1 Thessalonians 3:13

Text (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

13 to the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Translation and Paraphrase

13.

(We long to see such love abound among you) so that (by means of love) he may establish your hearts (to be) unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all of his holy ones. (Amen)

Notes (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

1.

The goal of Paul's fervent prayer for the Thessalonians is something that the world does not want in any degree. Paul agonized that they would be unblameable in holiness before God. People in the world are proud of, and distinguished by, how wicked they can be. Whoever can curse the most violently, drink the most liquor, have the most wives and women, and make the most cutting remarks against blue-nose, Victorian, Puritan Christians is the most esteemed among the world's elite.

2.

Paul prayed that we might be stablished unblameable in holiness. Stablish (or establish) means to set fast, place firmly, fix, make firm, render constant. Holiness is not to be a Sunday style, but is to be the well-established pattern of our whole lives.

3.

The Thessalonians would become unblameable in holiness as the result of the increase of their love. (1 Thessalonians 3:12) You cannot build a holy life without a sincere foundation of love.

4.

This holiness within us is to be fully exhibited at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall never reach the unblameable perfectly attained stage in this life, but we shall reach it at the coming of the Lord Jesus. When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2. Do you have the hope of being like Jesus (and God) when He appears? Every one that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he (Jesus or God) is pure. 1 John 3:3.

(The word coming in this verse is parousia. See notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:19, par. 7, concerning this word.)

5.

The Lord Jesus will come with all his saints. The word here translated saints simply means holy ones. It is applied to angels as well as people. It probably refers to angels in this verse. Jesus will come back with His holy ones, the angels. (See Special Study on page 247, The Coming of the Lord With All His Saints.) Will you be unblameable in holiness when you see Jesus, the holy one, with all His holy angels? God grant us determination and His help that we shall so be.

6.

Many ancient manuscripts of the Bible have Amen at the close of this verse. We include it in our paraphrase. The Amen here fittingly closes not only this prayer, but the whole Part One of the epistle.

STUDY SUGGESTIONS

1.

We urge you now to go back and review the outline of chapter 3 (which is found at 1 Thessalonians 2:17).

2.

Also we urge you now to answer (preferably by writing out) questions 19 to 38 from the section that follows immediately.