calm smile, as they put out their hand to the bitterest draught, “The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?”

II. Notice the Guide of the heart to its home. “The Lord direct you.” We have here a distinct address to Jesus Christ as Divine, and the Hearer of prayer. The Apostle evidently expects a present personal influence from Christ to be exerted upon men’s hearts. All those movements in our hearts, so often neglected, so often resisted, by which we are compelled to a holier life, to a deeper love, to a more unworldly consecration,-all these, rightly understood, are Christ’s directions. He leads us, though often we do not not know the hand that guides; and every Christian may be sure of this-and he is sinful if he does not live up to the height of his privileges-that the ancient promises are more than fulfilled in his experience, and that he has a present Christ, an indwelling Christ, who will be his Shepherd, and lead him by green pastures and still waters sometimes, and through valleys of darkness and rough defiles sometimes, but always with the purpose of bringing him nearer and nearer to the full possession of the love of God and the patience of Christ.

III. Notice the heart’s yielding to its Guide. If this was Paul’s prayer for his converts, it should be our aim for ourselves. Christ is ready to direct our hearts, if we will let Him. All depends on our yielding to that sweet direction, loving as that of a mother’s hand on her child’s shoulder.

A. Maclaren, Paul’s Prayers, p. 25.

2Th 3:6-18

I. In this passage the Apostle teaches the Thessalonians that in tranquillity, sedateness of heart and life, they are severally, not only to work, but to do their own work, and so have need of no man. Thus the bread which is their own will be doubly sweet to them. If we revert to the military metaphor which underlies the word “disorderly,” and may also underlie the word “withdraw,” we may place another saying of the Apostle into connection with these injunctions. “Every man shall bear his own burden,”-his own proper and personal load. The word is used to signify a soldier’s kit or knapsack. In Christian warfare, then, each faithful soldier must see that he has his own weight, and that he does not encumber another with it, or take up another’s instead of his own. All acts of this kind are a walking disorderly.

II. Believers then have daily work to do; not only Christian work, but all work done in a Christian spirit. The record of their days must never be like that said to have been found in the diary of Louis XVI., after the first French Revolution, the simple word occurring on almost every page, “Nothing, nothing!” Time rather must be redeemed, not wasted.

III. “But ye, brethren, be not weary in welldoing.” The Apostle exhorts them not to lose heart, not to faint as cowards, in doing whatever is honourable and good-all actions which are fair in themselves and blissful in their results. An implied commendation is in the injunction. They are even now engaged in welldoing, and they are urged, by perseverance therein, to show forth “the patience of Christ.” There is to be well doing in the widest sense of the word. Surveying the huge circumference of human love, Christ’s people are never to faint in the work of leaving the world better than they found it. “In due season we shall reap if we faint not.”

J. Hutchison, Lectures on Thessalonians, p. 322.

Reference: 2Th 3:6-18.-Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. ii., p. 81.

2Th 3:13

Perseverance.

I. There is a very great inclination in certain stages of society, and certain periods of our life, to feel a kind of contempt for perseverance. Mere patient labour is thought but meanly of for the most part; we give it all sorts of bad names. We sneer at a plodder. We are inclined to fancy when we start in life that great talent-that indefinable power which we call genius-will be sure to bear all before it, and must carry the world by storm. By-and-by we get to find that the world is very much larger than we fancied, and that there is a great deal of talent, nay, a great many geniuses in it, and that eminence is not to be obtained at a bound, but only by long and patient climbing.

II. Even in religion and in the building up of a Christian character, it is perseverance that is of the most vital and essential importance; and that, indeed, without a persevering continuance in the painful practice of what our conscience sanctions and commands, there can be no real godliness, no true religion. If there be one thing more than another which marks the man of genius, it is his courageous steadfastness. They say that the tiger, once baulked in its first spring, will not again renew the charge, but skulks back into the jungle cowed and ashamed. We know that it is ever so with the craven spirits in the world: the first check or discouragement crushes them; they have no heart to recover from a fall. God asks for patience in welldoing; He will have long trial of His wisdom and truth; but they who trust in Him shall not lose their reward.

A. Jessopp, Norwich School Sermons, p, 75.

References: 2Th 3:13.-W. Walters, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xx., p. 136; E. Cooper, Practical Sermons, vol. iii., p. 95.

2Th 3:16

The Lord of Peace, and the Peace of the Lord.

I. The deepest longing of every human heart is for peace. There are many ways in which the supreme good may be represented, but, perhaps, none of them is so lovely, and exercises such universal fascination of attraction as that which presents it in the form of rest. It is an eloquent testimony to the unrest which tortures every heart, that the promise of peace should to all seem so fair. Rest which is not apathy, rest which is not indolence, rest which is contemporaneous with, and the consequence of, the full wholesome activity of the whole nature in its legitimate directions, that is the thing that we are all longing for. The sea is not stagnant though it be calm; there will be the slow heave of the calm billow, and the wavelets may sparkle in the sunlight, though they be still from all the winds that rave. We want, most of all, peace in our inmost hearts.

II. The Lord of Peace Himself is the only Giver of peace. Christ is the “Lord of Peace” because that tranquillity of heart and spirit, that unruffled calm, which we all see from afar and long to possess, was verily His, in His manhood, during all the calamities and changes and activities of His earthly life. He sorrowed; He wept; He wondered; He was angry; He pitied; He loved; and yet all these were perfectly consistent with the unruffled calm that marked His whole career. So peace is not stolid indifference. Nor is it to be found in the avoidance of difficult duties, or the cowardly shirking of sacrifices and pains and struggles; but, rather, it is “peace subsisting at the heart of endless agitation,” of which the great example stands in Him who was the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief, and who yet in it all was the Lord of Peace.

III. The peace of the Lord of Peace is perfect. “Give you peace always.” That points to perpetual, unbroken duration in time, and through all changing circumstances, which might threaten a less stable and deeply-rooted tranquillity. Christ’s peace is perpetual and multiform, unbroken, and presenting itself in all the aspects in which tranquillity is possible for a human spirit.

IV. The Lord of Peace gives it by giving His own presence. When He is in the vessel the waves calm themselves. So, if we are conscious of breaches of our restfulness, interruptions of our tranquillity, by reason of surging, impatient passions and hot desires within ourselves, or by reason of the pressure of outward circumstances, or by reason of our having fallen beneath our consciences and done wrong things, let us understand that the breaches of our peace are not owing to Him, but only to our having let go His hand. It is our own fault if we are ever troubled; if we kept close to Him, we should not be. Keep inside the fortress, and nothing will disturb.

A. Maclaren, Paul’s Prayers, p. 37.

Fuente: The Sermon Bible

Prayer and Progress

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified.2Th 3:1.

The main part of this Epistle is finished with the previous chapter. The Apostle has completed his teaching about the Second Advent, and the events which precede and condition it; and nothing remains to dispose of but some minor matters of personal and practical interest. He begins by asking again, as at the close of the First Epistle, the prayers of the Thessalonians for himself and his fellow-workers. It was a strength and comfort to him, as it is to every minister of Christ, to know that he was remembered, by those who loved him, in the presence of God. But it is no selfish or private interest that the Apostle has in view when he begs a place in their prayers; it is the interest of the work with which he has identified himself. Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified. This was the one business and concern of his life; if it went well, all his desires were satisfied.

We might be ready to think that, if ever there was a minister of Jesus Christ who was raised above the need of his peoples prayers, that minister was St. Paul. He was endowed, both by nature and by grace, beyond the measure of ordinary men. Whether as a man or as a servant of the Lord Jesus, he towers above the level of the common ranks, and from our distant point of view looks nearer and liker to his Master than any of his fellows. Since this great and good Apostle did feel deeply his need of prayer, not only his own, but also the prayers of all saints on his behalf, so felt this great and constant and pressing need, that he turned with touching importunity from church to church and pleaded with them that they would pray for him and not forget him, is not this to proclaim in the most emphatic manner that, as necessity is laid on ministers to preach the gospel, even so necessity is laid upon the people to pray for their ministersto uphold and help them daily with their prayers?

There is an almost pathetic eagerness in St. Pauls oft-recurring entreaty, Brethren, pray for us, Brethren, pray for us. Was it that the Apostle thought of his own salvation as in one sense owing to the prayer of another? It may not be possible to determine with exactness the indebtedness of Paul to Stephen; but that the dying martyrs prayer, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge, shook to its very centre the confident Pharisaism of the youthful Saul of Tarsus it seems impossible to doubt. Perhaps St. Augustine scarcely goes too far when he says that the Church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen.

Si Stephanus non orasset

Ecclesia Paulum non haberet.1 [Note: G. Jackson, Memoranda Paulina, 250.]

The Practice of Intercession

Pray for us.

The Apostle loved to be prayed for, and in thus beseeching the Churches to remember him in intercession, he almost invested the humblest member of the household of Christ with a new function and a special ministry. The Apostle did not deign to disregard the prayers of the poorest for his own personal protection and comfort, but he specially desired the supplication of the saints on behalf of the gospel itself, that it might spread over all the world. He would have all people be, as it were, reproductions of the Thessalonians, who had provided an open door for the evangelical message, and had in their own persons so glowingly illustrated the power of the gospel that others might reproduce the Thessalonian example, and rest sure that in going in the direction of the Thessalonians they were pursuing the right way. What a tribute was this to the excellence of the Thessalonian Christians!

1. The double note (We pray always for you pray for us) is heard through all St. Pauls Epistles. He prays for others, and he entreats others to pray for him. Making mention of you in my prayersthis is the Apostolic token in almost every Epistle. The care of all the Churches was upon St. Paul daily, and daily he carried his care to God. Brethren in Asia Minor, brethren in Philippi, in Thessalonica and in Corinth, brethren in far-off Romehe remembered them all when he knelt to pray. Nor was it only for Churches that he prayed; he named men and women by name before God. Making mention of thee in my prayers, he writes to Philemon; and to Timothy, I thank God how unceasing is my remembrance of thee in my supplications. And a man who prayed thus for his friends could not but desire the prayers of his friends for himself.

2. How St. Paul delighted in the practice of prayer and in enjoining it upon the Churches! Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Eph 6:18). Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God (Php 4:6). To the Thessalonians he said, Pray without ceasing (1Th 5:17). Jesus Christ Himself had enjoined upon His disciples the duty of prayer. Men ought always to pray, and not to faint (Luk 18:1). Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation (Mat 26:41). Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest (Mat 9:38). The Apostle had confidence that by the prayers of the saints his ministry would be brought to the highest issues. Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christs sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me (Rom 15:30). In writing to the Colossians he desired a special interest in their prayers for the same purpose: Praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ (Col 4:3). If a great man like the Apostle Paul could not dispense with the prayers of Christians, ought not every preacher of the gospel to encourage the offering of such prayers on his own account? When men pray for their ministers, they cannot undervalue their labours. They should regard such labours as an answer to their own prayers. Having sown the seed of prayer, they should expect the harvest of profitable service.

You may be sure that in my hermitage by the unseen brook Cherith I do not cross my arms in daily and nightly supplication without enfolding you all in them; and may I say again, like John Newton to his friend, When you are with the King and getting good for yourself, speak a word for me. I must quote morethe words are truly beautifulI have reason to think you see Him oftener and have nearer access to Him than myself. Yet I am not wholly without His notice. He supplies all my wants, and I live under His protection. My enemies see His royal arms over my door and dare not enter.1 [Note: W. B. Robertson, in Life, by J. Brown, 212.]

One of Millais most powerful pictures is that in the Manchester Art Gallery, entitled Victory, O Lord. It represents the incident related in Exo 17:10-12, of Moses sitting on the top of the hill, while Joshua is leading the Israelites against the Amalekites on the plains below. Moses, the great lawgiver, is represented seated upon a stone, his body bent with age and weariness. Aaron and Hur stand on either side of him supporting his upraised arms, since as long as these were held up Israel prevailed. The faces of the two supporters are ablaze with zeal. They watch the conflict below, and can hardly remain passive through agitation. Yet there they remain holding up the arms of the aged leader. The whole picture is a lesson in the practice of prayer.

The Purpose of this Intercession

That the word of the Lord may run and be glorified.

1. The word of the Lord is the gospel, of which St. Paul was the principal herald to the nations; and we see in his choice of the word run his sense of its urgency. It was glad tidings to all mankind; and how sorely needed wherever the Apostle turned his eyes! The constraint of Christs love was upon his heart, the constraint of mens sin and misery; and he could not pass swiftly enough from city to city, to proclaim the reconciling grace of God, and call men from darkness to light. His eager heart fretted against barriers and restraints of every description; he saw in them the malice of the great enemy of Christ: We would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered me. Hence it is that he asks the Thessalonians to pray for their removal, that the word of the Lord may run.

The singular metaphor of the running word is probably suggested by Psa 19:5, where the course of the sun is pictured in glowing poetic languagerejoicing as a hero to run a race, while the latter part of the Psalm sets the law of the Lord in comparison with his glorious career. St. Paul applies 2Th 3:4 of the Psalm in Rom 10:18, with striking effect, to the progress of the gospel. Through running the word is glorified, and that is true of it which Virgil writes in his splendid lines on Fama (Aeneid, 4:175):

Mobilitate viget, viresque adquirit eundo.1 [Note: G. G. Findlay.]

It is one of the happy omens of our own time that the Apostolic conception of the gospel as an ever-advancing, ever-victorious force, has begun again to take its place in the Christian heart. If it is really to us what it was to St. Paula revelation of Gods mercy and judgment which dwarfs everything else, a power omnipotent to save, an irresistible pressure of love on heart and will, glad tidings of great joy that the world is dying forwe shall share in this ardent, evangelical spirit, and pray for all preachers that the word of the Lord may run very swiftly. How it passed in apostolic times from land to land and from city to cityfrom Syria to Asia, from Asia to Macedonia, from Macedonia to Greece, from Greece to Italy, from Italy to Spaintill in one mans lifetime, and largely by one mans labour, it was known throughout the Roman world! It is easy, indeed, to over-estimate the number of the early Christians; but we can hardly over-estimate the fiery speed with which the Cross went forth conquering and to conquer. Missionary zeal is one note of the true Apostolic Church.2 [Note: J. Denney.]

2. St. Paul wishes the Thessalonians to pray that the Word of the Lord may be glorified, as well as run or have free course as the Authorized Version puts it. The Word of the Lord is a glorious thing itself. As the Apostle calls it in another place, it is the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. All that makes the spiritual glory of GodHis holiness, His love, His wisdomis concentrated and displayed in it. But its glory is acknowledged, and in that sense heightened, when its power is seen in the salvation of men. A message from God that did nothing would not be glorified: it would be discredited and shamed. It is the glory of the gospel to lay hold of men, to transfigure them, to lift them out of evil into the company and the likeness of Christ. For anything else it does, it may not fill a great space in the worlds eye; but when it actually brings the power of God to save those who receive it, it is clothed in glory. St. Paul did not wish to preach without seeing the fruits of his labour. He did the work of an evangelist; and he would have been ashamed of the evangel if it had not wielded a Divine power to overcome sin and bring the sinful to God. Pray that it may always have this power. Pray that when the word of the Lord is spoken it may not be an ineffective, fruitless word, but mighty through God.

There is an expression in Tit 2:10 analogous to this glorifying of the Wordadorning the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. It is only too possible for us to disgrace the gospel; but it is in our power also, by every smallest action we do, to illustrate it, to set it off, to put its beauty in the true light before the eyes of men. The gospel comes into the world, like everything else, to be judged on its merits; that is, by the effects which it produces in the lives of those who receive it. We are its witnesses; its character, in the general mind, is as good as our character; it is as lovely as we are lovely, as strong as we are strong, as glorious as we are glorious, and no more. Let us seek to bear it a truer and worthier witness than we have yet done. To adorn it is a calling far higher than most of us have aimed at; but if it comes into our prayers, if its swift diffusion and powerful operation are near our hearts in the sight of God, grace will be given us to do this also.1 [Note: J. Denney.]

Lull had no idea that Christianity was not a complete and sufficient religion. He did not study other religions with the purpose of providing from them ideals which Christianity was supposed to lack. Nor did he propose to reduce out of all religions a common fund of general principles more or less to be found in all and regard these as the ultimate religion. He studied other religions to find out how better to reach the hearts of their adherents with the gospel, itself perfect and complete, lacking nothing, needing nothing from any other doctrine. With him there was a difference between Christianity and other religions not in degree only, but in kind. It possesses what they lack which is desirable. It lacks what they possess which is unworthy. It alone satisfies. It alone is life. They are systems of society or politics, religions of books, methods, organizations. It and it alone is life, eternal life. Lull studied other religions, not to discover what they have to give to Christianity, for they have nothing, but to find how he might give to those who follow them the true life, which is life, and which no man shall ever find until he finds it in Christ.1 [Note: S. M. Zwemer, Raymund Lull, 17.]

3. What strikes a reader of the Acts of the Apostles is the wisdom shown in the preaching of the Word, and the important and prime place given to preaching. Beyond all question both in the service and in the ministry of Apostolic Christianity the Word had the first place as being the most efficient and best acknowledged agent in the conversion of sinners and edification of believers. If early Christian practice has any force as precedent for subsequent times, the preaching of the gospel is the most prominent and urgent duty of the Church. The practical emphasis laid by early Christians on the place of preaching should be to us an incentive and an inspiration. Why this perpetual insisting on the Word? Why this conveying of it as of seed even upon the wings of the wind of persecution by dispersed martyrs? Why this tracing of the growth of discipleship and of the Kingdom of God to the Word almost without a mention of the sacramental observances and indulgences? Why this great charter of Jesus to His folk to preach the gospel to every creature, unless the preaching of the cross is the one great, solemn, and constant call of the Lord? It may be replied that the novelty of Christianity required the accentuation of preaching because her hope of progress depended on her missionary activity; but our answer is that when a Church ceases to be missionary in spirit or in practice she thereupon ceases to be a Church.

sometimes think that a verse in one of the Psalms carries the whole pith of homileticsWhile I was musing the fire burned, then spake I with my tongue. Patient meditation, resulting in kindled emotion and the flashing up of truth into warmth and light, and thenand not till thenthe rush of speech moved by the Holy Ghostthese are the processes which will make sermons live things with hands and feet, as Luthers words were said to be. Then spake I, not Then sate I down at my desk and wrote it all down to be majestically read out of manuscript in a leather case. May I add another text, which contains as complete a description of the contents of preaching as the Psalm does of its genesis? Whom we preachthere is the evangelistic element, which is foundation of all, and is proclamation with the loud voice, the curt force, the plain speech of a herald; and there is, too, the theme, namely, the Person, not a set of doctrines, but, on the other hand, a Person whom we can know only by doctrines, and whom, if we know, we shall surely have some doctrine concerning. Warning every manthere is the ethical side of preaching; and teaching every manthere is the educational aspect of the Christian ministry. These three must never be separated, and he is the best minister of Jesus Christ who keeps the proportion between them most clearly in his mind, and braids all the strands together in his ministry into a threefold cord, not quickly broken.1 [Note: Dr. McLaren of Manchester, 71.]

One great qualification for successful labour is power to get the truth home to the heart not to deliver it. I wish the word had never been coined in connexion with Christian work. Deliver it, indeedthat is not in the Bible. No, no; not deliver it; but drive it homesend it inmake it felt. That is your work; not merely to say itnot quietly and genteelly to put it before the people. Here is just the difference between a self-consuming, soul-burdened, Holy Ghost, successful ministry, and a careless, happy-go-lucky, easy sort of thing, that just rolls it out like a lesson, and goes home, holding itself in no way responsible for the consequences. Here is all the difference, either in public or individual labour. God has made you responsible, not for delivering the truth, but for getting it ingetting it home, fixing it in the conscience as a red hot iron, as a bolt, straight from His throne; and He has placed at your disposal the power to do it, and if you do not do it blood will be on your skirts.2 [Note: The Life of Catherine Booth, 1:163.]

Do you wish to know, continued St. Francis, how I test the excellence and value of a preacher? It is by assuring myself that those who have been listening to him come away striking their breasts and saying: I will do better; not by their saying: Oh how well he spoke, what beautiful things he said! For to say beautiful things in fluent and well-chosen words shows indeed the learning and eloquence of a man; but the conversion of sinners and their departing from their evil ways is the sure sign that God has spoken by the mouth of the preacher, that he possesses the true power of speech, which is inspired by the science of the Saints, and that he proclaims worthily in the name of Almighty God that perfect law which is the salvation of souls.1 [Note: The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, 477.]

III

The Person in the Intercession

Pray for us.

St. Paul gathers up all that he has to request for himself in one crowning petition, and the petition of the Apostle in the first age is the petition of all to whom Apostolic work is committed in every age. The want which St. Paul felt, the help which St. Paul craved, the power which St. Paul knew to be accessible, remain unaltered. The ambassador of Christ now as then, baffled and perplexed by ignorance and wickedness, alone and yet not alone, looks to his brethren in other lands for the sustaining ministry of love; the distant churches, now as then, are called to share by spiritual sympathy in a work which belongs to the fulness of their life; the treasury of heaven now as then is open for all who claim their inheritance of unexhausted blessings. Not one promise made to the Church has been revoked. Not one gift has been annulled. Not one command has been withdrawn. Make disciples of all the nations; Receive the Holy Ghost; I am with you all the daysthese are still living words of a living Saviour, spoken once and spoken always. The slackness of our own energy is alone able to hinder the progress of His triumph: the dimness of our own vision is alone able to dull the effulgence of His glory.

1. Prayer is essentially active and expansive. If we pray for the attainment of an object, we shall work for it also; and we shall even without any set purpose make our interest in it felt. At present we seem to limit in some strange way our practical interpretation of one of our commonest petitions. The coming of our Fathers Kingdom, so far as this phrase has any definite meaning for us, stands for something far less vast than those promises suggest which help us to rise to the magnificence of its hope. If we learn to say, not with the lips only but with the heart and with the understanding, Thy kingdom come; if we intensify our prayers by due reflection on the vastness and variety of the work for which we pray; then we shall soon speak one to another of that which burns within us. Zeal will kindle zeal where before silence chilled it, and devotion will pass into deed.

Immediately after dressing, he settled down to work at whatever his special task for the time might be, though very frequently, if one came into his room at all suddenly, the result was to make him rise hurriedly from his knees, his face reddened, and his eyes depressed by the intense pressure of his hands, the base of each of which had been driven and almost gouged into either eye-socket, the fingers and thumbs pressed down over forehead and head. The Greek Testament, open at some special point which had occupied him at the moment he kneeled down, lay on the chair before him; but as he rose the spirit seemed to have come back again into his face from the far-off region to which it had been travelling, and there was just the hint in the face of an involuntary sadness and almost of reproach that the spirit should be recalled from the intercourse it had been enjoying. Mrs. Maurices note-book adds to this: Whenever he woke in the night he was always praying. And in the very early morning I have often pretended to be asleep lest I should disturb him whilst he was pouring out his heart to God. He never began any work or any book without preparing for it by prayer.1 [Note: Life of Frederick Denison Maurice, 2:285.]

2. We do not indeed care to inquire how prayer affects the will of God. It is enough for us to know that our God is a God who, seen under the conditions of human life, answers prayer. It is not for us to prescribe, it is not for us to know, the seasons which answer to the fitting accomplishment of the Fathers purpose. We pray according to our most imperfect sight. We trust our prayers to the absolute love of God, sure at least of this that no effort will be lost which is consecrated to Him, sure that the good seed which is watered with tears will hereafter bring gladness to the reapers heart, sure that, if we pray to Him and as we pray to Him, the Lord of the harvest will send forth His labourers, some, as it must be, for the toil of patient waiting, and some for the toil of thankful ingathering, but all alike sobered and strengthened by the burden of His cross, all alike crowned with the undying wreath of His victory.

It is said that the way-worn labourers of Iona found their burdens grow lighter when they reached the most difficult part of their journey because the secret prayers of their aged master Columba met them there. I can well believe the story; and such comfort of unspoken sympathy the Church at home can give to the isolated missionary. If when he is saddened by the spectacle of evil which has been accumulated and grown hard through countless generations; if when his words find no entrance because the very power of understanding them is wanting; if when he watches his life ebb and his work remain undone and almost unattempted, he can turn homeward with the certain knowledge that in England unnumbered fellow-labourers are striving from day to day to lighten his sorrows and to cheer his loneliness; I can well believe that he too will find that refreshment and joy in the consciousness of deep human fellowship, in our Lord and Saviour, which will nerve him for new and greater toils: that he will be strong again with the strength of holy companionship and courageous with the solace of hope.1 [Note: B. F. Westcott, Lessons from Work, 208.]

3. We have to-daylet us in most humble reverence face the facta Divine gospel to proclaim and a Divine force to use. No temporary disappointments, no apparent failure, no deferred hope can alter this truth. For the way in which Gods counsel is fulfilled must necessarily vary according to the varying circumstances of the world. It is not given to us to foresee how Christ will show Himself, or by what advances and after what delays this end towards which we aspire will be reached. We cannot even tell of ourselves what is the right fulfilment of our own desire. We all know how St. Pauls prayer was answered. He was opposed, rejected, imprisoned, martyred. The unreasonable and evil men from whom he sought protection finally triumphed over him. He asked for deliverance and he found death. But what then? His message was not lost. It was for a time hidden; and few things in the history of the Church are more striking. But after a dark, cold season of waiting the harvest was matured. Where he had sown, others reaped; and through manifold discouragements and checks and antagonisms the gospel of the cross within three centuries conquered the family, the schools, the state. The lesson is written for our learning. Let us do our work. Let the harvest, if God so will, be for those that come after us; there will be joy then for the sower.

Perhaps in the modern mission-field the prayer of the text has had no better fulfilment than in the kingdom of Toro, near the Albert Nyanza and adjacent to Uganda, the king of which, David Kasagama, wrote in an interesting letter some years ago: I want my country to be a strong lantern, that is not put out in this land of darkness. The queen-mother is also a Christian, and in a letter of hers wrote these words: Friends, I thank God that we are one with you although we are black and you are white, because now we are one in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, my masters, persevere in praying to God to give us strength every day. Such words echo the Apostolic precept to pray for the success of Gods Word, while they encourage us, from the triumph of the gospel in Toro, to believe the prophetic word that it shall not return to God void, but shall accomplish that which He pleases, and shall prosper in the thing whereto He hath sent it.1 [Note: J. Silvester.]

Prayer and Progress

Literature

Denney (J.), The Epistles to the Thessalonians (Expositors Bible), 309.

Fairbairn (R. B.), College Sermons, 330.

Findlay (G. G.), The Epistles to the Thessalonians, 159.

Garrod (G. W.), The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, 127.

Jackson (G.), Memoranda Paulina, 250.

Parker (J.), Colossians, Philemon, and Thessalonians, 289.

Purves (P. C.), The Divine Cure for Heart Trouble, 76.

Westcott (B. F.), Lessons from Work, 199.

Christian World Pulpit, xlvii. 329 (J. B. Meharry); liii. 298 (J. B. Cabrera); lv. 368 (B. F. Westcott); lxiii. 298 (C. Brown); lxxiii. 219 (A. Lamont).

Church of England Pulpit, xlviii. 97 (B. F. Westcott); lxii. 585 (J. Silvester).

Church Pulpit Year Book, 1906, p. 300.

Fuente: The Great Texts of the Bible

pray: Mat 9:38, Luk 10:2, Rom 15:30, 2Co 1:11, Eph 6:19, Eph 6:20, Col 4:3, 1Th 5:17, 1Th 5:25, Heb 13:18, Heb 13:19

the word: Act 6:7, Act 12:24, Act 13:49, Act 19:20, 1Co 16:9, 2Ti 2:9

have free course: Gr. run

be: Psa 138:2, Act 13:48

even: 1Th 1:5, 1Th 2:1, 1Th 2:13

Reciprocal: Psa 45:4 – prosperously Psa 90:17 – establish Psa 147:15 – his word Isa 62:1 – Zion’s Act 19:17 – the name 1Th 1:8 – from

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

A MINISTERIAL REQUEST

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men.

2Th 3:1-2

As at the close of the First Epistle, so now, as St. Paul hastens to the close of the Second, he thinks of himself and his companions in labour and tribulation.

I. Yet he is thinking most of others spiritual welfare.In the petition which he entreats his converts to present on behalf of himself and associates, his desire is that the Word of God may have free course, and be glorified. The language was possibly suggested by Psa 147:15, His word runneth very swiftly; for run is a more literal rendering than have free course. Its course was beset by many hindrances. He desires his friends, therefore, to pray that whatever these obstacles may be, however numerous and formidable, the gospel might have no slow and uncertain course, but might bear down all opposition, and be glorified into proving itself to be the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.

II. The Word of the Lord is glorified when it grows and multiplies, and mightily prevails. It grows, for there is life in it. It is the good seed of the Word. It multiplies, for it becomes a new seed in all who receive it into their heartseach believer becoming himself a new word of the Lord. It mightily prevails, for it exerts an ever-growing power, an ever-extending influence over the hearts and lives of men.

III. Another object of prayer was that they might be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. There is more of the personal element in this than in that which precedes it; and yet here, too, his desire is not for self-preservation so much as for the prosperity and success of his ministry.

(SECOND OUTLINE)

THE MAN AND HIS MESSAGE

Prayer is the first thing with any one who believes in a personal God. What are we to pray for: That the Word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified.

I. What is the underlying thought?Thinking of the message the man has to deliver, asking only the power that he may minister rightly in the sight of God. What a deal of trouble, what a deal of misconception, what a deal of loss to ourselves it would save if we could only look upon the clergy in that light, as mere channels and mouthpieces, as mere organs by which God chooses to work, and then we shall see that the clergy and the laity would drop so much better into their respective positions. Brethren, pray for us. Why? Simply because we are your brethren.

II. Prayer before criticism.Pray for usdo not criticise us so much; not that we are on any pedestal, nor that there is any reason why we should not be subject, just as any other is, to comment in regard to the performance of duty; but criticism in itself puts you in a wrong attitude towards us, and when we hear it given behind our backs it puts us in a wrong attitude towards you. We clergy have this much to askdo not criticise us until you pray for us. If you want something improved, alteredif you see some way in which the clergy are wrong, or if you see something they do which may be done betterif you have not courage to come and speak of it, at least tell God. Criticise your clergy to God, and ask God to help them to do better. We rejoice when the criticisms come straight from a friendly heart to help us. Brethren, pray for us! You do see when we are wrongof course, a man can see where his brother is wrongGod give us grace to see when we are wrong ourselves.

III. Reflex benefit of prayer.There is just one other reason why you should pray for us: your self-interest. The more you pray for us the more good we shall be to you. Perhaps some of you do not know quite how hard it is to preach a sermon: we all know how easy it is to pick it to pieces. Just kneel down and lift up your hearts to God and say, Help that poor shrinking man to do his best.

Rev. Canon J. Hasloch Potter.

Illustration

I remember one day in the University Church, a man preaching was so painfully nervous. We were pretty near, and we could see his pitiful state of nervousness. A student seated next to me said, Pray for that man! Very much the same thing happened in a suburban church one Easter Day. A stranger was taking the service. He seemed to be very weak and overcomehe was in a very low state of health at the time. Several of the men there (they were working-men, there were a great many of them in the congregation) were afraid he would not be able to get through the service, and they went out to the back of the church and knelt down on the grass in the sunlight, and each prayed in his own heart, heartily and fervently, that that poor man might be able to get through the service. Was not that far better in Gods sight than going out and saying, What a poor broken reed we have had to-day! And the prayer of those working-men helped to uphold the reed, and helped it to stand upright.

Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary

FINALLY, THE THESSALONIANS were to pray for Paul himself, and that not only in regard to his personal safety but in regard to the work with which he was entrusted. The history recorded in Act 17:1-34 shows us how greatly prayer for his safety was needed at this juncture, yet he gave the first place to the work. The word had had full course amongst the Thessalonians and consequently it had been glorified in the wonderful results it produced in them. Paul asked prayer that thus it might be wherever he went. He prayed unceasingly for his converts but he was also not ashamed to ask for their prayers for himself. The most advanced saint or servant may well be thankful for the prayers of the youngest convert or the humblest believer.

As to the Thessalonians themselves the Apostle had confidence in the Lord concerning them that they would be governed by his directions, only he desired that the Lord Himself might direct their hearts into the enjoyment of Gods love and into the patience of Christ. This is what we all want, and especially so seeing that the end of the age is upon us. If our hearts enter into Christs patience, as He waits at Gods right hand, and are tuned into sympathy with Him, we shall not chafe at what to us may seem a long delay. Gods love will meanwhile be our enjoyed portion and we shall be able to display it to others while passing through the world.

From verse 2Th 3:6 of this third chapter and the succeeding verses it is evident that the erroneous ideas concerning the coming of the Lord, which had been pressed upon the Thessalonians, had already borne evil fruit. It is ever the way that evil communications corrupt good manners. Some amongst them had become fanatical in their minds, under the impression that the day of Christ was upon them, and had thrown up their ordinary employment. Having done this they began to expect support from others.

They became disorderly busybodies, doing nothing themselves and preying upon others who quietly went on with their work.

As to this the Apostle was able to hold himself up as an example. He had laboured night and day for his own support, though he might justly have been chargeable to them. God had ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel (1Co 9:14). Yet he had not claimed this right. As to all others the divine rule is, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

In verse 2Th 3:12 we have Pauls word to these busybodies. He commands them to work for their own living. Then in verse 2Th 3:13 he turns to the rest of the assembly at Thessalonica and tells them not to be weary in well-doing, We can well imagine how tired they must have got of these disorderly brethren who were continually trespassing on their kindness. If now they were to be relieved of this burden let them not cease their benevolence but still be hearty and cheerful givers in the interests of the Lord.

Verses 2Th 3:14-15 give instructions in case any of the disorderly brethren were contumacious and refused obedience to Gods word through the

Apostles letter. Such were to be disciplined. The displeasure of God was to be manifested in His people withdrawing their companionship. The offender would thereby be made to feel the unenviable notoriety of his isolation. His links with the world without were broken and now there would be no happy companionship within the Christian circle. This would be a well-nigh impossible position and calculated to bring him to his senses. He was not however to be put right outside the Christian circle as though he were an enemy, which was the dealing that had to be taken with the offender of whom we read in 1Co 5:1-13.

All this should be done that peace might reign in their midst. Only the Lord Himself however could really give this. Paul desired that it might be theirs at all times and in every way.

As the Thessalonians had been troubled with an epistle falsely represented as coming from Paul, he was very careful that there should be no doubt about the authenticity of this epistle which really did come from him. This explains verse 17.

Fuente: F. B. Hole’s Old and New Testaments Commentary

2Th 3:1. Finally is defined “moreover” in Thayer’s lexicon. It merely indicates that the apostle has some additional instructions to give the brethren, and not that it was to be the final or last of his remarks. Pray for us. In 1Th 5:25 Paul makes this same request. (See the comments at that place.) It is sufficient here to say that not even an inspired man has any special immunity against temptation. Us is the plural form of the first personal pronoun. It is true that all of the apostles needed the prayers of the faithful, and Paul could properly include them in his request. However, this use of a plural pronoun is like that of “we” which is a form of “editorial modesty” with reference to one’s personality. In this verse the request is not for some favor to Paul especially, but for the word of the Lord. Have free course means that it may not be obstructed by any foe. Be glorified denotes that it would receive its proper recognition from those who heard it. As it is with you. The Thessalonians had given such respectful attention to the word of the Lord, and it was the wish of Paul that others accord it the like treatment.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

2Th 3:1. Pray for us. Paul knew how to magnify his office, when occasion required: but in the apostle he never ceased to be a humble, natural, Christian man. He not only prays for his children in Christ, but begs them to pray for him. But in another sense the man is absorbed in the apostle; if he seeks blessing for himself; it is to the end that the word of the Lord may have free course. It is after the manner of the apostle to put that as a wish for himself, which was a wish for the furtherance of the Gospel (Jowett). Paul felt his need of courage to race those who opposed the preaching of the Gospel, of constancy to avail himself of every opportunity to introduce it into new audiences, and again and again (see references) appealed to the churches to pray for him in connection with this matter. His joy in imprisonment was that the word of God was not bound (2Ti 2:9); his desire, while he himself is threatened and opposed, is that the word may have free circulation (lit may run), may not be checked in its onward race, may extend everywhere

And be glorified, even as it is with you. The word was glorified among the Thessalonians by their receiving it as the word of God and trusting it, as described in the beginning of the First Epistle. It was glorified by the manifest influence it had on their conduct, by the work of their faith and by their patience. Paul desires that it may elsewhere be similarly glorified, attaining its rightful position in mens minds.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

CONCLUSION

The concluding chapter consists of an exhortation to pray for its author (2Th 3:1-2), an expression of his confidence in the faithfulness of those he is addressing (2Th 3:3-5); a command to them concerning their separation from the unfaithful (2Th 3:6-11); a command to the unfaithful themselves (2Th 3:12-15), a benediction and a superscription (2Th 3:16-18).

There is but one thing for which Paul would have them pray on his behalf, namely, that he may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men.

These men were in the church in the visible sense, not the invisible, for they did not have the faith (RV) It was these more than the people outside who were hindering the Word from running and being glorified.

What a sweet thought that is in 2Th 3:5, the patient waiting for Christ. It is only the scoffer, walking after his own lusts who says, Where is the promise of His coming? (2Pe 3:3-4). Let us not through any undue impatience be classed with them. He will come and will not tarry (Heb 10:3; Heb 10:7).

The unfaithful ones are the same as he addressed in 1Th 4:10-12, and who evidently did not heed that exhortation. And yet, they might be saved men notwithstanding (see 2Th 3:15).

The token of validity (2Th 3:17) is interesting in the light of 1Th 2:2. Hereafter the forger will have to be doubly bold.

No questions are required for this lesson.

Fuente: James Gray’s Concise Bible Commentary

Observe here, 1. A courteous and loving compellation, brethren. There is a three-fold brotherhood, which the scripture takes notice of betwixt Christ and believers, betwixt believers themselves, and betwixt the ministers of Christ and their beloved people.

Observe, 2. St. Paul’s passionate request and supplication, Brethren, pray for us.

Learn hence, That an interest in the prayers of all those that have an interest in God, is the passionate desire and earnest request of all the faithful ministers of Jesus Christ; there is nothing that the ministers of Christ do more want or need, nothing, nothing that they so much desire and crave, as the spiritual alms of their people’s prayers; their work is a work of the greatest weight, of the greatest labour, of the greatest difficulty and opposition; and alas, their shoulders are no stronger than other men’s, to stand under the weight of this burden; wonder not then they cry out so importunely for the help and benefit of their people’s prayers.

Observe, 3. The subject matter which he desires them to pray for, That the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified: in the original, that the word may run and be glorified; a metaphor taken from a water-course, where the current flows freely, without interruption or obstruction.

Quest. When may the word be said to have free course?

Ans. When it is freely preached, and accompanied with the Spirit’s internal operation.

Learn hence, That it is the standing duty of the people of God to wrestle with God at the throne of grace, for the free course of the word in the labours of his ministers; Pray that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified.

But when may the word be said to be glorified?

When God is glorified in and by the word, by the conversion of sinners, by the examplary conversation of believers; then is God glorified, when his word is entertained.

Observe, 4. The argument to excite the Thessalonians to pray for the success of the word amongst others, namely, the great and good success which God had given it amongst them: That it may be glorified, as it is with you.

Thence learn, That such as have felt the power of the gospel themselves, to their conversion and salvation, should pray that others may partake of the same benefits, by it and from it, together with themselves: herein they show their love to God, and charity to the souls of men.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Paul’s Request For Their Prayers

As he did in his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul used the word “finally” meaning, “as for the rest.” Paul asked them to pray for him but with the desire that others be benefitted. He asked that prayers continually be offered requesting that the gospel be spread to all men. As it was spread, Paul also wanted them to pray that it would triumph, or meet with success, with those men as it had in the lives of the Thessalonian brethren.

Shepherd believes Paul was at Corinth as he wrote this letter and the vision he had from the Lord there and Gallio’s quick response may have been a direct answer to brethren’s prayers that he be delivered ( Act 18:7-17 ). No matter whether such was the case or not, it clearly is an example of the way God can help by working through men even in a non-miraculous way. Coffman quotes Adam Clarke and George Howard to prove the word “faith” here is our word “trustworthiness”, or “fidelity”. This can apply to those claiming to be God’s people as well as those outside of God’s children ( Rom 9:6 ). Paul’s desire was that these men who lacked trustworthiness be stopped so that the gospel could be furthered ( 2Th 3:1-2 ).

Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books

2Th 3:1-4. Finally, brethren, pray for us See on Col 4:3; that the word of the Lord may have free course Greek, , may run, go on swiftly without any interruption; and be glorified Acknowledged as divine, and bring forth much fruit; even as it is with you This is a very high commendation of the Thessalonian brethren, and was designed to encourage them in their attachment to the gospel. And that we may be delivered Rescued and preserved; from unreasonable and wicked men The word , rendered unreasonable, properly signifies men who have, or ought to have, no place, namely, in society. Bishop Wilkins thinks that absurd, contumacious persons are intended; such as are not to be fixed by any principles, and whom no topics can work upon. Doubtless the apostle had in his eye chiefly, if not only, the unbelieving Jewish zealots, who were so exceedingly enraged against him for preaching salvation to the Gentiles, without requiring them to obey the law of Moses, that they followed him from place to place, and raised a furious storm of persecution against him wherever they found him, by inflaming both the rulers and the people against him; and they had lately made an insurrection at Corinth, with an intention to have him put to death. For all men have not faith And all who have not are, more or less, unreasonable and wicked men. By faith, in this passage, it seems we are not to understand the actual belief of the gospel, (for that all men had not that faith was a fact too obvious to be thus noticed by the apostle,) but such a desire to know and do the will of God as would dispose a person to believe and obey the gospel when fairly proposed to him. And it seems, in making this observation, the apostle glances not only at the Jews, who boasted of their faith in the true God, and in the revelation of his will which he had made to them, but at the Greek philosophers likewise, who had assumed to themselves the pompous appellation of lovers of wisdom, or truth. But the Lord is faithful And will not deceive the confidence, or disappoint the hopes of any that trust in him, and expect the accomplishment of his promises; who shall stablish you Even all that cleave to him by faith and love; and keep you from evil From all the mischievous devices of Satan and his instruments, 2Ti 4:18. The Greek, , is literally, from the evil one; the name given in other passages of Scripture to the devil, Mat 6:13; Mat 6:19; Eph 6:16. And we have confidence in the Lord Or we trust in the Lord concerning you, that he will not withhold from you the aids of his grace; that ye both do already, and will do, in future, the things which we command In thus speaking, the apostle expresses his good opinion of the greater part of the Thessalonian brethren, but not of every one of them without exception, as is plain from 2Th 3:11-14.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also it is with you [Here, as elsewhere, Paul asks for the prayers of the disciples (1Th 5:25; Eph 6:19); the request at Col 4:2-3; being very similar. The unselfishness of his request should be noted. He asks nothing for himself, but desires that the truth may prosper in his hands elsewhere, as it was now prospering in Thessalonica. He speaks of the Word as a thing of life (comp. Psa 19:5; Psa 147:15; 2Ti 2:9); for the Word, being energized of God, approaches a living personality. The Word is glorified when it saves souls (Act 13:48). Possibly there is here an allusion to the applause of the people when a racer wins his race];

Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3

There is nothing very particular in the apostles exhortations. His great concern was the explanation which we have been considering. He prays that God and the Lord Jesus Himself, who had given them the sure and everlasting consolations of the gospel, would comfort their hearts and establish them in every good word and work. He asks for their prayers that he may be preserved in his labors. He could not but expect to find men unreasonable and animated with enmity, for faith was not the portion of all. It was only a case for the protecting hand of God. With regard to them he counted for this end on the faith fullness of the Lord. He reckoned also on their obedience, and prays God to direct their hearts to wards these two points, of which we have spoken when studying the First Epistle, the love of God and the patient waiting with which the Christ waited- the two points in which the whole of Christian life is summed up with regard to its objects, its moral springs. Christ Himself was waiting-sweet thought! They were to wait with Him, until the moment when His heart and the hearts of His own should rejoice together in their meeting.

It was this which they needed. On the one hand, they had believed that the dead saints would not be ready to go and meet the Lord; on the other, they had thought the day of the Lord already come. The enjoyment of the love of God, and peace of heart in waiting for Christ, was necessary for them.

This excitement into which they had been led had also betrayed itself in some among them by their neglect of their ordinary labors, working not at all but being busybodies, intermeddling in the affairs of others. The apostle had set them a very different example. He exhorts them to be firm, and to withdraw from those who would not hearken to his admonitions, but continued to walk disorderly and in idleness; not however in such a manner as to treat them as enemies, but to admonish them as brethren.

It will be observed here, that there is no longer the same expression of the energy of communion and of life as previously. (compare 3:16 with 1Th 5:23.) Nevertheless the Lord was still the Lord of peace; but the beauty of that entire consecration to God, which would shine forth in the day of Christ, does not present itself to the apostles mind and heart as in the First Epistle. He prays for them, however, that they may have peace always and by all means.

The apostle points out the method by which he assured the faithful of the authenticity of his letters. With the exception of that to the Galatians he employed other persons to write them, but he attached his own signature in order to verify their contents to the church, adding the prayer or blessing.

Fuente: John Darby’s Synopsis of the New Testament

2Th 3:1-2. Finally, brethren, pray for us. This request is of constant occurrence. Eph 6:18-19. Paul often ascribes his preservation to the prayers of the saints. He solicits prayer that the Lord would go before his messengers in all places, and clear the race ground of all opposing powers, that the word might be glorified in the conversion of multitudes. His personal preservation he makes but a secondary consideration, to the advancement of the Redeemers kingdom. For all men, high pretenders to the law of Moses, have not faith, being destitute of probity, truth, and justice. They obstruct our course, and fight against God.

2Th 3:5. The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, by a thorough conviction of sin, and by a manifestation of his pardoning mercy. Rom 5:5. Also by causing your love to him to abound yet more and more, in return for all his kindness towards you, that by daily receiving earnests of heaven, you may not faint in waiting for Christs appearing. The husbandman, after all his labours in the field, is obliged to wait the appointed months of harvest.

It is here observable, that the sacred Trinity is distinctly recognized in the great work of human redemption. The Lord the Spirit is invoked for his abiding influences on the hearts of his people. God the Father, the fountain and origin of grace and mercy, is to be the object of their supreme affection and adoration; while Christ the Saviour is to be expected and waited for from heaven, as the consummation of all their hopes. Nor is it to be forgotten, that so long as there is any remaining depravity within us, it will tend to abate the ardour of spiritual affections, and to alienate us from the life of God, so as to require the renewed and constant influence of the Holy Spirit to give a new direction and impulse to our affections, that we may be guided and kept in the love of God, and in the lively hope of the second advent. No christian can go on well, unless the inner man be renewed day by day.

2Th 3:6. We command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly. Otherwise, by associating with such a one, you justify his conduct, and become partakers of his sin. You make the church also to cover the defects of which the public complain; but if he be a penitent, and exhibit the fruits of repentance, then the church may own him as a son. In all the churches St. Paul left a written code for the regulation of their conduct. He exhorts them however to admonish him as a brother, and not to treat him as an alien: 2Th 3:15.

2Th 3:8. We wrought with labour night and day. This humiliating circumstance is frequently referred to, and must be regarded as a singular instance of self-denial in the primitive ministers, who were prepared for any sacrifice in order to disseminate the gospel. Act 18:3, 1Co 9:6.

2Th 3:10. This we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. Here we find in the critics a fine ado. Sixtus, of Sienna in Italy, gives us five columns in defence of the monks, that they ought to eat, though they do not work. He pleads the approbation of Augustine, but in his days monkery was of small account. He also pleads that they do work, in singing psalms at the altar; that they acquire learning and defend religion. He uses rough language against Wickliffe, Luther, Calvin, and other heretics, as the papists always call them, who have written against the monkish habits of life. His best argument is, that the monks were poor and aged, and really could not work for their bread.

2Th 3:16. Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace, by an influx of his divine serenity let down into your heart and mind, and that all the reconciliation procured by the mediation of the Saviour may be communicated to your conscience, and followed by peace and quiet in your worship, and among yourselves.

2Th 3:17. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. That is, he wrote the last verse, and signed it. There was probably something remarkable in his autograph. Tertullian, in his apology, remarks that in his time, the churches had preserved the originals of Pauls epistles. The ancients preserved the holy scriptures with the greatest care. The writers by profession made the most beautiful manuscripts that can be conceived, as is remarked by Rollin in his work on Les Belles Lettres: and in reading Dr. George Hickess treasures of Saxon literature, I found fac similes of manuscripts which must have been written in England, whose beauty it is scarcely possible to exceed.

2Th 3:18. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. St. Paul generally begins and closes his epistles with apostolic benedictions. He blesses the churches out of the fulness of his heart.

The second epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens. Most versions say the same. But Syrus, a man profoundly learned in the Greek and Hebrew scriptures, contends that it was written from Laodicea, and sent by Tychicus.

REFLECTIONS.

The apostle having given the brethren a portrait of antichrist, turns all his regards to the building of the true temple, and commences the work, as on the morning of pentecost, by prayer. He asks their prayers, that the gospel might run and be glorified among all the gentiles, even as in their city and province. The mercy he asks for himself is but secondary to the success of the gospel.

While we are praying for ourselves, let us not forget the ministers of Christ. They are but men, and weak as other men; but they have to stand in the front of the battle, and Satan has a peculiar malice against them that they may fall; and then his adherents shout as when a standard-bearer fainteth. Let us pray that their faith and love may abound, that they may be diligent, that they may preach with boldness, that their word may be glorified, or made illustrious and magnified, and that they may be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men.

Ministers must also pray daily for the people. Yea, and sometimes mix the thread of their sermons with prayer, as St. Paul does in his epistles, that God would fill the peoples hearts with love, and direct them into a patient waiting for Christ. Thus the husbandman waiteth for his harvest, and so the good woman cheers herself and her children with the hope of her husbands return, when he is gone to sea. And the Lord will surely come in his own time.

The honour of a christian society requires them to withdraw themselves from every disorderly walker. The rules are fixed by Christ, our business is to keep them. Hence we should place the disobedient last on the list, and admonish them in the Lord. The paternal vigour of discipline alone can preserve a pure church. The charge to walk uprightly is repeated here, as in all the epistles. This being the only test by which the world can judge of us, the want of it is destructive to religion. It is required of the church to conciliate brotherly affection, and no man without it can be satisfied that he is a child of God. The church should always be like the golden harvest fields, or the ripening fruits of autumn, delightful to the eye.

Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

2 Thessalonians 3. Final Counsels and Exhortations.The apostle (a) asks for the prayers of the Thessalonian Christians on his own behalf (2Th 3:1-5); (b) warns them against dis orderly conduct (2Th 3:6-15); (c) concludes with a bene diction (2Th 3:16-18).

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

As in the first epistle, so the apostle again asks for their prayers: first for the positive blessing of the Word of God which thy proclaimed that it might have free course to go forward and be glorified, and secondly on the negative side, that they might be delivered from the oppression of unreasonable and wicked men, for all men had not faith, as indeed his previous reference to “the son of perdition” had fully shown. But it is precious to think of the apostle’s so valuing the prayers of these young saints: he well knew that God delights to work by such means.

(V. 3) These saints, too, knew that all men had not faith, for they had themselves suffered persecution, and the cruel efforts of Satan in this way were intended to drive the saints back into evil. But the apostle shows them that they may depend fully upon the Lord. He was faithful; He would use the persecution to establish them; He would keep them from evil. A real work of God would not be abortive, and Paul was confident of its reality in the Thessalonians. His confidence was in the Lord concerning them that they would be diligent in following the commandments left them by the Lord’s servants, not forgetting them since they were no longer present.

But though verse 5 had already been true of them in good measure, yet how needful that its truth should again and again be pressed upon them, and us: “The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.” It is divine workmanship that does this, for our hearts naturally tend to be directed in any other way and must be recalled and directed rightly. His love is the proper home of our souls in which we should find purest satisfaction, comfort and encouragement. And the calm, settled endurance that truly waits for Christ is a precious accompaniment of this.

(V. 6) In the first epistle (ch. 5:14) there is a serious exhortation to “warn the disorderly.” Not to do so would be to ignore a manifest responsibility to show godly care for his soul and for the welfare of the assembly. But this chapter is far more strong in its language: “we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” When men have been warned as to their disorderly course and yet persist in it, then much more serious measures of discipline must be used. This would be more painful to have to put into practice, but it is true kindness – the brother who walked disorderly must be withdrawn from. He was not put out of fellowship, but the saints were to have no personal fellowship with him, to maintain a reserve that would be decidedly felt by the offender. There is no thought in this of mere personal impatience or anger, but rather of desire for the true recovery and blessing of the guilty party. The object of all discipline is to be restoration. Consequently it must be wisely exercised, with care not to exceed in punishment, but nevertheless with the firmness of true love.

(V. 7) The Lord’s servants had left them a most important example as to orderly conduct and in this the saints were to follow them. They did not depend upon others for their support but worked night and day with labor and travail. What an example indeed! Besides their diligence in preaching the Word of God, which would take no little time, they worked also with their hands for their temporal support. If this were true of the Lord’s servants, who were at Thessalonica for so brief a time, how shameful for others who resided there permanently to be guilty of sponging from others for their support! It would have been a perfectly right thing for Paul and his fellow-workers to be supported by the means of those to whom they ministered the Word, but they did not use this in order that they might be a more effective and striking example.

Moreover they had commanded the disciples that if any would not work neither should he eat. This should have been plain enough for all of them, whether for the disorderly or for those who might be inclined to be lenient in giving them food or support of any kind.

(V. 11) It is possible that some had so wrong a viewpoint in reference to the nearness of the Lord’s coming that they considered it not necessary to work at all. But this reasoning is sinful. Though I am not to be doubtful or worried as to the future, yet I am to labor, working with the hands that which is good in order to have to give to others who may be in need. Work is not simply to be a means of amassing provision for the future on earth but of providing things honestly in the sight of all men, at present. What utter disgrace for a Christian to decide that since Christ is coming soon, therefore he need not work at all, but take his support from others who do work! Nor will it end there. They also become “busybodies,” for since paying no attention to their own business, they shamefully interfere in the business of others. The apostle both commands and exhorts such “that with quietness they work and eat their own bread.” For one to despise this was to despise the commandment of God.

(V. 13) Though we feel “well-doing” to be a boring, unrewarding occupation, yet we must not become weary in it. If we should take to heart the exhortation of Col 3:23, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men,” this certainly would lift every responsibility far above the thought of drudgery. But all the saints are seriously admonished not to have company with any brother who persisted in being disorderly. This was with the object of making him ashamed of his indolence in order to work for his restoration. Not that they were to be haughty or cruel to him, but faithful in both their actions and words, never forgetting that he is their brother. If this were fully and graciously carried out by all the saints it would work almost invariably for restoration, unless, of course, the offender were not actually born again, in which case this would likely be exposed.

(V. 16) The designation “the Lord of peace Himself” would be peculiarly comforting to those who had been so troubled both by persecution and by false reports. How good to have the heart directed to Him who had said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Joh 14:27). But the desire of the apostle is that the Lord may give them this peace “always” and “by all means.” Not that the Lord willingly withholds it, but our state of soul may be such as not to enjoy it, and the answer to this is the drawing of our hearts and eyes to Himself. “By all means,” too, would infer that every circumstance He allows may be the means used of God to make this peace a constant reality to the heart. “The Lord be with you all” implies the desire that they should be obedient to Him, for His presence cannot be expected where there is disobedience.

The apostle signs the epistle with his own hand, his unvarying practice, though he employed an amanuensis to do the writing. This would protect them from accepting spurious letters claiming to be from him. The first epistle had closed with the words “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you,” but the second adds the words “all,” as though to include even those believers who were walking disorderly, for his desire for their blessing too has not changed. The precious pastoral character of these epistles is maintained to the end.

Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible

Verse 1

Be glorified; by its success and efficacy.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

3:1 Finally, {1} brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is] with you:

(1) He adds now consequently according to his manner, various admonitions: the first of them is, that they pray for the increase and passage of the Gospel, and for the safety of the faithful ministers of it.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

V. EXHORTATIONS FOR FUTURE GROWTH 3:1-15

Paul requested the Thessalonians’ prayers for him and assured them that he was praying for them. He also encouraged them to deal with problems that needed correction in their assembly. Obedience in these matters would result in continued growth toward maturity for these believers.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

A. Reciprocal prayer 3:1-5

Paul requested the prayers of his readers and assured them of his prayers for them to strengthen their mutual bonds in Christ and in the gospel.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

1. Prayer for the missionaries 3:1-2

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

"Finally" introduces the last major section of the epistle. As was so often his custom, Paul first exhorted his readers to pray (1Ti 2:1-2; cf. 1Th 5:25; et al.). He realized that God will work in response to the requests of His people. To fail to pray is to fail to receive God’s blessings (Jas 4:2). Specifically, Paul asked the Thessalonians to ask God to facilitate the rapid and wide dissemination of the gospel and thus glorify His Word. Paul’s readers had seen God do this in their midst when Paul and his fellow missionaries first visited their city.

"Paul was a very great apostle. But his greatness consisted not so much in sheer native ability (though he had his share of that) as in his recognition of his dependence on God. It arises out of this that he so often requests the prayers of those to whom he ministers." [Note: Morris, The First . . ., p. 244.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Chapter 22

MUTUAL INTERCESSION

2Th 3:1-5 (R.V.)

THE main part of this letter is now finished. The Apostle has completed his teaching about the Second Advent, and the events which precede and condition it; and nothing remains to dispose of but some minor matters of personal and practical interest.

He begins by asking again, as at the close of the First Epistle, the prayers of the Thessalonians for himself and his fellow workers. It was a strength and comfort to him, as to every minister of Christ, to know that he was remembered by those who loved him. in the presence of God. But it is no selfish or private interest that the Apostle has in view When he begs a place in their prayers; it is the interest of the work with which he has identified himself. “Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified.” This was the one business and concern of his life; if it went well, all his desires were satisfied.

Hardly anything in the New Testament gives us a more characteristic look of the Apostles soul than his desire that the word of the Lord should run. The word of the Lord is the gospel, of which he is the principal herald to the nations; and we see in his choice of this word his sense of its urgency. It was glad tidings to all mankind; and how sorely needed wherever he turned his eyes! The constraint of Christs love was upon his heart, the constraint of mens sin and misery; and he could not pass swiftly enough from city to city, to proclaim the reconciling grace of God, and call men from darkness. unto light. His eager heart fretted against barriers and restraints of every description; he saw in them the malice of the great enemy of Christ: “I was minded once and again to come unto you, but Satan hindered me.” Hence it is that he asks the Thessalonians to pray for their removal, that the word of the Lord may run. The ardour of such a prayer, and of the heart which prompts it, is far enough removed from the common temper of the Church, especially where it has been long established. How many centuries there were during which Christendom, as it was called, was practically a fixed quantity, shut up within the limits of Western European civilisation, and not aspiring to advance a single step beyond it, fast or slow. It is one of the happy omens of our own time that the apostolic conception of the gospel as an ever-advancing, ever-victorious force, has begun again to take its place in the Christian heart. If it is really to us what it was to St. Paul-a revelation of Gods mercy and judgment which dwarfs everything else, a power omnipotent to save, an irresistible pressure of love on heart and will, glad tidings of great joy that the world is dying for-we shall share in this ardent, evangelical spirit, and pray for all preachers that the word of the Lord may run very swiftly. How it passed in apostolic times from land to land and from city to city-from Syria to Asia, from Asia to Macedonia, from Macedonia to Greece, from Greece to Italy, from Italy to Spain-till in one mans lifetime, and largely by one mans labour, it was known throughout the Roman world. It is easy, indeed, to overestimate the number of the early Christians; but we can hardly overestimate the fiery speed with which the Cross went forth conquering and to conquer. Missionary zeal is one note of the true Apostolic Church.

But Paul wishes the Thessalonians to pray that the word of the Lord may be glorified, as well as have free course. The word of the Lord is a glorious thing itself. As the Apostle calls it in another place, it is the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. All that makes the spiritual glory of God-His holiness, His love, His wisdom is concentrated and displayed in it. But its glory is acknowledged, and in that sense heightened, when its power is seen in the salvation of men. A message from God that did nothing would not be glorified: it would be discredited and shamed. It is the glory of the gospel to lay hold of men, to transfigure them, to lift them out of evil into the company and the likeness of Christ. For anything else it does, it may not fill a great space in the worlds eye; but when it actually brings the power of God to save those who receive it, it is clothed in glory. Paul did not wish to preach without seeing the fruits of his labour. He did the work of an evangelist; and he would have been ashamed of the evangel if it had not wielded a Divine power to overcome sin and bring the sinful to God. Pray that it may always have this power. Pray that when the word of the Lord is spoken it may not be an ineffective, fruitless word, but mighty through God.

There is an expression in Tit 2:10 analogous to this: “Adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.” That expression is less fervent, spoken at a lower level, than the one before us; but it more readily suggests, for that very reason, some duties of which we should be reminded here also. It comes home to all who try to bring their conduct into any kind of relation to the gospel of Christ. It is only too possible for us to disgrace the gospel; but it is in our power also, by every smallest action we do, to illustrate it, to set it off, to put its beauty in the true light before the eyes of men. The gospel comes into the world, like everything else, to be judged on its merits; that is, by the effects which it produces in the lives of those who receive it. We are its witnesses; its character, in the general mind, is as good as our character; it is as lovely as we are lovely, as strong as we are strong, as glorious as we are glorious, and no more. Let us seek to bear it a truer and worthier witness than we have yet done. To adorn it is a calling far higher than most of us have aimed at; but if it comes into our prayers, if its swift diffusion and powerful operation are near our hearts in the sight of God, grace will be given us to do this also.

The next request of the Apostle has more of a personal aspect, yet it also has his work in view. He asks prayer that he and his friends may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men, he says, have not faith. The unreasonable and wicked men were no doubt the Jews in Corinth, from which place he wrote. Their malignant opposition was the great obstacle to the spread of the gospel; they were the representatives and instruments of the Satan who perpetually hindered him. The word here rendered unreasonable is a rare one in the New Testament. It occurs four times in all, and in each case is differently translated: once it is “amiss,” once “harm,” once “wickedness,” and here “unreasonable.” The margin in this place renders it “absurd.” What it literally means is, “out of place”; and the Apostle signifies by it, that in the opposition of these men to the gospel there was something preposterous, something that baffled explanation; there was no reason in it, and therefore it was hopeless to reason with it. That is a disposition largely represented both in the Old Testament and the New, and familiar to everyone who in preaching the gospel has come into close contact with men. It was one of the great trials of Jesus that He had to endure the contradiction, of those who were sinners against themselves; who rejected the counsel of God in their own despite; in other words, were unreasonable men. The gospel, we must remember, is good news; it is good news to all men. It tells of Gods love to the sinful; it brings pardon, holiness, immortal hope, to everyone. Why, then, should anybody have a quarrel with it? Is it not enough to drive reason to despair, that men should wantonly, stubbornly, malignantly, hate and resist such a message? Is there anything in the world more provoking than to offer a real and indispensable service, out of a true and disinterested love, and to have it contemptuously rejected? That is the fate of the gospel in many quarters; that was the constant experience of our Lord and of St. Paul. No wonder, in the interests of his mission, the Apostle prays to be delivered from unreasonable men. Are there any of us who come under this condemnation? who are senselessly opposed to the gospel, enemies in intention of God, but in reality hurting no one so much as ourselves? The Apostle does not indicate in his prayer any mode of deliverance. He may have hoped that in Gods providence his persecutors would have their attention distracted somehow; he may have hoped that by greater wisdom, greater love, greater power of adaptation, of becoming all things to all men, he might vanquish their unreason, and gain access to their souls for the truth. In any case, his request shows us that the gospel has a battle to fight that we should hardly have anticipated-a battle with sheer perversity, with blind, wilful absurdity-and that this is one of its most dangerous foes. “Oh, that they were wise,” God cries of His ancient people, “Oh, that they understood.” He has the same lament to utter still.

We ought to notice the reason appended to this description of Pauls enemies: absurd and evil men, he says; for all men have not faith. Faith, of course, means the Christian faith: all men are not believers in Christ and disciples of Christ; and therefore the moral unreason and perversity of which I have spoken actually exist. He who has the faith is morally sane; he has that in him which is inconsistent with such wickedness and irrationality. We can hardly suppose, however, that the Apostle meant to state such a superfluous truism as that all men were not Christians. What he does mean is apparently that not all men have affinity for the faith, have aptitude or liking for it; as Christ said when He stood before Pilate, the voice of truth is only heard by those who are of the truth. So it was-when the apostles preached. Among their hearers there were those who were of the truth, in whom there was, as it were, the instinct for the faith; they welcomed the message. Others, again, discovered no such natural relation to the truth; in spite of the adaptation of the message to human needs, they had no sympathy with it; there was no reaction in their hearts in its favour; it was unreasonable to them; and to God they were unreasonable. The Apostle does not explain this; he simply remarks it. It is one of the ultimate and inexplicable facts of human experience; one of the meeting points of nature and freedom, which defy our philosophies. Some are of kin to the gospel when they hear it; they have faith, and justify the counsel of God, and are saved: others are of no kin to the gospel; its wisdom and love wake no response in them; they have not faith; they reject the counsel of God to their own ruin; they are preposterous and evil men. It is from such, as hinderers of the gospel, that Paul prays to be delivered.

In the two verses which follow, he plays, as is were, with this word “faith.” All men have not faith, he writes; but the Lord is faithful, and we have faith in the Lord touching you. Often the Apostle goes off thus at a word. Often, especially, he contrasts the trustworthiness of God with the faithlessness of men. Men may not take the gospel seriously; but the Lord does. He is in indubitable earnest with it; He may be depended upon to do His part in carrying it into effect. See how unselfishly, at this point, the Apostle turns from his own situation to that of his readers. The Lord is faithful who will stablish you, and keep you from the Evil One. Paul had left the Thessalonians exposed to very much the same trouble as beset himself wherever he went; but he had left them to One who, he well knew, was able to keep them from falling, and to preserve them against all that the devil and his agents could do.

And side by side with this confidence in God stood his confidence touching the Thessalonians themselves. He was sure in the Lord that they were doing, and would continue to do, the things which he commanded them; in other words, that they would lead a worthy and becoming Christian life. The point of this sentence lies in the words “in the Lord.” Apart from the Lord, Paul could have had no such confidence as he here expresses. The standard of the Christian life is lofty and severe; its purity, its unworldliness, its brotherly love, its burning hope, were new things then in the world. What assurance could there be that this standard would be maintained, when the small congregation of working people in Thessalonica was cast upon its own resources in the midst of a pagan community? None at all, apart from Christ. If He had left them along with the Apostle, no one could have risked much upon their fidelity to the Christian calling. It marks the beginning of a new era when the Apostle writes, “We have confidence in the Lord touching you.” Life has a new element now, a new atmosphere, new resources; and therefore we may cherish new hopes of it. When we think of them, the words include a gentle admonition to the Thessalonians, to beware of forgetting the Lord, and trusting to themselves; that is a disappointing path, which will put the Apostles confidence toward them to shame. But it is an admonition as hopeful as it is gentle; reminding them that, though the path of Christian obedience cannot be trodden without constant effort, it is a path on which the Lord accompanies and upholds all who trust in Him. Here there is a lesson for us all to learn. Even those who are engaged in work for Christ are too apt to forget that the only hope of such work is the Lord. “Trust no man,” says the wisest of commentators, “left to himself.” Or to put the same thing more in accordance with the spirit of the text, there always is room for hope and confidence when the Lord is not forgotten. In the Lord, you may depend upon those who in themselves are weak, unstable, wilful, foolish. In the Lord, you may depend on them to stand fast, to fight their temptations, to overcome the world and the Wicked One. This kind of assurance, and the actual presence and help of Christ which justified it, are very characteristic of the New Testament. They explain the joyous, open, hopeful spirit of the early Church; they are the cause, as well as the effect, of that vigorous moral health which, in the decay of ancient civilisation, gave the Church the inheritance of the future. And still we may have confidence in the Lord that all whom He has called by His gospel will be able by His spiritual presence with them to walk worthy of that calling, and to confute alike the fears of the good and the contempt of the wicked. For the Lord is faithful, who will stablish them, and preserve them from the Evil One.

Once more the Apostle bursts into prayer, as he remembers the situation of these few sheep in the wilderness: “The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ.” Nothing could be a better commentary than one of Pauls own affectionate Epistles on that much-discussed text. “Pray without ceasing.” Look, for instance, through this one with which we are engaged. It begins with a prayer for grace and peace. This is followed by a thanksgiving in which God is acknowledged as the Author of all their graces. The first chapter ends with a prayer-an unceasing prayer-that God would count them worthy of His calling. In the second chapter Paul renews his thanksgiving on behalf of his converts, and prays again that God may comfort their hearts and stablish them in every good work and word. And here, the moment he has touched upon a new topic, he returns, as it were by instinct, to prayer. “The Lord direct your hearts.” Prayer is his very element; he lives, and moves, and has his being, in God. He can do nothing, he cannot conceive of anything being done, in which God is not as directly participant as himself, or those whom he wishes to bless. Such an intense appreciation of Gods nearness and interest in life goes far beyond the attainments of most Christians; yet here, no doubt, lies a great part of the Apostles power.

The prayer has two parts: he asks that the Lord may direct their hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ. The love of God here means love to God; this is the sum of all Christian virtue, or at least the source of it. The gospel proclaims that God is love; it tells us that God has proved His love by sending His Son to die for our sins; it shows us Christ on the cross, in the passion of that love with which He loved us when He gave Himself for us; and it waits for the answer of love. It comprehended the whole effect of the gospel, the whole mystery of its saving and recreating power, when the Apostle exclaimed, “The love of Christ constraineth us.” It is this experience which in the passage before us he desires for the Thessalonians. There is no one without love, or at least without the power of loving, in his heart. But what is the object of it? On what is it actually directed? The very words of the prayer imply that it is easily misdirected. But surely if love itself best merits and may best claim love, none should be the object of it before Him who is its source. God has earned our love; He desires our love; let us look to the Cross where He has given us the great pledge of His own, and yield to its sweet constraint. The old law is not abolished, but to be fulfilled: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” If the Lord fix our souls to Himself by this irresistible attraction, nothing will be able to carry us away.

Love to God is naturally joyous; but life has other experiences than those which give free scope for its joyous exercise; and so the Apostle adds, “into the patience of Jesus Christ.” The Authorised Version renders, “the patient waiting for Christ,” as if what the Apostle prayed for were that they might continue steadfastly to hope for the Last Advent; but although that idea is characteristic of these Epistles, it is hardly to be found in the words. Rather does he remind his readers that in the difficulties and sufferings of the path which lies before them, no strange thing is happening to them, nothing that has not already been borne by Christ in the spirit in which it ought to be borne by us. Our Saviour Himself had need of patience. He was made flesh, and all that the children of God have to suffer in this world has already been suffered by Him. This prayer is at once warning and consoling. It assures us that those who will live godly will have trials to bear: there will be untoward circumstances; feeble health; uncongenial relations; misunderstanding and malice; unreasonable and evil men; abundant calls for patience. But there will be no sense of having missed the way, or of being forgotten by God; on the contrary, there will be in Jesus Christ, ever present, a type and a fountain of patience, which will enable them to overcome all that is against them. The love of God and the patience of Christ may be called the active and the passive sides of Christian goodness, -its free, steady outgoing to Him who is the source of all blessing; and its deliberate, steady, hopeful endurance, in the spirit of Him who was made perfect through suffering. The Lord direct our hearts into both, that we may be perfect men in Christ Jesus.

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary

Disfruta de miles de canciones cristianas en exclusiva sólo en Bibles