2 Thessalonians 3.16a-The First Prayer Request on Behalf of the Thessalonians
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday January 11, 2022
Second Thessalonians: 2 Thessalonians 3:16a-The First Prayer Request on Behalf of the Thessalonians
Lesson # 72
2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now, may He Himself, the one and only Lord, who produces a peace, which is divine in quality and character, cause each and every one of you to be given this peace throughout any and every circumstance by any and every means. May the Lord cause Himself to be manifested among each and every one of you. (Lecturer’s translation)
The contents of Second Thessalonians 3:16 mark a transition in Second Thessalonians.
Specifically, this verse is marking a transition from the contents of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 to the closing of the letter in 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18.
The former is the final major section of the body of Second Thessalonians.
Therefore, here in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s two Spirit inspired prayer requests that they offered up to the Father on behalf of the Thessalonian Christian community and constitute the benediction of Second Thessalonians mark a transition from the contents of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 to the closing of the letter in 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18.
Now, in the first prayer request, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy requested that the Lord Himself, who produces a peace, which is divine in quality and character, would cause each and every member of the Thessalonian Christian community to be given this peace throughout any and every circumstance by any and every means.
Now, it is extremely important that the reader understand that the optative mood of the verbs didōmi (δίδωμι), “may give” and ginomai (γίνομαι), which is omitted but implied due to Paul’s use of the figure of ellipsis does not indicate that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ here in 2 Thessalonians 3:16.
So therefore, 2 Thessalonians 3:16 does not record the act of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy praying to the Lord Jesus Christ but rather it simply records the content of what these three men asked the Father to do for them on behalf of the Thessalonian Christian community.
This is indicated by the fact that the Lord Jesus Himself and the other writers of the New Testament all taught that all prayer is to be addressed to the Father and not the Lord Jesus (John 14:13-14; 16:23-27; Rom. 8:15; Eph. 3:14; 5:20; Col. 1:3, 12; 3:17; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 1:6).
Therefore, 2 Thessalonians 3:16 is merely communicating to the Thessalonians what these three men prayed to the Father for them in Jesus’ name.
It is expressing to the Thessalonians their Spirit inspired desire for the Thessalonians spiritually.
This verse is thus communicating to the Thessalonians the content of these two petitions that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy politely offered to the Father in prayer on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.
The purpose of which is to express again to the Thessalonians, the great concern Paul, Silvanus and Timothy had for them spiritually.
It is also to encourage them.
The noun kurios, “Lord” appears in both prayer requests and is a reference to Jesus Christ which is indicated by the fact that in every instance in which this word has appeared up to this point in Second Thessalonians, it always has Jesus Christ as its referent (cf. 2 Thess. 1:1, 7, 8, 9, 12, 2:1-2, 8, 13, 14, 16, 3:1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12).
The active voice of the verb didōmi in the first prayer request is a causative active which means that the subject is not directly involved in the action but may be said to be the ultimate source or cause of it.
The subject here is of course the Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, He is not the direct cause of the peace of God being experienced by each member of the Thessalonian Christian community as individuals and when interacting with each other.
This is indicated by the fact that the Holy Spirit produces the peace of God in and among God’s children when the latter obey the Spirit’s teaching in the Scriptures, which He inspired.
Of course, Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word of God and thus the Word of God is His mind and thinking.
Therefore, the contents of Second Thessalonians like all of Scripture are produced by the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
The expression ho kyrios tēs eirēnēs (ὁ κύριος τῆς εἰρήνης), “the one and only Lord who produces a peace, which is divine in quality and character” is unusual because in the Greek New Testament, it appears only here in 2 Thessalonians 3:16.
The normal expression Paul employs is ho theos tēs eirēnēs (ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης), “the one and only God who produces a peace which is divine in quality and character” which appears in Romans 15:33, 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Philippians 4:7 and 9.
So in this first prayer request, Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ as one “who produces a peace which is divine in quality and character.”
This “peace” (eirēnē) refers to the peace of God which the Lord Jesus Christ produces within the soul of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community through the personal agency of the Holy Spirit.
It also speaks of the peace of God which the Lord Jesus Christ produces through the personal agency of the Holy Spirit when each member of the Thessalonian Christian community interacts with each other.
This peace is produced within the soul of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community and when they interact with each other when they obey the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions which are communicated in the contents of Second Thessalonians.
The articular construction of this noun eirēnē, “a peace which is divine in quality and character” is distinguishing this peace, which the Lord Jesus Christ produces in and among each member of the Thessalonian Christian community through the Holy Spirit with the peace which is produced by the world system which is led by Satan.
Therefore, the articular construction of this word is expressing the idea that this peace is of a particular quality and character and specifically it is a peace which is divine in quality and character because it originates from the Father and the Son.
Also, it is reproduced in the believer and among believers when they obey the Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions of Scripture.
Consequently, this peace will be produced within and among each member of the Thessalonian Christian community if they obey Paul’s Spirit inspired teaching in Second Thessalonians.
John 14:27 Peace (eirene) I leave with you; My peace (soul prosperity in the humanity of Christ) I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your right heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (NASB95)
Interestingly, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy presented a request in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 on behalf of the Thessalonian Christian community which is almost identical to the first one here in 2 Thessalonians 3:16.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now, may the one and only God Himself, who produces a peace which is divine in quality and character, cause each and every one of you to be sanctified completely. Correspondingly, may your entire spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at our Lord Jesus Christ’s arrival. (Lecturer’s translation)
Now, in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, the prepositional phrase dia pantos (διὰ παντὸς), “throughout any and every circumstance” is temporal because it indicates “when” Paul, Silvanus and Timothy want the Lord Jesus Christ to cause the Thessalonians to be given this divine Spirit empowered peace.
It is expressing the idea of the Lord Jesus Christ producing the peace of God within and among each member of the Thessalonian Christian “during or throughout any and every circumstance.”
The noun “circumstance” refers here to both, the condition or state of a person with respect to income and material welfare, and the existing conditions or state of affairs surrounding and affecting an agent.
This adjective is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions expressing the idea of “any and every” circumstance.
The second prepositional phrase en panti tropō (ἐν παντὶ τρόπῳ), “by any and every means” indicates the means by which Paul, Silvanus and Timothy want the Lord Jesus Christ to cause the Thessalonians to be given this divine Spirit empowered peace.
It is expressing the idea of the Lord Jesus Christ causing each member of the Thessalonian Christian to be given through the Holy Spirit the peace of God “by any and every means.”
Specifically, it is expressing the idea of the Lord Jesus Christ causing each member of the Thessalonian Christian to be given through the Holy Spirit the peace of God “by means of any and every type of circumstance and situation.”