1 Thessalonians 3:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.

NIV: so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them.

NASB: so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.

CSB: so that no one will be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.

NLT: and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through. But you know that we are destined for such troubles.

KJV: That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.

NKJV: that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.

Timothy's presence and preaching at Thessalonica would stabilize the believers and keep them from falling victim to the pressures of persecution. This was the reason Paul was willing to be left alone, sending Timothy to these Christians for their own support (1 Thessalonians 3:1–2). Paul reminds his readers, in this verse, that afflictions are a normal part of the Christian's experience. According to later verses, Timothy's visit was also to see if the Thessalonians had been able to endure their trials (1 Thessalonians 3:5).

In 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul assured Timothy that "all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Writing to the Corinthian church, Paul assured his readers that God uses trials to advance the gospel and to help believers look beyond temporal afflictions to eternal things (2 Corinthians 4:8–18). Paul's faith and hope were so strong that in 2 Corinthians 4:17 he calls his afflictions "light" and "momentary." He lists his trials in 2 Corinthians 11. They include imprisonments, beatings, perilous escapes from persecutors, forty lashes less one, three beatings with rods, multiple brushes with death, stoning, shipwreck, being adrift at sea, danger from robbers and angry Jews and Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, toil and hardship, sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, cold and exposure. Paul also includes that he has daily pressure over his concern for the churches.

Paul's focus to this point has been on praising the Christians of Thessalonica for their faithfulness and growth. This change in tone, it seems, is more meant as encouragement than as criticism.

First Thessalonians 3:1–5 tells the Thessalonian Christians that Paul willingly stayed alone in Athens in order to dispatch Timothy to Thessalonica to help them progress in their faith. He reminds them that they should not be surprised when persecution strikes them. Persecution is part of the Christian experience. He had predicted such affliction when he was in Thessalonica. Now that he was absent from them he was concerned that the Devil might have tempted them, thereby disrupting what Paul's ministry had begun.

In chapter 3, Paul completes his discussion of the current state of the church in Thessalonica. After sending Timothy, Paul has received confirmation that the believers there are standing firm in their faith. Their devotion to the gospel is surviving, despite the persecutions which Paul predicted would arise. Paul once again thanks the Thessalonians for their faithfulness and prays for their continual growth.

Chapter 3 concludes Paul's comments about the condition of the Thessalonian church. These began in chapter 1 and were given more details in chapters 2 and 3. Here, Paul expresses his joy that the Thessalonians are enduring persecution faithfully, and he prays that they will continue to grow. In the following chapters, Paul will address some of the concerns plaguing the Thessalonians, including worries about the end times.

The apostle Paul's second missionary journey included a visit to the prominent Greek city of Thessalonica. This stood alongside a major land route and boasted a busy seaport. A number of individuals believed Paul's message (Acts 17:1–4), but an angry mob forced Paul to leave the city after his brief stay. Later, while in Athens, Paul received a glowing report: the believers at Thessalonica were growing spiritually and serving God fervently. However, they had questions about the Lord's return, including what happens to a believer who dies before that day. And, as all churches do, they had some areas in which they were falling short. In Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, written about AD 51, he addresses these developments. Paul expresses gratitude for the Thessalonian believers' spiritual progress, and frequently makes references to Christ's impending return.