Read 2 Thessalonians 1
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Thessalonians%201&version=NIV
Paul’s second letter to Thessalonica begins very much like the first. In the thanksgiving of 2 Thessalonians, Paul again commended them for their faith and love and referred to their experiencing persecution. The unique element in the thanksgiving of 2 Thessalonians is Paul’s detail treatment of God’s judgment. The emphasis is on God’s vindicating the Thessalonians by punishing their persecutors. Both the length of intensity with which Paul depicted the divine judgment would indicate that the persecution of the Thessalonians had intensified. The closes corresponding passage in 1 Thessalonians is 2:13-16, where Paul spoke of God’s wrath upon the Jews who had persecuted Christians. Paul’s prayer for the church was a regular feature in many of his letters, and he included one at 1:11-12.
Discussion question
What qualities do you think Paul admires most about the Thessalonians?
Reflection question
Paul talks about justice being done to those that have harmed us. How difficult is it for you to let God handle those that harmed you or someone you loved? Have you taken matters in your own hands before? How did it turn out?
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Paul admires their growing faith and love for one another. Also their perseverance and faith in spite of them being persecuted for their beliefs.
ReplyDeleteFaith is growing & love for each other is increasing. They have kept the faith & worked to be rightous. Paul is very proud of them.
ReplyDeleteJust as Doug and Keith stated, it was because their faith was growing more and more and their love for each other was increasing.
ReplyDeleteThe Thessalonians were admired by Paul because of their growing faith, their love for each other and their perseverance in adversity.
ReplyDeleteI cringe at the thought of Paul defining actions God will take as he did in verse 8. It seems to me like Paul is projecting the actions Paul would like to take and claiming them as God's. Anytime anyone tells me definitively what God will or will not do, I consider them talking out of their backsides - because we are all men and we cannot know God's divine plan and we cannot understand God's divine judgement. The message of wrath ("trouble" - verse 6) seems earily reminiscent of Old Testament punishments and neglects the very essence of Christ's message - to forgive the unforgivable, to save the unsavable, and to promote peace and goodwill among men. I respect Paul and all that he did, but I have the same issues with him as I do with anyone who tells me that someone is in Hell right now because he took his own life - neither they, nor Paul, know God's divine plan or could ever understand His criteria for final judgement. Any claims that they do are at least self-righteous judgements made by imperfect people, and are at worst a direct conflict with Christ's message and purpose.
ReplyDeleteGod's grace is certainly more powerful than we could ever imagine. However in the words of Jesus "For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only son." John 3:17-18
ReplyDeleteI think that Paul had seen the Thessalonians being strongly persecuted and was trying encourag them not to worry about those that are being persecuting them, because God will deal with them in his own way.
I have to back up my fiance (Jon) on this one... part of why I wanted to do this Bible study is because I think Paul tends to be arrogant. I think people perhaps give Paul too much deference and not enough questioning, just because he was such a prolific writer and his works make up half of the New Testament. But we have to remember that he was a man, and I would like to maybe have more discussion on where to draw that line between what Paul says is infallible and what Paul says comes from the mouth and the pen of a human like you or I.
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