1 Thessalonians 2:19-The Thessalonians Were Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s Confident Expectation of Blessing, Joy and Crown of Boasting Lesson # 36

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And so we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human message, but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe. 14 For you became imitators, brothers and sisters, of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they in fact did from the Jews. 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us severely. They are displeasing to God and are opposed to all people, 16 because they hinder us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they constantly fill up their measure of sins, but wrath has come upon them completely. 17 But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, for a short time (in presence, not in affection) we became all the more fervent in our great desire to see you in person. 18 For we wanted to come to you (I, Paul, in fact tried again and again) but Satan thwarted us. 19 For who is our hope or joy or crown to boast of before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not of course you? (NET)

1 Thessalonians 2:19 contains two rhetorical questions with the second providing the answer to the first and both of these questions are of course directed at the Thessalonian Christian community.

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy are asking these questions and not just Paul and Silvanus since Timothy also will be rewarded by the Lord at the Bema Seat for serving the Thessalonians as well.

This interpretation is indicated by the fact that 1 Thessalonians 3:1-6 asserts that Paul and Silvanus sent Timothy to the Thessalonica to minister to the Thessalonians.

Now, the first rhetorical question asks the Thessalonians, “who is our confident expectation of blessing, joy, crown which produces boasting?”

The second asks the Thessalonians, “Is it in fact each and every one of you in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?”

Therefore, 1 Thessalonians 2:19 asserts that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community was Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s confident expectation of blessing, joy and crown which produces boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming.

The reason for this assertion is that they would be rewarded at the Bema Seat by the Lord Jesus for faithfully serving Him as a result of faithfully serving the members of His body, namely, the Thessalonian Christian community.

The Thessalonians’ initial positive response in faith to the gospel which resulted in their justification was the direct result of the faithful service of these men.

Also, the Thessalonians’ positive response of faith and obedience to the gospel after their justification was also the direct result of the faithful service of these men.

The Thessalonians’ faith in the gospel at justification and after justification glorified God because this faith appropriated His omnipotence to deliver them from eternal condemnation, condemnation from failing to keep the Law perfectly, spiritual death, the sin nature, personal sins, Satan and his cosmic system.

This faith appropriated God’s omnipotence to transform them into the image of His one and only Son Jesus Christ.

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy will be rewarded by the Lord for being His instruments in communicating the gospel to the Thessalonians so that this could all take place.

Therefore, the Thessalonians’ positive response of faith and obedience to the gospel presented to them by these three men will be a source of great joy for them since it will result in the Lord rewarding them because they were instrumental in glorifying Him and manifesting His omnipotence, grace, love and mercy.

Their faith and obedience to the gospel at justification and after justification and as a result fulfilling the Father’s will for their lives to become like His Son Jesus Christ not only would result in rewards for these three but would also serve as proof that they had fulfilled the ministry the Lord gave them as a stewardship.

If the Thessalonians remained faithful in life, they too would be rewarded.

This would be a cause of great joy for Paul, Silvanus and Timothy since they were instrumental in the Thessalonians executing the Father’s will for their lives, which results in rewards since they communicated this will to them through the presentation of the gospel.

Therefore, all the persecution and undeserved that Paul, Silvanus, Timothy and the Thessalonian Christian community experienced and endured in life because of responding in faith and obedience to the gospel will have been worth it.

The reason Paul uses these two rhetorical questions in 1 Thessalonians 2:19 rather than an emphatic declaration here is to heighten the intensity of his devotion to the Thessalonians.

It is also designed to express his enthusiasm in serving the Thessalonians since he knows he will be rewarded by the Lord for this faithful service.

These two rhetorical questions in 1 Thessalonians 2:19 present the reason for the previous assertions in 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18 and so therefore, 1 Thessalonians 2:19 presents the second reason as to why Paul, Silvanus and Timothy sought to enter into the presence of the Thessalonians again.

They did so because the Thessalonians were their confident expectation of blessing, joy and crown of boasting at the Bema Seat.

This means that the service Paul, Silvanus and Timothy rendered on behalf of the Thessalonians would be a cause of blessing, joy and rewards at the Bema Seat since the Lord Jesus would reward them for their faithful service to the Thessalonians.

The noun elpis, “hope” refers to Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s “confident expectation of” receiving rewards from the Lord Jesus Christ as the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church as a result faithful service by ministering to the Thessalonian Christian community.

This confident expectation empowered Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to continue to remain faithful and to persevere in serving the Lord and the Christian community in Thessalonica despite the persecution they experienced for communicating the gospel to the Thessalonians.

Now, in 1 Thessalonians 2:19, the noun chara, “joy” refers to the joy Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s will experience at the Bema Seat because of serving the Thessalonians despite great persecution and undeserved suffering.

This joy is the result of the Thessalonians’ positive response to the gospel at the moment of justification when they trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior which resulted in the Father declaring them justified.

This joy was also the result of the Thessalonians’ positive response to the gospel after their justification when they appropriated by faith their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

They did by considering themselves dead to the sin and the cosmic system of Satan and alive to God.

Consequently, they experienced their sanctification and salvation.

This joy was also the result of the Thessalonians obeying the command to love one another.

“Crown to boast of” refers to Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s boasting about the Thessalonians in the sense of taking great pride in them as those who obeyed the gospel despite great persecution and undeserved suffering.

Paul uses boasting or exultation to describe the Christian’s delight in being commended for faithful service by the Lord at his return (1 Cor 9:15–16; 2 Cor 1:12–14; 10:13–18; Phil 2:16; and 1 Cor 3:14; 4:5).[1]

“Before our Lord Jesus” speaks of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy being in the presence of the Lord Jesus at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church in order be rewarded for their faithful service.

“At His coming” refers to the moment when Jesus Christ returns to planet earth at the rapture or resurrection of the church in order to remove the church bodily from the earth prior to Daniel’s seventieth week (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13-18), which is immediately followed by the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.

[1] Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.