Watch any award ceremony or an interview after a sporting victory, and you will likely see the winner thanking their colleagues, friends, family, and supporters for enabling their victory. They view the victory as almost a shared achievement, even though it is them individually who succeeded.
Jesus’ return will be the final victory and glorification of Jesus by everyone, everywhere. Nobody will be able to deny Jesus that victorious moment, then and forevermore. As Christians, we look forward to that day. Paul also encourages us to see it as a shared victorious moment, when we too will share in Christ’s glory. Our lives as believers centre around looking forward to, and getting ready for, that great victory ceremony.
Verses 5 to 9 have spoken of the final destination of humanity, either to salvation or to judgement. Paul’s introductory verses now progress to making clear when this final sorting will occur – at Christ’s return.
The day of Christ’s coming would grant relief from the present suffering that the Thessalonians were enduring (v.7), at which point God would also bring fiery judgement and eternal punishment on all who do not believe in the Gospel (vv.8-9).
Jesus’ return was also where he would be “be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed” (v.10). Jesus would be glorified by those he came to save.
The exaltation of Christ, begun by the resurrection of Christ after his great humiliation at the Cross (Phil 2:4-9) will find its completion when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10-11).
Jesus’ return will also cause believers to marvel at Jesus, the suffering servant who reigns on high, mighty and victorious over everything! We will finally see in living colour the amazing victory of Christ fully revealed for all to see.
The glorification of Christ and marvelling in him will occur “because our testimony to you was believed” (v.10). Jesus would be glorified among his saints because Paul preached the Gospel to them, and they believed.
For Paul, this glorious future was cause for continued prayer. Paul wanted the Thessalonians to mature spiritually, “that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power” (v.11).
Spiritual maturity is a bit like dressing up for the award ceremony, except the clothes are the good works prepared beforehand for us to enter into (Eph 2:10), demonstrating that we are saved by God’s grace through faith, and not through our own works (Eph. 2:8-9). Knowing we are destined for such a glorious future event, why would the Thessalonians not want to “look their best” by pursuing sanctification? God would surely fulfil the good works they did, trusting in God to empower them to accomplish good for God’s glory despite their present troubles.
Because while the Thessalonians shared in Jesus’ troubles and afflictions in their own walk of faith, they would also share in Christ’s glory. God would bless their labours “so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (v.12).
It was not works that would glorify the Thessalonians. Not theirs, anyway. The Thessalonians would be glorified because they were believers and so rested in the grace of God and their Lord Jesus. The process which began with their conversion, and through the Holy Spirit working in their lives to make them holier (2 Cor. 3:18) would find its glorious completion at Christ’s return (Phil. 3:20-21).
All this, for the Thessalonians and for us the same, is the result of God’s grace. It reflects the longing of Christ that we would be united in and with him in glory (John 17:24). We should strive for the glory of Christ because it responds to the longing of our Saviour and Lord to be present with us, just as we long to be reunited with friends and loved ones.
This passage also encourages us to constantly seek Christ’s glory. Jesus is coming again soon, to be glorified in his saints. In the meantime, we have the opportunity to glorify God and Jesus through our own behaviour so that it might be said that we are worthy of the calling that God has exercised in our lives. And because it is through the Gospel we receive that glory, to share it with others that they may share in glory too.
We have a bright future ahead of us. The sufferings, troubles, afflictions, and if they come, persecutions, of today are nothing compared to the glory to come. When things are hard, it is tempting to give up. But the end is near. The final victory of Jesus is close at hand, when he will be glorified and we will share in that glory.