2 Thessalonians 3:16b-The Second Prayer Request on Behalf of the Thessalonians
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2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now, may He Himself, the one and only Lord, who produces a peace, which is divine in quality and character, cause each and every one of you to be given this peace throughout any and every circumstance by any and every means. May the Lord cause Himself to be manifested among each and every one of you. (Lecturer’s translation)
The contents of Second Thessalonians 3:16 mark a transition in Second Thessalonians.
Specifically, this verse is marking a transition from the contents of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 to the closing of the letter in 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18.
The former is the final major section of the body of Second Thessalonians.
Therefore, here in 2 Thessalonians 3:16 present Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s two Spirit inspired prayer requests that they offered up to the Father on behalf of the Thessalonian Christian community.
They constitute the benediction of Second Thessalonians and mark a transition from the contents of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 to the closing of the letter in 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18.
Now, in the first prayer request, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy requested that the Lord Himself, who produces a peace, which is divine in quality and character, would cause each and every member of the Thessalonian Christian community to be given this peace throughout any and every circumstance by any and every means.
Now, the second prayer request in 2 Thessalonians 3:16 requested that the Lord would cause Himself to be manifested among each and every member of the Thessalonian Christian community.
Paul is employing the figure of ellipsis.
Most expositors believe that he is deliberately omitting the third person singular present active optative conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί), which here pertains to existing in a particular state or condition or being present.
However, I believe that he is omitting the third person singular aorist middle optative conjugation of the verb ginomai (γίνομαι), which means “to cause oneself to be manifested.”
This would then indicate the Lord Jesus Christ would cause Himself to be manifested among the individual members of the Thessalonian Christian community if they continue to obey the Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions that Paul issued in this epistle.
This interpretation that Paul is omitting the third person singular aorist middle optative conjugation of the verb ginomai and not the verb eimi is indicated by two factors.
First, the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples that He would permanently indwell them (John 14:20; 17:26) as well as His apostles including Paul (Rom. 8:10; 2 Cor. 13:5; Col. 1:27).
Secondly, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy are communicating in this statement a prayer request that they offered up to the Father requesting that the Lord Jesus Christ do something on behalf of the Thessalonian Christian community.
Therefore, these three men would not be asking the Father that the Lord Jesus Christ would be present with the Thessalonians since the latter was taught by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy that the Lord permanently indwelled each of them.
Thus, what they requested is that the Lord Jesus Christ “would cause Himself to be manifested” among the Thessalonians.
This would be accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ producing the peace of God in and among the members of the Thessalonian Christian community through the Spirit inspired contents of Second Thessalonians.
The Lord would produce the peace of God through the Spirit since the Thessalonians would experience the peace of God in their souls as individuals and when interacting with each other if they obey Paul’s Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions, which are communicated in the contents of Second Thessalonians.
In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ would cause Himself to be manifested among the members of the Thessalonian Christian community by the latter experiencing the peace of God as a result of obeying His Spirit inspired instructions recorded in Second Thessalonians.
A comparison of the second prayer request with the first recorded in 2 Thessalonians 3:16 indicates that the former presents the result of the latter.
Therefore, this indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ will manifest His personal presence among the members of the Thessalonian Christian community as a result of this community experiencing the peace of God as a result of obeying the Lord’s Spirit inspired instructions presented in the contents of Second Thessalonians.
In other words, when the Thessalonians experience the peace of God as a result of obeying the Lord’s Spirit inspired instructions presented in the contents of Second Thessalonians, the Lord will manifest His personal presence in this community.
These two prayer requests in 2 Thessalonians 3:16 are very appropriate in light of the three major problems that Paul has addressed in the contents of Second Thessalonians.
The first major problem Paul addressed in the contents of Second Thessalonians was that the Thessalonian Christian community was continuing to suffer persecution at the hands of their unregenerate Gentile countrymen.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4. Paul, Silvanus and Timothy commend the Thessalonians for their post-justification faith in the midst of persecution.
They also commend them for continuing to practice the command to love one another when interacting with each other as well as interacting with those who were persecuting them.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, these three men comfort and reassure the Thessalonians that the Lord Jesus Christ will judge their persecutors.
Therefore, the fulfillment of the two prayer requests in 2 Thessalonian 3:16 would enable the Thessalonian Christian community to continue to experience the peace of God as a result of their post-justification in the gospel and the continued practice of the command to love one another since they were already doing these things.
In other words, the Thessalonians obedience to the Spirit inspired contents of Second Thessalonians which originated from the Lord Jesus Christ would enable the Thessalonians to continue to experience the peace of God in their lives.
The second major problem which Paul addressed in the contents of Second Thessalonians was that the Thessalonian Christian community was upset and lost its composure because a false prophet proclaimed that the day of the Lord was taking place.
Therefore, the fulfillment of the two prayer requests in 2 Thessalonian 3:16 would restore the peace of God in the souls of the members of the Thessalonian Christian community and which peace was disrupted because of the false doctrine they heard from false prophets.
In other words, the Spirit inspired contents of Second Thessalonians, which the Lord Jesus Christ directed Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to write to the Thessalonians would restore the peace of God in the souls of the members of the Thessalonian Christian community, and which peace was disrupted because of the false doctrine communicated to them.
Specifically, the Spirit inspired contents which originated from the Lord Jesus Christ would stop their anxiety regarding the false doctrine about the day of the Lord.
The third and final major problem, which Paul addressed in the contents of Second Thessalonians was that some in the Thessalonian Christian community were absolutely refusing to obey Paul’s apostolic teaching which required that each of them work to support themselves financially and not be busybodies.
Therefore, the fulfillment of the two prayer requests in 2 Thessalonian 3:16 would restore the harmony and unity in the Thessalonian Christian community and thus restore the peace of God in this community and which peace was disrupted because some in this community were refusing to work for a living but instead were acting as busybodies.
In other words, the Spirit inspired contents of Second Thessalonians, which originated from the Lord Jesus Christ would restore the unity and harmony in the Thessalonian Christian community, and as a result of the peace of God in this community and which peace was disrupted because of the false doctrine communicated to them by false prophets.