Section 1:3–12

Jesus Christ will return and will reward his people as they deserve

This section begins the main part of Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians. Paul thanked God that the Thessalonian believers were still believing firmly in Jesus even though people were persecuting them. He also prayed that everyone would see that the Thessalonian believers were behaving in a manner that would please Jesus Christ when he returns.

Paragraph 1:3–4

Paul thanked God because the faith and love of the Thessalonians was increasing.

1:3a

We are obligated to thank God: It is possible that a literal translation of this part of the verse may sound as if Paul were saying that he and his companions did not yet thank God, but they ought to. If your translation could be misunderstood in this way, you could translate it:

We thank God constantly for you because we are obligated to do this.

brothers: This term was frequently used in the New Testament to refer to fellow Christians, showing that Christians are like brothers and sisters in the family of God. It is better to use a general term that includes both elder and younger siblings, male and female, if you can, rather than a more specific term. In some languages, when the word brothers is used, as in the case of the word “father” (see the note on 1:1c), it is necessary to say whose brother is being spoken of. If this is true in your language you should use “our^(excl) .”

1:3b

as is fitting: This further emphasizes 1:3a. Paul was emphasizing that thanking God for the Thessalonians was the fitting thing for him and his companions to do.

1:3c

your faith: It may be more natural in your language to change the noun faith into a verb such as “to believe in” or “to trust in.” The Lord Jesus was the one in whom they believed or trusted. It was not just that they believed that he existed, but that he was also their Lord.

is growing more and more: It is God who caused them to believe more and more.

1:3d

is increasing: Probably there is little difference in meaning between the verbs translated as “is growing more and more” and is increasing. Paul was probably using this repetition to show that what he was saying was important. If using two different verbs in your language is not possible or would cause your readers to misunderstand, you could use the same verb in both parts of the verse.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.