Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does 1st Thessalonians Chapter 2 mean?

In this chapter Paul recalls his ministry at Thessalonica. He had been maltreated at Philippi, but his suffering did not deter him from moving on to Thessalonica and declaring the gospel there. His willingness to suffer in order to share the gospel showed he wasn’t motivated by money or self-glory. God had entrusted him with the gospel, and he had been true to that trust. His message was truly from God. His motives for preaching the gospel were pure. And his ministry was genuine. He testifies that the Thessalonian Christians had become “very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:1–8).

Just as a mother gently cares for her children, so Paul was gentle among the Thessalonian believers. He would not be a burden to them, but provided for his own needs. Most likely, Paul did this by working part-time as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3), much as many modern evangelists need to work in some kind of secular field in order to support their ministry work. The Thessalonians could see that Paul was a righteous servant of God, and just as a responsible father encourages and instructs his children, so Paul acted as a father on behalf of the believers at Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:9–12).

Paul thanks God for the Thessalonians, because they had responded positively to the Word of God, and the Word had produced fruit in their lives. They had become like the Judean believers by withstanding persecution. Paul assures his readers that those who oppose the gospel are objects of God’s wrath. He explains that he wanted to return to Thessalonica, but Satan hindered him from doing so. He calls the Christians at Thessalonica his glory and joy (1 Thessalonians 2:13–20).

Book Summary
The apostle Paul’s second missionary journey included a visit to the prominent Greek city of Thessalonica. This stood alongside a major land route and boasted a busy seaport. A number of individuals believed Paul’s message (Acts 17:1–4), but an angry mob forced Paul to leave the city after his brief stay. Later, while in Athens, Paul received a glowing report: the believers at Thessalonica were growing spiritually and serving God fervently. However, they had questions about the Lord’s return, including what happens to a believer who dies before that day. And, as all churches do, they had some areas in which they were falling short. In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, written about AD 51, he addresses these developments. Paul expresses gratitude for the Thessalonian believers’ spiritual progress, and frequently makes references to Christ’s impending return.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain.

Paul reflects on his missionary venture in Thessalonica. It was not unproductive. As 1 Thessalonians 1:9 reports, Paul’s readers had become his brothers. They had turned away from idolatry and had become servants of God, and they were anticipating Jesus’ return from heaven. When God’s Word is sent out, it always accomplishes the purpose God had in sending it. That message may fall on some hearts that are like rocky ground and become scorched by the sun; or it may fall on some hearts that are like a path on which birds devour the seed; or it may fall on some hearts that are like thorny ground that chokes the seed (Mark 4:1–9).

However, God’s Word will surely fall—eventually—on good soil and produce an abundant harvest. Isaiah 55:10–11 relates a similar message about God’s Word. He promises, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Context Summary
First Thessalonians 2:1–8 recalls Paul’s brief three-Sabbaths visit to Thessalonica (Acts 17:2). He had served the Lord there honorably in the face of strong opposition. His message at Thessalonica was the pure gospel of God, and the Thessalonian believers had witnessed his holy, righteous, and blameless conduct. Here, Paul testifies that his intent was only to please God, not men, and that he strove to care for the Thessalonian believers as a mother would care for a child.

Verse 2. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

Paul had suffered at Philippi for the sake of the gospel. He and Silas had been beaten and imprisoned at Philippi (Acts 16:19–24), but they did not abandon their missionary ventures. Instead, God gave them the courage to preach the gospel at Thessalonica in spite of fierce opposition.

Later in his missionary career, Paul met with the elders of the church at Ephesus. He was on his way to Jerusalem, where his life was in jeopardy, but he was determined to proceed to Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit had testified to him in every city “that imprisonment and afflictions” awaited him (Acts 20:23). He told the elders, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Such courage remained a part of Paul’s character until he reached the end of life. From prison, where his martyrdom was imminent, he declared, “…the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6–7).

Verse 3. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,

Apparently, Paul’s enemies had accused him of preaching a false message. They claimed he had impure motives and was using deception to gain the Thessalonians’ trust. But in this verse Paul denies those accusations.

Likewise, in 2 Corinthians 4:1–7, Paul defends his ministry against false charges. He assures his readers that he and his coworkers had “renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways” and “refuse[d] to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word.” Paul recognized that he and his fellow missionaries were simply clay jars that held the treasure of the gospel. God was to have all the glory.

At the core of Paul’s message to the Thessalonians was the gospel, which he defines in 1 Corinthians 15:1–8 as having four elements. First, that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.” Second, that “he was buried.” Third, that Christ “was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” Fourth, Paul taught that Christ appeared to the apostles, to five hundred believers, and to himself.

Verse 4. but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

Paul indicates that he had been approved by God to be a steward of the gospel, meaning God had entrusted the gospel to Paul’s care. The word “approved” means to be validated through testing. Paul’s many trials as a herald of the gospel demonstrated his genuineness as a guardian of the gospel. As someone entrusted by God to spread the gospel, Paul did not speak to please humans, but to honor God. He was aware that God examines a person’s motives.

In Galatians 1:10–12 Paul writes: “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Verse 5. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed — God is witness.

When Paul preached to the Thessalonians, false prophets gave conflicting messages. Unlike those false prophets, Paul did not try to win the Thessalonians by flattering them. Nor did he try to line his pockets. Paul knew his conduct was pure, and he called upon God as his witness to this truth.

Jesus also warned about those who taught fake spirituality, for selfish reasons. He said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). The apostle John sounded a similar alarm in 1 John 4:1. He wrote, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Paul also urged the Christians at Rome to be on guard against self-serving, greedy deceivers. He wrote: “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve” (Romans 16:17–18).

Paul’s ministry at Thessalonica stood in stark contrast to the actions and motives of those false teachers.

Verse 6. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.

Paul and his missionary companions did not try to make a name for themselves among the Thessalonians and others. Nor did they demand money from their audience. They did not use their apostolic credentials as a means of getting anything from those to whom they preached the gospel. Their goal was to serve and to give of themselves on behalf of others. They were servants for Jesus’ sake (2 Corinthians 4:5). However, as apostles, they were worthy of financial support. By contrast, orators and philosophers combed the Roman Empire, entertaining audiences and collecting money from them. Also, they hoped to become famous.

Paul and his coworkers ministered in the tradition of Jesus, the greatest minister of all. He taught his followers to renounce prestige and to serve humbly. He explained, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Verse 7. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.

Paul compares the care he and his missionary companions gave the young believers at Thessalonica to the care a nursing mother gives her own babies. They had fed the newborn Christians wholesome spiritual food so they would develop well. By using the words “own children” in this verse, Paul was showing how closely he identified with the Thessalonian believers. This demonstrates how much personal responsibility he assumed for their spiritual wellness.

Paul’s love for the newborn Christians at Thessalonica reminds us of the tender care Moses’ mother gave him in Egypt. By faith, she and her husband hid him for three months from Pharaoh, who had ruled that all the Hebrew male infants should be thrown into the Nile (Exodus 1:22; Hebrews 11:23). Finally, when she could not conceal Moses any longer, she put him in a waterproof basket, placed him among the river’s reeds at a strategic location where Pharaoh’s daughter bathed, and positioned Moses’ adult sister on the riverbank to watch over baby Moses. When Pharaoh’s daughter saw little Moses, she sent her maid to rescue him. Moses’ sister suggested getting a nurse from the Hebrew women to take care of Moses. When the princess agreed, Moses’ sister introduced Moses’ mother as the prospective nurse, and the princess hired Moses’ mother to care for him until he was weaned (Exodus 2:1–10). So Moses’ mother continued to lovingly care for him.

No one can measure a faithful mother’s love for her children, nor can anyone measure Paul’s love for his spiritual children at Thessalonica.

Verse 8. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Instead of greedily taking what they could get from the Christians at Thessalonica, Paul and his companions eagerly shared the good news about God with them. Because the Christians had become precious to Paul and his team, the missionaries were willing to give them all they had, including themselves.

Such love for the Thessalonians mirrors God’s love for the lost. John 3:16 says God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son. The apostle John marveled at God’s self-sacrificing love. He writes: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God …” (1 John 3:1).

God’s love, revealed in the death of Jesus, is amazing because it was poured out for all who had transgressed God’s laws. Romans 5:8 tells us “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That love motivated Paul and his coworkers to share the gospel with others. He testified in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “For the love of Christ controls us…” and in verse 20 declared, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Verse 9. For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

In this verse Paul calls upon his readers to remember how hard he had worked in order not to impose on them. He worked long hours, to the point of exhaustion, and endured hardship in order to preach and teach the gospel. Perhaps his work involved making tents, which seems to be a trade he adopted. Acts 18:1–3 relates that he stayed with Aquila and Priscilla at Corinth because they were tentmakers, also.

Paul’s sacrificial labor to enrich the lives of the Thessalonians reflects the sacrificial ministry of the Lord Jesus on our behalf. Jesus led a voluntary simple life. He owned no property and did not even have a place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20). When He died on the cross, He gave His blood on our behalf. Second Corinthians 8:9 affirms: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich [in heaven], yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

Context Summary
First Thessalonians 2:9–12 is Paul’s call for the Christians at Thessalonica to recall how he and his coworkers had conducted themselves. He describes how hard they had labored to support themselves, so they would not be a burden to the Thessalonians. He also calls on his readers to remember the godly lifestyle they led at Thessalonica while they shared the gospel. No one could accuse them of any wrongdoing. Like a loving father, they had encouraged and instructed the believers to lead a life that honored God, who had called them into His kingdom and glory.

Verse 10. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.

The believers at Thessalonica could testify that Paul and his coworkers were beyond reproach in their midst. They were devoted to God, lived up to the standards God had set for behavior, and no one could rightfully accuse them of wrongdoing. They conducted themselves admirably, letting their light shine so that the Thessalonians could see their good works and glorify God (see Matthew 5:16).

When the church at Jerusalem needed men who would administer the church’s welfare program without bias, they chose “seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3). It has always been essential in the history of the church to have leaders like those seven and Paul and his missionary companions. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul advised Timothy that an overseer must be above reproach (1 Timothy 3:2). While that especially applies to those who are called to leadership, the entire body of Christians is called to be above reproach (Philippians 2:14–15). God’s standards are high for His people, and Paul and his coworkers lived up to them.

Verse 11. For you know how, like a father with his children,

Paul compares his relationship with the Thessalonian Christians to that of a father and his children. Because Paul had won the Thessalonians to Christ, he had become their spiritual father and they had become his spiritual children. Paul and Timothy, one of Paul’s missionary companions, also had that kind of relationship. Apparently Paul had led Timothy to Christ at Lystra. In 1 Timothy 1:2 he refers to Timothy as “my true child in the faith.”

The apostle John had a similar relationship with believers. In his letters, he refers to believers as “my little children” (1 John 2:1), “little children” (1 John 2:12, :28; 3:7, 18; 5:21), “children”: (1 John 2:13, 18), and “my children” (3 John 1:4). Just as a loving father tries to protect his children from harm, so the apostle John endeavored to protect his “children” from spiritual harm. He warned them often to recognize and avoid false teachers and their harmful teachings. See, for example, 1 John 2:18–19, 21–22; 3:7–10; 4:1–6; and 2 John 1:7–10.

Verse 12. we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

This continues the father-children analogy Paul began in the prior verse, describing his ministry to the Thessalonians. Just as a father teaches and encourages his children, so Paul urged and encouraged the Thessalonian Christians to live in a way that would honor God, who had summoned them to partake of His kingdom and glory.

With his Jewish background Paul would have recalled the command God gave to the Israelite fathers before the nation entered the Promised Land. He charged them with the responsibility to teach His commandments, statutes, and rules “diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:7). Paul took his spiritual father status seriously and discharged his responsibility faithfully.

Proverbs 4 describes a wise father’s instructions to his son and the son’s responsibility to heed the instructions. The chapter begins with an exhortation: “Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight” (Proverbs 4:1). Like a wise father, Paul had instructed his spiritual children at Thessalonica.

Verse 13. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

In this verse Paul expresses his unceasing gratitude that the Thessalonian Christians had responded with faith when he preached to them. They accepted what he said as God’s Word and not the word of men. Paul understood that the Word of God had taken hold of their lives and was bearing spiritual fruit. This comment expands on the remarks made by Paul at the start of this letter, when he also referred to his “constant” mention of the Thessalonians in his prayers.

Psalm 1 illustrates the power of God’s Word in the life of the person who gives it a warm reception. It causes that person to be “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season” (Psalm 1:3). This acceptance is not meant to be blind, or foolish, however. The Bible specifically commends those who seek to confirm the truth of what they hear, even from someone like Paul (Acts 17:11).

Context Summary
First Thessalonians 2:13–16 explains why Paul gives thanks for the Christians at Thessalonica. They had responded positively to the Word of God, and the Word had produced fruit in their lives. They had become like the Judean believers by withstanding persecution. Paul assures his readers that those who oppose the gospel are objects of God’s wrath.

Verse 14. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,

Paul refers to the churches in Judea as suffering persecution from the Jews. He indicates that, like the Judean believers, the Thessalonian Christians were suffering persecution from their countrymen. Jewish Christians who accepted Christ were under immense pressure to return to obedience to the law—this is a major inspiration of the book of Hebrews. The Thessalonians also experienced backlash for turning away from the religion of their neighbors. In their case, however, the former religion was entirely pagan and idolatrous (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Faithful Christians can expect persecution. Paul writes: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus, too, predicted His followers would be persecuted. He said, “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you…”, “A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you …” (John 15:18, 20).

Verse 15. who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind

In this passage, Paul commends the Christians of Thessalonica for faithfully enduring persecution. Their conversion from idolatry to the truth (1 Thessalonians 1:9) would have angered many of their neighbors, family, and friends. The persecutors of the Thessalonians were the same kind of people who had crucified the Lord Jesus and martyred the Old Testament prophets. Jesus accused the unrepentant Jews of Jerusalem of killing the prophets and stoning God’s messengers. He spoke of His constant willingness to show them His love and care, but they had rejected His offer. He even said, “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not” (Luke 13:34).

Following in the succession of those who had rejected Jesus, unrepentant Jews had forced Paul and his team out of Thessalonica. Paul charged them with the sins of displeasing God and keeping others from hearing the gospel. It is bad enough to reject the gospel, but it worse to stand in the way of others who might otherwise hear, believe, and be saved.

Verse 16. by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved — so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!

The persecutors of the Thessalonian Christians had stood in the way of Paul’s outreach to the Gentiles. By doing so, they were curtailing Paul’s ability to give others an opportunity to be saved (Matthew 18:6). They were piling up sins upon sins and bringing God’s wrath upon them. Paul’s reference to God’s wrath may point to God’s turning from the Jews in order to draw the Gentiles to Himself.

In the early history of the church the Christians focused primarily on reaching Jews with the gospel. In Romans 1:16 Paul referred to this priority by stating, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” When a disorderly crowd of Jews in Antioch in Pisidia rejected the gospel message that Paul and Barnabas preached, the two missionaries announced: “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46).

Verse 17. But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face,

Perhaps some of the Thessalonian believers thought Paul had purposely abandoned them, but that was not the case. Persecution had separated Paul and his missionary team from the Thessalonian Christians. He addresses the believers as his brothers whom he hoped to see again soon.

The term “brothers” reveals the strong relationship that existed between Paul and the Thessalonian Christians. He writes that he has them in his heart, but he longed to see them in person, and he had tried to visit them. The verb translated “torn away” in this verse is the Greek word, aporphanisthentes. It literally means “to be orphaned.” The word emphasizes the strong feeling Paul and his coworkers had for the believers at Thessalonica. Being suddenly separated from them felt like the loss children feel when death separates them from their parents. Paul was physically separated from the Thessalonians, but he still held them lovingly in his heart. It was not a case of “out of sight, out of mind.”

Context Summary
First Thessalonians 2:17–20 recalls how Paul had been chased out of Thessalonica, but he strongly wanted to return and see the Thessalonian Christians again. Repeatedly, he desired to return to Thessalonica, but was unable to do so. The Christians at Thessalonica meant so much to Paul that he anticipated greeting Christ at His coming with the blessing of knowing he had won these believers to Christ. They were his glory and joy.

Verse 18. because we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, again and again — but Satan hindered us.

Popular culture portrays the Devil as a fictional character in a red suit, with a pointy tail and horns, and who carries a pitchfork. On the contrary, the Devil, called Satan in this verse, is a real person. God created him as an angel of light and allowed him to occupy a place near God’s throne, but Satan tried to usurp God and led a rebellion of angels against Him. Subsequently, God cast him out of heaven, where throughout human history he has tried to thwart God’s purposes and destroy God’s people (see Isaiah 14:12–15; Ezekiel 28:11–19).

In this verse Paul blames Satan for hindering him from returning to Thessalonica. Every time he tried to visit his Thessalonian brothers, circumstances opposed his doing so. Paul attributes this interference to the work of the Devil. In Ephesians 6:11–12 Paul speaks of Satan as a powerful adversary. Clearly, because God was working in Paul’s life and ministry, Satan targeted Paul as someone he wanted to destroy.

Verse 19. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?

Paul has just indicated that he desperately wants to see the Thessalonian Christians again. He did not leave voluntarily (1 Thessalonians 2:17), and he blames his inability to return to them on interference from Satan (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Looking forward to the return of Jesus, Paul asks the Thessalonian believers what he most anticipated and what would give him his greatest joy, what crown would he wear, and what would make him most proud? His answer is simple, but profound: it is those with whom he has shared the gospel of Jesus Christ. Verses 19 and 20 make this point in poignant detail.

The New Testament teaches that faithful believers will receive crowns when Jesus comes again. First Corinthians 9:25 mentions an imperishable wreath for those who run the Christian race successfully. Second Timothy 4:8 invokes the crown of righteousness. James 1:12 speaks of the crown of life. First Peter 5:4 references an unfading crown of glory. Revelation 2:10 mentions the crown of life. Paul identified the Thessalonian believers as his crown and also his hope and joy.

As his hope, Paul wanted to see them grow strong in Christ. As his joy, they filled him with rejoicing. He could recall what they were before trusting in Christ as their Savior. They were pagans steeped in the worship of idols. He could see what they had become: Christians who displayed faith, hope, and love. These remembrances caused Paul to rejoice greatly.

Verse 20. For you are our glory and joy.

In this verse Paul answers the question he posed in verse 19, asking what his ultimate reward was for his service to Christ. He replies that the Thessalonian believers—the people, themselves—were his joy and glory. This declaration would encourage the believers immensely and assure them that Paul’s absence from them had not dimmed his love for them.

What Paul writes in this verse assures us that eternal value resides in work done in the name of Christ, not in material possessions (1 John 2:15–17). Jesus warned against materialism. He said: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). He instructed His followers to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20–21). The Thessalonian believers were Paul’s treasure, and they were dear to his heart!

End of Chapter 2.

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