The reason for their faith and love was the hope reserved for them in heaven. They had learned of that hope by the preaching of the Truth which is found in the gospel. This truth was in stark contrast to the false teaching they had been hearing near the time of Paul's writing, which he confronts in this letter. By the time this letter was written, the good news of hope had spread throughout all of the world (compare Acts 19:10; Acts 19:20; 1 Peter 1:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 1:8). Wherever the gospel had been preached, fruit had been produced, by the gospel, not the preacher (Colossians 1:5-6; 1 Corinthians 3:4-9; Romans 1:16)!

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