2 Thessalonians 1:4-Paul, Silvanus and Timothy Expressed Great Pride in the Thessalonians in the Churches of God

2 Thessalonians 1:3 Each of us is under obligation to always make it our habit of always giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each one of you brothers and sisters because it is appropriate for your faith is growing to an extraordinary degree. Correspondingly, your divine-love of each and every one of you is increasing to a considerable degree for one another. 4 Consequently, each one of us, we ourselves regularly expressed great pride in all of you in the congregations belonging to this one and only God, specifically about your perseverance as well as faith in the midst of all your persecutions as well as your adversities, which each of you are regularly enduring. (My translation)

2 Thessalonians 1:4 begins with an emphatic declarative statement, which asserts that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy regularly expressed great pride in the Thessalonian Christian community in the churches of God.

This emphatic declarative statement presents the result of the previous two assertions at the end of 2 Thessalonians 1:3.

The first states that the Thessalonians’ post-justification faith in the gospel is growing an extraordinary degree while the second states that the Thessalonians’ divine-love is increasing to a considerable degree.

Therefore, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy boasting about the Thessalonians in the churches of God was the direct result of the Thessalonians’ post-justification faith in the gospel growing to an extraordinary degree and their divine-love for each other increasing to a considerable degree.

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy regularly boasted about the Thessalonians in the churches of God in the sense that they expressed an unusually high degree of confidence in the Thessalonian Christian community in these churches because the Thessalonians were exceptional because they were persevering and exercising faith in the gospel in the midst of their persecutions and adversities.

This boasting also meant that these three men were proud of the Thessalonians because they were persevering and exercising faith in the gospel in the midst of their persecutions and adversities.

These churches in which they boasted about the Thessalonians would be the Christian communities located in not only the Roman province of Macedonia but also Achaia and the churches throughout the Roman Empire.

This is indicated by the fact that 1 Thessalonians 1:8 asserts that the news of Thessalonians’ post-justification in the message of the gospel had reached the churches located in these two provinces.

This emphatic declarative statement, which begins 2 Thessalonians 1:4 and asserts that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy regularly boasted about the Thessalonian Christian community in the churches of God is then followed by two prepositional phrases.

Together, they present to the Thessalonian Christian community exactly what Paul, Silvanus and Timothy regularly boasted in the churches of God about them.

They reveal that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were regularly boasting specifically about the Thessalonians’ perseverance as well as faith in the midst of all their persecutions as well as their adversities, which they were regularly enduring.

The Thessalonians’ perseverance was mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 where the noun hupomonē was used to express this virtue.

Now, as was the case in 2 Thessalonians 1:3, the noun hupomonē in 2 Thessalonians 1:4 speaks of the Thessalonian Christian community practicing the godly virtue of perseverance so as to exemplify it.

It speaks of them continuing to make it their habit of practicing godly perseverance which is produced by the Holy Spirit so as to exemplify this godly virtue.

It refers to them remaining faithful to the Lord by being obedient to the Word of God despite the obstacles in life such as the old sin nature and the cosmic system of Satan and refers to them bearing up under intense pressure and not quitting on God.

It depicts them as enduring undeserved suffering on behalf of the communication of the gospel.

As was the case in 2 Thessalonians 1:3, the noun pistis(πίστις) “faith” here in 2 Thessalonians 1:4 does not refer to justifying faith but rather the Thessalonian’s post-justification faith in the Word of God.

This is indicated by the fact that the Thessalonians were already children of God as a result of being declared justified by the Father through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

Also, in 2 Thessalonians 1:3, the word is used in relation to the practice of divine-love which can only be practiced by a child of God because only the regenerate have the capacity to practice the love of God since it requires the indwelling of the Spirit.

It also requires that the sinner accept by faith the exercise of God’s love in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

This post-justification which the Thessalonians exercised in the gospel is also mentioned in two other places in Second Thessalonians (1:11; 2:14).

The Thessalonians post-justification faith in Paul’s apostolic teaching is another major theme which is shared with First Thessalonians since there are eight references to it in the latter (1:3, 8; 3:2, 5, 6, 7; 5:8).

In 2 Thessalonians 1:4, the noun diōgmos, “persecutions” pertains to the suffering or pressure, mental, moral, or physical, which authorities, individuals, or crowds inflict on each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

This suffering or pressure occurred because they worshipped Jesus Christ and refused to accept any of the Graeco-Roman pantheon of gods in the first century A.D.

The plural form of the adjective pas, “all” which modifies this noun most likely indicates that these outbreaks of hostility arose on various occasions and in a variety of ways.[1]

The noun thlipsis (θλῖψις), “adversities” in 2 Thessalonians 1:4 is used in a general sense in relation to the intense outward pressure caused by people or circumstances.

This word also appears in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 and 3:3 in relation to the Thessalonian Christian community and it also appears in 1 Thessalonians 3:7 in relation to Paul, Silvanus and Timothy.

When 2 Thessalonians 1:4 asserts that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community was enduring in the midst of all their persecutions and adversities, it means that they were being patient in the midst of these things.

This verse all makes clear that they were enduring persecutions and adversities because of their post-justification faith in Paul’s apostolic teaching, i.e. the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This enabled them to persevere in the midst of these adversities and persecutions since exercising faith in the promises, prohibitions and commands of this teaching appropriates the omnipotence of God.

So therefore, when 2 Thessalonians 1:4 asserts that the Thessalonian Christian community was enduring all their persecutions and adversities, it means that they were appropriating by faith the promises of the gospel, as well its commands and prohibitions.

It also means that they were appropriating by faith their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

Consequently, this omnipotence enabled them to persevere through these adversities and persecutions.

The reason why the Thessalonians were being persecuted by their own Gentile countrymen in the city of Thessalonica was that they now belonged to a religion which did not tolerate the worship of the Graeco-Roman pantheon of gods since they were now prohibited by the Christian faith to do so.

Thus, Christianity was an exclusive and not inclusive religion as were the various pagan religions in the first century A.D.

The problem was not just simply that the Thessalonian Christian community worshipped Jesus but that they worshipped Him and Him alone.

On the other hand, these various pagan religions in the world in the first century A.D. tolerated the worship of other gods.

They were all inclusive.

Furthermore, by not worshiping these pagan gods, the Thessalonian’s worship of Jesus alone to the exclusion of these pagan gods would be considered dangerous to their community because it would be an insult to these gods who would then retaliate by destroying the city by an earthquake or war or disease.

Thus, the Thessalonians were now considered traitors and a threat to the city’s welfare and safety.

One of the major themes of Second Thessalonians is persecution since 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10 records Paul commending the Thessalonians for persevering in the face of persecution as well as encouraging them to continue to do so.

One of the major themes of First Thessalonians is also persecution since 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 records Paul commending the Thessalonians for persevering in the face of persecution as well as encouraging them to continue to do so.

1 Thessalonians 2:13-14 affirms that the Thessalonians were experiencing persecution at the hands of their own Gentile countrymen just as the Jewish Christians in Judea were experiencing it at the hands of their own countrymen.

[1] Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (p. 283). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.