Growing in Faith
—2Thessalonians 1:3
We present a series of studies in Paul’s Second letter to the Thessalonians. We start with the lesson below as an introduction.
2Thessalonians 1:3 Paul is greatly encouraged by the church of the Thessalonians. He says, ¶ "We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, just as it's appropriate to do, because your faith grows exceedingly..." (2Thessalonians 1:3).
These opening words of Paul describe a kind of faith that is widely forgotten today. Many people think that when you first believe in Jesus you are saved by that one prayerful moment of faith. From that moment forward, they say, you cannot be lost; you have eternal life, and no change in your way of life is required to maintain that state of grace.
Now with that topic in mind, let's note three things Paul says about the faith of the Thessalonians.
1 A Faith that Makes People Thankful.
Paul says, ¶ "We are bound to always give thanks to God for you... because your faith grows exceedingly" (2Thessalonians 1:3).
In verse 13, Paul says a second time, "We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth..." (2Thessalonians 2:13).
If a person’s faith is in the truth then their life and actions will be in the truth. That will be something for which people will be thankful.
Who is going to give thanks for a belief (or faith) and a sanctification (or holiness) that causes no abandonment of lawless ways?
Who is going to give thanks for a thief who keeps on stealing, or a liar who keeps on deceiving, or an abusive person who still acts the bully?
Only a transforming faith, that changes heart and conduct, will make people approve and give thanks for that faith. Imagine how thankful parents would be if their son, who had been a lawless person, became a believer in Christ such that he changed his ways and became a respectable member of the community.
2 A Faith that Grows.
Now we come back to our text, and Paul says to the Thessalonians, "Your faith grows exceedingly" (2Thessalonians 1:3).
Faith does not remain just as it was when one first believed and obeyed the gospel. Faith grows. Our faith should be much bigger now than it used to be. Its effect on our own lives, and its influence on others, should be much stronger now than it was when our faith was new.
Greater faith doesn't mean we get more and more gullible, more and more willing to believe myths. A larger faith is one in which we have made more sure the things we may once have believed, even though we then did not understand all that we now know about Jesus.
One of the main ideas in the New Testament is the need for more and greater faith. For example...
"The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.' The Lord said, 'If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, "Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea," and it would obey you'" (Luke 17:5-6).
A man whose child was sick came to Jesus for help. "Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, 'I believe. Help my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:23-24).
Paul exhorts the Romans, "It is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed. The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let us therefore throw off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:11-12).
Likewise, Paul's message to the Thessalonians is about "salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth" (2Thessalonians 2:13). That is an ongoing and developing process.
3 A Faith that Matures.
Since our text (2Thessalonians 1:3), says that faith "grows" we expect that faith will attain maturity.
In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul said that he was ¶ "praying very hard, night and day, that we may see your face; and may perfect what is lacking in your faith" (1Thessalonians 3:10).
Paul did not mean that their faith was weak or poorly. He meant that their faith was ready to grow and this growth was necessary. There is, in most of us, the potential for our faith to abound still more and more.
So our foremost goal is to discover what is lacking in our faith and then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to bring our faith nearer to maturity and perfection.
We won't do this by continuing to live a sinful life, will we?