Page 57 - Pauline Epistles Student Textbook

word of the Lord Jesus should be proclaimed all the way to the ends of the earth (v1b). However, it
appears that they were knowledgeable about the fact that it was not going to spread rapidly without
God’s power and direction. Paul was a realist and understood that many would resist the gospel as
they did in Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, etc. The fact that the apostles asked for prayers for them
suggests that they understood that the message of the Lord was not going to spread own its own,
but they themselves were the means through which it was going to be spread. Wanamaker argues
that the use of τρέχῃ (trechei [“to progress,” “to advance”]) mostly connote the presence of human
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beings as the ones to carry this message from place to place.

Secondly, they prayed that the message of the Lord should be honored just as it was honored among
the believers at Thessalonica (v1c). It’s great for the message of the Lord to be spread. However, it
is the greatest thing for the Word of God to be honored. It signifies that it has been accepted, thus,
ready to be applied for spiritual transformation from glory to glory. It is impossible for the message
of the Lord to be honored without being understood and it is impossible for the word of the Lord to
be honored without the acceptance of it. If there is no honor for the accepted Word of God, it
should be expected that there would be no application of it. If the Word of God should be accepted
(John 6:35; 1 Thess. 2:13), it should also be meditated (Josh 1:8; 2 Tim 2:15), applied (Ps 19:7-8;
119:10-111; Eph. 4:1; Col 1:10), and communicated (Matt 28:19-20; 1 Thess. 1:8-10) for us to bask
the full benefit of it. They were specific in what they wanted.

Third, the apostles prayed that they should be delivered from wicked and evil people (v2). In our
context, it could have meant that Paul was exerting emphasis on the fact that those men who were
persecutors or afflicters were without reservations and that deliverance from them relied on God’s
help. The wicked and evil men as the ones whom “for not everyone has faith” refers to. As
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pertaining to those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, they can also be labeled as
those who do not have faith.

In verse 3, Paul assured the believers at Thessalonica that God is faithful. Not only is He faithful, He
would also strengthen and protect them from the evil one. So, not only were the apostles
experiencing persecution and affliction from the wicked and evil men, but also the believers at
Thessalonica were undergoing persecution at the hands of the evil one. Their protection and
strengthening would be based on God’s faithfulness.

Christians experience temptations and fall into sin, especially when they are under persecution. We
are always tempted to escape from afflictions and persecutions. However, Paul and his companions
are pointing us to God as our rescuer and deliverer. While the Thessalonians were undergoing
intense persecutions, Paul wished and prayed that God would continue to direct their hearts into
the understanding of God’s love for them and perseverance of Christ (v5).

Caution Against Idleness (vv6-15)

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from
any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from
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us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were
with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked
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night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that
right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we
10

86 Wanamaker, The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Epistles to the
Thessalonians, 274.

87 Ibid., 275.

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