To Be One in Christ: We Have Treasure in the Jars of Clay (10)

To Be One in Christ: We Have Treasure in the Jars of Clay -- the Series of Explanation and Analysis of Scripture (10)

The Explanation and Analysis of Some of the Verses in 2 THESSALONIANS

“on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. ” (2 THESSALONIANS 1:10-12)

“On the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people ”. When LORD comes again, His glory will show from the believers. This glory is Christ Himself lives in us at present: “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ” (Col 1:27)

From one aspect, He renew and transform the whole person of us from inside:

“and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ” (Col 3:10)

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. ” (Rom 12:2)

From another aspect, when we are caught up to face LORD, our body will be transformed into His likeness with His glory. That is, He is glorified in His holy people; in another word, His glory is shown from the saints:

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2Co 3:18)

“and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. ” (Eph 4:24)

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ” (Rom 8:29)

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ” (1Jo 3:2)

Preaching Gospel is to testify all the work of Christ on people, including redemption, rebirth and transformation, till being like Him. The salvation of LORD is not only to bring us into glory, but also to transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body (Php 3:21); not only makes us migrate on the objective status, but also makes us change on the subjective quality and characters. Every believer must know that LORD is in every believer! As long as one is willing to deny himself and carry the cross to follow LORD, the spiritual change will show from the change of the life of the believer day by day. On that day, it will be greatly marvelous, for every believer could be the masterpiece among the workmanship of God (Eph 2:10) -- all could be like Christ and have the image of God.

“That our God may count you worthy of his calling”. To “count” is from the viewpoint of God, but not from the viewpoint of those men who consider themselves always in the right. Being “worthy of his calling” indicates that the situation of our life after the calling must be worthy of the status and the mission of the call; otherwise, we can not hand over the accounts to God.

What let the Christians be denounced by the worldly people, is that the deeds of many people are inconsistent with their status of Christians: they do not practice what they preach(Mat 23:3), and do not conduct themselves in a manner worthy of Gospel (Php 1:27). As to all the goodness of God, the believers should admire it first and make up their mind to do it, then they can turn to God for help (Act 11:23). Our faith do not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power (1Co 2:5). After the rebirth, we live a life according to the power of God works in us to fulfill his good purpose (Php 2:13). Although we believers are weak, Christ in us is not weak; Christ in us is mighty and powerful. What we can not do, He can do it. He will use His mighty power to fulfill all the good works on us. What requires from us is only a mind to trust and obey.

To “be glorified in you” implies that when the life and work of the believers are worthy of the calling from God, they are able to show the glory of Christ to others; that is, Christ is glorified in them. In another word, let Christ be exalted in their body (Php 1:20).

“And you (be glorified ) in him”; the reason that the believers can glorify LORD, is all because the work of Christ on us; therefore, we can also be glorified in Him.

To glorify the name of LORD should be the goal and principle for the believers of us living a life in this world: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1Co 10:31). The believers should fulfill every good purpose by relying on the power of God, so that the name of LORD is glorified in us, and on the day He comes to be glorified in us (2Th 1:10).

“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you 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. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. ” (2 THESSALONIANS 2:13-17)

God revealed the way to salvation through the truth of Gospel. Men must believe it to be saved. The works of Holy Spirit open our hearts to receive savior and His accomplished salvation.

In this verse, it mentioned the co-work of God, Lord and Holy Spirit: God is the source of the salvation, Lord accomplished the salvation; Holy Spirit put the salvation into practice on us.

“Sanctifying” is through the work of the Holy Spirit; the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit can be listed as three different stages and steps:

(1) Holy Spirit work in the minds of people and convict people in regard to sins. This is the sanctifying of the mind so that people are willing to accept LORD Jesus Christ.

(2) When we were reborn, we were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1Co 6:11). This is the sanctification on the status.

(3) After the rebirth, Holy Spirit continually renew us(Tit 3:5) and make us sanctified in our life and conducts (1Th 4:7-8). This is the sanctification on the life (or the experience).

The salvation of the believers does not start in terms of time, but starts in the eternity, for God chose us from the beginning. However, we should not interpret the predestination and election of God at our own will; we should always be alert and self-controlled to obey all the teachings of LORD. The election of God shows the love of God to us. “From the beginning ” shows that the love of God to us never changes from the beginning till now. In order to save us, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit work together to put the salvation into practice on us. God value us so much and His mind is revealed clearly here to us. If there is only the will and deeds of God, while no one believes and accepts it, it will be of no help. Therefore, what’s important is to open the heart and accept all God have accomplished for us through faith. This is the way to enjoy the blessings of God. As long as we are willing to deny ourselves and give up the authority, trust and obey, and let the Holy Spirit work in us, Holy Spirit can renew and transform us, and sanctify us. This sanctifying work is up to us to cooperate with Holy Spirit, live by Holy Spirit and produce the fruit of Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16, 22-25). We should live a life to show “the salvation of the spirit”, unite ourselves with the Lord to be one with Him in spirit (1Co 6:17), and let the Spirit work through the whole person so that our whole spirit, soul and body could be kept blameless (1Th 5:23).

“He called you to this through our gospel”. “To this ” refers to the stage that after the rebirth, the believers are sanctified on the experience.

“You might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”. “The glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” implies that God appear in LORD Jesus Christ to the fullness of His riches(1Ti 3:16). To “share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”, implies that the believers are sanctified such that they are like Lord to show God(1Jo 3:3).

God called us so that our whole spirit, soul and body could be sanctified thoroughly to be saved (2Th 2:13). Therefore, not that we have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but we press on to take hold of it (Php 3:12-15). If the believers want to be glorified in LORD Jesus Christ on the day of the Second Coming of LORD and enjoy the good of the glory of LORD to the most, they should turn toward LORD, with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, and are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory (2Co 3:16-18).

Nowadays, all the revelations of God have been written in the Bible; The believers do not need to seek for any oral or writing traditions (refer to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha) other than the Bible. What’s important is, the Christians should not take rules taught by men as the teachings of the truth; and should not let go of the commands of God and hold on to the traditions of men (Mat 15:2-8).

The helps from men are always short and imperfect; only the helps from Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father who love us, can be continuous, eternal and good.

Nowadays, too many Christians emphasize guarding the truth, but do not pay attention to living the truth. Actually, one of the best ways to guard the truth is to put the truth into practice. On the testimonies of us about the truth, our “deed ” must be in consistent with our “word”. The “good word ” is not enough; it need to be added with the “good deed ”. And our “good deed ” need to be complemented with the “good word ” to be perfect. As to the good deeds and words, the Christians should not only do it by chance or occasionally; they should insist on doing it with perseverance.

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. ” (2 THESSALONIANS 3:3-5)

As to those who do not have faith, their lack of faith can not nullify God's faithfulness (Rom 3:3). If we are willing to entrust ourselves to Him, He is able to guard what we have entrusted to Him for that day (2Ti 1:12). The way for the believers to get away from the evil one, is to stand firm by relying on LORD, but not to shrink and escape. The whole world is under the control of the evil one (1Jo 5:19). However, by relying on LORD who love us, we will be protected from falling. For LORD is faithful, having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love (Joh 13:1). Facing the evil one, we can not trust and rely on ourselves; but we can trust and rely on God to help our believers. LORD who guards and watches over us is faithful; He neither slumber nor sleep (Psa 121:4). Therefore, we can set our mind at rest and fear nothing.

The teachings of the truth of God proclaimed by His servants, are not only for us to understand, but also for us to obey and do it. The believers must persist in obeying the words of God. If giving up halfway, it won’t count in front of God.

“Christ's perseverance” refers to the attitude of Christ when He was facing the insults of the sinners and the sufferings of the cross. This perseverance is not in our average people; we must live in Christ to be one in Christ so that to experience the perseverance of Christ.

LORD direct us through Holy Spirit. We should let Christ in us direct our hearts. The way to overcome the evil ones and the sufferings, is under the direction of Christ in us to follow Christ, love God and learn the perseverance of Christ. When our hearts enter into God’s love, we can respond to God with love; when our hearts immerse in the perseverance of Christ, we will have the perseverance of Christ. To follow Christ, we should love God, and live to do the words of God. We share in the perseverance of Christ because of the experience of Christ’s perseverance. If we live by the direction of Christ in us and follow Christ, we can truly love God and love others, and we will also be able to bear with the insults and sufferings from others for the sake of Gospel.

It is edited and compiled under the guidance of Holy Spirit. All thanks, praises and glories be to God!

(2 THESSALONIANS 1:10-12; 2:13-17; 3:3-5)

2 THESSALONIANS 1:10 “ on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. ”

(NOTES)

“on the day”:

refers to the Day of the Second Coming of LORD Christ.

“he comes to be glorified in his holy people ”:

When LORD comes again, His glory will show from the believers. This glory is Christ Himself lives in us at present:

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ” (Col 1:27)

From one aspect, He renew and transform the whole person of us from inside:

“and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ” (Col 3:10)

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. ” (Rom 12:2)

From another aspect, when we are caught up to face LORD, our body will be transformed into His likeness with His glory. That is, He is glorified in His holy people; in another word, His glory is shown from the saints:

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2Co 3:18)

“and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. ” (Eph 4:24)

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ” (Rom 8:29)

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ” (1Jo 3:2)

“and to be marveled at among all those who have believed”:

On that day, LORD will show His glory in all who have believed; that is what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived before. Therefore, that is marvelous.

“you believed our testimony to you”:

Preaching Gospel is to testify all the work of Christ on people, including redemption, rebirth and transformation, till being like Him.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) The salvation of LORD is not only to bring us into glory (Heb 2:10), but also to transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body (Php 3:21); not only makes us migrate on the objective status, but also makes us change on the subjective quality and characters.

(2) Every believer must know that LORD is in every believer! As long as one is willing to deny himself and carry the cross to follow LORD, the spiritual change will show from the change of the life of the believer day by day. On that day, it will be greatly marvelous, for every believer could be the masterpiece among the workmanship of God (Eph 2:10) -- all could be like Christ and have the image of God.

2 THESSALONIANS 1:11 “ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. ”

(NOTES)

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you,”:

“With this in mind”, that is, for the sake of obtaining those blessings mentioned in the verse of (2Th 1:10); “constantly ” means going on all the time, continually and persistently.

“that our God may count you worthy of his calling”:

“count” is from the viewpoint of God, but not from the viewpoint of those men who consider themselves always in the right. “worthy of his calling” indicates that the situation of our life after the calling must be worthy of the status and the mission of the call; otherwise, we can not hand over the accounts to God.

“and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours ”:

Every good purpose and every act prompted by the faith are all from God. Therefore, Paul prayed that God will fulfill all of them.

“every act prompted by your faith”:

That is, the work promoted by the faith (1Th 1:3).

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) What let the Christians be denounced by the worldly people, is that the deeds of many people are inconsistent with their status of Christians: they do not practice what they preach(Mat 23:3), and do not conduct themselves in a manner worthy of Gospel (Php 1:27).

(2) As to all the goodness of God, the believers should admire it first and make up their mind to do it, then they can turn to God for help (Act 11:23).

(3) Our faith do not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power (1Co 2:5). After the rebirth, we live a life according to the power of God works in us to fulfill his good purpose (Php 2:13).

(4) Although we believers are weak, Christ in us is not weak; Christ in us is mighty and powerful. What we can not do, He can do it. He will use His mighty power to fulfill all the good works on us. What requires from us is only a mind to trust and obey.

2 THESSALONIANS 1:12 “ We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

(NOTES)

“the name of our Lord Jesus ”:

In the ancient time, the “name ” of a man usually not only is a personal symbol, but also includes his characteristics. “the name of our Lord Jesus ” refers to Christ Himself and His life and nature.

“be glorified in you”:

implies that when the life and work of the believers are worthy of the calling from God (2Th 1:11), they are able to show the glory of Christ to others; that is, Christ is glorified in them. In another word, let Christ be exalted in their body (Php 1:20).

“and you (be glorified ) in him”:

The reason that the believers can glorify LORD, is all because the work of Christ on us; therefore, we can also be glorified in Him.

“according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”:

“grace” refers to the grace of God given to us in Christ Jesus (1Co 1:4); it is the grace of God (1Co 15:10), and also the grace of LORD Jesus Christ (1Co 16:23). Only through the grace, we are able to glorify LORD and be glorified in LORD.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) To glorify the name of LORD should be the goal and principle for the believers of us living a life in this world: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1Co 10:31).

(2) The believers should fulfill every good purpose by relying on the power of God (2Th 1:11), so that the name of LORD is glorified in us, and on the day He comes to be glorified in us (2Th 1:10).

2 THESSALONIANS 2:13 “ But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ”

(NOTES)

“brothers loved by the Lord”:

“Lord” is LORD Jesus Christ. We believers believe in Him; that is, we accept His love.

“But we ought always to thank God for you,”:

“thank God ”; God is the source of the salvation. It is God who started and designed the salvation, chose people, and sent LORD Jesus to accomplish the great work of the salvation.

“because from the beginning God chose you”:

indicates that God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world (Eph 1:4).

“through belief in the truth”:

“faith” is the condition for men to receive the salvation from God. “truth” refers to the truth of Gospel; God revealed the way to salvation through the truth of Gospel. Men must believe it to be saved (Eph 1:13).

“the sanctifying work of the Spirit ”:

The works of Holy Spirit open our hearts to receive savior and His accomplished salvation. In this verse, it mentioned the co-work of God, Lord and Holy Spirit: God is the source of the salvation, Lord accomplished the salvation; Holy Spirit put the salvation into practice on us.

“sanctifying” is through the work of the Holy Spirit; the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit can be listed as three different stages and steps:

(1) Holy Spirit work in the minds of people and convict people in regard to sins(Joh 16:8). This is the sanctifying of the mind so that people are willing to accept LORD Jesus Christ (1Pe 1:2).

(2) When we were reborn, we were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1Co 6:11). This is the sanctification on the status.

(3) After the rebirth, Holy Spirit continually renew us(Tit 3:5) and make us sanctified in our life and conducts (1Th 4:7-8). This is the sanctification on the life (or the experience).

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) The salvation of the believers does not start in terms of time, but starts in the eternity, for God chose us from the beginning. However, we should not interpret the predestination and election of God at our own will; we should always be alert and self-controlled (1Th 5:6) to obey all the teachings of LORD.

(2) The election of God shows the love of God to us. “from the beginning ” shows that the love of God to us never changes from the beginning till now.

(3) In order to save us, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit work together to put the salvation into practice on us. God value us so much and His mind is revealed clearly here to us.

(4) If there is only the will and deeds of God, while no one believes and accepts it, it will be of no help. Therefore, what’s important is to open the heart and accept all God have accomplished for us through faith. This is the way to enjoy the blessings of God.

(5) As long as we are willing to deny ourselves and give up the authority, trust and obey, and let the Holy Spirit work in us, Holy Spirit can renew and transform us, and sanctify us. This sanctifying work is up to us to cooperate with Holy Spirit, live by Holy Spirit and produce the fruit of Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16, 22-25).

(6) We should live a life to show “the salvation of the spirit”, unite ourselves with the Lord to be one with Him in spirit (1Co 6:17), and let the Spirit work through the whole person so that our whole spirit, soul and body could be kept blameless (1Th 5:23).

2 THESSALONIANS 2:14 “ He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ”

(NOTES)

“He called you to this through our gospel”:

“called” is the past tense; it refers to the calling of God to the believers when they were reborn by grace. “to this ” refers to the stage that after the rebirth, the believers are sanctified on the experience (2Th 2:13).

“you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”:

“glory” refers to the appearance of God. “the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” implies that God appear in LORD Jesus Christ to the fullness of His riches(1Ti 3:16).

“share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”:

implies that the believers are sanctified such that they are like Lord to show God(1Jo 3:3).

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) God called us so that our whole spirit, soul and body could be sanctified thoroughly to be saved (2Th 2:13). Therefore, not that we have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but we press on to take hold of it (Php 3:12-15).

(2) If the believers want to be glorified in LORD Jesus Christ on the day of the Second Coming of LORD and enjoy the good of the glory of LORD to the most, they should turn toward LORD, with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, and are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory (2Co 3:16-18).

2 THESSALONIANS 2:15 “ So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. ”

(NOTES)

“So then, brothers, stand firm”:

“stand firm” is the present tense; shows that it should be continuous and persistent. Although the believers of the Thessalonians already stood firm (1Th 3:8), they need to continue in standing firm till the coming of LORD.

“the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter”:

“the teachings ” in the original text is “the traditions”. In the initial stage of the church, before the manuscripts of the Bible of the New Testament are complete, they lived a life of church according to the teachings of the apostles (Act 2:42); that is, the church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone (Eph 2:20). The teachings of the apostles and prophets were passed on by the oral or writing way; therefore, to accept the “traditions” is to accept the teachings of the apostles and prophets. Afterwards, the churches collected the letters of the apostles together with the Gospel books written by the apostles or based on the accounts of the apostles, to compose them to be the New Testament of the Bible.

“hold to ”:

implies to grasp firmly.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) Nowadays, all the revelations of God have been written in the Bible; The believers do not need to seek for any oral or writing traditions (refer to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha) other than the Bible.

(2) What’s important is, the Christians should not take rules taught by men as the teachings of the truth; and should not let go of the commands of God and hold on to the traditions of men (Mat 15:2-8).

2 THESSALONIANS 2:16 “ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,”

(NOTES)

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father”:

It implies that Lord Jesus Christ and God Father work together to comfort and strengthen the believers as mentioned in (2Th 2:17).

“who loved us and by his grace ”:

It shows that all that God do for the believers are because of His love and through His grace. Love is the source, grace is the pipe.

“by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope”:

“encouragement” is the power to promote; “hope” is the power to attract. To promote and attract, it strengthens the believers with power so that we are able to run the race marked out for us.

“eternal encouragement ” shows that it is not a short and instant strengthening, but a continuous and unceasing strengthening to the eternity. “good hope” shows that it is not a unreal illusion, but a distant view that can be seen and appreciated (Heb 11:13); it is a true and reliable glorious hope (Col 1:27).

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) The helps from men are always short and imperfect; only the helps from Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father who love us, can be continuous, eternal and good.

(2) The experienced Christians know that in the difficulties, only the encouragement and hope can strengthen us most and help us to overcome the pains and sufferings (2Co 1:3-7; 4:16-18).

2 THESSALONIANS 2:17 “ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. ”

(NOTES)

“encourage your hearts ”:

“encourage” could also be “comfort” or “strengthen”. This prayer is to pray that the believers of the Thessalonians can be strengthened inwardly.

“and strengthen you in every good deed and word”:

The purpose of this prayer is to let them be strengthened in both deeds and words. Deeds and words are two important parts in the testimonies of the life of the Christians (Tit 2:6-8); through which they live the truth that they have faith in.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) The “good deed and word” of the Christians might not get praises from others; on the contrary, it might even provoke the slander with hostility. This kind of setback might make the believers feel frustrated and discouraged; only by the encouragements and comforts from God, they can rise again and insist on doing it to the end.

(2) Nowadays, too many Christians emphasize guarding the truth, but do not pay attention to living the truth. Actually, one of the best ways to guard the truth is to put the truth into practice.

(3) On the testimonies of us about the truth, our “deed ” must be in consistent with our “word”. The “good word ” is not enough; it need to be added with the “good deed ” (1Jo 3:18). And our “good deed ” need to be complemented with the “good word ” to be perfect.

(4) As to the good deeds and words, the Christians should not only do it by chance or occasionally; they should insist on doing it with perseverance.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:3 “ But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

(NOTES)

“But the Lord is faithful”:

“the Lord is faithful”; it is in contrast to that “not everyone has faith” (2Th 3:2). “the Lord is faithful”; it implies that to those who belong to God, He will fulfill His will on them, and won’t change mind on the halfway and let them be defeated (1Co 1:9; 10:13).

“strengthen ”:

LORD “strengthen” us though eternal encouragement and good hope(2Th 2:16-17).

“protect you from the evil one”:

“the evil one”, according to the original text-- “evil”, could refer to both the evil one and the evil thing. The former usually refers to the devil (Mat 6:13; 1Jo 5:19); while the latter refers to the persecution and test from the devil. However, here, “protect you from the evil one”, does not indicate that one won’t encounter any persecution and test; but indicates that in the persecution and test, one can still stand firm and overcome with the help from LORD (2Th 1:4; 2:15).

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) As to those who do not have faith (2Th 3:2) , their lack of faith can not nullify God's faithfulness (Rom 3:3). If we are willing to entrust ourselves to Him, He is able to guard what we have entrusted to Him for that day (2Ti 1:12).

(2) The way for the believers to get away from the evil one, is to stand firm by relying on LORD, but not to shrink and escape.

(3) The whole world is under the control of the evil one (1Jo 5:19). However, by relying on LORD who love us, we will be protected from falling. For LORD is faithful, having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love (Joh 13:1).

(4) Facing the evil one, we can not trust and rely on ourselves; but we can trust and rely on God to help our believers.

(5) LORD who guards and watches over us is faithful; He neither slumber nor sleep (Psa 121:4). Therefore, we can set our mind at rest and fear nothing.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:4 “ We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ”

(NOTES)

“We have confidence in the Lord ”:

The confidence of Paul on the believers is from his confidence in the LORD.

“that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ”:

“command” implies that it is as the military order which is transmitted by a senior official with the higher authority. “we command” especially refers to the teachings of Paul and other apostles in the letters (1Th 4:2-4,9-12; 5:11-22; 2Th 2:2,15; 3:6,10,12-15).

“continue to do”:

The teachings of the truth are not to be followed and done temporarily, but to be followed and done consistently.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) The teachings of the truth of God proclaimed by His servants, are not only for us to understand, but also for us to obey and do it (Mat 7:24-27).

(2) The believers must persist in obeying the words of God (Act 2:42; Col 1:23). If giving up halfway, it won’t count in front of God.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:5 “ May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. ”

(NOTES)

“May the Lord direct your hearts ”:

“direct” in the original text implies to get rid of the barriers on the road; “hearts” includes mind (including intellect and understanding), feeling and will; that is, the whole of the soul. Here, it takes heart as the main object to be directed; one has the right mind first; then he will have the right feeling -- love, and the right will -- perseverance. That is, let Christ in us direct our hearts.

“into God's love”:

This is one of the results that LORD direct our hearts. “love” refers to the complete and unselfish love; only the believers can enter into this love (1Jo 4:7).

“Christ's perseverance”:

refers to the attitude of Christ when He was facing the insults of the sinners and the sufferings of the cross. This perseverance is not in our average people; we must live in Christ to be one in Christ so that to experience the perseverance of Christ.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) LORD direct us through Holy Spirit (Rom 8:14). We should let Christ in us direct our hearts.

(2) The way to overcome the evil ones and the sufferings, is under the direction of Christ in us to follow Christ, love God and learn the perseverance of Christ.

(3) When our hearts enter into God’s love, we can respond to God with love; when our hearts immerse in the perseverance of Christ, we will have the perseverance of Christ.

(4) To follow Christ, we should love God, and live to do the words of God (2Th 3:4). We share in the perseverance of Christ because of the experience of Christ’s perseverance (2Th 2:25).

(5) If we live by the direction of Christ in us and follow Christ, we can truly love God and love others, and we will also be able to bear with the insults and sufferings from others for the sake of Gospel.

Reference:

1. Jiale Huang: “The Notes for 1 and 2 THESSALONIANS ”.