01

I Thessalonians

Chapter 3
{Verses 1-5: Conference in Athens about rumors of trouble
  with the Thessalonian Church}
1~~Wherefore/"On account of" [deo]
enduring/"bearing up against" no longer,
  [stego (present active participle) meketi]
  {meaning: Paul and his team could not stand it anymore}
we thought it good
  [eudokeo (aorist active indicative)]
to be left
  [kataleipo (aorist passive infinitive)]
in/by/with/at Athens alone.
  [en Athenai monos]

{Timothy sent back to Thessalonica}
2~~And [kai]
sent Timothy, our brother,
  [pempo (aorist active indicative) Timotheos hemon adelphos]
and minister/"servant" of God
  [kai diakonos Theos (used for one with the gift of pastor-teacher)]
and our fellow-laborer/co-worker
  [kai hemon sunergos]
in/by/with the gospel of Christ
  [en euaggelion Christos (a fellow member of the Pauline team)]
toward/to strengthen/stabilize you
  [eis sterizo (aorist active infinitive) humas]
and encourage you
  [kai parakaleo (aorist active infinitive) humas]
on account of your faith/doctrine.
  [peri humon pistis (faith or "that which is believed")]

[Note: When Jesus said the Father would send His Spirit not many days hence, He said the Spirit would be our "Paraklete". That means He came to be our personal teacher, helper, and encourager. And, we shall be indwelled with Him always. Here Timothy is being sent to make sure the Thessalonians are on track with their faith and their doctrinal studies.]

3a~~For the purpose that [to]
no man should be "to wag the tail"/" to receive disturbing"
  [medeis saino (present passive infinitive)]
in/by/with these pressures/tribulations.
  [en tautais thlipsis]

{Note: 'Saino' is the Greek word meaning literally 'wag the tail'. It described a dog . . . who did something bad and hides under a table with his tail pulled in and gives and gives a weak wag of the tail. So it has come to mean disturbed or agitated.}

3b~~For yourselves know/perceive with results that last forever
  [gar autos eido (perfect active indicative)]
that/because [hoti]
we ourselves are being appointed
  [keimai (present middle/passive indicative)]
toward this.
  [eis touto]

{Paul's Sanctified 'I told you so verse'}
4a~~For verily, when we were with you,
we kept on telling you before that we
  {Paul, his party, and the Thessalonians also}
should suffer tribulation.

4b~~Even as it came to pass . . .
and now you know.
  {they now know what Paul meant!}

{Part of Timothy's trip was to file a progress report with Paul}
5a~~For this cause . . .
when I could no longer hold out . . .
I sent {Timothy} to know your doctrine/faith [pistis].

5b~~Lest by some means
the tempter {Satan}
have tempted you . . .
and our 'labor to the point of exhaustion'
be 'in vain'/empty/void [kenos].
  [kenos means to "return back empty" or "result in nothing"]

{Note: Repetition similar to verse 1. Paul uses 'we sent' in verse 1, but now we see actually Paul himself sent Timothy to 'check their spiritual instruments' if you will. Were they using the Faith Rest Technique, etc.?}

[Note: The soul has compartments that need to be filled with doctrine. If a person does not fill their soul with divine viewpoint, then "doctrines of demons" move in to fill the vacuum. That person becomes susceptible to the temptations of the flesh and of the devil.]

{Verse 6: Timothy's Positive Report}
6~~Moreover now at the time [de arti]
Timotheus coming
  [Timotheos erchomai (aorist active participle)]
from the ultimate source of you face to face with us,
  [apo humon pros hemas]
and himself bringing us "good news"/"a good inspection report"
  [kai euaggelizo (aorist middle participle) hemin]
of your faith/"condition of doctrine in your soul"
  [humon pistis]
and "impersonal love" [kai agape],
and that you have good remembrance of us always . . .
  [kai hoti echo agathos mneia hemon pantote]
desiring greatly to see
  [epipotheo (present active participle) eido (aorist active infinitive)]
us . . . [hemas]
just as we also/and . . . [to see] you.
  [kathaper hemeis kai humas]

{Note: Paul was a great bible teacher. Only people interested in receiving doctrine want to have a bible teacher around - Paul went from great concern to great happiness!}

7~~Therefore/"because of this fact", brethren, [dia touto adelphos]
we received comfort over/concerning you
  [parakaleo (aorist passive indicative) epi humin]
over/concerning all our pressures/tribulations and distress
  [epi pas hemon thlipsis kai anagke]
by means of your faith/"condition of doctrine in your soul"
  [dia humon pistis]

[Note: Timothy's report brings great comfort to Paul and his team. They remain faithful to God and His Word (as explained to us by Jesus Christ). All Deity thinks the same. The Bible is Divine Viewpoint.]

8~~Since/For now [hoti nun]
we "live our lives"/"Walk in the Righteous Ways of God" . . .
  zao (present active indicative)]
if - maybe you will, maybe you won't -
  [ean + subjunctive mood - 3rd Class Conditional IF]
you stand fast in/by/with the Lord
  [steko (present active subjunctive) en Kurios ].

[Note: From the report of Timothy in verse 6, Paul is speaking idiomatically. He is saying that they "live well" or are "greatly encouraged to hear the report" because the report was that the Thessalonians are standing fast in the Lord!]

9~~ For what thanks/thanksgiving
  [gar tis eucharistia]
do we ourselves have the power
  [dunamai (present passive/middle indicative)]
to repay God concerning you,
  [antapodidomi (aorist active infinitive) Theos peri humon]
over/"in return for" all the happiness
  [epi pas chara]
with which we rejoice
  [hos chairo (present active indicative)]
on account of you
  [dia humas]
before our God!
  [emprosthen hemon Theos]

{Result of the Good Report}
10~~ Night and day praying ourselves . . .
  [nux kai hemera deomai (present middle/passive participle)]
exceedingly/"out from extraordinary in behalf of" . . .
  [ek perissos huper]
towards/that to see your face . . .
  [eis eido (aorist active infinitive) humon prosopon]
and to supply that which is lacking in
  [kai katartizo (aorist active infinitive) husterema]
your "doctrine in your soul"/faith.
  [humon pistis (their learning doctrine appears to be in view)]

{Verses 11-13: Paul is so excited he has to give a benediction
  related to the great report}
11~~Moreover/Now God, Himself, and our Father . . .
  [de Theos autos kai hemon pater]
and our Lord Jesus Christ . . .
  [kai hemon Kurios Iesous Christos]
might direct our way
 [kateuthuno (aorist active optative (a wish or desire)) hemon hodos]
face to face with you!
  [pros humas]

{Note: Paul is praying that God permit and assist in his team getting back to see them.}

12~~Moreover the Lord . . .
  [de Kurios]
may "superabound you"/"increase you greatly"
  [pleonazo (aorist active optative) humas]
and may overflow in impersonal love . . .
  [kai perisseuo (aorist active optative) agape]
toward "another of the same kind"
  [eis allelon] . . .
and toward all . . .
  [kai eis pas (everyone . . . includes unbelievers)]
even/and just as we . . . [do] toward you.
  [kai kathaper hemeis eis humas]

[Note: "Pas" is "all" and it means "all". It means to impersonally love everyone based on who and what you are. That means to be free from judging and all the other mental attitude sins toward everyone. Take Judas Iscariot. We are to love him also! To love him based on who he was would be "phileo" type love. Instead, we are to "agape" love Judas based on who we are. If Judas ever believed only one time in his live, we will see him in heaven. Do you really want to judge him an unbeliever? Who is his judge? You or God?]

13~~Toward/"To the end" . . . [eis]
to stabilize your "mental attitude"/heart/"doctrine in your soul" . . .
  [sterizo (aorist active infinitive) humon kardia]
unblameable/blameless/"free from defect"
  [amemptos]
in/by/with holiness/"set-apart-ed-ness to God" . . .
  [en hagiosune]
before God . . .
  [emprosthen Theos]
even/and our Father . . .
  [kai hemon pater]
in/by/with/at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
  [en parousia hemon kurios Iesous Christos]
with all His saints/"set-apart-ones".
  [meta pas autos hagios]

[Note: God did not think it right for the humanity of His Son to not have His Own human family. Therefore, all believers in Christ in the Church Age are "set-apart-to-Him". We are Royal Family in permanent union with God the Son and He shares with us all that He is and He has.]

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