2 Thessalonians 1:3-5; John 15:18-25

2 Thess. 1:4 speaks of the persecutions and tribulations that you endure.  This had begun while Paul was there as there was an uproar in the city when the gospel made significant inroads into the lives of many.  On his first journey Paul had told the new believers that it was with many tribulations that we enter the kingdom of God (Ac. 14:22).  He now tells the Thessalonians that it is because of the kingdom of God that they are suffering.  It is true.  And Jesus made this very clear, that if they persecuted Him (which they did, of course), they would persecute anyone who desires to follow Him (John 15:18-25).

Because of the fact that the suffering of the followers of Christ is simply a logical circumstance because they are following Christ, Paul can say, as he does in v5, that this persecution is manifest evidence the righteous judgment of God.  We need to think about this today.  Some brothers in Christ don’t like to speak of evidence of Christianity.  I think they are concerned that it makes it sound like our faith is dependent on our works.  They wonder how a Christian can ever have the assurance of salvation if there may be doubt about the evidence of their lives. 

The topic of assurance of salvation is a big one.  Briefly our understanding is that assurance is not simply a matter of quoting, for example, 1 John 5:11-12 and saying that I have believe in Christ and therefore the matter is settled.  Personal assurance is also the work of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14-17).  If I am consistently living in sin, and yet professing to know Christ and thus to have the Holy Spirit, I should not expect to experience the work of the Spirit assuring me that I am God’s child. 

That is a brief thought.  For our purposes here, however, we are looking at this passage in 2 Thessalonians.  On this matter there are three things we need to see:

·        First is the obvious fact that verse 5 speaks both of evidence and being counted worthy.  What is the evidence that God’s judgment is righteous?  Is it the fact that these believers are suffering?  Or is it the fact of their patience and faith as they endure these sufferings?  To be honest (always a good idea) it can be seen either way.  And both fit the Scriptures.  Suffering for the sake of Christ, as we have said, is evidence (showing on the outside) that we belong to Christ and are worthy of the kingdom of God.  On the other hand, patience and faith in suffering is evidence that God is working in us as well.  As the last phrase of v5 indicates, the reason for our suffering is that we might learn patience and faith (e.g. James 1:2-3).  In v4 Paul’s boasting is not that the Thessalonians are suffering but that they are showing patience and faith in suffering.  And of course we are counted worthy by our faith and not by our works.  So I lean to the idea that patience and faith are evidence that God is righteous in allowing us to suffer; He is using it in our lives.

We need to stop here.  We already have much for meditation: the necessity and the value of suffering.  This is not pop psychology.  It is the way the NT describes the privilege of following Christ, following Him in suffering and in glory!