11 For this reason, you are ever in our prayers, that you may seem to our God such as may have a part in his purpose and that by his power he will make all his good purpose, and the work of faith, complete;
Which is a clear sign of the decision which God in his righteousness has made; to give you a part in his kingdom, for which you have undergone this pain;
Having ever in mind your work of faith and acts of love and the strength of your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;
So that your lives might be pleasing to God, who has given you a part in his kingdom and his glory. And for this cause we still give praise to God, that, when the word came to your ears through us, you took it, not as the word of man, but, as it truly is, the word of God, which has living power in you who have faith.
For this reason, we, from the day when we had word of it, keep on in prayer for you, that you may be full of the knowledge of his purpose, with all wisdom and experience of the Spirit, Living uprightly in the approval of the Lord, giving fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Full of strength in the measure of the great power of his glory, so that you may undergo all troubles with joy; Giving praise to the Father who has given us a part in the heritage of the saints in light; Who has made us free from the power of evil and given us a place in the kingdom of the Son of his love;
Give praise without end for you, keeping you in mind in my prayers;
Having made clear to us the secret of his purpose, in agreement with the design which he had in mind, to put into his hands
For this cause I go down on my knees before the Father, From whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, That in the wealth of his glory he would make you strong with power through his Spirit in your hearts; So that Christ may have his place in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and based in love, May have strength to see with all the saints how wide and long and high and deep it is, And to have knowledge of the love of Christ which is outside all knowledge, so that you may be made complete as God himself is complete. Now to him who is able to do in full measure more than all our desires or thoughts, through the power which is working in us, To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations for ever and ever. So be it.
For I am certain of this very thing, that he by whom the good work was started in you will make it complete till the day of Jesus Christ:
And my prayer is that you may be increased more and more in knowledge and experience; So that you may give your approval to the best things; that you may be true and without wrongdoing till the day of Christ; Being full of the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
I go forward to the mark, even the reward of the high purpose of God in Christ Jesus.
For how great is the praise which we give to God for you, and how great the joy with which we are glad because of you before our God; Night and day requesting God again and again that we may see your face and make your faith complete. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus make a way for us to come to you; And the Lord give you increase of love in fullest measure to one another and to all men, even as our love to you; So that your hearts may be strong and free from all sin before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
But when the mercy of God our Saviour, and his love to man was seen, Not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but in the measure of his mercy, he gave us salvation, through the washing of the new birth and the giving of new life in the Holy Spirit, Which he gave us freely through Jesus Christ our Saviour; So that, having been given righteousness through grace, we might have a part in the heritage, the hope of eternal life.
For this reason, holy brothers, marked out to have a part in heaven, give thought to Jesus the representative and high priest of our faith;
Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power.
But you have some names in Sardis who have kept clean their robes; and as a reward they will go in white with me.
And have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are ruling on the earth.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure, building up the walls of Jerusalem.
Our God is for us a God of salvation; his are the ways out of death.
But the way of the upright is like the light of early morning, getting brighter and brighter till the full day.
And in that day it will be said, See, this is our God; we have been waiting for him, and he will be our saviour: this is the Lord in whom is our hope; we will be glad and have delight in his salvation.
Will I by whom the birth was started, not make it complete? says the Lord. Will I who make children come to birth, let them be kept back? says your God.
If our God, whose servants we are, is able to keep us safe from the burning and flaming fire, and from your hands, O King, he will keep us safe.
Because this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide.
The earth gives fruit by herself; first the leaf, then the head, then the full grain.
Let your work not be for the food which comes to an end, but for the food which goes on for eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you, for on him has God the Father put his mark. Then they said to him, How may we do the works of God? Jesus, answering, said to them, This is to do the work of God: to have faith in him whom God has sent.
For God is my witness, whose servant I am in spirit in the good news of his Son, that you are at all times in my memory and in my prayers,
And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory, Even us, who were marked out by him, not only from the Jews, but from the Gentiles?
Who will give you strength to the end, to be free from all sin in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 1
Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 1 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 1
After the introduction (v. 1, 2) the apostle begins this epistle with an account of his high esteem for these Thessalonians (v. 3, 4). He then comforts them under their afflictions and persecutions (v. 5-10) and tells them what his prayers were to God for them (v. 11, 12).
2Th 1:1-4
Here we have,
2Th 1:5-10
Having mentioned their persecutions and tribulations, which they endured principally for the cause of Christ, the apostle proceeds to offer several things for their comfort under them; as,
2Th 1:11-12
In these verses the apostle again tells the Thessalonians of his earnest and constant prayer for them. He could not be present with them, yet he had a constant remembrance of them; they were much upon his thoughts; he wished them well, and could not express his good-will and good wishes to them better than in earnest constant prayer to God for them: Wherefore also we pray, etc. Note, The believing thoughts and expectation of the second coming of Christ should put us upon prayer to God for ourselves and others. We should watch and pray, so our Saviour directs his disciples (Lu. 21:36), Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to stand before the Son of man. Observe,