Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, [t]o the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ[.] 2 Thessalonians 1:1
I continue my pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I participate in a men's discipleship group (d-group) at my church. This morning, my focus is 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4 and I lean on one of John Piper's Look[s] at the Book (or video labs) for this text - there are seven parts that "look" at this text and I reviewed part 3. In this video, Piper hones in on how Paul (and scripture in general) refers to the church based on the original Greek text, and its later translation into Latin and then English. In watching this lab, there is one broad takeaway:
Church derives from ekklesia - the Greek word from the original text. This word per Piper appears more than 100 times in the New Testament (see also Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon as leveraged here). It broadly refers to an assembly of people, and not just an assembly of God's people, and as it is inclusive of several possible definitions. The implication Piper sees is that we should not think of the church as a building but as an assembly of God's people - wherever they are. Piper shares how this definition gives the church power as power is given to God's people and not to an organizational structure confined to a single church/building/campus or even a denomination.
Piper then proceeds to share how this definition of church as an assembly carried over to the Latin translation which of course was dominant in 1500 years of church history, and embodied in the Catholic church. He describes that when William Tyndale, as part of the Protestant Reformation, translated the Bible into English, his translation efforts were thought of as heresy, not just because the reformation itself undermined the organized church, but also because of the methods used to translate the Bible. Such efforts ultimately led to Tyndale's persecution and ultimate execution. Piper quotes David Daniel who shares that in translating ekklesia into congregation (vs church) plus how he translated other words*, Tyndale "undercut the the entire sacramental structure of the thousand year church throughout Europe." This decentralization of the church of course to put power into the assembly or congregation - God's people (vs in church hierarchy and in the Pope) - was core to growth of the church beyond its Catholic roots.
*translation of ekklesia into congregation vs church, presbuteros into elder vs priest, metanoeo as repent vs penance, exomologeo into admit vs confess
Piper also seeks for us to further understand from the text (v1) how attributes of assembly are defined as united "in "God the Father" and united in "Jesus Christ our Lord."
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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of such love and grace. My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
