Greetings, brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Today, let’s take note of something Paul writes in his letter to the Thessalonians about thanking God for the believers:
“And for this reason we also thank God without ceasing, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.”
— 1 Thessalonians 2:13
In this verse, Paul says that he thanks God without ceasing. This highlights the continuous nature of his attitude of thanksgiving towards God. He then explains the reason for his thankfulness. Paul is thankful because of the response of the brothers and sisters at the church in Thessalonica when they heard the gospel.
Paul acknowledges that he was among those who shared the gospel with them. This gospel that Paul says he shared with them was such that they received it as the word of God and not of men.
It’s important to take note of this because there’s a manner by which the gospel can be shared in such a way that it only focuses on the man, specifically, “the man of God.” This kind of gospel elevates the messenger and diminishes the God who does the saving.
Peter puts it this way with regard to the kind of gospel that such faulty messengers might deliver:
“For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, following cleverly devised myths, but being eyewitnesses of His majesty.”
— 2 Peter 1:16
The true gospel is centered around Christ and completely seeks to exalt Christ and Christ alone. This is what Paul shares with the Corinthians:
“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:2
Another thing to point out is the attitude by which they received the gospel. Paul says that the Thessalonians received the gospel as a word from God and not from men. This is a very encouraging statement for us as believers when it comes to sharing the gospel. This is reassurance that when we are sharing the gospel, we are literally uttering the oracles of God. This is a reminder that we need not worry about ourselves when we’re sharing the gospel; instead, we should trust in the God that changes hearts.
This is what Paul meant when he was saying to the Corinthians:
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”
— 1 Corinthians 3:6
Paul is confident in the fact that nothing he does personally directly contributes to the actual growth; instead, it is the power of God that regenerates a person and leads them onto saving faith.
This is also what Paul emphasizes as he closes this verse by saying that the same power that converted them when they received the gospel is the same power that continues to work in them as believers.
This is yet another word of encouragement to us as believers. We ought to be reminded constantly that the power that is in us—the power that maintains our salvation and the power that helps us grow spiritually day after day, the power that fuels our sanctification journey—is that same power that brought us into faith. It is the power of God, not the power of man.
In light of all of this, it is only reasonable why Paul is so thankful for the believers in Thessalonica. Consequently, this is the same kind of attitude that we ought to have when we hear of believers coming into faith. We should be thankful to God for every single individual that comes to faith. We should not cease to give thanks to God for believers.
Here are some important takeaways:
- The true gospel is centered on Christ: it is a word from God, not from men.
- It is by the power of God that we are saved; this same power continues to dwell in us as we grow in faith.
- Our attitude towards believers should be one of thanksgiving.
Let’s be thankful to God for the believers around us and around the world.
Blessings,
Paul
Leave a Reply