2 Thessalonians 3:2-Paul, Silvanus and Timothy Request to be Delivered from Perverse, Evil People

2 Thessalonians 3:1 Correspondingly, each one of you, brothers and sisters, please begin and continue to make it your habit of occupying yourselves with praying on behalf of each one of us that the message originating from and about the Lord would be propagated. Consequently, that it is honored just as it in fact is honored among all of you. 2 Likewise, that each one of us would be delivered from perverse, yes evil people because faith by no means is a characteristic which belongs to all. (Lecturer’s translation)

As we noted in our study of verse 1, Paul requests that the Thessalonians would intercede in prayer for himself, Silvanus and Timothy that the message originating and about the Lord would be propagated throughout the Roman Empire so that it is honored by all people just as it was among the Thessalonians.

Now, here in 2 Thessalonians 3:2, the apostle Paul presents to the Thessalonian Christian community a prayer request, which is in addition to the previous one which appears in 2 Thessalonians 3:1.

Here in verse 2, he requested that the Thessalonians begin and continue to make it their habit of occupying themselves with praying that he, Silvanus and Timothy would be delivered from perverse and evil people.

The adjective atopos (ἄτοπος), “perverse” speaks of someone or something being improper because they or it do not conform to legality, moral law or social convention.

In our context, it is used of unregenerate people who not only reject the law of God written on their hearts (cf. Rom. 2:14-15) but who also reject the divine institution of civil government by breaking the laws of nations.

This word is emphatically attributing perversity to people who would persecute Paul, Silvanus and Timothy for communicating the gospel.

The adjective ponēros, “evil” describes actions which are contrary to the character and nature of God and His will as revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God.

It pertains to actions which are independent of God’s will and opposed to His will, character and nature and it is emphatically attributing evil to people who would persecute Paul, Silvanus and Timothy for communicating the gospel.

Paul employs the figure of hendiadys with these two words atopos and ponēros, which are joined together by the conjunction kai.

This figure indicates that these two nouns are not referring to two different concepts but rather one.

It indicates that ponēros is intensifying or advancing upon the idea expressed by atopos in that it is asserting that the perversity of the people who Paul wanted deliverance from was in fact evil.

When Paul speaks of being delivered from such people, he is referring to being delivered from acute and severe physical danger which is indicated by the verb rhuomai, “each one of us would be delivered.”

Therefore, this verb is expressing the idea of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy being delivered or rescued from severe and acute physical danger caused by interaction with perverse, yes evil people.

The passive voice of this verb is a “divine-passive” since God would be the one delivering these three men.

2 Thessalonians 3:2 comes to an end with a causal clause, which presents the reason for the previous prayer request that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy would be delivered by God from perverse, yes evil people.

It asserts that faith by no means is a characteristic, which belongs to all people.

The noun pistis(πίστις), “faith” in this comparative clause refers to the act of exercising faith in Jesus Christ or in other words, justifying faith or faith the sinner exercises in Jesus Christ which results in the Father declaring them justified.

Therefore, this causal clause ou gar pantōn hē pistis (οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἡ πίστις), “because faith by no means is a characteristic which belongs to all” is emphatically expressing the idea that the act of trusting in Jesus Christ as one’s Savior is by no means a characteristic which belongs to all members of the human race.

However, the articular construction of this word pistis (πίστις), “faith” could also render a different interpretation since it could refer to the content of the gospel or the body of Christian teaching.

However, Paul is speaking in the context of being delivered from unregenerate people who reject the gospel about Jesus Christ and who persecuted himself, Silvanus and Timothy.

Thus, the noun pistis could not refer to the body of Christian teaching since only regenerate people can respond to Christian doctrine.

Unregenerate people have no capacity to accept by faith Christian doctrine because they are spiritually dead.

Thus, the faith they need to exercise as unregenerate sinners is justifying faith.

Furthermore, commentators misinterpret the articular construction of the noun pistis and fail to see that the article is used as a function marker.

This would indicate that it is functioning as the nominative subject of the third person singular present active indicative conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί), which is omitted but implied due to Paul’s use of the figure of ellipsis.

This verb means “to possess a particular characteristic and is emphatically negated.

Therefore, the articular construction of this word simply indicates that the act of trusting in Jesus Christ as one’s Savior by no means performs the action of existing in the state of being a characteristic which belongs to all members of the human race.

That the noun pistis(πίστις), “faith” pertains to the act of an unregenerate sinner exercising faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, which results in the Father declaring them justified is indicated by the context.

If you recall, in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Paul asserted that he desired that the gospel message would be honored by all people just as it was honored by the Thessalonians.

We noted that the concept of honoring the gospel indicates the acceptance of the gospel message through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

Now, Paul asserts in 2 Thessalonians 3:2 that he wants to be delivered from perverse, evil people who not only reject the gospel, but who also are antagonistic to it and to those who communicate it.

This response to the gospel is in direct contrast to the Thessalonians, who accepted it.

Therefore, when Paul speaks of faith, he is referring to justifying faith because he is speaking in the context of unregenerate people who reject the gospel and are antagonistic to it and those who communicate it, which is in direct contrast to the Thessalonians’ response to the gospel when it was presented to them.

Now, when Paul makes this request of the Thessalonians that he, Silvanus and Timothy would be delivered from perverse, yes evil people, his motivation is not personal in nature in that they be delivered from suffering at the hands of such people but rather that the gospel would continue to be communicated by them.

His concern is that these unregenerate people would not prevent them from continuing to proclaim the gospel throughout the Roman Empire.

Furthermore, notice that Paul presents a request for himself, Silvanus and Timothy “after” requesting that the Word of the Lord would be propagated further throughout the Roman Empire.

Therefore, his first priority was the interests of the Lord rather than his own personal interests but even those personal interests were tied to the Lord’s interests.

Now, in 1 Thessalonians 2:2 and 2:14-16, the apostle Paul refers to these perverse, evil unregenerate people who not only rejected the gospel message when he and Silvanus presented it to them but were also antagonistic to them.

A comparison of 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 and 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 reveals that Paul is asking the Thessalonian Christian community to reciprocate and pray for himself, Silvanus and Timothy because they were interceding in prayer for them.

By reciprocating and praying for them, the Thessalonians would be manifesting the love of God in their lives.

Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines the noun reciprocation, “a mutual exchange, a return in kind or of like value; alternating motion.”

They define the verb reciprocate, “to give and take mutually; to return in kind or degree, compliment gracefully; to make a return for something.”

If we paraphrase these definitions and apply them to these two intercessory prayer requests in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 and 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2, we could say that these two prayer requests would express a mutual exchange, a give and take between Paul, Silvanus and Timothy and each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

Jeffery Weima writes “Paul frequently calls on his readers to reciprocate his intercessory prayers by requesting that they in turn pray for him (Rom. 15:30–33; 2 Cor. 11:1; Col. 4:3–4; see Eph. 6:18–19; Phil. 1:19; Philem. 22).”[1]

[1] Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians. (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.) (p. 585). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.