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2 Thessalonians 2:13 3:5

Paul has completed the reinforcement of his teaching concerning the order of events in the end times. As
he did so, Paul reminded the Thessalonian believers of some things he had taught them concerning the man
of sin, and of what his sure end will be utter ruin in the Lake of Fire. Likewise, those who are deceived
by the man of sin will follow him there.
Now, as we considered the man of sin in his day the Day of the Lord did you personally find it a bit
frightening to think about? Maybe very frightening? Did you continue to turn things over in your mind,
imagining what it might be like to go through that? Or, did you find yourself even more concerned about
those whom you know and love, who do not yet know the Lord that they would have to go through it?
If the answer to those questions is yes, then I want you to know that yours is a very normal response;
thats a healthy fear. In fact, it should be your response it should create in you a greater sense of urgency
for those who do not believe in Jesus; an increased desire that your life would reflect your Lord, so that
others may be drawn to the Lord through you, and be saved from the wrath that is to come.
On the other hand, the Lord would not have us preoccupied with that coming Day, or developing irrational
fears about it. Fear is paralyzing; the life of faith cannot be lived out by us when we are consumed by fear.
This was also Pauls concern for the Thessalonian believers, especially with their keen interest in the endtime events. Paul did not want them to develop unreasonable fears concerning the Day of the Lord.
Remember that this assembly at Thessalonica was being assaulted by fierce persecution from the
unbelieving Jews and Gentiles in their community. In addition, false teaching on end-time events had
permeated their assembly.
Paul had indicated that this was causing the Thessalonian believers to be shaken in mind they were being
thrown off balance. It was also causing them to be troubled they were falling into a state of anxiety (2
Thes 2:2). In fact, Paul had said that the Thessalonians stood in danger of being deceived about their Lord
(2 Th 2:3).
So once Paul had cleared up the matter of the sequence of end-time events, he purposed to further
strengthen the Thessalonian believers in their faith. Now, how would Paul be able to do this? He would do
this by anchoring them in the truth by reminding the Thessalonian believers of the foundational doctrines
of the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We will see that Paul does this in such a way so as to create a deliberate contrast between those unbelieving
souls who will be deceived by the lawless one and the Thessalonian believers. Paul will do this to reassure
the Thessalonians that, just as they have had their beginning in the Lord, so they will have their end with
Him. They can be certain that their destiny with the Lord is secure, for He is the One who secures it. In
fact, they have eternal security.
Paul begins his reassurances in verse 13. We will see that, in just the next two verses, Paul makes a
remarkable summary statement of our great salvation.
v. 13-14 Thats just like Paul to say so much with so few words! Look at the beautiful expression that
Paul uses to describe the Thessalonian believers they are brethren beloved by the Lord. And thats
what we are were brethren beloved by the Lord.

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That word for love, agapao, involves a direction of the will, and finding ones joy in something. The Lord
finds His joy in us. Isnt that remarkable? For the joy that was set before Him thats us, His beloveds
He endured the cross (Heb 12:2).
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (Jn 3:16). God so loved the world, but did the
world love Him back? No. We became the Lords beloveds simply because we did respond to that love,
and received His Son as did the Thessalonians.
Paul expresses his thanks here for the Thessalonians. Now, its true that Paul begins most of his letters with
a note of thanks to God for the assembly to whom he is writing (excepting the Galatians). But Paul stops to
express thanks for the Thessalonian assembly no less than five times, in two short, concise letters. In fact,
Paul feels bound to thank God always for them it was fitting for him to do so because their faith and
love were growing in leaps and bounds (2 Th 1:3).
But Paul is not giving thanks to God specifically for the faith of the Thessalonians here. Paul is giving
thanks because God chose the Thessalonians for salvation as He chose us for salvation. And when did
God choose us? From the beginning meaning the beginning of all things. This points to eternity past.
To the assembly in Ephesus, Paul will write, God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world
(Eph 1:4).
Remember, we are the brethren beloved by the Lord. That love involves a direction of the will; the exercise
of choice. In His love for us, God made a choice, electing us to salvation. Does that mean there were
others whom God did not love? No. God so loved the world; but not all the world loves God.
In His foreknowledge, God knew who would respond to His love. Any and all that God foreknew would
respond were chosen by God for salvation; He set that destiny for them ahead of time; they were
predestined to be sons of God, through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:5).
Romans 8:29 says, For whom He [God] foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of
His Son, that He [Jesus] might be the firstborn among many brethren. By His sovereignty, God created a
destiny ahead of time for those who would respond to His love a destiny to become a son of God, in a
body of glory conformed to the image of His Son. Thats the fullness of our so great a salvation (Heb
2:3).
Paul then wrote of the mechanism of our salvation. There are two parts involved; what are they (v. 13)?
Through what does salvation come? Through sanctification by the Spirit; and through belief in the truth.
Faith is like the conduit through which the Lord effects our salvation.
Paul will write, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves [the salvation,
that is]: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph 2:8). When a man chooses to
put his faith in Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior, God chooses to bestow His unmerited, undeserved
favor upon that man His grace giving him His gift of salvation.
That salvation comes through our sanctification by the Holy Spirit. According to Gods mercy, He saved us
how? Through the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit to our spirit (Titus 3:5).
You were washed; you were sanctified; you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of
our God (1 Cor 6:11). And thats just the beginning of the sanctification that the Spirit effects in us.

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Sanctification is the Spirits progressive work in making us holy, as God is holy; setting us wholly apart to
God, for His service. That work will be completed when we receive our glorified bodies; that is our
consummated salvation.
So while faith is like the conduit through which the Lord effects our salvation, the Spirit is like the
cleansing Agent that He transmits down that conduit, to purify us for the Lord. We can see, then, that
there is both a divine and a human element in salvation; not a human work, but a human choice to believe
God at His word.
Paul then proceeds from Gods eternal choice for our salvation to the manifestation of it, in time. God
chose us in eternity past, and then He called us, at a point in time. And by what did God call us? By the
gospel. In the case of the Thessalonians, the call came by our gospel that is, the gospel as preached to
them by Paul, Silas and Timothy.
Now, did God only call those who would respond to His offer for salvation? No. God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life (Jn 3:16). He gave His Son for the whole world; so the offer goes out to the whole world.
There is not a man who has been born that has not, in some way, had the opportunity to come to God and
receive salvation through His Son, Jesus. God is not willing that any should perish not one but that all
should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9); therefore, the call goes out to all the world. Even though God
foreknows who will respond to the call, and who will not, He gives everyone the opportunity to exercise
their freedom of choice, by sending out the call to all.
The last thing that Paul mentions in verse 14 takes us all the way through from eternity past, where we
began with the election of God, to eternity future. This shows the completion of Gods purposes for the
obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This obtaining is not an acquiring by our own effort, but a receiving as a gift. This will be the
consummation of Gods saving work in the Thessalonians and all who have placed their faith in the Lord
Jesus: we will share in our Lords glory.
As Paul will write to the Roman assembly, Whom He [God] predestined, these He also called; whom He
called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified (Rm 8:30).
The Lord will transform our lowly bodies, conforming them to His own glorious body (Phil 3:21). We will
be conformed to the image of Gods Son (Rm 8:29); sons of God, in bodies of glory, which fit us for our
heavenly home (1 Pet 1:4). And thus we beloveds will always be with our Lord (1 Th 4:17) forever.
Thats our eternal future.
Jesus Himself spoke of this consummated salvation. When a man comes to Jesus, believing, he is saved
spirit, soul and body. Nothing is lost.
Turn to John chapter 6. Jesus had done the miracle of feeding the five thousand. The people, delighted
with this provision, sought to make Jesus their king (Jn 6:15) here was someone who would take care of
their material needs. But Jesus spoke to them of their greater spiritual need for which He was the
provision. All that was required was that they come to Him to receive it.

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[John 6:34-40]
v. 34 The people are thinking loaves, here.
v. 35 Jesus presents Himself to the people as the bread of Life the true bread, come down from heaven,
of which a man can eat and live forever (Jn 6:32, 33, 58).
v. 36-37 Here we see the sovereignty of the Father, giving to Jesus those whom He chooses, or elects, for
salvation. We can see that their election is sure Jesus will by no means cast them out.
v. 38-39 When Jesus says that I should lose nothing, we can see He doesnt simply mean that He will
not lose anyone. The next part of His statement shows His meaning: He will not lose any part of anyone;
they shall be preserved spirit, soul and body; for their bodies will be raised from the dead in the last day, in
the resurrection of life.
v. 40 Here we see the human factor in salvation. God does the choosing, but He does so based on His
foreknowledge of those who will put their faith in the One whom He sent to save them Jesus. The will of
the Father is that everyone who believes in the Son is to be granted everlasting life. He who eats this bread
will live forever everlasting Life, in a glorified body.
[Return to 2 Thessalonians]
So we see that the fullness of the salvation that Jesus wrought for men is when those who have believed are
sanctified completely spirit, soul and body (1 Th 5:23) with the Lord, nothing is lost.
Now, lets go back to the Thessalonians. You can be certain that Paul had taught them these things; they are
the foundations of our faith. What was Pauls point, in rehearsing them to the Thessalonians? Paul wanted
to remind them of their eternal security.
Remember that the Thessalonians were shaken in mind and troubled, as a combined effect of persecution
and false teaching. And Paul has just laid out for them the terrifying prospect of the coming man of sin.
Paul wanted the Thessalonians to be assured that they would not in any way experience these coming
judgments, not because they were always full of faith (they werent); not because they were sinless (they
werent); but because they were secure in Christ.
If you look back over what Paul has written in verses 13 and 14, you can see that God does all the doing;
our only part is to believe the truth. The Thessalonians believers had responded in faith to the gospel of
Christ that Paul preached to them. Having done their part, they can depend upon God to do all the rest, just
as He promises.
Against the instability of human frailty and earthly circumstances, Paul contrasts the eternal stability of
Gods purpose and work. Yet we will see that Paul now encourages the Thessalonians for they do have a
part, in Gods plan; they have to co-operate with what He is doing.

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v. 15 Therefore here is the reasonable conclusion to what Paul has been saying. And what is that
conclusion? To stand fast and hold on.
This can bring to mind an image of men on a ship during a storm. Thats the Thessalonians, in the midst of
all of their trying circumstances; and their ship is Christ. That means it is a rather special ship, isnt it?
This ship can never lose its passengers, and it always arrives at its destination!
But there is a storm; high waves, and gale-force winds. What must the passengers do, to keep from getting
swept off their feet? They must stand fast. The Thessalonians must keep their secure footing, by standing
on the promises of God in Christ Jesus, as Paul has just outlined to them. This is done by faith, believing
God for those promises.
What else must the ships passengers do, during a storm? They must hold on; they must not lose their grip.
What is it that the Thessalonians must hold on to? Paul writes, hold the traditions which you were taught
whether by word or our epistle.
Now, we think of traditions as something you do during the holidays maybe every Christmas, you bake
gingerbread men. Why do you do that? Because youve always done it. And why is that? Usually,
because someone has shown you to do it perhaps your mother did it. A tradition is especially a tradition
when it has been handed down through the generations.
This is where the word ties in to how it is used in Scripture. A tradition in Scripture is something that is
handed over from one to another. In this case, it concerns teaching the spoken or written word.
Sometimes, Scripture shows traditions in a negative light. Jesus denounced the Pharisees for keeping their
traditions, which He called the traditions of men, referring to the oral traditions that men had added onto
Gods Law (Mt 15:2, 3, 6; Mk 7:3, 5, 8-9, 13). Paul also warned against the traditions of men, which he
called the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ (Col 2:8).
And that is the key. Holding traditions is, in itself, not good or bad; it is a matter of where the traditions
come from; their source. To which traditions was Paul referring? To the ones that the Thessalonians had
been taught by Paul; that is, his teaching. And what was the source of Pauls teaching? Jesus.
The teachings of Jesus had been handed over by Jesus Himself to His apostles and other disciples. Paul
eventually received these teachings from the other disciples; he had initially been instructed by the Risen
Lord Himself through the direct revelation that Jesus made to him (Three years in Nabatean Arabia; see Gal
1:11-12, 15-18).
We have these traditions preserved for us in the New Testament: the teachings of Jesus in the gospels and
the letters to the assemblies. The OT revelation is also to be included, as Jesus opened up its meaning to His
disciples (Lk 24:45). These traditions the teachings of God are separate and different from church
traditions within Christendom, which are often the traditions of men.
Paul was saying to the Thessalonians to hold on to what they had been taught to the truth. They must
hold it fast in their minds; they must not be tossed to and from and carried about with every wind of
doctrine (Eph 4:14). And if they hold fast to the truth, they will not lose their grip on the spiritual realities,
and be buffeted by the storms of life.

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Yes, the Thessalonians had been experiencing terrible persecution. Yes, they had been shaken in mind and
troubled by false teaching. And yes, there is a time of dire judgment coming upon the earth.
But the Thessalonians were in Christ their ark of safety. They were eternally secure; and they were
assured of their destination. They just needed to stand fast in Gods promises, and to cling to their Lord
during the storms of life; so that they could be of use to the Lord while on the calmer seas. Good advice for
all the Lords passengers, dont you think?
Paul now pauses to pray for this assembly, in light of what he has been writing.
v. 16-17 Paul is expressing his desire for this assembly, which has been shaken up in recent time by the
storms of life. Notice how Paul lists the Lord Jesus first, before God the Father in this case. This brings
out the equality of the Father and the Son.
And Paul uses the full title of Jesus the Lord Jesus Christ, which communicates His humanity, His
accomplished work, and His supreme position and authority.
Paul prays to both Father and Son, the one God who has loved us the Father sending the Son, the Son
choosing to be sent. The one God, who has given us everlasting encouragement and good hope glory
with Him the Father purposing, the Son accomplishing. All has been given by Gods grace His favor,
undeserved by men and as it does not depend on men, but on God alone, it is secure.
All that remains of Pauls prayer is for the Thessalonian believers to let that be a comfort to them; to be
encouraged in what God has done for them, and is doing. By believing, they will then be established
strengthened in everything they do and say. By standing fast, and holding on, they will weather the
storms of life, and have strength with which to serve their Lord.
Having prayed for them, Paul now asks for their prayers for him, and for the other missionaries.
3:1-2 With Finally, we understand that Paul is transitioning in his letter from doctrinal issues to some
practical matters with the Thessalonians.
Can you see the equality with which Paul regarded the believers in Thessalonica? He humbly asks for them
to pray for him as his brethren fellow members of the Body of Christ. The Greek shows that the word
pray in verse 1 is in the emphatic position; and the verb form reflects continuous action. Paul had a deep
sense of need for the prayers of his brethren; he recognized his complete dependence on God.
Yet the prayer is not so much for Paul personally, but for the work that God has given Paul and the other
missionaries to do. Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray that the word of the Lord will run; in the Greek, it
means to spread quickly.
Psalm 147:15 says of the Lord, He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.
Here, Paul is writing about the propagation of the gospel, asking for this prayer because he senses that his
time is short. Already, Paul had endured imprisonment, flogging, and stoning, and had been run out of
several towns. There had even been plots to murder him (Acts 9:23, 14:5), and attempts to kill him (Acts
9:29, 14:19).
But through all of these tribulations, the gospel had spread from Asia to Europe; it was even beginning to
penetrate to the heart of the Roman Empire, and the Thessalonians, in their strategic location, were helping

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it along its way (1 Th 1:8). The word of the Lord had indeed run swiftly and been glorified, particularly in
the Thessalonians.
Now once again, Paul was in the midst of a trying situation. Do you remember where Paul was writing
from, at this time? He was writing from Corinth. Lets refresh our memories as to what was happening to
Paul there.

Turn to Acts chapter 18. When Paul arrived in Corinth, he was somewhat disheartened. He, Silas and
Timothy had been prematurely forced to leave Thessalonica, then Berea. In Athens, the intelligentsia was
indifferent to the words of Life that Paul presented. Silas and Timothy, who had rejoined Paul there, were
sent back to Macedonia to strengthen the brethren, while Paul continued on to Corinth another
disreputable, depraved Greek port.
In his first letter to the assembly at Corinth, Paul recalled how he came to Corinth he was with them in
weakness, in fear, and in much trembling (1 Cor 2:3). I think this reflects Pauls response to all the
preceding circumstances.
Then Silas and Timothy came bearing news from Macedonia. The light that the missionaries had brought
to Thessalonica had not been extinguished by the persecution there; instead, the light had become a blazing
fire, as the Thessalonian assembly endured afflictions and shared their faith even beyond their community.
In hearing this joyful news, Paul became renewed in his ministry. He was compelled by the Spirit to testify
before the Jews in the synagogue that Jesus was indeed their Messiah.
As always, this aroused the ire of the unbelieving Jews, who began to oppose Paul and blaspheme the Lord.
Paul then left the Jews, and began to preach to the God-fearing Gentiles of Corinth which provoked the
Jews further to jealousy, who saw the Gentiles as their mission field.
We pick up the account as Paul receives a vision from the Lord.
[Acts 18:9-10]
v. 9-10 Now, why would the Lord come to Paul in a vision, and tell him not to be afraid, but to speak?
Because he is going to be inclined to be afraid, and not to speak. What would it take to keep Paul silent? A
lot. Remember all that he has endured until this point in time yet he did not keep silent.
Do you have a sense of how ominous the situation must have been in Corinth, for Paul to be reaching a
level where even he could be silenced? Clearly, the unbelieving Jews were a menacing threat. Later, they
will be seen plotting to take Pauls life (Acts 20:3).
These were the unreasonable and wicked men to whom Paul was likely referring in his letter to the
Thessalonians. But the Lord would not permit His word be silenced; He would protect His servant Paul, so
that His word might run swiftly, and be glorified.

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The word is glorified when it is seen for its true value. And what is that? The gospel of Christ is the power
of God unto salvation, to all who believe (Rm 1:16). When the word of the Lord is believed, it saves,
reflecting Gods power. That is how it is glorified.
It may have been around this time or some other desperately dangerous time in Corinth that Paul asked
the brethren in Thessalonica to pray for him, that he be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men
perverse men, who would not receive the truth such as these unbelieving Jews. Perhaps it was even in
response to the prayers of the Thessalonians that Jesus appeared in the vision to reassure Paul of His
protection.
In any event, we see that the Thessalonian believers actively participated in the spread of the gospel
through their prayers for Paul. We see also that the missionaries regarded the prayers of the brethren as a
vital part of their efforts for the Lord works through believing prayer.
Paul understood that there is spiritual warfare for the souls of men. There are two sides in this war the
Lord, the Commander-in-Chief of all who believe, and Satan, with his minions, including perverse and
wicked men such as these, who oppose the gospel. Prayer unceasing communication with the
Commander-in-Chief is a most essential defensive weapon for believers involved in this war
particularly those on the front lines.
Meanwhile, Paul continued ministering in Corinth for a total of one and a half years. At one point, the Jews
seized Paul, dragged him before the proconsul, and accused him of spreading a subversive religion. When
the proconsul dismissed the charges, a Gentile mob actually beat the Jewish prosecutor; but remarkably,
Paul escaped unscathed, protected by his Lord.
[Return to 2 Thessalonians]
When Paul asked the Thessalonians to pray that he and the other missionaries be delivered from perverse
and wicked men, do you think Pauls key motivation was one of self-preservation? If you know Paul, you
know this could not be true. For Paul, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil 1:21).
So what would you say was his motivation? The preservation of the gospel message. Paul was not
concerned for personal loss, but for a loss to the ministry the Lords ministry of reconciliation. His prayer
reflects that the Lords interests are his interests.
It is the Lords desire that His word run swiftly and be glorified, in those who believe. The Lord then
purposes to strengthen and protect those who come to Him, in faith. This is what Paul speaks of next.
v. 3 There is a play on words here, even in the English. In verse 2, Paul spoke of perverse and wicked
men, who do not have faith; that is, they did not put their trust in the gospel, and instead hold lies to be the
truth.
Then in verse 3, Paul says, But the Lord is faithful. Here the word faithful does not mean believing,
but trustworthy. Not all men have trust in God, but God is worthy to be trusted. Those men who do put
their trust in God can count on His faithfulness; to strengthen them in their faith, and to protect them from
the evil one.
As Paul asked for prayer for his ministry, to protect it from wicked men, he thought of the unseen one
behind those evil men, operating behind the scenes the ultimate opponent of the gospel and accuser of the
brethren (Rev 12:10) Satan.

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Although the Thessalonian believers had their part, to co-operate with God, to stand fast and hold to what
they have been taught, Paul recognized that only the Lord had the might to withstand the power of the evil
one. The Lord alone could be their protection against Satan, who is determined to destroy the true church
(Mt 16:18).
But will Satan be allowed to do this? No; for it is contrary to the expressed purposes of God. The Lord is
faithful; He established the Thessalonians in their faith, and would continue to strengthen them and protect
them to the end: He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the Day of Jesus Christ (Phil
1:6). The Thessalonians could be confident of that very thing.
Id like to stop for a moment to take a look back at this section of Pauls letter, an assurance to the believers
in Thessalonica, which was written in contrast to his statements concerning those who will be deluded into
worshiping the lawless one the man of sin. You can follow along on your chart.
Looking back in verse 10 of chapter two, those who will believe into the lawless one are those who perish.
Paul described the believers in Thessalonica as brethren beloved by the Lord (2:13).
What will those perishing do with the love of the truth (2:10)? They will not receive it; whereas the
brethren believe the truth (2:13).
Paul also reflected on Gods sovereignty, in each case; God will send those perishing strong delusion, to
prove out what is in their hearts (2:11); but God chose the brethren for salvation (2:13).
Those perishing will believe the lie (2:11), but the brethren will respond to the call of the gospel (2:14).
The response of each then proves out what is in their hearts, and will demonstrate that God is righteous in
His judgment of them.
The perishing will be deceived by the power, signs and lying wonders of the lawless one (2:9). But the
brethren are preserved by the Lord from the evil one (3:3).
Those who have never received the love of the truth take pleasure in unrighteousness (2:12), but believers
are established in every good word and work (2:17).
Those who believe are sanctified by the Holy Spirit (2:13); they are set apart unto God. But those perishing
must be set apart from God, for their sin separates them from Him; they are under condemnation (2:12).
Paul had previously discussed the destiny of those who do not know God, who do not obey the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ; they will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
(1:8-9). But those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ will instead have everlasting consolation;
they will share in the glory of their Lord (2:14, 16).
The believers in Thessalonica have no need to fear the evil one, or his minions. Their election is sure; their
destiny is guaranteed; and the Lord Himself will establish and preserve them. The Lord is faithful that is
their great assurance.
Well finish with the next two verses of this passage of Pauls letter. We will find that Paul is once again
praying for the Thessalonian assembly. This prayer would serve as a preparation of heart for the next
section of Pauls letter, in which he must speak to an issue of church discipline.

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10

v. 4 Paul has just assured the Thessalonian believers of their eternal security in the Lord. Now he
additionally expresses confidence in them that they will be obedient that they are doing, and will
continue to do, the things commanded of them. But note that Pauls confidence is in the Lord concerning
them.
The only confidence we can have in people even believers is that they will, in themselves, fail. It is
only as believers trust in the Lord, submitting to Him for the circumstances of their lives that they are
empowered to obey Him. I can do all things but only through Christ, who strengthens me (Phil 4:13).
And I must submit myself to Him, in order to receive that strength.
The word Paul chooses for command here is a military term, meaning to advance an order or charge. Is
Paul the commander, here? No; it is the Lord, and Paul is merely advancing His command. We will see
next time that this applies to a specific situation in Thessalonica.
Here is Pauls prayer for them.
v. 5 In the Greek, to direct is to guide straight towards something, as ones way or journey to a place.
Implied in this is that obstacles are removed from the path.
Paul is asking the Lord Himself to direct the Thessalonians straight into His love and His steadfast
endurance. If there are any obstacles in the way, Paul is praying that the Lord would remove them.
The idea is for the Thessalonians to be perfected in their love and endurance; that their love would, more
and more, reflect their Lords love: fearless, selfless, meeting the needs of others, giving what is good.
Likewise, Paul is praying that the steadfast endurance of Christ would inspire them to also endure, in all
their trials; not giving up, not trying to get out from under the load, not losing patience in the midst of it,
not doubting God, or His goodness.
We will see that Pauls prayer is intended to direct the Thessalonian assembly right to their Lord to help
them with a persistent sin which is tarnishing the radiant image of Christ in this precious community of
believers. Paul will deal with this issue with great directness and firmness but also with great love and
patience for his converts, who are the beloved of the Lord.