2 Thessalonians 1:3-Paul, Silvanus and Timothy Always Made it Their Habit of Giving Thanks to the Father For the Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 1:3 Each of us is under obligation to always make it our habit of always giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each one of you brothers and sisters because it is appropriate for your faith is growing to an extraordinary degree. Correspondingly, your divine-love of each and every one of you is increasing to a considerable degree for one another. (My translation)

2 Thessalonians 1:3 marks a transition in the letter from the greeting which appears in 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2 to the thanksgiving portion of this letter, which begins here in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 and ends in 2 Thessalonians 1:12.

Verse 3 contains four statements with the first asserting that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were under obligation to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

The second presents the reason for the first and asserts that it was appropriate that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were under obligation to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community but this reason is obviously ambiguous.

Thus, Paul employs a hoti causal clause to identify for the reader what he means that it was appropriate for him, Silvanus and Timothy to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the Father for the Thessalonians and provides two reasons.

The first asserts that the Thessalonians’ post-justification faith in the gospel was growing to an extraordinary degree.

The second presents the second reason why Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were under obligation to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

It also corresponds to the first reason and asserts that the divine-love of each member of this community was increasing to a considerable degree.

Therefore, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were obligated to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the Father on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community because: (1) Their post-justification faith in the gospel was growing to an extraordinary degree and (2) Their divine-love for one another was increasing to a considerable degree.

Each of these statements emphasize with the Thessalonians how important it was for them to continue to exercise their post-justification in the gospel, i.e. Paul’s apostolic teaching.

They also emphasize with them the importance of continuing to obey the Lord Jesus Christ’s command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He loves them.

They also emphasize with the Thessalonians how much that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy cared for them and were concerned about them and their spiritual growth.

This first statement in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 is solemn because the noun adelphos, “brothers and sisters” functions as a vocative of simple address expressing the fact that 2 Thessalonians 1:3 is a solemn statement regarding the Thessalonians.

It expresses Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s Spirit inspired conviction and deep concern for the recipients of this epistle.

This statement is also solemn because Paul employs the figure of asyndeton in relation to this statement.

This noun adelphos, “brothers and sisters” also expresses the idea that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community is related to Paul, Silvanus and Timothy through regeneration and thus each is a child of God.

Like 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:3 also 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 28:15; Rom. 1:8; 7:25; 1 Cor. 1:4; Eph. 5:20; Col. 1:12; 3:17; Phlp. 1:3-4; 4:6; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2:13).

Like 1 Thessalonians 1:2, the adverb of time pantote, “always” is employed by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1:3, which expresses the fact that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy persevered to intercede in prayer for the Thessalonian Christian community.

These words do not indicate that these three men were in prayer every moment of the day or day and night but rather it was a habitual activity of theirs or on other words, they were persistent.

Therefore, like 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:3 mentions another characteristic of an effective prayer life, which is perseverance (Matt. 26:39-44; Luke 11:9-10; 18:1-8; 21:36; Rom. 12:12; 15:30; Acts 1:14; 6:4; 12:5; Eph. 6:18; 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 5:5; 2 Tim. 1:3; Col. 1:9; 4:2, 12; Heb. 10:22).

Now, as we noted, the second statement which appears here in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 presents the reason for the first and asserts that it was appropriate that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were under obligation to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

It was appropriate in the sense that it was fitting or proper in corresponding to what would be expected of them in light of the fact that the Thessalonians’ post-justification faith in the gospel was flourishing and their divine-love for each other was growing.

However, this reason as we noted is obviously ambiguous and begs to be defined, which Paul does by employing a hoti clause, which presents two reasons why Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were under obligation to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

Therefore, the third statement which appears in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 and the first in this hoti causal clause explains what is meant that it was appropriate for Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to be under obligation to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

This third statement asserts that the Thessalonians’ post-justification faith in the gospel was growing to an extraordinary degree.

Therefore, this indicates that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were under obligation to always make it their habit of giving thanks to the one and only God on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community because their post-justification faith in the gospel was growing to an extraordinary degree.

The Thessalonians’ post-justification faith in the gospel is not only mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 but also in 1 Thessalonians 1:8, 3:2, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 5:8.

The divine-love of the Thessalonians is mentioned five times in 1 Thessalonians (cf. 1 Thess. 1:3; 3:6, 12; 4:9-12; 5:8).

Now, in 2 Thessalonians 1:3, the second person plural form of the verbs hyperauxanō (ὑπεραυξάνω), “is growing to an extraordinary degree” and pleonazō (πλεονάζω), “is increasing to a considerable degree” are referring to the Thessalonian Christian community as a corporate unit and are used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.

This indicates that the post-justification faith of each member of the Thessalonian community was growing to an extraordinary degree and correspondingly, their divine-love was increasing to a considerable degree for one another.

However, a comparison of the contents of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 with 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 indicates that Paul is using the figure of hyperbole here in 2 Thessalonians 1:3.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, the apostle Paul addresses a major problem, namely that some in the Thessalonian Christian community were reverting back to their pre-justification days when they did not work.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, the apostle Paul teaches the Thessalonian Christian community in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 that they will meet the approval of the non-Christian community by making it their habit of practicing divine-love for the benefit of each other.

Specifically, they would benefit not only themselves and meet the approval of the non-Christian community by continuing to make it their habit of making it their ambition to live a quiet life, attending to their own business, working to support themselves with their own hands.

Therefore, 2 Thessalonians 1:3 contains the figure of hyperbole, which “can be defined as conscious exaggeration for the sake of effect.”

Often (but not always) the effect aimed at is the expression of strong feeling.”[1]

Hyperbole “is a type of overstatement in order to increase the effect of what is being said.[2]

A hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration, in which more is said than is literally meant, in order to add emphasis.[3]

Thus, when Paul asserts in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 that all or each one of the Thessalonians were obeying the command to love one another, He does not literally mean each and every person.

This is indicated by the fact that 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 asserts that some of them were not working and 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 asserts that working for a living and not being financial burden to anyone and not meddling in other people’s affairs is a manifestation of practicing this command to love one another.

Thus, the majority of the Thessalonian Christian community was obeying the command to love one another and working for a living and only a minority was not.

As David Ewert writes “Although there were members in the Thessalonian church who created problems, they must have been in the minority, for Paul acknowledges the growing love of ‘all for each, and each for all.’”[4]

[1] Ryken, L. (2015). Sweeter than Honey, Richer than Gold: A Guided Study of Biblical Poetry (p. 50). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [2] Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (2007). “My Heart Is Stirred by a Noble Theme”: The Meaning of Poetry and Wisdom. In W. C. Kaiser Jr. & M. Silva (Eds.), Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning (p. 146). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. [3] Campbell, D. K. (1991). Foreword. In C. Bubeck Sr. (Ed.), Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth (p. 154). Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook. [4] Ewert, D. (1995). 1-2 Thessalonians. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 1087). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.