11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:11–13 (ESV)
Biblical faith contains both a subjective and an objective aspect. Subjectively, faith is the trust people have in God and His promises. However, faith is also an objective concept in God’s Word, referring to the truth of God each believer in Christ trusts, depends, commits, and honors.
“It is possible to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, to fight for the compendium of truth taught by the Apostles and prophets (Jude 3). Objectively, it is possible to be “lacking” in faith, to not have a complete understanding of what is included in divine revelation. In that respect, all of us are lacking in faith, for we can always go deeper in our grasp of what God has revealed to His people,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“Paul refers to faith in this objective sense in 1 Thessalonians 3:10, telling the Thessalonians that he prays continually to see them face-to-face in order to supply what they lack in faith. In today’s passage, he continues on the theme of prayer, not describing his practice but recording a prayer for the Thessalonians. Paul notes that he expresses his prayer not only to God the Father but to the Lord Jesus as well. This is noteworthy because as a faithful Jew, Paul would only pray to Jesus if he considered Jesus to be fully and equally God with the Father.”
In Arthur Pink’s book Gleanings from Paul: The Prayers of the Apostle, the author explored every New Testament prayer by the Apostle Paul. Today’s text is one such prayer. It was a supplication offered by a pastor watching over a group of believers in Christ. It was Paul’s first prayer on behalf of the Thessalonian believers.
His second prayer for them is found in 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 (ESV) which, when referring to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:5-10 Paul prayed, “11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Pink pointed out five things to observe in Paul’s first prayer to the saints in Thessalonica. (1) It’s Necessity; (2) It’s Intensity; (3) It’s Objects; (4) It’s Petitions; and (5) It’s Design. Pink’s observations form our outline for today’s essay.
Frist, why was Paul’s prayer necessary? It was necessary because the Thessalonians had, and would, increasingly encounter trials because of their faith in Christ (1:6 2:14-16; 3:4). Paul, Silas and Timothy encountered such opposition when they first preached the Gospel in the city and synagogue (Acts 17:1-9; I Thess. 2:1-2). Paul wanted to supply what was lacking in their faith in Christ (I Thess. 3:10).
Second, the intensity of Paul’s prayer was due to the interdependency contained in the very nature of the church. In other words, believers in Christ need other believers in Christ. We are not only dependent upon the LORD (Deut. 8:18; Acts 17:28), but also upon each other (I Cor. 12:12-26; I Thess. 3:12). Paul, Silas and Timothy needed the Thessalonians as much as they needed them.
Third, the objects of the apostle’s prayer were, as previously stated, the Thessalonian believers. He prayed the Lord would direct the missionary trio back to them (3:11).
Fourth, Paul’s petitions were for the believers to increase and abound in love for one another and for others (3:12). Paul prayed this for himself and his companions.
Finally, the design or purpose of Paul’s prayer is found in vs. 13. He prayed the Lord would establish their hearts blameless in holiness in the presence of God our Father; who is transcendent and intimate. To establish (στηρίξαι; sterixai) means to strengthen and make more firm.
This is the Lord’s infinite work within the heart, or soul, of the individual believer. The ultimate goal is for each believer to be holy in word and behavior. This is especially significant in light of the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“The example of Paul’s team (2:10) as well as their instruction (4:1-3) emphasized the call for the Thessalonians’ faith in the Lord Jesus to be expressed in holy living, particularly with respect to sexual purity and marital faithfulness (4:3-8). Blameless holiness will be central to his, Paul’s, benediction to these believers (5:23),” states Dr. R.C. Sproul.
“Here we see the close connection between love and holiness in Christian practice. There can be no true love without holiness, and there can be no true holiness without love for God and neighbor (see also 1 Peter 1:13–25). Love and holiness coexist perfectly in our Creator, for “God is holy” and “God is love” (Ps. 99:9; 1 John 4:8), so they must coexist in believers, who are being renewed after the image of God in Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). These attributes will not coexist perfectly in us until we are glorified, but we will grow in them both over the course of our Christian lives so that others can say that we are truly, though not perfectly, loving and holy servants of God (2 Peter 1:3–11).”
Pray for God to increasingly strengthen you for holiness and love. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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