2 Thessalonians 1 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

Verses 1–2 formally introduce this letter. Letters in the ancient Near East commonly had introductions of this type in which the sender identified himself, then the recipient, then gave a greeting.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Paradox

A paradox is a true statement that appears to describe something impossible.A paradox occurs in verses 4–5 where Paul talks about the Thessalonian believers’ faithfulness through persecution as “evidence of the righteous judgment of God.” People would not normally think that believing in God while being persecuted is a sign of God’s righteous judgment. But the fact that God gave them the ability to persevere in their faith is evidence that God claims them as his own and will judge them as worthy of his kingdom. In verses 5–10, Paul goes on to explain more of God’s righteous judgment, that God will reward those who believe in him and that he will punish those who afflict his people. ([2 Thessalonians 1:4–5](./04.md))Another paradox occurs in verse 9 where Paul describes the penalty for rejecting God as “eternal destruction.” Normally when something is destroyed it ceases to exist. But in this case, the people who reject God will experience eternal separation from God, as the verse goes on to explain. Being separated from God destroys all that was enjoyable about their lives, and this continuous destruction is what they experience through eternity. ([2 Thessalonians 1:9](../01/09.md))