1 Thessalonians 3: 11-13

1 Thessalonians 3: 11-13

Have you ever realized how when most modern Christians talk about Jesus's Second Coming they focus almost exclusively on dates, symbols, and supposed inside knowledge? When the New Testament writers addressed the second coming it was almost entirely about ethics! If the teaching of a prophecy expert is about supposed inside knowledge or insights that they have about the when and what of Christ’s return and how they have fit together some sort of time frame, be assured they are either a deceiver or the deceived. 

In Paul's anticipation of the Lord’s coming he addressed the issue of personal holiness. He wanted the believers to be ‘unblamable’ in ‘holiness”. That is an extremely high level of ethical integrity. “What will you be doing at the moment that Jesus returns?” is a question that attempts to warn believers into constant vigilance and off of bad behavior. Not bad, but Paul takes a somewhat different approach. Verse 13 begins with “so that”, this means that the methods to the personal holiness at the moment of Christ's return is found in verse 13 is given to us in verse 12.  The secret of the second coming, and being ready for the second coming, is by growing in love for our brothers, and all men.  That is how we will be holy at the time of Christ's return. The real secret is there is no secret. Rather than when we are to focus on abounding in love. 

The word “increase” means to have superabundance. The word “abound” means to have more than enough. Superabundance and more than enough of love for all people is the only thing that can secure a disciple in holy and ethical behavior. No law, not even the Ten Commandments, is enough to keep us from sin. But love is. We cannot deceive someone and love them, you cannot steal from someone and love them, generalized sensuality is profoundly unloving. 

This is all rather simple, but this is not the same as easy. Someone said, “Life before the coming of Christ is about learning to speak the language of Heaven, so that when Christ arrives we will be fluent.” The language of Heaven is love.  As we learn to speak that language we will be holy and when He comes we will already be eloquent. 

“Lord, help me learn to speak the language of Heaven. AMEN”

I Thessalonians 3:1-10

I Thessalonians 3:1-10

In this passage Paul addresses two themes that are extremely vital for a strong faith but are often absent in our lives. These two themes are affliction and affection. Verse 3 will almost certainly never appear in a positive attitude self-help book. Look carefully, speaking of affliction. Paul says, “We are destined for these.” There is no way to separate affliction from the life of a disciple. Paul uses the word affliction three times and distress once in this passage. He feared that the pressure of these hardships would deceive the Thessalonian believers.

Hardship can be misunderstood in a number of ways, which can lead to confusion about our faith itself. If we believe the result or the objective of our faith is the “good” or “best life” now, then suffering means faith isn’t working. If faith is a talisman that wards off trouble, then faith can seem useless when we suffer. When we misunderstand affliction and distress, we have no context for a part of our faith walk to which we are destined. 

Paul doesn’t go into a theology or doctrine of suffering. “Why?” is not the most critical question. What he does do is answer the question “how do we endure”. Paul weaves together the themes of affliction and affection like two dancers sharing a complex waltz. He does so from his own experience being deeply and personally associated with hardship. In verse 7 we get a picture of how to survive. There is a genuine brotherhood between Paul and these believers because of their sharing a common faith. Their love and friendship were such that Paul said that because of hearing of the faithfulness, he was ‘really’ living (v. 8).

Sometimes it seems that our faith or our spiritual walk is lacking vitality. We may call it a dry spell or a flat feeling. We don’t want to engage in the spiritual discipline, and there is no attraction toward the things of God. Perhaps the element that we are missing is simply a close bond with other believers. It is the suffering together that has the potential to take us to the deepest level of faith and commitment to God and our beloved fellow believers. 

“Help me Lord, to understand the place and value of affliction for my faith. AMEN”