2 Thessalonians 1:2-The Greeting of the Letter

2 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)

2 Thessalonians 1:1 From Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the congregation composed of the Thessalonians in union and fellowship with God our Father as well as the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to each and every one of you resulting in peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (My translation)

As we noted in our study of 2 Thessalonians 1:1, this verse contains the identification of the authors of the letter as well as the identification of its recipients.

We also noted that although Timothy and Silvanus are mentioned along with Paul as being the authors of this epistle, Paul is true author of Second Thessalonians.

The recipients of this letter were regenerate Gentiles located in the city of Thessalonica.

They are also described in this verse as being in union and fellowship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So while 2 Thessalonians 1:1 contains identification of the author and recipients of this epistle, 2 Thessalonians 1:2 contains the greeting of this epistle.

Together, verses 1-2 compose the salutation of this second letter of Paul’s to the Thessalonian Christian community.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:2, charis, “grace” refers to the means by which grace might be received, namely through the mind and thinking of Christ, the Word of God, which is inspired by the Spirit of God.

The Spirit, through the communication of the Word of God to the believer reveals God the Father’s grace policy to the believer.

This word in 2 Thessalonians 1:2 refers to the Holy Spirit speaking through the communication of the Word of God to the believer’s human spirit or new Christ nature regarding the will of the Father.

By responding in faith to the Spirit’s appeal here in 2 Thessalonians 1:2, the recipients of Second Thessalonians, would be obedient to the commands in Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16, which when obeyed produce the same results.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:2, we have a figure of speech with this word charis, “grace” which is called metonymy meaning the effect is put for the cause or in other words, the thing effected for the instrument which effects it.

Here grace is put for the Word of God which effects grace.

Therefore, the Spirit of God speaking through the communication of the Word of God to the believer’s human spirit regarding the will of the Father is the means by which grace is received by the believer.

The greeting is more than just that, but rather it is in fact, a Spirit inspired desire that the recipients of this letter, namely the Thessalonian Christian community would respond to his apostolic teaching in this epistle regarding the will of the Father for them.

The apostle Paul under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit is appealing to the church to respond to his doctrinal teaching in this epistle, which originates from the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is not speaking of grace at conversion but the grace or God’s provision for after conversion.

The grace of God is God’s provision of eternal salvation relationship and a post-conversion fellowship with Him.

Paul states that the Thessalonian Christian community would experience the peace of God in and among themselves as a result of appropriating the grace of God as it’s communicated by the Spirit through the teaching of the Word of God.

“Peace” (eirēnē) in 2 Thessalonians 1:2 refers to the peace of God that is produced by the Spirit in and among believers.

The Spirit does this when believers obey the commands and prohibitions that He guides Paul in issuing them in this epistle.

This peace will be produced in the hearts of the Thessalonians by the teaching of Christ which is communicated by Paul’s Spirit inspired teaching which he communicated to them when he was present with them and communicated in writing in this epistle.

If they continue to obey this teaching, then they will continue to experience this peace as individuals and when interacting with each other.

Paul’s teaching originates with Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to communicate the teaching of Jesus Christ in First and now Second Thessalonians.

Therefore, by obeying Paul’s Spirit inspired teaching in these epistles, the peace produced by this teaching originating from Christ would rule within their hearts.

In fact, Paul issued the Colossian Christian community a command, which required that the peace produced by the teaching of the one and only Christ must continue to habitually rule within their hearts.

Colossians 3:15 Consequently, the peace produced by the teaching of the one and only Christ must continue to habitually rule within your hearts. For which purpose, each and every one of you were effectually called into union with one body. Therefore, each and every one of you must continue to make it your habit of being characterized by thankfulness. (My translation)

This peace is thus the production not only of Christ’s teaching but the Spirit as well since the Spirit communicates this teaching of Christ to the believer.

The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to produce Christ-like character in the believer (Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 2:13).

Therefore, obedience to this command in Colossians 3:15 would produce one of the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit, namely peace (Gal. 5:22-23).

The fruit of the Spirit is the production of Christ-like character.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (NASB95)

By exercising faith in the Spirit inspired apostolic teaching of the apostle Paul which resulted in obedience to the Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions of this teaching, the Colossians and the Thessalonians would be filled or more accurately influenced by the means of the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 And do not permit yourselves to get into the habit of being drunk with wine because that is non-sensical behavior, but rather permit yourselves on a habitual basis to be influenced by means of the Spirit. (My translation)

If you recall in 2 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul describes each member of the Thessalonian Christian community as being “in union and fellowship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (en theō patri kai kyriō Iēsou Christō) (ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ).

This prepositional phrase is describing the Thessalonian Christian community as experiencing their sanctification and thus experiencing their position in Christ, which constitutes experiencing fellowship with God.

They were in union with the Father because they were in union with Jesus Christ.

They were able to experience fellowship with the Father through Jesus Christ and specifically through their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session.

Now, here in 2 Thessalonians 1:2 Paul informs the Thessalonians that this grace, which is manifested through the Spirit inspired contents of 2 Thessalonians which results in peace in and among the recipients of this letter originates “from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (apo theou patros kai kyriou Iēsou Christou) (ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ).

This means that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are the “source” of this grace that are expressed through the instructions in this epistle and appropriated by faith in these instructions resulting in obedience.

They are also the source of peace which is produced by the Spirit in them as individuals and when interacting with each other when they obey Paul’s Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions in this epistle.

2 Thessalonians 1:2 is not the only place in Paul’s writings in which he asserts that grace and peace originate from both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ since he makes this same declaration in all of his letters (see Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; Col. 1:2; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; Titus 1:4; Phlm. 3).

Notice that in all these passages including 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2, the Lord Jesus Christ is presented by Paul as equal to the Father, thus expressing the deity of Jesus Christ since the source of these divine blessings are described as originating from not only the Father but also the Lord Jesus Christ.

God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are the source of grace and peace, which extend from both of them to every church age believer without exception.

Grace and peace originated from not only God the Father but the Lord Jesus Christ as well since all blessings flow to the believer because of the merits of Jesus Christ and His Finished Work on the Cross as well as the believer’s eternal union with Christ.