Charles Spurgeon Commentary 2 Thessalonians 1

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

All nations have their special forms of salutation, and this is the Christian's greeting to his fellow-Christians, Grace unto you, and peace. How much there is in this prayer! "grace" – the free favor of God, the active energy of the divine power; and "peace" – reconciliation to God, peace of conscience, peace with all men. My brethren, what better things could I desire for you, and what better things could you wish for your best beloved friends than these, Grace unto you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ?

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren,

We do not feel this bond as much as we should; we often feel ourselves bound to grumble and complain, but I question whether we think enough about being bound to praise God.

And if we do not thank God as we should for ourselves, it is little wonder if we are very negligent in the duty of thanking Him for others.

In this, then, let us imitate this devout apostle, and let us consider ourselves bound to thank God always for our brothers and sisters.

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians –

Paul loved to associate his fellow-workers with himself when writing to his brethren and sisters in Christ. Although he had a superior experience to theirs, he put Silvanus, and Timothy, his own son in the faith, with him as his fellow-evangelists in writing to "the church of the Thessalonians" –

In God our Father –

What a wonderful expression! The Church is in God as God is in the Church, what a blessed dwelling-place for the people of God in all generations: "in God our Father" –

And the Lord Jesus Christ's grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the apostle's usual salutation when he is writing to a Christian church. When he is writing to a minister, it is grace, mercy, and peace, for God's most prominent servants especially need great mercy on account of their heavy responsibilities and many shortcomings; but to the church Paul's greeting is, Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

What a kind of sacred network Christian love makes, intertwining every believer in Christ with every other believer!

"The love of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth."

Oh, that this might really be the case in all the churches of our Lord Jesus Christ!