Page 45 - Pauline Epistles Student Textbook

conjunction, καὶ (kai [“but,” “and,” “now”]). Its significance is not only grounded on its appearance
in the epistles to the Thessalonians but crucially, its appearance in the whole New Testament. It
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appears “9153” times in the New Testament! Therefore, we must pay some serious attention to it.

One of the functions of coordinate conjunctions is to “join equal grammatical units. Those units can
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be words, phrases, clauses, sentences, or paragraphs.” Even though its function is wide, in light of
our focus on our current study on 2 Thessalonians, we will limit our focus on “and.” When “and” is
used in a passage, it can either be functioning as a connector of equal “parallel items” or an
“ascensive.” That is, it can be functioning as an introduction of “a final addition or point of
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emphasis.” So how can one tell that “and” is functioning either as a continuative or ascensive?
Context should always have a final say. In our current passage under study, Paul did not only affirm
closeness in association of the church in Thessalonica to our God the Father and our Lord Jesus
Christ, but equality between God and Jesus Christ in being. In other words, God the Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ are ONE God, co-equal as one. This supports the doctrine of the trinity (John 8:56-
59; 10:30-31; cf. Deut. 6:4).

Commendation for Evidential Spiritual Growth (2 Thess. 1:3-4)

3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing
abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves
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boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and
in the afflictions that you are enduring. (ESV)

In v3, Paul wrote that they ought (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13) always to thank God on behalf of the believers at
Thessalonica. Already, there is a difference with 1 Thessalonians 1:2. Here, the act of giving thanks to
God appears to be an obligation or mandatory. We should realize that this is the second letter to
them and that prior to the writing of both letters, other people talked with Paul about the church in
Thessalonica. Thus, it appears that probably Timothy, prior to the writing of 2 Thessalonians,
included again the observable spiritual growth of the believers at Thessalonica. That caused the
apostles to thank God on their behalf as an obligation. In v3b, Paul started with a causal conjunction
“because” to explain their thankfulness. Their faith was growing more and more. And based on 1
Thessalonians 1:3, it appears that this faith was demonstrated by the manifestation of deeds. This is
confirmed in 2 Thessalonians 1:4 where Paul mentions about the exercise of resolute faith amidst
intense persecutions. Not only was that manifestation of godly deeds evidenced by their persistence
through persecutions, but God’s Word sounded forth from them as well (cf. 1 Thess. 1:8). Secondly,
their love for one another was progressively growing.

In v4, the use of a conjunction ὥστε (ōste [“therefore,” “as a result,” “so that”]) functions to signify
a result from what precedes. In this case, due to their unstoppable growth of their faith amidst
intense persecutions and love for one another, Paul continued to boast about their perseverance
and faith in all the persecutions and trials they were enduring. Notice that the use of “all” implies the
intensification of persecutions. Whatever the case, they resolutely and joyfully held on to Christian
beliefs and did not renounce their faith. John MacArthur notes that their endurance is “patient,

74 Harvey, Greek is Good Grief: Laying the Foundation for Exegesis and Exposition, 45.
75 Ibid., 40-41

76 Ibid.

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