Right Theology for a Right Mind
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Burdened by Bad Theology
Burdened by Bad Theology
The biggest threat
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
Paul commends the Thessalonians for recognizing him and his partners in the gospel as examples to be followed, and sites the fact that they received the word in much affliction as the evidence of their God-honoring lives.
God-honoring lives begin with a right theology, and right theology comes from a right understanding and response to the word of God.
The Thessalonians’ biggest threat was not their persecution. By the grace of God, they were faithful amidst their afflictions.
2. Truth certainty and emotional stability
not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
[do] not be quickly shaken in mind...
Many of the Thessalonians were moved in their understanding about the coming of the Lord and the gathering of the church to Him.
They have been taught these things before. (v. 5)
There were some who were teaching that which contradicted the truth (v. 3), and some of the Thessalonians embraced this teaching.
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
or alarmed
The Thessalonians were frightened as a result of their false belief. Today, people who present this symptom may be diagnosed with anxiety disorder. Regardless of what credibility we may give to such a conclusion, we need to see the connection between the harassed condition of the Thessalonians and their wrong beliefs.
The word, alarmed appears in two other places in the NT which reference the same exchange Jesus had with His disciples (Matt 24:6 & Mark 13:7)
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
Jesus’ instruction to not be alarmed is not based on an assurance that wars will never come, but on a right understanding of the end.
Fear, anxiety, stress doubt and everything else that can disrupt our emotional stability is ultimately remedied by believing and embracing the truth.
3. The answer
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
Maturity in Christ
The Points of Confusion
The Points of Confusion
The Day of the Lord
A definition: the time when God will judge and restore the whole world through the second advent of Christ.
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
Paul begins by expressing his concern in urgent terms: we ask you brothers may be better translated we beseech you or we entreat you...
There were some who were teaching that Jesus had returned and many believed this teaching.
The coming of the Lord is described in the previous chapter
and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
Believers’ relief from affliction
The revealing of Jesus from heaven and His mighty angels
Final judgement upon the enemies of God (eternal destruction)
Global marveling (among all who believed)
Prerequisites for the coming of Christ
the rebellion
The NT often connects this kind of rebellion to people’s rejection of God (see 1 Tim. 4:1)
Paul has already expressed his hope that the Thessalonians would not succumb to this apostacy (see 1 Thess 3:5), but continues to teach them the truth so strengthen them against this temptation.
the revealing of the man of lawlessness/son of destruction
revealed is the same word that appears in 1 Thess 1:7, which references the revealing of Christ at His second coming. The grammar of the word (passive) makes it difficult to know if we are to understand God as the doing the revealing or if this is the work of an evil agent (such as Satan - see 2 Thess 2:9). Regardless, Paul will make clear that God is sovereign over the activity of the man of lawlessness and the duration of his existence.
This is someone who is without law and whose character is therefore the personification of sin.
This figure embodies all that the Lord opposes which will be displayed in his effort to usurp His position (see v. 4)
the gathering of the church to Jesus
This was referenced in 1 Thess 4:13-18.
The gathering of the church to Jesus on the Day of the Lord is the gathering of the dispersed people of God to be rescued from affliction and restored to our Lord.
It is both instructive and encouraging to recognize that our gathering on the Lord’s Day each week anticipates and symbolically rehearses this event. in fact, the author of Hebrews uses tis same term to exhort God’s people not to neglect to meet together.
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The Deprivations of Bad Theology
The Deprivations of Bad Theology
An unstable faith that fails to protect against false teaching
Lack of fellowship and intimacy with Jesus
Disconnected from the body of Christ
Unable to experience the joy of the hope we possess in Christ
The potential that we could lead others astray