1 Thessalonians 1:3

Text (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;

Translation and Paraphrase

3.

(In our prayers it is our practice to be) recalling unceasingly the work (that you have done because) of (your) faith, and the toil (that is a fruit) of (your) love, and the steadfastness of the hope (that you have held) in our Lord Jesus Christ (that He will save us, establish us, and return for us, These things you have done, being conscious of the fact that even here in this life we are) in the presence of God (who is) even our Father.

Notes (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

1.

Faith, hope, and love are the three great virtues that abide with us always. 1 Corinthians 13:13, But these virtues, to be genuine, must be backed up by works. The thing that made Paul so thankful about the Thessalonians was that their faith, hope, and love had indeed been put to work.

J. B. Phillips translation of this verse is very much to the point: Your faith has meant solid achievement, your love has meant hard work, and the hope that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ means sheer dogged endurance in the life that you live

The man of faith, hope, and love is not a sentimentalist who lounges about, but one who works and labors for what he believes in, hopes for, and loves. Our faith must work. Faith without works is dead. James 2:26, Faith worketh by love. Galatians 5:6.

2.

The word labour (Gr., kopos) means fatiguing toil, intense labor united with trouble. It is a very strong word. Only love could lead us to labor willingly in such a manner. Love leads us to attempt labor from which we would ordinarily shrink in dismay. Love leads us to do good without having any feeling of superiority because we have done it, or resentment because it has been imposed upon us.

3.

The word patience in the New Testament usually means steadfastness, or endurance, or constancy. Thus patience of hope, means hope which is held steadfastly. The person who clings to his hope in the Lord when storm after storm and battle after battle sweeps over him, leaving him empty-handed and hurt, has shown patience of hope.

As Christians we need such patience of hope. For often by our standards of counting time, God seems to be in no hurry, and we can become impatient when our hope is delayed in coming. James 5:7. God promised Abraham a son, but it was twenty-five years before a son was born. God promised Abraham a homeland. But Abraham's life on earth ended before he received his home. Hebrews 11:8-10. Let us have the same patience of hope that Abraham had.

4.

The hope of the Thessalonians was primarily a hope in the return of Christ. They had been taught to await the return of Christ, and we also should have the same glorious hope. 1 Thessalonians 1:10. It is utter foolishness to set our hopes upon making this world a perfect place, and a place where we can have satisfaction. We are to set our hope perfectly upon the grace that is to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13. Our hope extends beyond death, and the end of the world. Our hearts should not be gloomy with regret and disillusionment, but eager with the expectation of the coming Christ. Do you share that hope?