"We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth…" — II Thess. 1:3-4
Our text assigns to the saints at Thessalonica two virtues which gave rise to thanksgiving to God on the part of the apostle Paul, and which ought to characterize every born again believer. They are what one has called an 'exuberant faith' and, an abounding love.
First to be considered is the direction of the apostle's thanksgiving: 'We thank God for you… ' Every commendable quality in the Christian life is a gift from God and should generate praise to Him as the Fountainhead of "every good and perfect gift." The true believer is not a self-made man or woman, but the consequence of God's grace in a yielded life. There is, therefore, no justification for pride or self-congratulation on the part of the individual believer in whom these virtues are manifested, nor is there any reason for the pastor/teacher to take personal credit should they become characteristic of the congregation as a whole. The proper perspective, when the "garden of God" becomes a thing of spiritual beauty is, "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."
Confining our thoughts today to the first of these qualities, it is appropriate to ask, 'how does faith grow?' Faith, of course, is foundational in Christian experience. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him [Heb. 11:6]." It is faith that generates eternal life: "The just shall live by faith [Rom. 1:17]." It is faith that lifts reason to the level where it can know God and relate to Him; faith is not irrational, but supra rational. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen… Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear [Heb. 11:1,3]." Careful reflection on these passages will reveal what a tremendous quality faith can be in the human soul. Yet it is not a virtue to our credit, but to God's. Scripture makes it clear that faith is not a self-generated virtue. "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast [Eph. 2:8-9]." And in another place we are exhorted to "run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith [Heb. 12:1b, 2]." Clearly faith is His work in us, and this should stimulate, in the heart where proper faith resides, the cry, "to God be the glory, great things He hath done!."
This does not, however, address the question, 'How does faith grow?' The answer is not hard to find, nor unfamiliar to the discerning believer: "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God [Rom. 10:17]." It is the written word that reveals the Living Word, who is "the author and finisher of our faith [Heb. 12:2a]." Apart from the Word faith will either not flourish, or it will be deformed into superstition and fantasy.
The wise preacher will learn from this the importance of being a man of the Book, the Bible. Paul admonished Timothy, "preach the word… [II Tim. 4:2]." And the wise Christian will avail himself of opportunities to sit under the word, but more than that, he will become himself a student of the word. I am often impressed by the fact that we have a tremendous advantage over the first century Christians; they had no ready access to the scriptures, but were largely dependent upon the preaching and teaching of their spiritual overseers. We, in contrast, have the entire divine revelation available in a format that can be carried in a shirt pocket or a purse. The Savior said, "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required [Luke 12:28]." If our faith is not growing, we are going to be held accountable before God.
God has given us the resources, and He will stimulate our growth if we as "newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that [we] may grow thereby [I Pet. 2:1-2]." Paul wrote to this same congregation in his first epistle, "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when ye received the word of God which ye received of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe [I Thess. 2:13]." May the same be said of us!
For HIS praise,
"Pastor" Frasier
Our text assigns to the saints at Thessalonica two virtues which gave rise to thanksgiving to God on the part of the apostle Paul, and which ought to characterize every born again believer. They are what one has called an 'exuberant faith' and, an abounding love.
First to be considered is the direction of the apostle's thanksgiving: 'We thank God for you… ' Every commendable quality in the Christian life is a gift from God and should generate praise to Him as the Fountainhead of "every good and perfect gift." The true believer is not a self-made man or woman, but the consequence of God's grace in a yielded life. There is, therefore, no justification for pride or self-congratulation on the part of the individual believer in whom these virtues are manifested, nor is there any reason for the pastor/teacher to take personal credit should they become characteristic of the congregation as a whole. The proper perspective, when the "garden of God" becomes a thing of spiritual beauty is, "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."
Confining our thoughts today to the first of these qualities, it is appropriate to ask, 'how does faith grow?' Faith, of course, is foundational in Christian experience. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him [Heb. 11:6]." It is faith that generates eternal life: "The just shall live by faith [Rom. 1:17]." It is faith that lifts reason to the level where it can know God and relate to Him; faith is not irrational, but supra rational. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen… Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear [Heb. 11:1,3]." Careful reflection on these passages will reveal what a tremendous quality faith can be in the human soul. Yet it is not a virtue to our credit, but to God's. Scripture makes it clear that faith is not a self-generated virtue. "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast [Eph. 2:8-9]." And in another place we are exhorted to "run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith [Heb. 12:1b, 2]." Clearly faith is His work in us, and this should stimulate, in the heart where proper faith resides, the cry, "to God be the glory, great things He hath done!."
This does not, however, address the question, 'How does faith grow?' The answer is not hard to find, nor unfamiliar to the discerning believer: "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God [Rom. 10:17]." It is the written word that reveals the Living Word, who is "the author and finisher of our faith [Heb. 12:2a]." Apart from the Word faith will either not flourish, or it will be deformed into superstition and fantasy.
The wise preacher will learn from this the importance of being a man of the Book, the Bible. Paul admonished Timothy, "preach the word… [II Tim. 4:2]." And the wise Christian will avail himself of opportunities to sit under the word, but more than that, he will become himself a student of the word. I am often impressed by the fact that we have a tremendous advantage over the first century Christians; they had no ready access to the scriptures, but were largely dependent upon the preaching and teaching of their spiritual overseers. We, in contrast, have the entire divine revelation available in a format that can be carried in a shirt pocket or a purse. The Savior said, "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required [Luke 12:28]." If our faith is not growing, we are going to be held accountable before God.
God has given us the resources, and He will stimulate our growth if we as "newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that [we] may grow thereby [I Pet. 2:1-2]." Paul wrote to this same congregation in his first epistle, "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when ye received the word of God which ye received of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe [I Thess. 2:13]." May the same be said of us!
For HIS praise,
"Pastor" Frasier
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