II Thessalonians 2:16
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Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who by grace has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope,
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
himself--by His own might, as contrasted with our feebleness; ensuring the efficacy of our prayer. Here our Lord Jesus stands first; in Th1 3:11, "God our Father." which . . . loved us--in the work of our redemption. Referring both to our Lord Jesus (Rom 8:37; Gal 2:20) and God our Father (Joh 3:16). everlasting consolation--not transitory, as worldly consolations in trials (Rom 8:38-39). This for all time present, and then "good hope" for the future [ALFORD]. through grace--rather as Greek "IN grace"; to be joined to "hath given." Grace is the element in which the gift was made.
Open source ↗In these words we have the apostle's earnest prayer for them, in which observe, I. To whom he prays: Our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father. We may and should direct our prayers, not only to God the Father, through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, but also to our Lord Jesus Christ himself; and should pray in his name unto God, not only as his Father but as our Father in and through him. II. From what he takes encouragement in his prayer - from the consideration of what God had already done for him and them: Who hath loved us, and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Th2 2:16. Here observe, 1. The love of God is the spring and fountain of all the good we have or hope for; our election, vocation, justification, and salvation, are all owing to the love of God in Christ Jesus. 2. From this fountain in particular all our consolation flows. And the consolation of the saints is an everlasting consolation. The comforts of the saints are not dying things; they shall not die with them. The spiritual consolations God gives none shall deprive them of; and God will not take them away: because he love them with an everlasting love, therefore they shall have everlasting consolation. 3. Their consolation is founded on the hope of eternal life. They rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and are not only patient, but joyful, in tribulations; and there is good reason for these strong consolations, because the saints have good hope: their hope is grounded on the love of God, the promise of God, and the experience they have had of the power, the goodness, and the faithfulness of God, and it is good hope through grace; the free grace and mercy of God are what they hope for, and what their hopes are founded on, and not on any worth or merit of t…
Open source ↗2:16 Eternal comfort and . . . hope transcend both death and uncertainty about the immediate future.
Open source ↗Cross-references
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For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
On the contrary, we believe it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”