2 Thessalonians 3:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

“May the Lord,” he says, “direct your hearts into the love of God.” There are many things that turn us away from love, and many paths that violently drag us from it. First of all, the vice of covetousness seizes our soul, as it were, with its shameless hands. It holds it fast and, even against our will, drags it and removes it from that love. Then vainglory, sorrows, and often temptations also draw us away. Therefore we need God’s help, like a certain wind, so that our sail may be moved toward the love of God, as if by a strong breath.

Therefore, do not tell me that you love God even more than yourself. These are only words. Show me through deeds that you truly love Him more than yourself. Love Him more than money, and then I will believe that you love Him more than yourself. Indeed, how can a man despise himself if he does not despise money for God’s sake? But why do I speak of money? If you do not despise covetousness, which ought to be done even without God’s command, how will you come to despise yourself?

“And into the patience,” he says, “of Christ.” What does “into patience” mean? That we must endure as Christ endured, or that we must act as He did, or that we must wait for Him with patience, that is, be ready to receive Him. Since He gave us many promises and will Himself come to judge the living and the dead, we must wait for Him and be patient. Yet everywhere the Apostle speaks of patience, he always hints at afflictions. Love for God consists precisely in enduring and not being troubled by this.

Many things turn us away from the straight path of love: greed, vainglory, sorrows, and temptations. These and many other things prevent us from going toward the love of God and from loving Him as we ought. Understand the words “into the patience of Christ” in either of these ways: that we may endure as He endured, or that we may wait for Christ with patience and not despair, but firmly believe that He will fulfill what He promised. By speaking of patience, the Apostle hinted at afflictions. He joined patience with love because to love God means to endure everything for His sake, without murmuring and with a good courage. By “Lord” understand here the Spirit, as Basil the Great observed.

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).

On the contrary, hope itself begets prayer, warms it, and makes it tireless. "May He direct," from the Greek, means: may He make straight. "May He cause you to walk straight toward true love, without turning aside into bypaths" (Theodoret). May He direct your hearts. How? Certainly by the action of grace in the depth of the soul. Yet it is evident that grace does not do everything, but only directs. The soul itself completes the journey, seeking and exerting itself, though always with the help of God's grace. Theodoret writes on this passage: "We need both things: a good intention and help from above. The prophet also entreats to obtain this: 'Order my steps in Thy paths, that my steps may not slip'" (Ps 16:5). "Into the love of God" means into love for God and for all that is divine. Or it means into the embrace of God's love, from which love will be kindled both for Him, for every man, and for every good. Or it means into divine love, great, pure, and heavenly. The expressions differ, but the essence is one. Yet why is the journey toward this love supposed to be long and exposed to the danger of deviations? Because love does not at once take up its abode in the heart, owing to the passions, passionate inclinations, and sympathies that remain there. The seed of love is planted in the soil of the heart at the moment of conversion. It grows strong and ripens as the heart is purified from the passions. Labor over the purification of the heart is crowned with perfect love. During this inner labor upon oneself, deviations from the right path toward love are possible, and they do occur. "Many things divert us from the right path of love: love of possessions, vainglory, sorrows, and temptations. These and many other things do not allow us to walk straight toward the love of God and to love Him as we ought" (Theophylact). Chrysostom explains this more fully, saying: "There are many things that turn us away from love, and many paths that forcibly drag us from it. First is the vice of covetousness, which, as it were, grasps our soul with shameless hands. Holding it tightly, even against our will, it draws it away and removes it from love. Then vainglory and sorrows draw us away from love, and often temptations do the same. Therefore we need God's help, like a wind, so that our sail may be driven toward the love of God by a strong breath. Consequently, do not tell me that you love God even more than yourself. These are mere words. Prove it to me by deeds, that you truly love Him more than yourself. Love Him more than money, and then I will believe that you love Him more than yourself. For how can one deny himself who counts money as nothing for God's sake? If you do not turn away from covetousness, which you ought to do even without God's command, how will you turn away from yourself?" "And into the patience of Christ" means patience for Christ's sake, or patience in imitation of Christ, Who suffered for us. It is the patience which Christ Himself showed when He endured sufferings and death for our salvation. Or it means patient expectation of Christ's second coming, when He will reward those who endure with glory and blessedness. After love, this expectation alone sustains patience. When patience is present, all these features are contained within it. The Apostle joined them all in one expression, calling it the patience of Christ. He prays only for two moral powers: love and patience. Love is the innermost moving power of the Christian life. Patience is also an inner power, but one that guards this life from without. Patience is held by hope, but receives invincible strength from love. Where there is no love, patience will hardly last long. Where there is no patience, love is hardly strong. "The Apostle's prayer," says St. John of Damascus, "concerns weighty matters, namely that they should love God and patiently endure sorrows for Christ. Patience is to be joined to love, or rather love is crowned by patience. For as soon as we love but show no patience, love itself is destroyed." Theophylact writes the same: "Understand the words 'into the patience of Christ' either thus: that we may endure as He endured. Or thus: that we may wait for Christ with patience and not despair, but firmly believe that He will fulfill what He promised. He joined patience to love because to love God means to endure all things for Him, without murmuring, with good courage." Both borrowed their thoughts from Chrysostom, who explains this more fully. With this the holy Apostle ends what appears to be his concluding speech. Yet in it he included such good wishes and expectations that a peaceful reception of his reproving words could not be doubted. By all this he "showed his fatherly care for them. Since he was about to reprove some of them, he first anoints their hearts, so that they may not doubt that he gives them this charge out of great love" (Theophylact).