2 Thessalonians 3:5

And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. AND, [ De (G1161)] - 'But.' While I am confident touching you, yet may the Lord direct your hearts. If "the Lord" be here the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17), the three Divine Persons occur in this verse. LOVE OF GOD - love to God (Matthew 22:37). PATIENT WAITING FOR CHRIST, [ Teen (G3588) hupomoneen (G5281) tou (G358...

As, however, he states here in a summary manner the things that he knew to be most necessary for Christians, let every one make it his endeavor to make proficiency in these two things, in so far as he desires to make progress towards perfection. And, unquestionably, the love of God cannot reign in us unless brotherly love is also exercised. _Waiting for Christ_, on the other hand, teaches us to exercise contempt of the world, mortification of the flesh, and endurance of the cross. At the same time the expression might be explained as meaning, the _patience of Christ _— that which Christ’s doctrine begets in us; but I prefer to understand it as referring to the hope of ultimate redemption. For this is the only thing that sustains us in the warfare of the present life, that we wait for the Redeemer; and farther, this waiting requires patient endurance amidst the continual exercises of the...

1-5 Those who are far apart still may meet together at the throne of grace; and those not able to do or receive any other kindness, may in this way do and receive real and very great kindness. Enemies to the preaching of the gospel, and persecutors of its faithful preachers, are unreasonable and wicked men. Many do not believe the gospel; and no wonder if such are restless and show malice in their endeavours to oppose it. The evil of sin is the greatest evil, but there are other evils we need to be preserved from, and we have encouragement to depend upon the grace of God. When once the promise is made, the performance is sure and certain. The apostle had confidence in them, but that was founded upon his confidence in God; for there is otherwise no confidence in man. He prays for them for spiritual blessings. It is our sin and our misery, that we place our affections upon wrong objects....

Verse 5. _THE LORD DIRECT YOUR HEARTS INTO THE LOVE OF GOD_] The love of God is the grand motive and principle of obedience; this must occupy your hearts: the heart is irregular in all its workings; God alone, by his Spirit, can _direct_ it into his love, and _keep it right_; κατευθυναι, give a _proper direction_ to all its passions, and keep them in order, regularity and purity. _THE PATIENCE OF CHRIST._] Such patience, under all your sufferings and persecutions, as Christ manifested under his. He bore meekly the contradiction of sinners against himself; and when he was reviled, he reviled not again....

AND THE LORD DIRECT YOUR HEARTS INTO THE LOVE OF GOD - So direct your hearts that you may love God. “And into the patient waiting for Christ.” Margin, “patience of Christ.” The marginal reading is in accordance with the Greek, and seems best to express the apostle’s meaning. The prayer of the apostle was, that they might have the love of God in their hearts, and “the patience of Christ;” that is, the same patience which Christ evinced in his trials. They were then suffering affliction and persecution. They needed patience, that they might endure their trials in a proper manner. It was natural for the apostle to refer them to the Saviour, the great example of patience, and to pray that they might have the same which he had. That it does not mean that they were to wait patiently for the appearing of Christ, as our translation seems to imply, is quite clear, because the apostle had just bee...

EXPOSITION CONTENTS.—The apostle now comes to the conclusion of his Epistle. He beseeches the Thessalonians for an interest in their prayers, that the gospel may be rapidly diffused and glorified by numerous conversions, and that he and his fellow workers may be enabled to preach it unhindered by the opposition of their enemies. He expresses his confidence that the Lord will preserve them from evil and render them obedient to his instructions, it being his earnest prayer for them that they might be directed into the love of God and the patience of Jesus Christ. The apostle then proceeds to admonish them on account of the disorderly conduct which many of them exhibited. He had heard that there were some among them who walked disorderly, and who, either from dread or from excitement on account of their belief in the immediate coming of the Lord, had desisted from their worldly employments....

AND THE LORD DIRECT YOUR HEARTS INTO THE LOVE OF GOD,.... By which may be meant either the love with which God is loved. This is the sum and substance of the first and chief commandment in the law, and is what every man in a state of nature is destitute of; it is implanted in the heart in regeneration, and is a fruit of the Spirit of God; and where it is it oftentimes grows cold, and needs to be stirred up and reinflamed, by the Spirit of God, which may be intended, by a directing of the heart into it, that is, to a lively exercise of it: or else the love with which God loves his people is designed, which is free, sovereign, unchangeable, and from everlasting to everlasting; and to have the heart directed into this, is to be led into it directly; or by a straight line, as the word signifies, and not in a round about way, by works and duties, as the causes or conditions of it; and to be l...

2 Thessalonians 3:1. _Finally, brethren, pray for us,_ «Pray for us,» says the apostle, «pray for myself and the brethren who are with me, pray for all the apostles and preachers of the Word.» «Finally, brethren.» If this were the last word we had to say to you, we would make just this request, «Finally, brethren, pray for us.» You cannot tell how much God's servants are helped by the prayers of his people. The strongest man in Israel will be the better for the prayers of the weakest saint in Zion. If you can do nothing else, you can pray for us; therefore, day and night, be ye at the mercy-seat on our behalf: «Finally, brethren, pray for us.» 2 Thessalonians 3:1. _That the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:_

III. THANKSGIVING, PRAYER, EXHORTATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS Chapter S 2:13-3:18 _ 1. Thanksgiving and prayer (2 Thessalonians 2:13)_ 2. Prayer for the Word and for deliverance (2 Thessalonians 3:1) 3. Exhortations (2 Thessalonians 3:6) 4. Conclusions (2 Thessalonians 3:16) 2 Thessalonians 2:13 What blessed reasons are stated here to give thanks to God for what He has done for us and for all who believe! Brethren, beloved of

2 THESSALONIANS 3. FINAL COUNSELS AND EXHORTATIONS. The apostle (_a)_ asks for the prayers of the Thessalonian Christians on his own behalf (2 Thessalonians 3:1); (_b_) warns them against dis orderly conduct (2 Thessalonians 3:6); (_c_) concludes with a bene diction (2 Thessalonians 3:16). 2 THESSALONIANS 3:1. The request for prayer contains two points: (_a)_ that the word of the Lord may make rapid progress; (_b_) that the apostle and his followers may be delivered from their opponents. The character of the opposition is not specified, but