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Second Thessalonians, part 3, Being Worthy

After describing Christ’s revelation, the judgment of the lawless, and His glorification in the saints, Paul turns to prayer. His concern is not merely that the Thessalonians understand prophecy, but that they become the kind of people through whom Christ may reveal His glory. While many think that all believers will be transformed/changed into the image of Christ, based purely on their Passover experience (justification by faith), Paul prays that the believers would have endurance and thereby become “worthy of your calling.”

Made Worthy of the Calling

2 Thessalonians 1:11 says,

¹¹ To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will consider you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power.

“To this end” connects Paul’s prayer directly with verse 10. Christ is coming “to be glorified in His saints,” so Paul prays that the Thessalonians will be prepared for that purpose. The wording also recalls verse 5, where their endurance under persecution showed that they would “be considered worthy of the kingdom of God.” Paul now prays that God will “consider you worthy of your calling.”

If these believers had already qualified as overcomers simply by faith in Christ, why would Paul find it necessary to pray toward that end?

The verb is axioō, related to axios, “worthy.” The underlying idea is that of equal weight or corresponding value. Paul is not saying that the believers earn their calling by accumulating merit. Rather, he prays that their lives will correspond to the calling they have already received. Paul expresses the same principle in Ephesians 4:1,

¹ Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.

To put it in another way, the Israelites kept Passover in Egypt and the church in the wilderness (Acts 7:38 KJV) then left Egypt on its way to the Promised Land. Yet this was only the start of a journey, and, in fact, most of them died in the wilderness without receiving the promise. These correspond to those who were NOT worthy of their calling.

Did they lose their salvation? Far from it. They were the first “church,” what I call that Passover church from Moses to Christ. The Pentecost church was launched in the second chapter of Acts, and its greater anointing achieved more than the first church. However, most of them again face disqualification, not only because they have reverted to the Old Covenant in their mindset, but also because they have lacked endurance as overcomers (rulers).

Pentecost is a time of learning obedience to the leading of the Spirit, as He writes the law of God on the heart. Those who are lawless (anomia) are clearly disqualified, even if they have the faith to do miracles (Matthew 7:22, 23). By despising the law and putting it away, they present their members as slaves to “lawlessness” (Romans 6:19).

Putting away the law of God is the biblical definition of lawlessness. Believers in Christ are to put away the Old Covenant but keep the law (i.e., refrain from sin). Yet many are taught to put away the law and to keep the Old Covenant (which they disguise as the New Covenant). The Old Covenant is based on the will of man; the New Covenant is based on the will of God.

Those who have an Old Covenant mindset attempt to make the old man of flesh worthy of this calling, instead of crucifying the old man. The New Covenant begets a new man by the incorruptible and immortal “seed” of the word of God (1 Peter 1:23-25). This new man, Paul says, concurs (agrees) joyfully with the law of God (Romans 6:22). It is not lawless.

Calling and Qualification

A divine calling is not the same as final qualification. Many are called, but the called must also respond to God’s training and discipline in Pentecost. Unfortunately, many Pentecostals do not understand this fully, because their focus is on the spiritual gifts, by which they attempt to reform the old man of flesh. They often fail to realize that the old man can never be reformed except superficially. He must be crucified to allow them live according to the newly-begotten man.

The Greek expression could be translated “make you worthy of the calling.” This recognizes God as the One doing the work. God does not merely announce a standard and then leave believers to attain it through human strength (or “works”). He disciplines, empowers, and completes the work that He began. Philippians 2:13 says,

¹³ For it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.

Therefore, it is of utmost importance to recognize the sovereignty of God, rather than to promote the sovereignty of man. Man’s will is not stronger than God’s will. God’s original purpose for creation (and mankind) will be fulfilled. He will subdue all things, especially the will of men (John 1:13). In the end, “every knee will bow” (Philippians 2:11).

The persecution itself which the Thessalonian believers were encountering was part of their preparation. God was teaching them endurance, faith, love, and dependence upon Him—qualities necessary for those called to reign with Christ.

Every Desire for Goodness

Paul next prays that God will “Fulfill every desire for goodness.” “Desire” translates eudokia, which may mean good pleasure, benevolent intention, or a willing purpose. The phrase may refer either to God’s good purpose or to the believers’ desire to do good. The latter fits naturally with the following phrase, “the work of faith.”

The thought is that God would bring every righteous intention in them to maturity. A desire for goodness is important, but desire must eventually become action. The question is HOW? The Israelites under Moses had good intentions when they vowed to obey the law of God in Exodus 19:8. But then they refused to receive the Spirit (Exodus 20:19), which would have empowered them to fulfill their desire for goodness.

The same condition is seen in the church of the Pentecostal Age. Each Pentecostal test of faith will manifest its covenant foundation. Good intentions are inadequate. Over time, one must see a change from behavioral righteousness that is based on self-discipline to righteousness that one does by nature. The change of one’s nature is gradual, but yet produces immediate evidence. Philippians 1:6 says,

⁶ He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.

The verb plēroō means to fill, complete, accomplish, or bring to full expression. God plants the desire for goodness and then supplies the Holy Spirit which is necessary to carry it out. Just because they were all justified by faith at the earlier Passover in Egypt did not mean that they were yet filled with the Spirit. The first Pentecost occurred at Mount Horeb when the fire of God descended on the Mount and He spoke the Ten Commandments. That day was then celebrated as the feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22).

The Work of Faith With Power

Paul also prays that God will fulfill “The work of faith with power.” Genuine faith is not inactive belief. The Spirit of God produces conduct that corresponds to what is believed and desired. Paul had already commended their “work of faith” in 1 Thessalonians 1:3. This does not contradict Paul’s teaching that justification is not obtained by works of the law. The distinction is between works done by faith in the will of man and works produced by faith in the will of Christ.

The power to complete this work comes from God. “With power” translates en dynamei, meaning “in power” or “by power.” Human resolve alone cannot fulfill the calling. The same God who calls must also empower by the Holy Spirit. The believer participates through faith and obedience, but God remains the Source of both the calling and the power to fulfill it.