Chapter 3
1Thess 3:9-10
For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;
Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?
Verse 9: thankfulness to God – for the saints, as we should be and do as well; it was evident in Paul’s life; His joy has its locus in the saints as well; Before God – as everything is.
Verse 10: Prayer for the saints – Paul gives the example again of what we should do (without ceasing); desire for fellowship (to see your face). Notice the desire and diligence in “Night and day” and “exceedingly”!
“perfect that which is lacking in your faith” as stated before Paul spent a small amount of time with these saints, in that small amount of time he was able to introduce the gospel that saves and teach them doctrine to help them in their walk and build and edify them. However, there were some things still lacking, there were still some gaps that needed to be filled, and that is the “perfecting” Paul is referring to. That is what this epistle and the next (2 Thess) is to do – because Paul’s desire was to go back, however, he had this hindering problem with Satan/ certain lewd fellows of the baser sort(Acts 17:5)/angry Jews/stirred up Gentiles/etc.
For any new believer, we need our faith to be perfected – this is NOT sinless perfection or living a ‘sin free’ life (which would be ideal, but out of reach) remember Paul’s words in Romans:
Rom 7:18-25
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
This perfecting is growing the flawed brother and sister in Christ in this grace life and to be pleasing to God, to supply additional information of the time he is living in, how all the plan of God is to play out and where you fit in, to not get into following incorrect doctrine or ‘correct’ doctrine BUT for other people, etc.
1Thess 3:11-12
Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
Verse 13: I do not believe Paul ever made it back to see the Thessalonians – it was what Paul wanted and prayed for, but it did not happen – should we assume that Paul fell out of favor with God because of? Or that the Thessalonians fell out of favor with God as well? …no. It just did not happen.
Verse 12: Great example of love of the brethren, first, love toward all (though it is hard – it is even sometimes very hard[er] to love the brethren). Abound: To have or possess in great quantity; to be copiously supplied.
Increase and Abound – good goals for growth.
Grace and Peace James
We will finish up chapter 3 on the next one.
Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?
Verse 9: thankfulness to God – for the saints, as we should be and do as well; it was evident in Paul’s life; His joy has its locus in the saints as well; Before God – as everything is.
Verse 10: Prayer for the saints – Paul gives the example again of what we should do (without ceasing); desire for fellowship (to see your face). Notice the desire and diligence in “Night and day” and “exceedingly”!
“perfect that which is lacking in your faith” as stated before Paul spent a small amount of time with these saints, in that small amount of time he was able to introduce the gospel that saves and teach them doctrine to help them in their walk and build and edify them. However, there were some things still lacking, there were still some gaps that needed to be filled, and that is the “perfecting” Paul is referring to. That is what this epistle and the next (2 Thess) is to do – because Paul’s desire was to go back, however, he had this hindering problem with Satan/ certain lewd fellows of the baser sort(Acts 17:5)/angry Jews/stirred up Gentiles/etc.
For any new believer, we need our faith to be perfected – this is NOT sinless perfection or living a ‘sin free’ life (which would be ideal, but out of reach) remember Paul’s words in Romans:
Rom 7:18-25
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
This perfecting is growing the flawed brother and sister in Christ in this grace life and to be pleasing to God, to supply additional information of the time he is living in, how all the plan of God is to play out and where you fit in, to not get into following incorrect doctrine or ‘correct’ doctrine BUT for other people, etc.
1Thess 3:11-12
Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
Verse 13: I do not believe Paul ever made it back to see the Thessalonians – it was what Paul wanted and prayed for, but it did not happen – should we assume that Paul fell out of favor with God because of? Or that the Thessalonians fell out of favor with God as well? …no. It just did not happen.
Verse 12: Great example of love of the brethren, first, love toward all (though it is hard – it is even sometimes very hard[er] to love the brethren). Abound: To have or possess in great quantity; to be copiously supplied.
Increase and Abound – good goals for growth.
Grace and Peace James
We will finish up chapter 3 on the next one.
No comments:
Post a Comment