Greetings: Grace to You!
2 Thessalonians 1:1
“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Affliction, personal trials, and tribulations abound! Our study in 1 and 2 Thessalonians has brought me much joy in my life. I have seen how Christians can be encouraged in affliction in light of the message of the ‘end times.” Yes! We have troubles! But our confidence and hope rest in the promises of Scripture. In First and Second Thessalonians, Paul teaches them to encourage one another because we, those in Christ Jesus, will be caught up in the air with him, return with Him with all His saints, and be there with Him on the final judgment day of the wicked! Until that day, we must encourage others because the enemy is here! But this is what has overcome the world — our faith! So, dear readers! “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:2).
O! the fiery darts the enemy can hurl at us to trip and cause us to stumble in our faith. I, for one, do not perceive these attacks as anything close to a mere “oops!” “I missed a step!”. Instead, I’ve come to reaelize that these attacks are intended to cause severe intense pain and casualty that will utterly destroy life. John the Beloved tells us in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I [Jesus] came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” The problem is the choices, if I may reluctantly say. One choice provides abundant life through Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This life requires self-denial, taking up a cross, and following Christ in faith and obedience. This life can be obtained only by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, who opens the heart of the sinner to the Gospel message so repentance and belief may come through faith alone. The other life does destroy, but on first inspection, the life presented is perceived as the means for fame, fortune, and pleasure; yet, in the end, there is death and eternal damnation. One is promised a life of persecution on His behalf because he believes. The other life takes offense when condemnation is preached against the sin that he so dearly loves. One strives to serve God by serving and loving others, even the lowly. The other loves himself. One is remorse by sin; the other is remiss. One is shamed; the other is considered wise. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:27-28, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.” Needless to say, those who are called to faith in Jesus Christ gladly submit to Scripture with all joy. Second Corinthians 12:9-10 says, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Therefore, one has a life of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the other does not!
This life of faith is first encountered by His grace. Here’s that amazing word, “grace.” My lovely and beautiful wife, Eulanda, loved acronyms, acrostics, and sermon outlines having alliterations, which is the first letter of each line in the outline beginning with the same letter (for example, we are free from the power of sin, the penalty of sin, and the presence of sin). In Eulanda’s Bible, there is this acrostic of GRACE, which is: “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense!” We need grace. We need Christ. Here in 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Paul is giving the Thessalonians a pronouncement of grace, so the grace given to them may result in faith as they read and study Scripture. We already know that we are saved by grace through faith. So what is the connection between faith and grace? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Faith is a gift from God to those who genuinely believe and trust Him. For example, John 1:11-13 says, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Faith is a gift! It is a precious gift from God to those who do not deserve it. That is grace through faith! We need grace and the Holy Spirit to bring to our hearts, soul, and minds the understanding of the true Word of God. First Thessalonians 1:4-5a says, “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” That is transforming power; that is grace!
Before proceeding with our study, John MacArthur presents an excellent brief summary that can help us as we dig even deeper into God’s revelation of truth in Scripture. He says, “The seeds of false doctrine concerning the Lord had been sown [in the Thessalonian church], and the people were behaving disorderly. So Paul wrote to his beloved flock who were: 1) discouraged by persecution and needed the incentive to persevere; 2) deceived by false teachers who confused them about the Lord’s return; and 3) disobedient to divine commands, particularly by refusing to work. Paul wrote to address those 3 issues by offering: 1) comfort for the persecuted believers (1:3–12); 2) correction for the falsely taught and frightened believers (2:1–15); and 3) confrontation for the disobedient and undisciplined believers (3:6–15). And finally, I pray as we begin this study in the Second Book of Thessalonians, that the power of the Spirit of God will enlighten our hearts and give us the grace whereby we may fully apprehend what God has in store for us: sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone). In all things, may Jesus Christ be praised, for the glory of the Father! Gratia vobis, et pax a Deo, grace to you and peace from God.
Christian Hymn, Grace Greater Than Our Sins, by Julia H. Johnston in 1910
