1 Thessalonians

3:6-13

2. Paul's relationship with the church, 1:1-3:13

v] Timothy's report and Paul's prayer

At this point in his letter, Paul responds to Timothy's report on the welfare of the congregation in Thessalonica. Paul is overjoyed at hearing how well the church is going, v6-10, and takes a moment to pray for the Christians at Thessalonica, v11-13.

i] Context: See 2:1-12.

ii] Structure: Timothy's report and Paul's prayer:

Timothy's report, v6-8;

A thanksgiving for the Thessalonian believers, v9-10;

Paul's prayer for the Thessalonian believers, v11-13.

Timothy's report ends the personal narrative section of the letter, the Narratio, while Paul's prayer serves as a Digressio, moving the letter on toward its central argument, the Probatio. The theme of the central argument is certainly carried in the prayer: "Paul petitions God to allow him to return to the Thessalonians and asks the Lord to prepare them for the coming of the Lord Jesus", Malherbe.

iii] Interpretation:

iv] Homiletics: A three-point prayer

i] Paul receives Timothy's report and is encouraged by it, v6-8. At this point in his letter, Paul speaks of the arrival of Timothy, and of Timothy's positive news concerning the Thessalonian church. Timothy's report answers Paul's concerns expressed in 2:17-20 and 3:1-5. Paul makes three points with respect to Timothy's report: first, the church members continue in faith; second, they continue in love one toward another; and third, they continue to hold a positive view toward Paul. Paul goes on in v7-8 to express how he is uplifted by this good news. In the midst of his troubles, this positive news gives him renewed strength.

In the Gk. text, the first three verses make up one sentence with the main verb being pareklhqhmen, "we were encouraged", v7. The opening verse, v6, consists of an extended genitive absolute construction.

de "but" - but/and. Transitional, although a touch contrastive. In v5 Paul says that he sent Timothy to confirm the standing of the Thessalonian believers as to their "faith" - a point repeated from v2, "in order to strengthen and encourage you about (uJper for epi, Moule IB) your faith (ie., faith in God)" which Paul felt was under stress due to the qliyiV "suffering / difficulties" that they were facing. Paul was worried that his labours may have been in vain, "but now", Timothy having returned and having reported the news ..... Paul and the members of his missionary team "were encouraged", v7.

elqontoV (ercomai) gen. aor. part. "has [just now] come [to us]" - [now] having come [toward us from you]. This genitive participle, and its genitive subject "Timothy", along with the genitive participle "having communicated important news", forms a genitive absolute construction, possibly temporal, "But when Timothy reached me a moment ago, ......, bringing me the good news of your faith", Moffatt, but more likely causal, "But because Timothy has just come to us from you and ......". The adverb arti, "now" is immediate, so "just now", NIV, or "a moment ago", Moffatt.

euaggelisamenou (euaggelizw) aor. part. "has brought good news" - [and] having communicated important news, announced. Genitive absolute, as above. This is an example of the non-technical use of this word, most often used of preaching the Christian message. The news was certainly "good" on this occasion, but primarily the word means communicating important news which may, or may not be good, depending on the circumstances. "Definite news", Phillips.

hJmin dat. pro. "to us" - to us. dative of indirect object.

thn pistin (iV ewV) acc. "about [your] faith" - the faith [and love of you]. The accusative is adverbial, reference / respect, as NIV, "concerning, about". "The faith that you have and the love which you evidence to one another", Ellicott.

oJti "-" - that [you always have good remembrance of us]. introducing an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing the news that Timothy told / announced to Paul, namely that the congregation warmly remembers Paul and would love him to visit again; "that you maintain a good memory of us at all times", Shogren.

epipoqounteV (pipoqew) pres. part. "and that you long" - great desiring, longing. Probably an attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to have", so expressing the second element of what Timothy told Paul; "that you always cherish an affectionate recollection of us, and that you long to see us as we long to see you", as NIV. This compound form of the word carries more emotion than just "desire".

idein (eidon) aor. inf. "to see [us]" - to see [us]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the participle, "longing, yearning", "longing to see."

kaqaper "just as" - even as [we also you]. Comparative; "just as much as we are longing to see you", Barclay.

We now come to the main clause of the Gk. sentence covering v6-8. Timothy was sent to the Thessalonians to "comfort" them, and now, at his return, his report is a "comfort" to Paul.

dia touto "therefore" - because of this, for this reason. This causal construction expresses an logical conclusion, inferential, "therefore". Because of Timothy's return and his good news concerning the Christian standing of the Thessalonian believers, "therefore" "we have been comforted about you through your faith .....", ESV.

adelfoi (oV) voc. "brothers and sisters" - brothers. Intimate terminology.

epi + dat. "in" - in [all the distress, affliction and tribulation of us]. Adverbial, here probably taking a temporal sense, "at the time of, during"; "on the occasion of", Zerwick. The use together of the words "distress and persecution" carry eschatological overtones, a touch of the now / not yet. It is not clear whether Paul is going through a particular problem at the moment, or he is just referring to the general difficulties associated with Christian ministry - "the care of all the churches".

pareklhqhmen (parakalew) aor. pas. "we were encouraged" - we were encouraged, comforted. Functioning as the main verb of the sentence which begins at v6. "How these things have cheered us", Phillips.

ef (epi) + dat. "about [you]" - upon [you]. Obviously adverbial, possibly reference / respect, as NIV, although with verbs of feeling, this preposition is often causal, used to identify basis, "because of you "; "therefore, brothers, we were encouraged because of you in all our distress and affliction through your faith."

dia + gen. "because of [your faith]" - through, by means of. Instrumental, expressing means; "the story of your faith has set our mind at rest about you", Barclay.

Paul provides a reason (an explanatory, rather than causal, oJti) as to why the Thessalonian believers have comforted / encouraged him. Paul is "now" able to "live" - the verb zaw, "to live", is used here in a metaphorical sense, of an existence free from anxiety, BDAG 425.1.y; "now we enjoy living", Berkeley.

oJti "for" - for. More reason than cause, explanatory.

nun adv. "now [we really live]" - now [we live]. Temporal adverb, present point of time. Paul is heartened by the news; "It makes life worth living for us", Barclay.

ean + ind. "since" - if [you]. Normally this particle is used with a subjunctive verb to form a 3rd. class conditional clause. The indicative may serve to reduce the hypothetical nature of the condition, so instead of "if, as may be the case, .....", the clause becomes, "for, if, as is indeed the case, you stand firm in the Lord, then we live". The use of the indicative may indicate a hypothetical proposition with a hortatory edge, "now we live; that's of course as longs as you continue to stand firm in the Lord".

sthkete (sthkw) pres. "standing firm" - you stand. This form of the root "stand" carries the sense "stand firm", deriving from military use, so standing one's ground, holding firm. The present tense is most likely durative here.

en + dat. "in" - in [the lord]. Local / incorporative union; "in your relationship with the Lord."

ii] In the form of a rhetorical question, Paul gives thanks that the Thessalonians have remained firm in their faith, v9-10. Paul rejoices at what has happened, but it is a joy which is focused on God. The Lord has done his work and Paul is driven to respond with thanksgiving. This joy prompts Paul to pray for the church. "Night and day" he does this; he continually prays for them, constantly bringing them before the Lord. In his prayer he prays that he might again see them to "supply what is lacking in (their) faith." Above all, he desires to exercise a continuing ministry with them, remedying any defects that may still exist in their Christian lives.

In this Greek sentence, these two verses consist of one complex sentence in the form of a rhetorical question made up of four parts:

An interrogative clause, v9a;

A relative clause modifying "joy", v9b;

A temporal adverbial clause modifying the verb "to give thanks", v10a;

A final infinitive clause expressing purpose, v10b.

gar "-" - for [what thanksgiving]. In a rhetorical question, as here, possibly "how then".

tw/ qew/ (oV) "God" - to god. Dative of indirect object.

peri "for [you]" - about, concerning [you]. Expressing reference / respect. Indicating the content of the thanksgiving, ie., it concerns you.

antapodounai (antapodidwmi) aor. inf. "in return" - to return, to recompense. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "we are able"; lit. "for what thanks are we able to give back to God?" Wuest. Obviously not with the sense "recompense" here, but more like "render / give". The positive response of the Thessalonians motivates Paul to respond in thanksgiving. Possibly, "what sufficient thanks can we repay?" Lightfoot, ie., as recompense for God's blessing of the Thessalonians.

epi + dat. "for [all the joy]" - upon [all the joy]. Here expressing cause / basis, again used with a verb of feeling; "because", ie., providing the reason for the thanksgiving. Paul is overjoyed that the Thessalonian believers have remained firm in their faith in the face of all the difficulties that have come upon them.

h{ dat. pro. "-" - which [we rejoice]. Cognate / internal dative, used to give weight to a verb, here "all the joy that we rejoice" = an intensified joy, cf., Zerwick #62.

dia + acc. "because [of you]" - because of, on account of [you before the god of us]. Causal; "on your account - and that in the very sight of God", Cassirer.

Paul spells out that his thanksgiving was done in the context of prayer. At this point, Paul spells out what he has prayed for. Such prayers are extremely important. Much of our praying is not according to the will of God in that we ask Him to act on our behalf, or on the behalf of others, without ascertaining whether we have the authority to do so. We do have the authority to call on God to act in accord with his will, but we have no authority to call on him to act in accord with our will. So, it's very useful to note the content of Biblical prayers, for they often reveal to us those things we may rightly ask of God in the sure knowledge that he will answer them. None-the-less, specific requests in the Bible do not necessarily reflect God's will on the matter at hand, ie., they can just as easily be wish-prayers. Paul may wish to visit the Thessalonians again, and may ask God to grant that wish, but such matters are not necessarily part of the divine will.

deomenoi (deomai) pres. pas. part. "we pray" - asking [exceedingly = earnestly night and day]. The participle is adverbial, temporal; "as we pray most earnestly night and day", ESV.

eiV to idein (eidon) aor. inf. "that we may see" - into the to see = that we may see [the face of you and to supply]. This construction normally introduces a final clause expressing purpose, "in order that ..." Here eiV to applies to two infinitives, idein, "to see", and katartisai, "to create = supply", namely, to get to meet with the Thessalonian believers, and to complete what is lacking in their faith.

ta uJsterhmata (a atoV) "what is lacking" - the lacking, deficiency. Obviously referring to deficiencies in spiritual things, particularly with regard their "faith", ie. their "faith in God".

thV pistewV (iV ewV) gen. "in [your] faith" - of the faith [of you]. The genitive is adjectival, limiting the noun "lacking", usually taken here to express reference / respect, "with respect to / about / concerning your faith", as NIV.

iii] Paul's prayer for the Thessalonian believers, v11-13. Paul prays that God will "clear the way" for him to come and minister to the Thessalonians. He is asking God to remove any obstacles that may frustrate his ministry toward this new church. In v12 he goes on to pray that they may love one another. This is Christ's great command to his disciples and as such is clearly a prayer according to the will of God. Paul prays that their compassion for each other will increase, not just for each other, but for the wider Christian fellowship. Finally, in v13, Paul prays that the Thessalonians will stand firm in their Christian lives right up to the end day. Again, this is a prayer according to the will of God. It is similar to the Lord's Prayer where we ask that we not be put to the test such that we are overcome by the Evil One.

In the Greek, these three verses form one sentence controlled by optative verbs serving to express a wish / desire on the part of Paul. Martin classifies the prayer as a "wish-prayer", ie., not necessarily a prayer of faith, a prayer based on the revealed will of God. The sentence presents as two requests, supported by a purpose clause in v13. This final clause may function as a third request, so NIV.

de "now" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the argument.

autoV pro. "himself]" - [god] he = himself [and = even father of us and the lord of us, jesus]. Reflexive use of the personal pronoun, "himself", in order to "enhance the power of God", Ellicott. Malherbe suggests that this form of address to God may have a liturgical origin. Note how the verse links the Father and Jesus in a way which gives both equality in deity. It is not a trinitarian definition, but it does give both the Father and the Son a position of equality in answering a prayer related to the divine will.

kateuqunai (kateuqunw) aor. opt. "may ..... clear the way" - may he keep straight, guide, prosper [the way of us toward you]. An optative verb used to express a wish/desire. Most likely Paul has in mind the opposition of the powers of darkness which work to frustrate the ministry of the gospel. These powers were only recently operative in the Jewish residents at Thessalonica. So, it is a prayer to restrain the Evil One, to hold him at bay. At the more practical level, it may be a request to alter the present circumstances and so enable Paul to make another visit, or even to remove any difficulties that may hinder his return. Such a request is a "wish-prayer", the sort we often use in prayer (it is not unreasonable to bring to the Lord concerns outside his stated will). Yet, at the more substantial level, the Lord has promised that he will provide us with all the resources we need to minister the gospel, and He will restrain the powers of evil that seek to resist the dawning of the kingdom. At this level, Paul's prayer is certainly within the overall will of God.

Paul now shifts the focus of his prayer from himself to the Thessalonian believers.

de "-" - but/and. Transitional, here as a shift in focus. Malherbe suggests it is adversative, "but as for you."

uJmaV pro. "your" - you. Emphatic by position; "Our prayer for you is that the Lord ..."

th/ agaph/ (h) dat. "love" - [the lord may cause to increase and overflow] in love. The dative is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of the increase and overflow. The nature of this love, cf., 1:3, is a quality of care, of compassion toward another, apart from family ties, compatibility, or sensual attraction. Leon Morris puts it this way. "It is love for humanity, quite apart from their worthiness or otherwise, a love which proceeds in the first place from the loving heart of God". It may seem strange that we could pray for a person's ability to love. God is unlikely to overrule a person's desire to love others, or to hate others. Yet, the quality of love that Paul has in mind is, in the end, an aspect of the nature of God. This God-like quality is given as a gift of grace appropriated through faith. Here Paul's prayer seeks to appropriate for the Thessalonians the gracious gift of godly love - "the love of Christ which compels (constraineth) us" (Come down O love divine). It is interesting to note Moffatt's comment "no form of holiness which sits loose to the endless obligations of love will stand the strain of this life, or the scrutiny of God's tribunal at the end." He probably goes a touch too far with this comment. Love is certainly an outworking of faith in Christ, a natural product of our association with Christ, but in the end, how loosely we handle the obligation plays no part in how safely we stand at God's tribunal. "May the Lord give you the same increasing and overflowing love", Phillips.

eiV + acc. "for everyone else" - into [one another and into all]. The preposition is used to express the direction of an action or arrival at. It is interesting to note that Paul has extended the focus of love beyond "each other" (the Christian fellowship) to "everyone else". Christian love is usually reserved for believers, the family of faith. The word is not often used of a believer's response toward unbelievers. This distinction is evident in first Peter 2:17, "Show proper respect to everyone, love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honour the king". Of course, the "everyone else" may be other believers beyond the Thessalonian fellowship, although we cannot be sure. The issue here is not that we should fail to care for our fellow humans, but rather that the "family of believers" deserves our special attention. Of course, the Parable of the Good Samaritan does seem to undermine such hyper specification, so JB has "the whole human race" for "to all".

kawoper "just as" - as, like [and = also we into you]. Comparative conjunction, serving to introduce a comparative clause.

Paul now lays out the purpose of his prayer. It is unclear how the word kardia, "hart" is being used here, but Weima suggests that the word is used in the sense of emotions, such that the strengthening of emotions amounts to promoting courage, the courage to live holy / godly lives, or in simple terms, to live "exceptional" lives.

eiV to + inf. "May [he strengthen]" - into the = that [to support, strengthen, establish, make firm [of hearts of you]. This preposition with the articular infinitive introduces a purpose clause, "in order that your hearts are strengthened", but result is also possible, "with the result that / so that your hearts are strengthened". Paul has prayed that his ministry among the Thessalonian believers may continue, v11, and that their love may increase, v12, and this for the purpose of strengthening, establishing their inner self ("your hearts"), in the terms of courage, but possibly insight, a strengthening of the intellectual self.

en + dat. "[holy]" - [blameless] in [holiness]. Here probably local, expressing sphere, "in the sphere of" holiness, godliness = the courage to live blameless lives ("exceptional lives", Weima). Shogren suggests that the preposition is adverbial, reference / respect, "so that your entire person may be made strong in blamelessness with regard to holiness". Paul has in mind either the intellectual self (belief in a theological construct), or the emotional self (ethical behaviour). For the intellectual self, blameless before God entails being regarded by God as without blame, upright / covenant compliant, justified, now and for eternity, through faith in the faithfulness of Christ. Taken this way, Paul's prayer concerns their continued Christian standing, by grace through faith - the holiness they possess in Christ. For the emotional self, blameless before God entails right behaviour. Taken this way, Paul's prayer is related to their ethical behaviour - their holiness lived out through Christ. Note that aJgiwsunh, "holiness" is a cognate of the adjective amemptoV, "blameless", so not so much "blameless and holy", but "blameless, namely holy". Paul prays that the Thessalonian believer be strengthened / established in holiness, either the status of (doctrinal) or state of (ethical).

Given the exhortations in the following chapters, it is likely that the "blamelessness / holiness" that Paul has in mind is ethical, ie., holy behaviour, rather than a holy state realised by grace through faith.

en + dat. "when" - in, on. Here obviously temporal, "at, when."

th/ parousia/ (a) dat. "[our Lord Jesus] comes" - the coming [of the lord jesus of us]. The phrase is referring to the eschaton, the last day, the day of judgment. When the word "coming" is used in the NT, it usually reflects Daniel's perspective, namely, the coming of the Son of Man to heaven, rather than earth, a coming in the clouds, with the saints, to the throne room of the Ancient of Days to enact judgment - blessing and cursing.

meta + gen. "with" - with. Expressing association.

twn aJgiwn (oV) gen. "[all his] holy ones" - [all] the saints [of him, amen]. Although a matter of some debate, it is likely that Paul is imaging the eschaton, the day of resurrection, and the gathering in the clouds of Christ's "holy ones / saints" (his "angels / messengers" Matt.16:27???), and their progress to the Ancient of Days to enact judgment, Zech.14:5, Dan.7:10. Although it is beyond our understanding, unlike humanity, God is not time-bound, given that he is the creator of time. So, although we view the realisation of the kingdom of God as not yet, in the eternal terms of the divine, it is now, realised - Christ has come with his saints and is now enthroned, Lord of all, such that "God has raised us up and seated us with him in the heavenly realms", Eph.2:6. In like manner to the thief on the cross, on the day our passing Jesus will whisper "This evening you will be with me in paradise". It is then we join the angel band and progress to our immortal home.

1 Thessalonians Introduction

Exegetical Commentaries

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