1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 - Trusted With the Gospel

For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Target Date: Sunday, 1 May 2022

Word Study/ Translation Notes:

Appeal (n) – παράκλησις – exhortation – based on the idea to “call near” for advice, instruction, or comfort.

“Appeal” hints at the gently persuasive form of Paul’s preaching. Whether hortatory or consolatory, paraklēsis (“appeal”) always addresses the will in quest of a favorable decision, but the intellect is not excluded.

Error – πλάνη – mistake or misleading, impostor’s message – it springs from authentic faith, not the semblance of it.

Planēs (“error”) at times has an active sense of “deceit,” a meaning indistinguishable in the present verse from dolō (“trying to trick you”). Here, however, it should be assigned its passive meaning of “error” as usual in the NT. Paul’s message agreed perfectly with truth.

Impurity - ἀκαθαρσία – fouled, mixed with impurity – it springs from a pure faith, not one with mixed motives.

Deceit – δόλος – treachery, cunning, lie, trick, or guile – it springs from a pure heart, not one that is seeking anything for itself.

The word points to cunning craft: it properly signified catching fish with a bait, and thence it came to mean any crafty design for deceiving or catching.

Approved – δοκιμάζω – to be approved AFTER trial, assayed.

Entrusted – πιστεύω – to be given faith, have trust put in

But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised - Galatians 2:7

The gospel is NOT ours – it is the gospel of God (v.2). it is HIS good news, not our own. It is therefore not allowable for us to add to it, modify it, or subtract from it in any way.

The gospel which Paul preached was not his own, but the gospel of God. Note, Ministers have a great favour shown them, and honour put upon them, and trust committed to them. They must not dare to corrupt the word of God: they must diligently make use of what is entrusted with them, so as God hath allowed and commanded, knowing they shall be called to an account, when they must be no longer stewards.

Please - ἀρέσκω – to be agreeable to, to be acceptable

The Greek word can convey the idea of service in the interest of others (MM give examples from the inscriptions). The point is that, while Paul served men, he did not live to serve them. His service was primarily the service of God, and he delighted to refer to himself as ‘the slave of God’ or ‘of Christ’. In every age this needs emphasis, for the Christian preacher is always tempted to accommodate his message to the desires of his hearers. People do not want a message that tells them that they are helpless sinners and that they must depend humbly on God’s mercy for their salvation. They are more interested in the ‘social implications’ of the gospel. These, of course, must not be soft-pedalled, but the preacher must always put his emphasis on those doctrines to which Scripture itself gives priority.

In the early 1990s when President George Bush had fiery John Sununu as his chief of staff in the White House, Sununu was once asked by a reporter if his job was difficult. He answered a quick and deliberate “No.” The reporter thought that Sununu had misunderstood the question, so he asked again. And got the same reply. The chief of staff explained, “I have only one constituent.” He knew his job was to please the President.

Tests – δοκιμάζω – same word as “approved” above

The word translated “test” is the same word, dokimazo, used previously. It is a probing which is done with the full expectation that whatever is under scrutiny will be approved. This is not a sweaty-palm event, wondering whether God will be pleased or angry. Paul was content and certain of God’s approval. It did not matter what others might think.

Hearts – kardia – literally heart, but indicating that God tests our most inward persons in His assay.

3-4 - Verse 3 has only an understood verb (does) in English; the literal translation is an adverbial clause that makes a really rough translation:

For our exhortation, not of error, nor of uncleannesss, nor in guile, but exactly as we have been approved by God to be entrusted (with) the gospel, in this way we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, the (one) proving our hearts.

Thoughts on the Passage:

3 – Why does Paul include this chapter and a half of narrative? It is not primarily so that the Thessalonians would think well of them; it is a recollection of their behavior that is worthy of emulation and imitation.

You have imitated us in our responses and our activities; now be sure you are imitating us in our motives toward God and man.

4 – What does it mean to be “entrusted” with the gospel in this case?

1. Some might say that this is the state of every believer, that we have, by virtue of our justification, the holy gospel of God written into us, and thus the application becomes “because you have been entrusted with the gospel, speak so as to please God.”

2. Some might say that this is a state of maturity or a calling via special gift (i.e. teaching), so that this is not a common trust, but a particular trust among God’s people to the mature.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. – Hebrews 5:12-14

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. – James 3:1

One of the unfortunate legacies of the American church, particularly from the False Awakening of the 19th century, is the self-appointment of preachers and teachers of the gospel simply by virtue of a “call” they perceived. Citing Paul as an example of one so called, they proclaimed themselves heralds of the gospel, ignoring all the while Paul was examined and sent out BY A CHURCH – Antioch – and with companions.

3. Some might say that this is an exclusively special calling, and only a small subset of believers will be so entrusted with the gospel.

But that would lead us to ask why Paul is writing this narrative in the first place.

Is he writing this because they feared the Thessalonians were going to slip in their faith, returning to their idolatry, and so they needed to remember that Paul’s and Silas’s motives were pure?

Does it really help, if your faith is tumbling, to remember the sincerity of the person who brought that faith to you? Or is that usually the first thing that falls – your confidence in your original faith?

Or is he writing this so that the Thessalonian church can imitate their example while they endure the same persecution?

For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. – 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15

we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, 3 so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. - 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3

4 – just as…so we speak – to the extent God has approved us to carry His gospel, we speak His words alone.

The gospel they preach does not simply have its BASIS in the Scripture, but finds its whole substance in the revelation of God.

Admittedly, they are still writing what will become the New Testament, but even these words are inspired, and they are all built solidly upon the revealed word of God.

4 – tests our hearts – God doesn’t just test our emotions or intentions; He tests everything about us – motives, obedience, and maturity.

In the Bible ‘heart’ means the sum total of our inward dispositions, including the emotions, the intellect and the will; it is not confined to the emotions, as usually with us. Paul is saying that the whole of the motives and thoughts of the preacher are always open to God and, further, that his own preaching had been done in the full consciousness of this fact. It is not unlike calling God to witness his sincerity, as he does in the next verse.

Sermon Text:

We return this week to this second section of this epistle to the church at Thessalonica, looking specifically at verses 3 and 4.

And before we get too far into this section, I would like to expand on something I mentioned last week about this section.

You will notice as you read this second chapter and the first ten verses of the next chapter, Paul and his companions are reminding the Thessalonian believers of their initial experience with the gospel of God.

We saw last week that they recalled when they first arrived, still stinging from the persecution and insults from Philippi.

And we know that when they preached the gospel in Thessalonica, they had the same experience from the Jews, who hired ruffians to create trouble for them and for the Gentiles who had been brought to God through Jesus Christ.

But one of the most important questions about this section, and, I would suggest, the question that is the key to understanding the entire section is this:

Why did Paul and his companions write this narrative section?

Why do they spend so much space in this letter reminding the Thessalonians of their activities when they were there?

Many commentators make the assumption that Paul was being accused by people in Thessalonica of various sins:

Greed, or lying, or promiscuity, or taking advantage of the believers.

It is natural – at various times in his ministry, Paul was accused of many things.

The only problem with this idea is this:

In the other epistles where these slanders are apparent, like Galatians, the Corinthian letters, and even Philippians

The accusations are met straight on, and Paul calls out the lies that are being brought against him.

But here in this epistle, he doesn’t mention any opponents around the Thessalonian church, nor does he mention any accusations.

Certainly they had oppositions; that was well-known.

But the opposition was from the outside, as it were – from the Jews and pagans of Thessalonica.

In the other epistles, where he concerned himself with the slander, those men were making those accusations in connection with the church.

So if they are not addressing accusations in this section, would they be simply presenting a narrative of their thoughts and actions for its own sake?

Are they simply giving the Thessalonian church a history review, and providing a valuable review for us as well?

After all, some might say, in the book of Acts, Luke gives us only a few verses to explain to us what went on in Thessalonica.

Wouldn’t it be plenty if Paul just wanted to expand the record for this church?

To make sure that these things were remembered about them in the time to come?

But if that were the case, it would be entirely self-serving to even include these first verses of the second chapter:

All these verses would amount to is an autobiography, a journal, or a memoir, where only the good things are recalled, but none of the mistakes or even trials.

Besides, the Bible, in every other part, even the so-called history sections, was never meant to be a history text, but the chronicle of God’s redemption of His people from the first page to the last.

It contains history – yes,

But it is not a history book beyond what is needed to record God’s activity through history.

So if we reject the idea that Paul and his companions were addressing detractors in Thessalonica,

And we reject the idea that this section is simply a record of what they did,

What is left?

It is, as I alluded to briefly last week, that Paul and his companions were highlighting behaviors and attitudes for the church at Thessalonica to follow.

That would mean, correctly I believe, that every memory in this section, every recollection, is intended to remind the Thessalonians of how they themselves should walk.

Put short – every statement has an application.

Everything in this epistle is to remind them of an example to follow.

I think this is the right way to look at this section because the corrections and instructions given to this church later in this letter and the next can be traced back to this narrative of how they conducted themselves.

And it is easy to see why:

The Thessalonian church had a great beginning, in zeal, and obedience to the instruction they had received.

But like anyone, they could have been led into subtle errors along the way that would have gotten more critical over time.

But instead of reacting with wrath toward the correctable issues, the writers chose to gently correct those things that were done in ignorance rather than rebellion.

And to do so, they helped the church to understand the reasons they conducted themselves in the way they did.

So that the church would continue to follow in their footsteps into maturity.

He began the idea in chapter 1:6:

You also became imitators of us and of the Lord

But we will see it again later in this chapter:

you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen - 1 Thessalonians 2:14

The great apostle has no problem preaching the gospel and correcting believers where appropriate,

But he also leads with the example of his own life.

And he even tells them in 2:7: We were gentle among you…

That is why he can refer to their gospel message as an “appeal” in verse 3 – For our appeal does not spring from error…

A few weeks ago, we discussed this word on a Wednesday night as we looked at the end of 1 Peter.

There, in 1 Peter 5:12, Peter explained the purpose of that letter:

I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying

The word “exhorting” is the same word.

Those who were there for that discussion may remember that this word is not a word of condemnation, but a word of invitation.

It is built on two roots that mean to “come near”, to beckon to come closer.

So when Paul talks about their appeal, it is at its heart attractive to those whose hearts are opened by the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, he and his companions spent hard days and labor to persuade men of the truth of the gospel,

Calling not only their intellect, but their hearts as well.

They fervently preached their message so that, if their zeal could convert their listeners, they could not possibly resist the gospel.

But they also knew the Spirit must make a person alive before they can possibly respond fully to the truth of the gospel.

And notice what they say about their appeal:

our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive…

Their appeal through the gospel is as pure as it can possible be:

1. It is not borne from error – meaning, they are not mistaken or led astray.

The gospel they preach springs through their authentic faith in God through Jesus Christ, not merely a semblance of it.

2. It is not borne from impurity.

If I may pause here, this is probably the biggest problem with most of the “gospel” preachers I hear today: it is mixed with something else.

Impurity means the gospel mixed with something.

Sometimes those things might otherwise be right; it’s just they are not gospel.

Many Calvinist believers mix Calvinism with the gospel, just like many Armenians mix their doctrines in the gospel.

Others mix self-help, prosperity, health, or other earthly things with the gospel.

There is nothing you can add to the gospel to make it stronger.

Nothing that will make it better, or purer, or more effective.

And that is the point Paul and the others are making: they added nothing and changed nothing about the gospel they had been given.

The gospel simply didn’t belong to them.

It doesn’t belong to us.

If we think that adding our opinions to the gospel makes it better, we are deluded.

The gospel is not ours – it is God’s gospel.

God designed it;

God promised it;

God created it;

God unfolded it;

God revealed it;

God accomplished it.

God blessed it;

God accepted it, proving it by raising Jesus Christ from the dead.

Who are we to add to this eternal message of salvation?

3. The third thing he says about their appeal is there was no attempt to deceive.

There was no hidden agenda, no bait-and-switch.

They didn’t come promising things the gospel wouldn’t deliver.

That could be a temptation, though, couldn’t it?

To win people by any means?

To tell them anything they wanted to hear just to get them in the door and in their seats and under your teaching.

But that is not God’s way:

For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? – Luke 14:28

We must consider the cost, as Jesus taught, of being a follower of His.

That brings us to the last part of our passage today:

just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

The primary thing in this verse I invite you to look at is the phrase entrusted with the gospel.

I would like to bring out just a few things about this astounding idea.

1st – As we already said, the gospel is God’s. And we see here that He entrusts it to some.

But that leads us to the 2nd question – who does He entrust it to?

We can assume that those so trusted would be believers, but it is fair to ask, is it all believers who are so entrusted with the gospel?

To the extent that any believer would be able to articulate the fundamentals of the gospel to someone who asked, it would be fair to say so.

That would certainly be an application the Thessalonian believers could take away here; something, in fact, they had been doing in the course of their business and travels already.

But there is certainly more to the answer than a general instruction to be prepared to share our hope in Jesus Christ.

And it has to do with that word, used twice in this verse, approved.

In the second use, it looks a little different, being translated “tests” – God who tests our hearts.

This word means to test something with an eye to approving its purity.

Like melting gold to determine the amount of impurities in it.

What Paul and the writers are saying is that God had tested them and approved them to be entrusted with the gospel.

That certainly doesn’t sound like they are talking about every believer.

In fact, I think they are dealing with a specific issue in Thessalonica – that some are, in their zeal, attempting to teach or lead when they simply are not mature enough in the Spirit for that role.

The example that Paul and Silas are putting in front of them shows them it is not just a matter of someone being “led by the Spirit” to proclaim something;

It is that that person has been tested in the spirit and found to be authentic, pure in motives, and not trying to win-at-all-costs.

Paul and his team had been tried and entrusted with the gospel by God, indeed,

But that appointment came through a church, and a group of elders, who commissioned them to the work.

One of the unfortunate legacies of the American church, particularly from the False Awakening of the 19th century, is the self-appointment of preachers and teachers of the gospel simply by virtue of a “call” they perceived. Citing Paul as an example of one so called, they proclaimed themselves heralds of the gospel, ignoring all the while Paul was examined and sent out BY A CHURCH – Antioch – and with companions.

They were trusted with the gospel because they would carry it in the way that God expects and commands.

Much like the way we see Him declaring how the priests of Israel should carry the ark of the covenant of His presence form place to place:

Dressed properly,

Prepared properly,

And carrying the ark on poles built to specification.

For some, who might seek to teach or preach for their own motives, fame, or purposes,

They would carry the gospel on the spiritual equivalent of an ox-cart.

They could be trusted with the gospel because they had no interest in pleasing man, but solely in pleasing God.

He alone was the one they sought approval from.

So, if this is the case, what possible application could the Thessalonians (and we) make from this verse?

This trust is something for which all believers should be training.

Now someone may say “Why would I do that if the expectations for me only grow as I mature in Christ?”

Why would I even seek this?

How sad indeed it would be to remain an infant forever.

Infants are often cute;

They are sometimes even fun.

But the one main thing about an infant is that they are simply a promise of a mature human in the future.

The baby must be taught, fed, nurtured, and guided to become a mature adult.

And when they do become an adult, they will do adult things: work, be responsible, love, and all the rest.

Would remaining a child be easier?

For them, perhaps, but as they grew in stature, it would be less comfortable.

These are, by the way, some of the very things Paul corrects the Thessalonian believers about later on – their lack or maturity.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. – Hebrews 5:12-14

Even as Paul and the other writers are speaking of their maturity, they are modeling Christian maturity for this very young church.

To the goal that they also would be tested and approved to be entrusted with the gospel of God.