2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 - God Will Strengthen You
- Chad Werkhoven
- Oct 16
- 3 min read
God holds on to you by strengthening you.
2 Thessalonians 3:1–5 (LSB)
3 Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; 2 and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith.
3 But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen and guard you from the evil one.
4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. 5 And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.
Canons of Dordt
Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints
Article 3: God’s Preservation of the Converted
Because of
these remnants of sin dwelling in them
and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan,
those who have been converted
could not remain standing in this grace
if left to their own resources.
But God is faithful,
mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them
and powerfully preserving them in it to the end.
Summary
Paul had faithfully learned this lesson the hard way - that in all times and places there are perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. Spend a few minutes paging through the book of Acts and be reminded of all the persecution the Apostles faced. Paul tells the Corinthians of the troubles, hardships and distresses... beatings, imprisonments and riots... hard work, sleepless nights and hunger he endured at the hands of these evil men as he preached the good news (2 Corinthians 6:4-5).
By God's grace, you're not likely to face those things. Although there are Christians throughout the world who do continue to suffer this way, most don't. Now our congregations meet in nice, climate controlled facilities and our members for the most part are well to do and friendly. There's likely a committee in our church that has a ten step plan for growth, so we have - or at least we think we have - everything under control.
So it's so easy for us to forget to do what Paul begs the Thessalonians to do: to pray that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified. It's interesting how Paul frames this request. His prayer isn't that churches will grow numerically or even that the people in those churches will strengthen their faith or go deeper in their discipleship.
Rather, Paul's concern is that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly (literally: run) and that it will be glorified (given honor and respect). Paul knows that when the gospel is unchained and boldly proclaimed, churches will grow in every sense of the word, and so this is what he wants people to pray for.
Dig Deeper
Paul also requests the Thessalonians pray that he'll be rescued from these perverse and evil men, but for all of the trouble and hardship such men caused Paul throughout his missionary journeys, his words here can in no way be understood to be pessimistic and hopeless. Quite the opposite, in fact!
Paul's confidence comes from knowing that the Lord is faithful and that He'll strengthen and guard you from the evil one. This is one of the core aspects of this final doctrine of the Canons of Dordt known as the Perseverance of the Saints. Even though your life remains plagued by problems, temptations and failures, you can be certain that God is faithful and will powerfully preserve you in His grace to the end.
Paul offers a benediction (words of blessing) on your behalf in today's final verse, praying that the Lord would direct your heart into the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. He's asking God to do what God has promised to do: hold you tightly with grace that's stronger than you are.
God uses ordinary means (tools) to direct your heart: the preaching of His Word, your participation in the sacraments, and the discipline & discipleship of the Church. These are the commands you must continue to do.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is is faithful, and who will strengthen and guard you from the evil one;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 2
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