11 “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 (ESV)
In every epistle the Apostle Paul wrote, there was always a portion in which he, and his companions, mentioned their prayers on behalf of their audience. In this case from today’s text, the individuals praying included Paul, Silas and Timothy (2 Thess. 1:1). It paralleled the prayers contained in their first letter to the Thessalonian believers (1 Thess. 1:2-3, 13; 3:11-13).
Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, prayed for the Thessalonian believers. Their offered prayer had a distinct purpose. It was, “so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The adverb conjunction so that (ὅπως; hopos) is a purpose clause answering why the three missionaries prayed this prayer. The three men prayed for the Thessalonians so that “the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.”
A name (ὄνομα; onoma) was not just an individual’s identification. Rather, it also revealed a person’s reputation and relevance. In this particular context, Paul referred to the title and name Lord Jesus. Lord (κυρίου; kuriou) refers to one who is the sole commander and ruler. It parallels the Hebrew title for God; Adonai. Jesus (Ἰησοῦ; lesou) means Savior. In effect, Paul was saying Jesus of Nazareth was Adonai.
Therefore, since Jesus of Nazareth is Lord, or Adonai, believers in Christ are to glorify Him. The word glorified (ἐνδοξασθῇ; endoxasthe) means to give or receive great honor. Paul, Silas and Timothy encouraged the Thessalonian believers to give the Lord Jesus great honor in their work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope (I Thess. 1:3; 2 Thess. 1:11). By doing so, all believers in Christ are correspondingly glorified in Christ.
“What it means for our Lord Jesus to be glorified in his disciples (or saints) has been explained in connection with verse 10 above. Here in verse 12, however, it is the name of the Lord that is glorified. Christ’s name is Christ himself as he has revealed himself: for example, as God’s Anointed One, the Savior and Lord of his own. Hence, when they share in his anointing, accept his salvation, and recognize his Lordship, then his name is glorified in them. And this, in turn, reflects glory on them. (We accept the rendering “in him,” though “in it”—i.e., in the name—is also possible, with very little difference in meaning,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.
This goal to glorify the Lord is “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” All of this is because of God’s amazing grace. The Lord gives sinners His unmerited favor so that believers in Christ may in return give to the Lord His merited favor.
“Those who are redeemed in Christ also enjoy a direct encounter with divine holiness in the afterlife, but because of divine grace and the Lord’s saving work in us, we will experience that holiness as the highest pleasure possible. This is a necessary outworking of what Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:12,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“According to the grace of God, the name of Jesus will be glorified in us and we will be glorified in Him. “Christ, who is God over all, [is] blessed forever” (Rom. 9:5), and theologians have noted that this means Christ enjoys the perfect blessedness that is part and parcel of His being God, the One who cannot experience any augmentation or diminution of His own bliss and contentment.”
“At the return of Jesus, He will be glorified in us and we will be glorified in Him; we will be fully like Him and thus share in this perfect divine blessedness in a manner that is appropriate to creatures made in His image (2 Thess. 1:12; 1 John 3:2). This is far too wonderful for us to grasp at the present time, but it testifies to the grace of the Lord toward those sinners whom He has chosen to save,” concludes Dr. Sproul.
John Calvin comments, “In this . . . the wonderful goodness of God shines forth—that he will have his glory be conspicuous in us who are covered over with ignominy.”
Hymnwriter John W. Peterson expresses this goal as follow.
All glory to Jesus begotten of God
The great I Am is He
Creator sustainer but wonder of all
The Lamb of Calvary.
Verse 2
To think that the guardian of planets in space
The Shepherd of the stars
Is tenderly leading the church of His love
By hands with crimson scars.
Verse 3
The King of all kings and the Lord of all lords
He reigns in glory now
Some day He is coming earth’s kingdom to claim
And ev’ry knee shall bow
And ev’ry knee shall bow.
What work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope may you display today in order to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ? Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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