1Thess 3:13 (unblameable)

Gleanings in First Thessalonians
Chapter 3

CORRECTION: in the last installment I stated: “…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…” this was concerning verse 13 -I did some additional reading and in Acts 20:1-2 it states: “And after the uproar was ceased [in Ephesus, Acts 19], Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece,” Paul returned to Macedonia, and had “gone over those parts”, and Thessalonica is in that area. We also see that in Acts 20:4 “And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.” From this verse two gentlemen ‘from’ Thessalonica joined him on his journey’s: Aristarchus and Secundus. Just thought I would bring that to our attention – and sometimes those prayers do get answered, and we just don’t realize it (for a multitude of reasons).

Now onto the last verse in chapter 3:

1Thess 3:13
To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

Here in the climax of the chapter, again, we have a reference to Christ coming for his church: the body of Christ; and our gathering unto him, and our presence with the Father. [Note again – we have a similar reference at the end of each chapter in this epistle.]

“Stablish” is just an older spelling of “establish”, it may have been a more stable state after being established, but I am not sure one could prove that meaning; however, at “the end” their “hearts” are to be fixed; settled in a state for permanence; made firm in “holiness” and to add to that, it is to be “unblameable” (Not blamable; not culpable; innocent) – this is where everyone gives up on salvation by grace through faith and then adopts a holiness doctrine or lordship salvation or some sort of idea that “Christ’s death, burial resurrection is only part of the work…now I have to do the rest”. I am not sure that is the path that one should go – one should remain in the grace message: “…and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)

We get saved by believing the correct gospel, and then we learn how to live, unfortunately we never stop screwing up and sinning, (some learn not to care,) others try to do better and learn God’s will for today and learn the doctrine in these epistles for the body of Christ, and understand that they always have a chance to pick themselves up and try again after they fall short.

In the verse it states: “he may…”. Interesting. In Philippians Paul writes: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Phil 1:6).
HE is doing a work in us, and performing it unto a day (of Jesus Christ), and at that day (of Christ) HE will stablish our hearts unblameable in holiness before God.

So this “catching up” is part of the “day of Christ” and part of the “day of Christ” is being stablished in holiness. This goes along with these verses in Colossians 1:
Col 1:21-23
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

See the similar phrasings. But, one may say, there is an “IF” in there sir, he have an “IF”! “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away…”, SEE! You can lose it! …no, I say, no. What a believer has done ungrounded and unsettled in the faith, and that you did moving away from the gospel, will be burnt up - see 1 Cor 3 concerning the judgment seat of Christ (NOT the White Throne Judgment [Rev 20] OR the judgment of sheep and goats [Matt 25], etc):
1Cor 3:10-15
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

The “day” shall declare it. If your “work”(what you have done for Christ as a saved child of God, what was ‘built’) is found ‘combustible’ (did not ‘take heed’) then I would say that you have been improperly building on the foundation that Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, has laid and you are found blamable and reproveable in his sight – but that part of the “work”, the blamable and reproveable part, is burnt up, gone – you suffered loss (of reward, of opportunity to serve the Lord properly) but you “shall be saved”. But after the judgment seat of Christ, the body of Christ, individual members and the whole, will have their heart stablished unblameable in holiness before God. Amen.

“at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” we will touch on again at the end of chapter 4.

I have wearied you in reading.
Grace and Peace James
Amen