Christians endure the present with confident faith in the coming of Jesus, who will rightly judge the world, rescue the saints, and reveal His full glory. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to encourage the saints who were enduring persecution. The encouragement is that Jesus is coming again to rescue the saints and judge the wicked.

Thinking of the vengeance and judgment of God is uncomfortable for many Christians. So, how should you respond to the coming judgment of Christ?

This passage is both an encouragement to Christians and a warning to unbelievers. To believers, it encourages you to have confident faith, and to unbelievers, it serves as a warning of God's coming judgment.

This passage encourages the saints to endure the present with confident faith in who Jesus is and what he will do. To unbelievers, it is an urgent plea to repent.

The most vicious accusers are the ones who attack your heart's motives and intentions. Such accusations are clearly prohibited in scripture because only God can know your heart, and to judge another's heart is to stand in the place of God's judgment. Ungodly accusers choose to attack your heart's intentions and motives because such attacks are impossible to defend against. The attacker says, "I know what you meant by that action," or "I know what you were thinking." And all you are left with is what seems like an inadequate defense – "no, I did not."

In this passage, Paul is dealing with accusers accusing him of being deceitful and manipulative because he has not been able to return to the church as he had promised. They wanted to discredit his ministry. Paul's defense does not seek the approval of men but of God. He encourages the believers to have a clear conscience before God, trust in the promises of Christ alone, and trust in God's perfect timing.