A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
In our last verse, we hear Paul praying that the Lord would increase the love of the Thessalonians for both the saints and sinners they lived amongst. Truly Paul is seeking a noble end for the Thessalonians, a righteous life before God. The Scriptures are clear, for to love is to fulfill the law of God.
Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Having reminded us of the prayers in the previous verse, we enter verse 13 with two words.
“So that.”
Paul, by starting this verse, (or at least continuing his prayer) using “so that”, is indicating a purpose in the call of God to increase in love towards saint and sinner! You see, God’s life of love is not simply a quality of life, great as it is, or the attainment of a goal in life to please both God and man, but also a means to an end for our own souls.
A life of increasing love toward saint and sinner establishes our hearts blameless in holiness. Paul is seeking a state of being for the believers before God, and the method is through love.
Now, we have considered the concept of blamelessness in this blog a number of times, but for brevities sake, blamelessness does not imply sinlessness. Nor perfection. A blameless man is one who has corrected mistakes, sought forgiveness, lived properly amongst others, and when he falls, repairs any damage to those impacted.
As we walk with the Savior, we will naturally become more sensitive to any relationships with those we come in contact with, willing to give not only the tunic but the cloak also.
Matthew 5:40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
In giving though a self sacrificial love for others, our own lives will be established in holiness. This fruit of the love we exercise towards others grows within us as we seek to serve both God and man through the Lord Jesus and His leading. Integrity of the soul becomes a gift back to the Lord, a treasure we can experience and a characteristic we will guard in our lives. Blamelessness in holiness becomes a desire that develops a constant review of our lives, seeking to keep short accounts with both the Lord and those we know.
Paul had high goals for the Thessalonians, and his prayers showed not only his love for them, but the expectations of the apostle regarding his people.
He loved them.
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