2 Thessalonians 2:9-17
New Catholic Bible
9 His coming will be the work of Satan made manifest in all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, 10 and in every wicked deception designed for those who are perishing because they refused to accept the love of the truth[a] and thereby gain salvation.
11 For this reason, God imposes on them a powerful delusion. They believe what is false, 12 so that all who have not believed the truth but instead have taken pleasure in wickedness will be condemned.
Never Weary of Doing Good[b]
Call To Remain Steadfast.[c]However, we must always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.[d] 14 It was for this purpose that he called you through our gospel so that you might come to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.15 Therefore, stand firm, brethren, and hold fast to the traditions[e] that you have been taught, whether by word of mouth or by a letter of ours. 16 And may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through his grace gave us unending encouragement and a sure hope,[f] 17 comfort your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10 Love of the truth: one of Paul’s most felicitous expressions, it refers to love of the Gospel, the acceptance of this unprecedented gift that comes from the Father, Christ, and the Spirit. To refuse it is to exclude oneself from love forever.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13 Paul is thankful that he and his coworkers can look forward to salvation for themselves and for their converts. The beneficiaries of God’s saving work cannot rest on their laurels, however. They must be ever active in good works and keep the teachings (traditions) of the Church. The Apostle goes on to ask the converts to pray for him and his coworkers and calls down God’s grace on them.
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He also sets forth the proper solution for idlers. The Thessalonians must admonish idlers yet deal charitably with their mistakes. Such persons are not to be cast out of the community, but to be given frequent warnings. - 2 Thessalonians 2:13 Here we find the same advice as was given in the First Letter. Christian life unfolds in the love of the three divine Persons; fidelity to the authentic tradition that the apostles have transmitted in writing or by living word; prayer; and constancy of effort.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13 These two verses show the harmonious working of all three Persons of the Trinity in the divine plan of salvation: God the Father chooses and calls his people; God the Son shares his glory with his own; and God the Holy Spirit imparts his sanctifying grace. From the beginning: another translation possible is: “as the firstfruits.”
- 2 Thessalonians 2:15 Traditions: i.e., the teachings contained in tradition; they are both oral and written (see 2 Thes 2:5; 3:6; 1 Cor 11:2), just as was the case with rabbinic law (see note on Mt 15:2ff).
- 2 Thessalonians 2:16 Jesus is here named before the Father; despite the double subject, the verbs in the Greek text are in the singular number. Could the unity of Father and Son be better expressed?
