1 Thessalonians 1:3

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; WORK OF FAITH - the working reality of your faith (Romans 2:15). Not otiose assent, but realizing, working faith (Galatians 5:6); not "in word only," but in one continuous chain of "work" (singular, not pural, works) (1 Thessalonians 1:5; James 2:22). So 2 Thessalonians 1:11, "the work of faith:" its perfected development (cf....

3_Unceasingly remembering you_. While the adverb _unceasingly _might be taken in connection with what goes before, it suits better to connect it in this manner. What follows might also be rendered in this way: _Remembering your work of faith and labor of love, etc. _Nor is it any objection to this that there is an article interposed between the pronoun ὑμῶν and the noun ἔργου, (492) for this manner of expression is frequently made use of by Paul. I state this, lest any one should charge the old translator with ignorance, from his rendering it in this manner. (493) As, however, it matters little as to the main point (494) which you may choose, I have retained the rendering of Erasmus. (495) He assigns a reason, however, wh

1-5 As all good comes from God, so no good can be hoped for by sinners, but from God in Christ. And the best good may be expected from God, as our Father, for the sake of Christ. We should pray, not only for ourselves, but for others also; remembering them without ceasing. Wherever there is a true faith, it will work; it will affect both the heart and life. Faith works by love; it shows itself in love to God, and love to our neighbour. And wherever there is a well-grounded hope of eternal life, this will appear by the exercise of patience; and it is a sign of sincerity, when in all we do, we seek to approve ourselves to God. By this we may know our election, if we not only speak of the things of God with out lips, but feel their power in our hearts, mortifying our lusts, weaning us from the world, and raising us up to heavenly things. Unless the Spirit of God comes with the word of God,...

Verse 1 Thessalonians 1:3. _YOUR WORK OF FAITH_] This verse contains a very high character of the believers at Thessalonica. They had FAITH, not _speculative_ and _indolent_, but _true, sound_, and _operative_; their _faith worked_. They had LOVE, not that _gazed_ at and became enamoured of the perfections of God, but such a love as _laboured_ with faith to fulfil the whole will of God. Faith worked; but love, because it can do more, did more, and therefore _laboured_-worked energetically, to promote the glory of God and the salvation of men. They had HOPE; not an idle, cold, heartless expectation of future good, from which they felt no excitement, and for which they could give no reason, but such a hope as produced a satisfying expectation of a future life and state of blessedness, the reality of which faith had descried, and love...

REMEMBERING WITHOUT CEASING - Remembering your faith and love whenever we pray. This is not to be understood literally, but it is language such as we use respecting anything that interests us much. It is constantly in our mind. Such an interest the apostle had in the churches which he had established. YOUR WORK OF FAITH - That is, your showing or evincing faith. The reference is probably to acts of duty, holiness, and benevolence, which proved that they exercised faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Works of faith are those to which faith prompts, and which show that there is faith in the heart. This does not mean, therefore, a work of their own producing faith, but a work which showed that they had faith. AND LABOUR OF LOVE - Labour produced by love, or showing that you are actuated by love. Such would be all their kindness toward the poor, the oppressed, and the

EXPOSITION CONTENTS.—Paul, after the address and salutation, testifies that he renders constant thanks to God for the Thessalonians, calling to remembrance their faith, love, and hope, being assured of their election. He expresses his joy in their cordial reception of the gospel and the Christian character which they exhibited, being examples to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia. He mentions the favorable report which he had of their conversion to God from idols, and of their waiting for the advent of Christ. 1 THESSALONIANS 1:1 PAUL. He does not call himself "an apostle," not because the Thessalonians were newly converted (Chrysostom), or from tenderness to Silvanus who was not an apostle (Estius), or because his apostolic authority was not yet recognized (Jowett), or because he had merely commenc

REMEMBERING WITHOUT CEASING,.... The phrase "without ceasing", is, by the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, joined to the last clause of the preceding verse; and the remembrance the apostle speaks of is either a distinct thing from the mention made of them in prayer, and suggests that they bore them on their minds at other times also; or it is the same with it; or rather a reason of their mentioning of them then, because they remembered them, and the following things of theirs: AS YOUR WORK OF FAITH; by which is meant not the principle of faith, for as such that is God's work, the product of his grace, and the effect of his almighty power; but the operative virtue and exercise of it under the influence of the grace of God: the Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions render it, "the work of your faith"; and so some copies, and the Syriac version, "the works of your faith...

1 Thessalonians 1:1. _Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ._ Paul is very full of Christ. His heart is full of love to God our Father, and, therefore, it is that twice over in as many lines he mentions both names. He uses no vain repetitions, as the heathen do; but his inmost soul is taken up with communion with the Father and with the Son; and so in one single verse he twice gives us their names. 1 Thessalonians 1:2. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in ou

WORK OF FAITH Literally, operative faith, and laborious love, and hope-filled patience....

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS AND ITS BLESSED CONDITION CHAPTER 1 _ 1. Greetings and thanksgiving 1 Thessalonians 1:1)_ 2. The gospel and its blessed fruits 1 Thessalonians 1:5) 3. The blessed condition of the Church 1 Thessalonians 1:8) 1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus and Timotheus were known to the Thessalonians, for they had been with them, and were the instruments of God used in bringing the gospel to them. He does not speak of himself as an apostle. In nine of his Epistles, Paul uses his title as