Tom Lowe
1/22/20
Lesson 5: That God Would Count Them Worthy of Their Calling (2 Thes. 1:11a)
Introduction
Paul has been informing his friends at Thessalonica of the prospect of deliverance and glory at the coming of the Lord. But he is aware that they still must live out their faith in the world of people who oppose the things of God. They can never do this in their own strength, but only in the strength that God supplies. Easily and naturally, then, the apostle passes over into prayer that God will see his friends through to the very end.
Commentary
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling” - 2 Thessalonians 1:11a
WITH THIS IN MIND
Paul’s “with this in mind” [refers to those things Paul mentioned in the previous section] has been rendered as both “wherefore” and “Because of all I have just said” about the return of Christ to be glorified in the saints, and to judge the lost. The future prospect of glory motivated the apostle to pray for the saints. We must never neglect a present responsibility because of future hope. On the contrary, the future Hope must encourage us to be faithful today.
WE CONSTANTLY PRAY FOR YOU
There is a captivating warmth and a caring concern expressed here that goes way beyond the use of words. He cared deeply for the Thessalonian Christians, and he was proud of their faithfulness to their Christian commitment. He expressed great feeling here in these words, and I am sure his first-century readers could sense it even as we can.
Paul prayed for his converts (1 Thess. 1:2; 3:10). The apostle here again mentions his praying for these Thessalonians, as he had often mentioned it in the former Epistle. Having set forth the fact of judgment, which will be one of reward and glory for the Christians, he prayed that this would be accomplished in his readers. The phrase “constantly pray” denotes the consistency of prayer by Paul and His associates. They encircled the Thessalonian believers in constant prayer. This was very comforting, that the Apostle and other Christians would pray for them when they were suffering. He would pray not only now, but always that they may be among them in whom Christ will be glorified and admired. And the reason might be, because he was absent from them; they might need his prayers even more, and by telling them of it, he thereby assures them that he did not forget them.
THAT OUR GOD [WHOM WE SERVE] MAY MAKE YOU WORTHY OF HIS CALLING”
Once again Paul models for us a passionate caring for his friends in Christ that we so desperately need today. Our fast-paced urban existence somehow tends to isolate us instead of drawing us together. We feel insecure and alone even in the middle of a crowd because we are not sure that anyone really cares for us. Loneliness drives people to the fringes of desperation and even suicide. But it is to this kind of world that Christ calls each of us to love and care for and pray for our struggling brothers and sisters in Him. It is true that as believers in Christ we are to be God-centered, but at the same time we are to be person-centered. For it is as we “reach out and touch someone” that we best serve the Lord.
“Call,” or “calling” refers to God’s election or choice of the Thessalonian Christians (1 Thess. 1:4). “Call” or “calling” in this sense includes the entire Christian life from its inception to its climax in heaven (Rom. 11:29; 1 Cor. 1:26; Phil. 3:14)
In 2 Thessalonians 1:5, Paul had stated that he wanted them to be worthy of the kingdom when they entered glory in the future. But here he emphasized their present situation. God’s calling was in grace and love, and Paul desired that they might live up to that calling [But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 2:13-14)].
Trials do not make a person, but they do reveal what a person is made of. When our faith is tried, we are revealing our worth (1 Pe. 1:6-9). God certainly knows our hearts, even before we are tried, but we do not know our own hearts. And others do not know what we are worth. We need to pray that God will build our worth and make us more valuable Christians because of the trials we have endured.
This calling which is figurative is to be understood to be the blessed state they were called to, for they had already received the calling itself. And so it has the same effect as that mentioned before in 2 Thessalonians 1:5 [All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.], called there the kingdom of God; or to have Christ glorified and admired in them, 2 Thessalonians 1:10. And elsewhere termed the prize of the high calling of God, Philippians 3:14. And that God would count them worthy of it; as he had used the same expression before; only there it was mentioned with respect to their sufferings, here in a way of prayer. He encouraged them under their sufferings, that they might thereupon be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, and now prays that God would count them worthy; their worthiness arising more from the gracious account of God than their own sufferings. A Christian’s calling has duty attached to it, so the apostle exhorts the Ephesians to walk worthy of it when discharging those duties (Ephesians 4:1 ,2). And it has a state of blessedness belonging to it, which is what the author meant here; and none shall partake of it except those whom God shall count worthy of it. That God would count them worthy, fit for his calling; that is, for the fore-mentioned glory, which they were called to the expectation of, for they were already called; and therefore calling here must denote that unto which they were called, even the kingdom of glory.
But God’s account is not according to the strictness of the law, but the gracious indulgence of the covenant of grace; but yet his prayer implies such a walking according to this covenant, as whereby they might be counted worthy of the blessed state they were called unto.
