Fr. Mike Schmitz

By this we know, love, that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Little children, let us love not in word or speech, but in deed and in truth.

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us.

For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God, and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them.

And by this we know that he abides in us.

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving.

We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Therefore, we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring.

The Judgment at Christ's Coming This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are suffering.

Since indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to grant rest with us to you who are afflicted.

When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

they shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the lord and from the glory of his might when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at in all who have believed because our testimony to you was believed to this end we always pray for you that our god may make you worthy of his call and may fulfill every good resolve and work of faith by his power

so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter 2.

The Man of Lawlessness Now, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come."