“And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you. May he make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, CSB).
Paul seems to have really cared for the Thessalonian believers judging from his correspondence to them through Timothy, for they had told Timothy to convey that they had good memories of the apostle’s team and that they longed to see Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy again, and Paul’s response was that the affection is mutual (3:6). Paul and his associates were encouraged by the Thessalonians after hearing about their faith and how they were standing firm in the Lord—it revived them since the apostles were heavily afflicted and in distress (3:7-8). Paul prayed that the Lord Jesus would cause the Thessalonian believers to become even more abundant in love for not only each other but for all people (this would include even the unsaved), his prayer was that they would love one another even as much as Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy loves them (3:12).
He also prayed that the Lord would strengthen their kardia (3:13a). Kardia is the Greek transliteration for the English word heart. In this instance Paul is not referring to their physical kardia, but rather the center of the spiritual aspect of their being, their spirit or inner man (the invisible but primary part of a human being). Paul did not use the Greek term pneuma – the Greek transliteration for the English word spirit – in this prayer request, as he did when referring to the believer’s inner man when he said the Christian should refrain from things that contaminant their spirit and body (2 Cor. 7:1). Rather he went right to the center portion of the Thessalonian’s spirit man, the kardia of their pneuma. Meaning the heart of their spirit being. He went right to the seat of what keeps their spirit man ticking. Kardia (heart) can sometimes refer to the pneuma (spirit) of man, but the noun, spirit, or inner being, is never referred to a physical heart that is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood through the arteries throughout the body.
The reason the believer needs his heart, or inner man, strengthened is so that he becomes “blameless in holiness” before he gets to stand before God the Father (3:13b). I know I said it different than the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) version I used above, and the reason for that is because that is what Paul is saying. The Christian needs to become blameless in holiness so that he gets to stand in front of God the Father. The Concordant Literal Version (CLV), records verse thirteen(ab) like this: “To establish your hearts unblamable in holiness in front of our God and Father.” So, the reason the believer needs to become “blameless in holiness” is because it is God the Father’s will that one day soon the Christian may stand before him in his literal presence—the reason I assert the adverb ‘soon’ is because I maintain that this generation is when the church-age will end with the rapture of the body of Christ. From that point on Yahweh then focuses on the redemption of his chosen people, Israel (Deut. 7:6).
The Greek word ἄμεμπτος – amemptos is the transliteration and it sounds like am'-emp-tos – is the English word blameless used in verse thirteen. Both Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, were said to have walked in all the commands and decrees of the Lord, they were blameless in their actions, they were righteous as far as God was concerned (Lk. 1:5-6). Some say being blameless refers to being free from accusation before God and men. Amemptos is being faultless, irreproachable, impeccable. Because the possibility has been prophesied that the Christian may stand before God the Father one day, his heart or inner being needs to be faultless, in the sense of not being weak and deceived, and impeccable in the sense of being pure.
The Greek term ἁγιωσύνη – the transliteration is hagiōsynē and pronounced hag-ee-o-soo'-nay – is where the English translations get the English term holiness. Paul, when writing the Corinthian believers, commanded them to cleanse themselves of anything that would defile their body and spirit, so they could walk in holiness in order to venerate and honor God the Father (2 Cor.7:1).
So, the believer must have his inner man strengthened so that he can be blameless in his actions, his behavior impeccable, be beyond criticism, be faultless in the sense of not being weak or deceived by false doctrines (2 Tim. 4:3-4), and not be seduced by deceiving spirits (1 Tim. 4:1). The believer must purify his heart and get rid of anything that would pollute his spirit and body. The believer must be faultless as he is commanded to walk in holiness, venerating and honoring God the Father.
Every believer must work at his salvation (Phil. 2:12-13) by walking in the Holy Spirit so he does not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Gal. 5:16), he must crucify the sinful nature and stay lockstep with the indwelling Spirit (Gal. 5:24-25) so that the Spirit of God can perfect the Christian by the power of his word. And then when Jesus comes to rapture the church the Christian will be permitted in the Father’s presence. Jesus will present the body of Christ to the Father as a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, without it being weak or defective, without it having broken relationships, without it having rifts between one another (Eph. 5:27). A person that obeys God’s commands, his word, and lives like Jesus did, has God’s truth in him and is complete in his love (1 Jn. 2:3-6). Jesus is not coming for the Christian that hates his brother/sister because that person has chosen to walk in darkness, the darkness has blinded him (1 Jn. 2:9, 11), but the Christian that loves his brother/sister is living in the light, having perfect fellowship with the Father; nothing can make that Christian fall into sin (1 Jn. 2:10). If this work is not essential to one day being permitted into the literal presence of God the Father than Paul would not have written about it over and over in his letters (Rom. 8:12-14; Gal. 5:16-21; 6:8; Eph. 5:1-6; Col. 3:5-10).
When the rapture occurs all Christ’s faithful followers will be caught up out of this world and taken to his Father’s house (Jn. 14:2-3). “With all his saints” refers to the whole body of Christ, not just the Thessalonian believers. In English we see the word saints (some say holy ones), but Paul used the Greek term ἅγιος. Hagios is the Greek transliteration, and it is pronounced hag'-ee-os. Hagios comes from the Greek word ἁγνός, transliteration is hagnos, and it is pronounced hag-nos'. Hagnos is usually translated in English as pure, which implies staying off temptation, avoiding it; sin is restricted. Being pure reveals the believer is innocent of walking after the flesh because he restricts himself from giving into the sinful nature. Paul when writing Timothy encouraged him to keep himself pure (1 Tim. 5:22c). He told Titus to teach the younger women to be self-controlled and pure (Titus 2:5a). He told the Corinthian believers that he promised to present them to Jesus Christ as a pure virgin (2 Cor. 11:2b). Being pure also refers to being immaculate, spotless, undefiled, faultless, and unblemished (Eph. 5:27). Hagnos is also translated as the English word chaste, which refers to holding back from the desire to give into primarily sexual sins. It also refers to having control of one’s mind and body in order to not give in to the sinful nature. So, the believer or saint is to be pure and chaste. This is what makes them a άγιος του Θεού (ágios tou Theoú), a holy one of God.
The saints (holy ones) being referred to by Paul are the pre-Tribulation saints, the body of Christ. Some think Paul is alluding to the Tribulation saints (Rev. 6:9-11; 7:9-17) who will be saved during Israel’s Seventieth-week/seven-year Tribulation Period, thereby they believe the Scripture verse above (1 Thess. 3:13) refers to the second appearance/coming of Christ. One reason for this view is they do not know the difference between a pre-Tribulation saint and a Tribulation saint. There is also another explanation why they cannot discern the difference, nevertheless I will not write about that here. However, in case you do not know, the Tribulation saints will be resurrected back into their earthly bodies once Israel’s Seventieth-week/Tribulation Period is over so they can reign with Christ on the earth in his millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:4-6). Whereas the pre-Tribulation saints are rapture into the eternal realm before Israel’s Seventieth-week/seven-year Tribulation Period even begins (Rom. 5:9; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6; 1 Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:9; Rev. 3:10).
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