YOU WILL BE COUNTED WORTHY

Passage: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Key verse: 5

NIV

1 Paul, Silas[a](A) and Timothy,(B)

To the church of the Thessalonians(C) in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(D)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We ought always to thank God for you,(E) brothers and sisters,[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.(F) 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast(G) about your perseverance and faith(H) in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.(I)

5 All this is evidence(J) that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy(K) of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just:(L) He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you(M) 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven(N) in blazing fire(O) with his powerful angels.(P) 8 He will punish(Q) those who do not know God(R) and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.(S) 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction(T) and shut out from the presence of the Lord(U) and from the glory of his might(V) 10 on the day(W) he comes to be glorified(X) in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.(Y)

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you,(Z) that our God may make you worthy(AA) of his calling,(AB) and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness(AC) and your every deed prompted by faith.(AD) 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,(AE) and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[c]

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Footnotes
  1. 2 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas
  2. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 2:1, 13, 15; 3:1, 6, 13.
  3. 2 Thessalonians 1:12 Or God and Lord, Jesus Christ
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Greeting

1 (A)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.

Thanksgiving

3 (B)We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers,[a] as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore (C)we ourselves boast about you (D)in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith (E)in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

The Judgment at Christ's Coming

5 This is (F)evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be (G)considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it (H)just (I)to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant (J)relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when (K)the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven (L)with his mighty angels 8 (M)in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those (N)who do not know God and on those who (O)do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of (P)eternal destruction, (Q)away from[b] the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 (R)when he comes on (S)that day (T)to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our (U)testimony to you (V)was believed. 11 To this end we (W)always pray for you, that our God may (X)make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every (Y)work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus (Z)may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Footnotes
  1. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
  2. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Or destruction that comes from
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians shortly after he had written 1 Thessalonians. As with the first letter, Paul wrote to a church that was under heavy persecution. But the persecution didn’t cause the Thessalonians to shrink back or to lose their faith. Instead, both their faith and their love for their brothers and sisters in Christ had only grown. For this, Paul was thankful to God. The persecution they were enduring was testimony that God’s judgment against his enemies is right, and that because they had endured, God would reward them with the kingdom of God.

God is just (6). What does this mean? It means God will bring justice to those who have been harmed. It means that God will repay with trouble those who had troubled his people. On the day the Lord Jesus returns to judge the world, those who have persecuted God’s people will be punished with everlasting destruction.

But on that same day, the Lord Jesus will be glorified. Those who believe in him will share in his glory on that day. And so, Paul prayed that they might live as worthy of God’s calling and that God brings their desire for goodness to fruition.

Prayer: Father, make us worthy of your calling by being steadfast and faithful even in the midst of suffering.

One Word: God makes us worthy of his calling