2 Thessalonians 2:16 - Meaning and Application

In these words, we see the apostle’s earnest prayer for them. First, notice to whom he prays: “Our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, our Father.” We may and should direct our prayers not only to God the Father, through the mediation, that is, the help of Christ our go-between, but also to the Lord Jesus Christ himself. We should pray in his name to God, not only as Christ’s Father, but as our Father in and through him.

Second, notice what gives Paul confidence in prayer: what God had already done for him and for them, “who loved us and gave us everlasting comfort and good hope through grace” (2 Thessalonians 2:16). God’s love is the source of all the good we have or hope for. Our election, calling, justification, and salvation all come from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Justification means God counts a sinner right with him because of Christ.

From that same source, all true comfort flows. The comfort of believers is lasting comfort, not something that fades away. The spiritual comfort God gives cannot be taken from them, and God will not take it away. Since he loves them with an everlasting love, they will have everlasting comfort.

Their comfort is built on the hope of eternal life. They rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and they can be patient, even joyful, in trouble. There is good reason for such strong comfort, because believers have good hope. Their hope rests on God’s love, God’s promise, and the experience they have had of his power, goodness, and faithfulness. It is good hope through grace, meaning through God’s free favor and mercy, not through any worth or merit of their own.

Third, notice what Paul asks God to do for them, that he would comfort their hearts and establish them in every good word and work (2 Thessalonians 2:17). God had already given them comfort, and Paul prays that they would have it more fully. There was good hope, through grace, that they would be kept safe, and he prays that they would be firmly settled.

It is worth noticing how comfort and being firmly established are joined together here. Comfort helps make a believer steady, because the more pleasure we take in God’s word, work, and ways, the more likely we are to keep going in them. And being steady in God’s ways also helps bring comfort. If we are shaky in faith, unsure in mind, or uneven in duty, we should not be surprised if we lack the joy of religion.

What lies behind much of our unrest, if not our lack of steadiness in religion? We must be established in every good word and work, in the word of truth and the work of righteousness. Christ must be honored by our good words and good deeds. Those who are sincere will seek to do both. In doing so, they may hope for comfort and stability, until at last their holiness and happiness are brought to completion.