The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Thessalonians — Section 4

PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS. EXPOSITION. OHAPTEB L much as they 111'8 mentioned directly befnr,- (see note to 1 These. i 2). Are bound; feel CoNTENTS.-Paul, after the address and ours .. !ves morally constrained. To thank salutation,commences this Epistle by render• God alwaya for you, brethren (comp.I Thess. ing thanks to God for the welcome intelli- i. 2). The apo.tle first praises his converts gence he had received of the increase of the for what gooJ was in them, before he cerumres faith and love of his Thessalonian converts, them for their faults, e.nd in this manner he 1ecnres their attention. As it is meet; WI it so that he we.e enablul to boast of them is right and proper in the circumstances of throughout &11 the Churches of Achaia, on the case. The words are not to be considered account of their steadfastness in the en- WI a parenthetic clause, fe.r less WI a tautolo- dure.nee of oontinued persecution. Their gical expression (Jowett); but they state that present suffering WW! an evidence of a future the reason of the apostle's thanksgiving arose from the spiritual condition of the state of retribution, when the justice of God Thessalonians: •• with the acknowledgment would be vindicated, and affliction would be of personal obligation, Paul joins a recog- rendered to their persecutors and rest to nition of the circumstances of the CW!0" them the persecuted, on that great day when (Hofmann). Beoause that yoi:r faith groweth the Lord Jesus would appear in glory for exoeedingly-superabonnds-and the charity of every one of you all. The subject of &he the destruction of his enemies and the glorifi- apostle's thanksgiving WW! the increase of cation of his people. The apostle expresses the faith und love of the Thessalonians : his constant prayer for the Thessalonians faith here being faith in Christ, and love that God would enable them to walk worthy being love to man. Faith and love contain of their high vocation, so as to be made in themselves the whole of the Christian life; faith is its commencement, its source; p1utakers of that glory which would be love is not only its outcome, its spiritna~ conferred on believers e.t the advent. action, but its completion; the climax of the Vera. I, 2.-Paul, and Silvanns, and Timo- Christian life is to be made perfrct in love. theus. This Epistle, like the former, is Here, however, love is restricted by the written in theit conjoint names, as all three context to love to believera, or brotherly were engaged in the planting of the Church love. Toward each other ; that is, toward in Thessalonica. Unto the Churoh of the your fellow-Christians in Thcssalonica. Thessalonians in God our l!'ather and the Love is not a mere general offection, but Lord Jesus Christ: graoe unto you, and is to be specially manifested - "toward peaoe, from God our Father and ths Lord each believer." Abolllldeth; inC?e&Beth in Jeana Christ. (For the exposition of these intensity. two verses, see remnrks on I Thess. i. 1, Ver. 4.--So that we ouraelves. "We"- where the address and salutation are almost Paul and Silaa and Timothy, the foundera entirely the same.) of the Church of Tbessalonica. "We our- Ver. 3.-We. Not to be restricted toPanl, selves," not merely we of our own acourd the plural being used for the singular, as is (Hofmann), but we WI well WI our informants, elsewhere the case (1 Thess. ii. 8; iii. 1); who brought us this intelligence of &he bu& inolusive of Silas and Timothy, inWl- increa.e of your faith and love. Glory m n. THESSAJ.ONIAN8. B  2 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THJ:<;SSALONIANS. [cH. 1. l-1:.1.