1 & 2 Thessalonians - Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillips)

Years before writing Romans or Ephesians, Paul sent a pair of letters to a new church in Thessalonica. Three concerns governed Paul’s teaching in these letters: What makes a healthy church? How should we view God’s Word? What does a Christian life look like?

Richard D. Phillips’s commentary considers these foundational issues in a scholarly, pastoral, and practical manner and also explores Paul’s end-times teaching—the clearest found in the New Testament. Through these studies, readers will find a refreshingly clear biblical summary of what will happen before, during, and after the Second Coming.

Just as importantly, by touring Paul’s singular teaching in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, readers will recover a joyful anticipation of Christ’s return and receive hope for life in a challenging world.

Table of Contents: 

1 Thessalonians: Standing Fast in the Lord 

1. To the Thessalonians: 1 Thessalonians 1:1 

2. A Prayer of Thanks: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 

3. Election and Its Effects: 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 

4. Receiving God’s Word: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7 

5. A Model Reputation: 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10

6. Ministry Not in Vain: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 

7. Worthy of the Calling: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 

8. Not of Men but of God: 1 Thessalonians 2:13-17 

9. Moved by Afflictions: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5 

10. Now We Live: 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10 

11. An Apostolic Pastoral Prayer: 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 

12. Sovereignty and Sanctification: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 

13. Sexual Purity: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

14. Concerning Brotherly Love: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 

15. The Coming of the Lord: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 

16. Grieving with Hope: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 

17. The Resurrection of the Dead: 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 

18. Meeting the Lord in the Air: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 

19. Like a Thief in the Night: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4

20. Victors Valiant: 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8

21. Destined for Salvation: 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

22. The Church Imperative: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 

23. A Call to Ministry: 1 Thessalonians 5:13-15 

24. The Spirit of Joy: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 

25. Faithful to Sanctify: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 

2 Thessalonians: In Light of Christ’s Coming 

26. Growing in Faith: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4

27. God’s Righteous Judgment: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-8 

28. The Biblical Doctrine of Hell: 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 

29. Glorified in His Saints: 2 Thessalonians 1:10-12 

30. End-Times Dangers: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

31. The Man of Lawlessness: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 

32. The Great Apostasy: 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 9-12 

33. The Mystery of Lawlessness: 2 Thessalonians 2:5-8 

34. To Obtain the Glory: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 

35. Encouraged and Established: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 

37. Willing to Work: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 

38. With His Own Hand: 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 

Author 

Richard D. Phillips (MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary) is the senior minister of Second Presbyterian Church of Greenville, South Carolina. He is a council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, chairman of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, and coeditor of the Reformed Expository Commentary series.

Endorsements

“As Christians, Bible teachers, or gospel ministers, we take our first step in the study of the Bible by going directly to our copy of God’s Word. Then, seeking to plumb the depths of the text and avoid handling it wrongly, we secure accurate and thoughtful commentaries from trusted commentators. That is precisely what we have in Rick Phillips’s insightful, faithful, and instructive commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, which navigates Paul’s Holy Spirit–inspired treatment of wide-ranging, yet ever-relevant gospel issues for life and eternity.” — Harry L. Reeder, Pastor/Teacher, Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama

“The books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians have a crucial message for the world today, but they can be hard to understand. What does the Bible teach about the return of Christ? What should we think about the ‘rapture’? Who is the man of lawlessness? With theological precision and the care of a seasoned pastor, Richard Phillips reveals the sure biblical path through the under- brush of end-times confusion, and explains the relevance of Paul’s letters for today. Readers will be instructed and encouraged to follow Christ anew, trusting in the God who sovereignly directs history. Highly recommended.” — Brandon D. Crowe, Associate Professor of New Testament, West- minster Theological Seminary; Book Review Editor, Westminster Theological Journal

“The author of this worthy volume is conversant with the extensive literature on 1 and 2 Thessalonians and has given us a commentary informed by his long commitment to Christ-centered reformational theology. But this is not a trudging tome; it was preached viva voce by a busy, caring pastor-scholar to his own flock week by week and is lively, engaging, and wholly relevant.” — 1 & 2 Thessalonians is sure to be a grace to the church and her shepherds.” —R. Kent Hughes, Senior Pastor Emeritus, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois; Visiting Professor of Pastoral Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary