2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
Paul closes out this part of the letter with a benediction. The only way the Thessalonians could stand strong against persecution and deceit of people like the lawless one is by the help of God. This is an appeal to God in the form of a prayer blessing using two rare optative mood verbs. The two key persons in the divine drama of redemption of mentioned as the sources of comfort and strength, although the verbs are third person singular. This singularity suggests that God the Father is the ultimate source but the comfort and strength come through the agency of what Jesus Christ has done. Paul is not trying to explain the Trinity in any way. Father, Son, and Spirit have all been mentioned in this chapter as sources of salvation.
Verse 16 is a description of three blessings from God to those who believe. First, God has loved us. This simple statement summarizes the gospel message. There is much unstated and assumed in this verse. God’s love to us is the reason we were created, how we live in this world, and why we can have hope for eternal life. This love is best seen through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Second, God has given eternal comfort. Comfort (paraklēsin) comes in the form of encouragement and consolation and inspires us to stay strong and true to the end. This is what the Thessalonians needed as they faced increasing social pressure because of their faith. God provides what we need to stay true to our own course. This encouragement comes through the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
Third, God gives good hope. Hope results from God’s comfort and also provides further motivation to stay strong. Hope comes when our focus shifts from the fleeting and empty promises of the created order to the sure promises of the Creator. The Holy Spirit is also the agent of hope (Romans 5:5). Both of these come by grace. These are God’s gifts to those who seek God and put their trust in his promises.
In verse 17, Paul repeats the word comfort in the form of the optative verb along with the second optative verb, strengthen. These words fit well with the image of standing firm and holding fast from verse 15. The immediate goal of this prayer is expressed in the last phrase. Paul is asking God to strengthen the Thessalonians so that they can be strong in deed and word. This strengthening would result in a powerful testimony to their community. The comforting and strengthening would begin in their hearts and work outward to how they acted and what they said. All believers need this same help from God to live victoriously in a world that is increasingly hostile to the ways of God.
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