1 Thessalonians 1:3

remembering without ceasing … in the sight of God and our Father Standing ever in the presence of God, the witness of all his thoughts, St Paul bears with him unceasingly the remembrance of what he had beheld in the Christian life and spirit of his Thessalonian brethren. The adjunct comes in with solemn emphasis at the end of the verse. Comp. ch. 1 Thessalonians 3:9: "What fitting thanks can we render for all the joy with which we rejoice over you before our God?" and the frequency with which the writer appeals to "God" as "witness" of his feelings and his behaviour (ch. 1 Thessalonians 2:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 2:10); similarly in Romans 1:9, "God is my witness … how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers beseeching," &c.; and in the thanksgiving of Philippians 1:8, "God is my witness, how I long after you all!" We are reminded of Elijah's protestation, "As the Lord liveth, before Whom I stand!" (1 Kings 17:1, &c.)

He says before our God and Father (R.V.): for it is in the character of Fatherthat St Paul approaches God in prayer (comp. ch. 1 Thessalonians 3:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; and the Lord's prayer: "After this manner pray ye, Our Father"); and "in God" as "Father" (1 Thessalonians 1:1) the Thessalonians became a "church," and had received the blessings for which the Apostle now gives thanks.

remembering … your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ "Remembering," i.e. "how active and fruitful your faith has shown itself to be, how devoted and unwearied your love, and what fortitude your hope in the Lord Jesus has inspired." Faith, Love, and Hope are the essence of practical Christianity. Fides, amor, spes summa Christianismi(Bengel); comp. 1 Corinthians 13:13. Work, Labour, Patience are their threefold expression; comp. the "works and labour and patience" of the Ephesian Church, in Revelation 2:2-3.

There was a remarkable vigour, a moral courage and activity in the life of this Church, over which the Apostle rejoiced even more than he did in the eloquence and knowledge of the Church of Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:5). Warmth of heart and practical energywere the distinguishing features of Thessalonian Christianity (see Introduction, chap. IV.):

"Whose faith and work were bells of full accord."

The work of faithincludes the two expressions that follow. It embraces the whole practical issue of a Christian life, denoting that which faith effects, its outcome and result in the doings of life; expressed from the Divine side in "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22), and "fruit of the light" (Ephesians 5:9, R. V.). This expression the Apostle uses once more, in 2 Thessalonians 1:11. This first appearance of the word "faith" in St Paul's Epistles, conjoined with "work," shows how far he was removed from antinomianism, from approving either a merely theoretical, or sentimental faith. In his later Epistles, especially in Galatians and Romans, we find "faith" contrasted with works," i.e. Pharisaic "works of law," supposed to be meritorious and to earn salvation by right and as matter of debt on God's part (see Romans 4:1-4; Romans 9:32; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:10-14). No such notions had as yet troubled the simple-minded Thessalonians. But in the later as in the earliest Epistles faith is always with St Paul an operative principle of life, a working power. He quite agreed with St James (ch. 1 Thessalonians 2:17) that "faith, if it have not works, is dead." Hence in Galatians 5:6 he writes of "faith working through love."

The Thessalonians" work of faithwas manifest especially in the two forms of toil of love and endurance of hope. Similarly in 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4, faithis joined with love(the "charity" of 1 Corinthians 13) on the one side, and with patienceon the other. These are the two chief branches of Christian work loving service to the brethren and our fellow-men (comp. ch. 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:13), and fearless testimony for Christ before the world, with endurance of the loss and suffering this may entail (1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4) "the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12). So we see the Christian life in its simplest elements: "a faith that had its out ward effect on your lives; a love that spent itself in the service of others; a hope that was no transient feeling, but was content to wait for the things unseen, when it should be revealed" (Jowett).

We must distinguish "work" from "labour" (or toil). The former points to the thing done, as matter of achievement: the latter to the pains spentin doing it, as matter of exertion. Under this latter word the Apostle refers to his own manual labour (ch. 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8), also to his labours as a minister of Christ (ch. 1 Thessalonians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 10:15 &c.; see besides 1 Corinthians 3:8, "Each shall receive his reward according to his own toil"). Workmay be easy and delightful: labouris toilsome; no selfish man will endure it for another's good. Hence labouris the test of love. How will a mother toil and weary herself for her child! So St Paul, to whom with his many infirmities his work must often have been a heavy task.

"True love is humble, thereby it is known;

Girded for service, seeking not its own."

" Patienceof hope" is not al the Apostle means. The Greek word implies active endurance perseverantiaand tolerantia, as well as patientiaor sustinentia(Vulgate); the constancy of Mind Milton, that both "bears up, and steers right onward." It is not the resignation of the passive sufferer, so much as the fortitude of the stout-hearted soldier, which carries him in the hope of victory through the long day's march and conflict. In Romans 2:7 the first and last of these expressions meet, and this word is rendered "patient continuance ingood work" (see Trench's N. T. Synonyms, on patientia). Christian hopeinspired this courage: "hope is the balm and life-blood of the soul." So Jesus Himself "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). And the Thessalonians were "imitators of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 1:6), following the patience of Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:5). Being the embodiment of Hope, Patience takes its place in 2 Thessalonians 1:4; and elsewhere.

This was the climax of Thessalonian virtue, tried from the first by fierce persecution (1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 3:2-6). For their "endurance" the Apostle gloried in this Church, and Christ was glorified in them (2 Thessalonians 1:4-12); such conspicuous courage gave powerful testimony to the Gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:7). Observe that here Hope inspires Patience: in Romans 5:4, "Patience worketh hope." Both are true.

Their hope was in our Lord Jesus Christ. This adjunct might, grammatically, be applied to the three foregoing phrases to faith, love, and hopealike; but less suitably, as we think. Faith and love are subsequently conceived in a wider sense: Godis the Object of faith in 1 Thessalonians 1:8, and love embraces brotherly lovein ch. 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:13, &c.; whereas "our Lord Jesus Christ," in His final coming, is frequently, and with concentrated emphasis, represented as the Object of the Thessalonians" hope (see 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1Th 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:14 to 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8. The Second Advent and the Last Judgement had been leading themes of St Paul's preaching at Thessalonica, and had taken powerful hold of his hearers" minds (see Introd.pp. 18 21). In this expectation lay the peculiar strength, and at the same time the danger and temptation of their faith, as we shall afterwards see. "If Joy is the key-note of the Epistle to the Philippians, Hope is that of the present Epistle" (Ellicott).

in the sight of God, &c. Connected most suitably with "remembering" (see note above); though the clause might grammatically be attached to the "faith, hope, and love" just preceding, and would so give a good sense.