1 Thessalonians 3:9-The Thessalonians’ Faithfulness to the Gospel Produced Great Joy in Paul, Silvanus and Timothy and Thanksgiving to God Lesson # 46

1 Thessalonians 3:1 So when we could bear it no longer, we decided to stay on in Athens alone. 3:2 We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you and encourage you about your faith, 3:3 so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 3:4 For in fact when we were with you, we were telling you in advance that we would suffer affliction, and so it has happened, as you well know. 3:5 So when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter somehow tempted you and our toil had proven useless. 6 But now Timothy has come to us from you and given us the good news of your faith and love and that you always think of us with affection and long to see us just as we also long to see you! 7 So in all our distress and affliction, we were reassured about you, brothers and sisters, through your faith. 8 For now we are alive again, if you stand firm in the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 3:9 For how can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel because of you before our God? (NET)

1 Thessalonians 3:9 contains a rhetorical question which presents an inference from the apodosis which appears in 1 Thessalonians 3:8 and asserts that Paul and Silvanus were now living and is connected to the assertions in verses 6-7.

If you recall, in verses 6-7, Paul asserts that when Timothy had returned with a good report about the Thessalonian Christian community, he and Silvanus were encouraged because they were continuing to exercise faith in the gospel after their justification.

They were also encouraged because they were obeying the command to love another.

Furthermore, they were always remembering these two men with great affection.

Also, they greatly desired to see them again.

Thus, for these reasons, Paul and Silvanus were encouraged during all their distress produced by all their adversity by means of the Thessalonians’ post-justification faith in the gospel.

In verse 8, Paul then employs a fifth class conditional statement in order to explain what he means that he and Silvanus were encouraged by means of the Thessalonians’ faith.

This statement asserts Paul and Silvanus were now living if the Thessalonians continue to remain in fellowship with the Lord.

The apodosis of this fifth class conditional statements asserts that Paul and Silvanus were now living.

This means that they no longer were experiencing anxiety about the Thessalonians as they were prior to this report from Timothy and instead were experiencing joy.

The protasis of this fifth class conditional statement asserts that this will continue if the Thessalonians continue to remain in fellowship with the Lord.

Now, Paul employs a rhetorical question in verse 9 which expresses Paul and Silvanus’ deep emotion and specifically, it expresses a tremendous feeling of gratitude toward God because the Thessalonians were remaining faithful to the gospel and presents an inference from the apodosis in verse 8.

This rhetorical question asserts that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy could not render enough thanksgiving as payment to God for answering their prayers that the Thessalonians remained faithful to the gospel.

The inference from these two assertions is that Paul and Silvanus were now living after receiving this report from Timothy regarding the Thessalonians’ faith in the sense that they possessed an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward God.

They were grateful to God because He answered their prayers which requested that the Thessalonians continue to remain faithful to the gospel.

Verse 9 goes onto to assert that they were giving thanks to God for the Thessalonians because of the great joy they felt toward the Thessalonians.

So therefore, verses 8-9 indicate that Paul and Silvanus were now living in the sense that they could not thank God enough because of the joy they were experiencing as a result of hearing from Timothy that the Thessalonians were remaining faithful to the gospel.

This rhetorical question in verse 9 is making the assertion that there would not be a sufficient number of times that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy could express thanksgiving to God because of hearing the good news of the Thessalonians’ faithfulness to the gospel.

In other words, the assertion is that they could not thank God enough for the Thessalonians remaining faithful to the gospel and is expressing the idea of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy possessing the capacity to render thanksgiving as payment to the Father.

The verbs dunamai and antapodidomi in verse 9 are expressing the idea of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy possessing the capacity to render thanksgiving as payment to the Father.

They felt obligated to give thanks to the Father because it was the Father who answered their intercessory prayers that the Thessalonians would continue remaining faithful to the gospel.

Furthermore, they felt obligated to give thanks to the Father for the Thessalonians because God was working in the Thessalonians as they exercised faith in the gospel (cf. Phil. 2:13).

1 Thessalonians 3:9 is not the first time that Paul mentions the concept of thanksgiving in First Thessalonians since he mentions it in 1 Thessalonians 1:2 and 2:13.

So therefore, like 1 Thessalonians 1:2 and 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 3:9 mentions one of the characteristics of a productive prayer life, namely thanksgiving (Matt 15:36; 26:27; Mark 8:6; 14:23; Luke 22:17-19; John 6:11; 23; 11:41; Acts 27:35; 28:15; Rom. 1:8; 7:25; 1 Cor. 1:4; 11:24; Eph. 5:20; Col. 1:12; 3:17; Phlp. 1:3-4; 4:6; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2:13).

We should never forget to thank God in prayer.

Our gratitude demonstrates our respect and appreciation for God’s grace policy, which blesses us without us ever earning or deserving blessings (cf. Col. 4:2; Phil. 4:6).

Now, as we noted, Paul poses a rhetorical question to the Thessalonian Christian community in 1 Thessalonians 3:9, which asks, “what thanksgiving is each one of us (Paul, Silvanus and Timothy) for our own benefit able to render as payment to the one and only God?”

He then provides a reason why he, Silvanus and Timothy possessed an overwhelming sense of gratitude to God by asserting that it was for all the joy they were experiencing because of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

This causal clause is alluding to the report Timothy gave Paul and Silvanus that the Thessalonians were continuing to remain faithful to the gospel despite experiencing persecution from their own unregenerate Gentile countrymen.

So this causal clause is asserting that Paul, Silvanus were rejoicing because the Thessalonians were remaining faithful to the gospel despite experiencing persecution from their own countrymen.

Notice this joy produced thanksgiving to God.

Also, notice that they were expressing this joy “in the presence of their God” which is a reference to prayer since it speaks of being in the Father’s presence when giving thanks to Him for answering their prayers that the Thessalonians’ faith would not fail in the face of persecution.

1 Thessalonians 3:9 is the fourth time in First Thessalonians that Paul mentions the concept of joy since it appears in 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 2:19 and 20.

The Holy Spirit produces joy in the Christian when they obey the Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions in the Word of God (cf. Col. 3:16-17; Eph. 5:18-20).

The believer experiences this Spirit produced joy by experiencing fellowship with the Spirit, which is accomplished by exercising faith in the Spirit’s teaching in the Word that they have died with Christ and have been raised with Him.

This results in obedience to the Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions in the Word of God.

This in turn enables the Holy Spirit to produce a joy that is divine in quality and character and is not based upon outward circumstances or what one possesses.

The believer is commanded to rejoice (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

The Holy Spirit produces the joy of the Lord (Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 14:17; 15:13).

This is called the fruit of the Spirit, which is the production of Christ-like character in the believer who experiences fellowship with God by being obedient to the Father’s will, which the Holy Spirit reveals to the believer through the communication of the Word of God.

Joy, happiness and contentment are one of the nine manifestations of the work of God the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life (Galatians 5:22-23).

The fruit of the Spirit can only take place in the life of the believer who is influenced by means of the Spirit, which takes place when the believer obeys the Spirit who reveals the Father’s will through the communication of the Word of God.

Since the Holy Spirit reveals the Father’s will through the teaching of the Word of God and inspired the Scriptures, the joy of the Lord is the direct result of obeying the Word of God (Psalm 19:8; 119:14, 16, 111, 162; Jeremiah 15:16).

The joy of the Lord is the direct result of trusting in the promises of God (Psalm 28:7) and is the direct result of experiencing fellowship with God (Psalm 16:11; 89:15-16; 64:10; 63:5-7; 1 Chronicles 16:27; John 15:1-17).

The believer is to serve the Lord with joy (Psalm 100:1-5).