Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Second Thessalonians has traditionally been understood as a short follow-up to 1 Thessalonians. Technically, the ordering of the books in the New Testament is not necessarily chronological, but more so by special groupings (like letters to the same church or person) and then length within that grouping. Thus, 2 Thessalonians comes after 1 Thessalonians in the New Testament because it is shorter. Nevertheless, most scholars do in fact believe that 2 Thessalonians was written later.

A quick take on the wider situation goes something like this: Some believers in the community had died suddenly and unexpectedly (1 Thessalonians 4:13), and this was interpreted as a bad omen or a sign of divine displeasure. The believers’ processing of this was affected by local persecution, and the church was feeling discouraged. Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians to reassure them that they were held lovingly in the care of a gracious God and death held no mastery over believers who had died—Christ would return and reclaim his own. Paul also wanted to comfort the Thessalonian Christians with the truth that God would make all wrongs and injustices right in the end. 

It appears Paul wrote the shorter letter we call 2 Thessalonians only a short while later to make some clarifications and reinforce key theological themes (like hope, holiness, and hard work) from the first letter. Apparently, the persecution in Thessalonica had worsened, and for one reason or another, the church believed Doomsday had already come (2 Thessalonians 2:2). Paul provides an extensive breakdown of certain events that must transpire before the end (2:1–12). This supplements Paul’s eschatological teaching in 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11. While Christ will return unexpectedly, the so-called “Man of Lawlessness” will come first and wreak havoc before he is vanquished by Christ. 

Paul was not concerned that the Thessalonians know all the details of how cosmic history would unfold; his primary concerns were that the Thessalonian believers (1) prove themselves capable of reading through the deceptive words and behavior of others, (2) trust that God would triumph over evil and death in the end, and (3) “keep calm and carry on,” as it were, with their daily life of good and honest work, caring for their community and walking in faith, hope, and love.

2 Thessalonians 1:1–4, 11–12

Second Thessalonians begins like Paul’s other letters, with a prescript naming the senders (Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy) and the recipients, and offering Paul’s grace-wish and thanksgiving to God for this beloved church (1:1–4). Often, the introductions of Paul’s letters do not launch right into corrections, criticisms, or theological clarifications. While most of Paul’s letters are “occasional,” Paul tends to begin with worship, blessing, and appreciation before getting into the matters at hand. This is a salutary reminder that problems and setbacks will always exist, but we don’t have to live our lives in a constant state of emergency. Paul sets an example for how to live with a posture of gratitude first and foremost.

When it comes to Paul’s thanksgiving, each letter has unique elements, so it is important not to skim over these parts to get to “the real stuff” later on—Paul often previews key themes and ideas in his thanksgiving statements. Here, in 2 Thessalonians 1:3–4, the emphasis falls on the overall healthy spirituality of the Thessalonian church and how they have been a model to others of how to endure and thrive amid persecution and suffering. 

The lectionary only includes verses 11–12 of the next section of the letter (1:5–12), but these two verses about Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians only make sense within the context of the whole paragraph. On the topic of the people’s suffering at the hands of persecutors, Paul encourages them that God is not blind to or helpless in their plight. 

First, God uses suffering to promote maturity and resilience, “to make you worthy of the kingdom of God” (1:5, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition). Second, God will, in fact, bring wrongdoing to justice and vindicate and relieve the harmed (1:6–8). While Paul often presents the one living and true God as gracious and merciful, this does not mean God is not concerned with honesty, integrity, equality, justice, and fair judgment. Both can be true at the same time, and this is a crucial theological teaching because one-sided views of God fail to capture the complexity and “thickness” of God as a person. And people are many things at once. 

Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians (1:11–12), then, is that through these trials and tribulations God will strengthen their understanding of their calling and their personal faith and trust in God’s goodness and plan. Each believer, Paul reminds them, is a representative on earth of the Lord Jesus, and when we face pushback from the world with humility, grace, and hope (rather than with violence and unbridled anger), we bring glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we serve. 

It’s important to note here that Paul doesn’t simply pray that the suffering will end. It’s not a bad thing to pray that, and Paul expresses his longing for the people’s relief (1:6), but his main prayer is for their growth in the midst of suffering. God can use suffering for great gain in our lives; Paul knew that firsthand (see 2 Corinthians 11:16–33). Suffering clarifies what we are living for, as well as our goals, dreams, and hopes for the future. If we are dead set on living a life of leisure, plentitude, and wealth, then suffering will only lead to misery and despair. But if we live as servants of God, wanting to conform to the image of Christ and bring renown to Christ’s name (2 Thessalonians 1:12), then hardships can strengthen our resolve and clarify our hope.

Engaging 2 Thessalonians 1:1–12 with your church

Preaching on a text like this can be (and I think should be) more than teaching through the text, especially because this passage focuses so much on prayer and gratitude to God. This is the perfect opportunity to have your church spend time imitating Paul’s posture of reverence toward God. A corporate prayer time can be organized in many different ways, but in attempting to reflect this scripture passage, preachers, worship leaders, and liturgists are encouraged to emphasize the following: 

• Prayers of blessings toward others in our lives (2 Thessalonians 1:2)
• Prayers of thanksgiving for other believers and churches that model abundant faith and Christlike love, especially as they face hardships (1:3–4)
• Prayers for self, that Christ would make us worthy of the kingdom, by God’s grace (1:5, 11–12)
• Prayers of thanksgiving for the righteousness and justice of God, knowing and affirming that God will restore the afflicted, punish wrongdoers, and establish peace and equality once and for all (1:6–9)

Recommended Resources

Gupta, Nijay K. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. New Covenant Commentary Series. Cascade, 2016.

Gupta, Nijay K. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Zondervan Critical Introductions to the New Testament. Zondervan, 2019.

Johnson, Andy. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Two Horizons. Eerdmans, 2016.

Marshall, Molly T. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Belief. Westminster John Knox, 2022.