16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (ESV)
Following his extensive treatise on the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 3:1-15), the Apostle Paul invoked a prayer on behalf of not only himself, but also Silas, Timothy and the Thessalonians believers. It is a prayer in which the entire triune Godhead was involved. The Holy Spirit inspired the prayer (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), while God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Father are the objects of the prayer.
The prayer contains two primary divisions. First, Paul expressed adoration and praise to God. Second, the apostle presented his petition and request before God. The order is significant. Prayer should always begin with adoration to be followed by supplication.
Paul’s adoration and praise to God in prayer focused upon the Lord’s love, comfort, hope and grace towards sinners like himself, Silas, Timothy and the Thessalonians. These attributes and actions by God dominated the apostle’s praise.
The phrase who loved us (ἀγαπήσας ἡμᾶς; agapesas hemas) refers to the Lord’s self-sacrificial love of the will. Paul described such love in I Corinthians 13:1-8). The Apostle John set forth the Lord Jesus Christ as the perfect embodiment of such love (I John 4:7-12). God’s love summarized the entire scope of God’s salvation (Rom. 3:21-26; 5:1-10; Eph. 2:1-10).
Comfort (παράκλησιν; paraklesin) is encouragement and consolation. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church describing the Lord as the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-7). This comfort is eternal (αἰωνίαν; aionian) or unlimited by time.
Hope (ἐλπίδα; elpida) refers to confident expectation because what God promises he will fulfill. Paul called this hope from God good (ἀγαθὴν; agathen). God’s hope is pleasant and nice.
God’s love, comfort and hope are by the means of His grace (χάριτι; chariti). This is the Lord’s unmerited kindness and favor towards those who deserve His wrath and judgment.
The apostle’s request before God was for continued comfort and establishment of the Thessalonian believers. To establish (στηρίξαι; sterixai) means to strengthen and make more firm. This comfort and strength would come from every good work and word.
Every good work (παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ; panti ergo agatho) refers to all the pleasant tasks the believers would accomplish for God. The word (λόγῳ; logo) means the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
One commentator writes, “Having exhorted us not to be shaken by false teaching regarding the return of Christ and having called us to stand fast in the truth (2 Thess. 2:1–15), Paul prays that God, who has given us eternal comfort in Christ, will comfort our hearts and establish in them every good work and word. The Lord must bless the teaching of His Word if that Word is to bear fruit in the good work of obedience and trust in His truth.”
“Because of remaining sin, even we who believe in Jesus are constantly fighting against doubt and against desires that are contrary to the Lord. This would be a losing battle if it were not for God’s gracious work to keep us in the faith and to root out and destroy the remnants of our fallenness (Rom. 7:7–25). Without this, there is no hope. Sinners do not need merely more information about what is right and true but need new hearts that the Lord sustains in love of Him and His Word (Ezek. 36:26).”
John Calvin comments, “Unquestionably there will be but an empty sound striking upon the ear, if doctrine does not receive efficacy from the Spirit.”
“Divine grace is not something that we need only at the start of our Christian Walk but at every step of the journey. Thanks be to God, He not only brings us into the faith, but He also sustains our faith and will complete the good work He has begun in us (Phil. 1:6). Let us thank the Lord for His grace this day and admit our continual need of His sustaining work in our hearts,” concludes Dr. R. C. Sproul.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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