The Spirit at Work in our Hearts (2 Thess. 3:5)
Paul was writing to a very young church, only a few months old. It had been planted by Paul, Silas and Timothy during Paul’s second missionary journey. They had only been there for a few weeks when Paul and Silas had been forced to leave Thessalonica because of very strong opposition led by the Jewish synagogue. In addition to external problems such as opposition the new church also had internal issues connected to wrong views of the second coming. Nevertheless Paul writes that he and his colleagues ‘have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command’ (2 Thess. 3:4).
Framework
Paul had the ability to pack a lot into a short sentence. There are numerous examples of this ability in his letters. And we can see that he does so in our text as well. In this verse, he refers to the Trinity – it could be rephrased as ‘May the Holy Spirit direct your hearts to the love of the Father and to the steadfastness of Christ.’ Obviously, during the short time he had been with them, he had instructed them about the Trinity. Clearly, he also thought that referring to the Trinity was suitable for new believers.
The role of the Spirit
One could say from this verse that one role of the Spirit is to lead believers to think about the Father and the Son. He has many other roles as well. Paul uses the verb ‘direct’ to illustrate the work of the Spirit. What does he have in mind by this word picture? He is not thinking about the first-century equivalent of a traffic policeman pointing to drivers where they should go. Rather I think he is like a parent who shows a child where to go and then enables the child to go in that direction. So the Spirit enables us to reach the Father and the Son.
How does the Spirit do this? He uses what we call the means of grace. As we know, some of them are private and others are communal. Privately, he can bring Bible verses to our minds, or he can cause us to pray for interaction with the Lord. Communally, he can use the activities of a congregation such as preaching and worship. We could use this verse as a prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to show us the love of the Father and the steadfastness of the Son.
The Spirit does this activity in our hearts. It can be difficult to work out the intricacies of our inner makeup. Where does our mind end and our affections begin? Do they usually function together? I think the answer is yes, and by ‘heart’ Paul means our entire inner life. We need to be informed, but the Spirit does not supply merely clinical information in a detached way. Doctrine is not so much for analysis as it is for adoration of and affection for the Lord.
The love of the Father
It is common in the New Testament to use the title ‘God’ when referring to the Father. As we know, a great deal is said in the Bible with regard to the love of the Father. So we can think briefly about a few of the references, while reminding ourselves they are expressions of his grace and goodness.
First, the Father’s love is revealed in the eternal choice of his people. This truth is definitely not revealed for our analysis, but for our adoration of and affection for God. Before the creation appeared, God chose his people. He loved them because he loved them. Indeed, he has always loved them. Throughout his beginningless existence, he has loved them. They were part of the eternal communion of the Trinity. We need direction from the Spirit to appreciate this amazing truth.
Second, the love of the Father is described in the well-known verse of John 3:16 which says that he so loved the world that he gave his Son in order for sinners to be saved. The word for world there, as Carson has pointed out, refers not so much to its bigness but to its badness. It was a world of sinners that was the object of the Father’s love and so strong was that love that he was willing to give his dearly beloved Son to the cross in order for them to be forgiven.
Third, the love of the Father is revealed in his response to sinners when they believe the gospel and trust in Jesus. The apostle John writes, ‘See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are’ (1 John 3:1). The Father had to do two things before we could become children. He had to justify us and he had to adopt us. Both activities are expressions of his love. When he justified us, he forgave our sins and reckoned the righteousness of Jesus to our account. What an amazing expression of love! Yet he did more because he also adopted us into his family and gave to us all the privileges connected to that state.
Fourth, the love of the Father is revealed in his daily dealings with his people. Sometimes he chastens them, but as Hebrews 12 says, his chastenings are expressions of his love. At other times, he visits his people as they serve him. Recall what Jesus says in John 14:23: ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’
Fifth, the love of the Father is seen in the way that heaven is described. It is the Father’s house, full of a sufficient number of rooms for all of his people. The building Jesus uses as the illustration comprised lots of private rooms and a large common area. We can see that he is indicating that heaven is composed of personal private interaction with God (in rooms) and communal interaction (the large common area).
The steadfastness of Christ
The word ‘steadfastness’ points to perseverance and dependability. Paul is indicating that it is straightforward to know what Jesus will do for his people. He will never be fickle or indifferent towards them. How can we think about Jesus as steadfast?
He is reliable in the fulfilment of his offices. They are summarised as prophet, priest and king. As prophet, he is our teacher; as priest, he obtains blessings for us; and as king, he rules over us and protects us. We can see in the Gospels how faithful Jesus was to those duties, even on the evening of his arrest. How did he spend the evening? He taught his disciples very profound truths as they sat together in the Upper Room; he assured them that he had interceded for them (as he told Peter when revealing that Satan had asked to have him); as king, he limited the extent of harassment that they would receive from the enemy of their souls. The fact is, Jesus is faithful to his roles of prophet, priest and king.
Jesus is steadfast when we fail. There are no Christians who do not fall short in numerous ways. Often, we focus on what we should do when that happens, which is that we should repent of our sins. Sometimes we forget to see what steadfast Jesus is doing for us at that moment. John reminds us that we have an Advocate when we sin (1 John 2:1). Jesus does not approve of our sins, but he remains our Advocate and his presence before the Father is a permanent reminder that the penalty of our sins has been paid. His wounds show his steadfastness. Not only does he remain our advocate, he also remains our restorer. He is the good Physician who knows how to cure our sin-affected hearts and restore to us the joy of salvation.
Lessons
Why should we consider the love of the Father and the steadfastness of Jesus? The answer is obvious – we consider them so that we can make them our own. The love of God for us becomes the love of God in us and becomes the love of God through us. Thinking about the aspects of God’s love is an effective channel for his love to come into our hearts, and when it is there that love will flow through us to others, both to Christians and to unbelievers.
Similarly, considering the steadfastness of Jesus will lead to us being steadfast for Jesus. As we consider his perseverance, both for us when he was here on earth and with us as he deals with us day-by-day, we find ourselves experiencing spiritual strength and we become like him.