2 Thessalonians 3:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Apostle also rightly used this expression: “we have confidence in the Lord,” that is, we trust in His love for mankind. Again he casts down their pride, showing that everything depends on God. If he had said, “we believe you,” this would have contained great praise for them. But he would not have shown that they refer everything to God. On the other hand, if he had said, “we have confidence in the Lord that He will preserve you,” without adding “concerning you” and “what we command you, you both do and will do,” he would have placed all hope upon God’s power and made them more prone to idleness.

Although we must refer everything to God, nevertheless we ourselves must be active. We must take upon ourselves labors and struggles. Here the Apostle also shows that, although virtue alone is sufficient to save us, it must attain the proper degree of perfection and remain with us until our last breath.

Notice the wisdom of the Apostle. He did not simply say, “we are confident concerning you,” but “in the Lord.” That is, we trust in God’s love for mankind, that He will fill you with strength, in order to show them that everything depends on God. And he did not simply say, “we are confident in the Lord,” but added, “concerning you,” and, “you do and will do,” lest, by attributing everything to God, they become idle. We must cast everything upon God, but in such a way that we ourselves also act. He was not satisfied with saying, “you do,” but added, “and will do,” showing that we must be zealous for virtue until our last breath.

St. John Chrysostom says: “Praying for them, Saint Paul also presents the ground of certainty for success, namely that promises had been given. He says: ‘The Lord is faithful.’ For if He chose all for salvation, He will not lie, nor will He allow you to perish completely. But lest he lead them to inactivity, and lest they themselves, thinking that everything depends on God, give themselves over to sleep, he also requires cooperation on their part when he says to them: ‘We have confidence in the Lord concerning you. That you both do and will do the things we command you.’ He speaks as if saying: true, God is faithful, and having promised to save you, He will certainly save you. But He will save you as He promised, if we ourselves do not remain inactive. For although we must rely on God in everything, nevertheless we ourselves must be active. We must resolve upon labors and struggles. Here the Apostle also shows that our virtue must reach the degree of perfection and remain with us until our last breath.”

As for the Apostle’s wish that they be preserved from the evil one, one may suppose that it is taken from the Lord’s Prayer. Therefore here also one may understand the chief author of evil, who fights against all without ceasing, both himself and through evil men. “The Apostle expected of the Thessalonians in the Lord that, as they had fulfilled, so they would continue to fulfill every will of God revealed to them through the Apostles. He prays that love of God be granted them, in which lies the fulfillment of the law and the firmness of patience itself. He prays to one and the other end: to direct their hearts, so that they may be upright and steadfast not only outwardly, but inwardly, in the very depth of the soul. Thus hope does not remove the necessity of prayer. On the contrary, it gives birth to prayer, warms it, and makes it tireless” (Bishop Theophan).

He does this as soon as He finds hearts opened to Him by faith and devotion. It is as though something remained unsaid: I beseech you, faithfully fulfill everything we have commanded you. Then your salvation will no longer be subject to any doubt.

The Lord saves the one who seeks and is zealous, not the careless and negligent one. "Lest they think that everything will come to them from God, who called and chose them unto salvation, and thereby become negligent and careless, he requires their own activity also.

"It is as though he said: true is God, who chose you unto salvation. But works are necessary on your side as well" (Oecumenius).

"We have confidence in the Lord concerning you." The Greek text also allows this translation: we hope concerning you in the Lord. But the thought is one and the same.

Theophylact writes: "In the Lord means that we trust God's love for mankind, that He will fill you with power. This is to show them that everything depends on God.

"Again, he did not simply say, 'in the Lord,' but 'concerning you, that you do,' and so forth, so that they would not become lazy by referring everything to God. One must entrust everything to God, but in such a way that one also acts oneself."

"The things we command you." We understand by this not only the present instructions, but all commandments, directions, and institutions proceeding from the Apostles, the whole will of God, whatever we have said to you.

Conversion consists in the resolve to act precisely in this way. Baptism itself stands upon this resolve. Before it is performed, they ask: Do you renounce Satan and all his works? And: Do you unite yourself to Christ, with readiness to fulfill His every will?

"Both you do and will do." John of Damascus says: "There is no need, he says, to exhort you much. You have already shown obedience in deed. You are not satisfied with what has already been done, but are ready afterward to add other works also."

This does not mean only that you already do the commandment and will do whatever we still command. Rather, he generally sees in them an obedience ready, as long as they live, to fulfill faithfully whatever is commanded.

For from the beginning they laid down the principle of obeying God's will, which alone the Apostles proclaimed to them. "He was not content to say, 'you do,' but added, 'and will do,' showing that we must be zealous for virtue until our last breath" (Theophylact).

He sets forth here their perfect obedience in order to dispose them to fulfill what he is about to command next. He prepares the way for a moral lesson of correction.

Theodoret says: "He said this to move them, so that, knowing what opinion the Apostle had of them, they might confirm it by deed."

We do not consider it superfluous to give in full Saint Chrysostom's extended exposition of the Apostle's thoughts hidden in this text.

"See how the Apostle, in order not to lead them into inactivity, and so that they themselves, thinking that everything depends on God, should not give themselves over to sleep, also requires cooperation on their part.

"He says to them, 'We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that the things we command you, you both do and will do.' He speaks as though saying: true, God is faithful.

"Having given the promise to save you, He will undoubtedly save you, but He will save you as He promised. And how did He promise? If we ourselves desire it.

"If we obey Him, and if we ourselves do not remain inactive like trees and stones, then He will save us. He did not promise unconditionally.

"The Apostle also rightly used this expression: 'We have confidence in the Lord,' that is, we trust His love for mankind. Again he casts down their pride, showing that everything depends on God.

"For if he had said, 'we believe you,' this would have contained great praise for them. But he would not have shown that they place everything in dependence on God.

"On the other hand, if he had said, 'we have confidence in the Lord that He will preserve you,' and had not added the phrase 'concerning you,' and the other phrase, 'that the things we command you, you both do and will do,' then he would have placed all hope in God's power alone.

"By doing this he would have made them more devoted to laziness. For although we must rely on God in everything, we ourselves must also be active. We must resolve upon labors and struggles.

"Here the Apostle also shows that our virtue must reach its proper degree and perfection, and must remain with us until our last breath."