Deeper Reflection
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IS THE THEOLOGICAL foundation of Paul’s affirming and encouraging the Thessalonians for their “steadfastness and faith” in their “persecutions” and “afflictions” (v.4): “the righteous (dikaios) judgment of God” (v.5) and “God considers it just (dikaios)” (v.6). Everything that Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10 is based and built on the righteousness of God.There is this hard reality – but a biblical reality – in the history of humankind: the wicked flourish and the righteous suffer. And the wicked who flourish tend to be people with great power, who in arrogance dominate and oppress the weak and the righteous. What we see is injustice. And we ask, “Where is God in this?” and “Why doesn’t God do something?” The challenge for us is to see the “evidence of the righteous judgment of God” (v.5) in all these. The truth is God is doing something and will go on doing it. And it takes “spiritual discernment and godly perspective” to see this “evidence” in the very situation in which we see nothing but injustice.⁸The righteous judgment of God is, God will “repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted” (vv.6-7a). There will be a reversal of fortunes. However, this reversal will happen “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven” (v.7b). And meanwhile, God’s faithful people who are suffering for righteousness may cry out, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before You will judge?” (Rev 6:9-10). The divine response is: “Rest a little longer, until…” (Rev 6:11) – in “steadfastness and faith” (v.4).

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⁸ John R. W. Stott, 147