2 Thessalonians

Whenever Paul uses 'ought' (Gk. opheilo), he is talking about a divinely inspired duty. He owed God a debt of gratitude for bringing the Thessalonians to faith in Jesus. Out of all the people in Thessalonica who heard the gospel, God chose some to be in the first 'harvest' in that city. They were the 'first-fruits' of the gospel. Exodus 23:16 says that the firstfruits should be brought to the Lord to thank Him for what He had done.

These verses come after, "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). The reason to stand firm is because they are already firmly secured by the love and gospel plan of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They could not be more secure.

The apostle Paul was not too proud to ask believers to pray for him and his team. You might think that they were so filled with the Spirit, that they did not need any further help from Him. Wrong! Without God being at work, their ministry could have no effect. They knew they were totally dependent on Him, and that He answers prayer. They wanted to be effective, for Jesus' sake, in their appointed ministry of bringing the gospel to the world.

In the previous verses, Paul had asked the Thessalonian church to pray for him and his ministry team (2 Thessalonians 3:1-20). Now he writes as their apostle and senior pastor, firstly to assure them that the Lord is faithful and will answer their prayers. More than that, as they prayed for Paul's protection, the Lord would also protect them.

This is strong talk. If we did not know Paul better we might wonder if this is from the same writer who had just poured out encouragement and the promise of prayer: eager for the effective witness and protection of the church in Thessalonica (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5). But it is from Paul, and it is designed to encourage their walk with the Lord.

The Thessalonian church had a problem. False teachers had confused them about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). Some believers thought He might have already come and missed them out – in which case they probably were not in His kingdom … so why persevere through persecution. Others thought Christ's return was imminent – in which case there was no point in working hard because God would sort out everything for them.

The work-shy attitude of some of the Thessalonian believers corrupted the fellowship and dishonoured the gospel (2 Thessalonians 3:6).

Every culture defines what and who is, and is not, acceptable. But God's family is not confined to one culture; it is international and universal (Colossians 1:6). We are welcomed as part of His family when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord (John 1:12). How do we know about Him?

Towards the end of most of Paul's letters, he applies a prayerful benediction like this. Usually he writes about the God of peace, but here ... the Lord of peace. The word peace comes from a verb meaning 'to join'. Peace comes when former enemies agree to be joined together in relationship.

All Paul's letters begin and end in the same way we now send emails. The 'header' identified Paul as the author and sender – often reminding his readers that he was commissioned into the service of the Lord Jesus Christ and speaking with His authority. The signature in the 'footer' comes after personal greetings. The end of the original scroll would have been in Paul's own handwriting. All the rest of the letter was scribed by a colleague as Paul dictated, which is one reason why the epistles seem to be more personal as if he was speaking … because he was.