Paul Was Committed to the Truth of God (1 Thessalonians 2:3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/3/2014 9:15 PM

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Paul’s Commitment to God’s Truth

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 Thessalonians 2:3

            Message of the verse:  3 For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit.”  “3 Our message to you is true, our motives are pure, our conduct is absolutely above board.”  (Philips)

            I can say that there is a lot packed into this verse, and I will try, with the help of John MacArthur and also Warren Wiersbe to make sense of what this verse has to say to us.

            I can think of Jesus saying to His disciples a short time before He went to the cross these words:  “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.”  A little while later Jesus was before Pilate in one of His trials and He tried to explain to Pilate what truth was, but he did not have time to listen, and this was too bad for him.  One of the attributes of God is truth, and as we have seen truth is a person, Jesus Christ.  Paul took the truth of God, through the truth of His Word very seriously as he tells the Thessaloians in this verse.

            We can tell by what Paul is writing that he was being opposed from those who were involved in religion for dishonest gain, some would get sexual favors, or money and this is what Paul’s accusers were accusing him of doing.  We mentioned that God gave Paul the truth soon after He saved him as seen in the book of Galatians. 

            John MacArthur breaks down the word exhortation stating that the word is translated from the Greek word “paraklesis) and it means “an urgent cry appeal, or call with an emphasis on judgment.  Such usage stressed for Paul’s readers the urgency and directness of his preaching.  He did not stra from the truth or operate apart from the standard of divine revelation.  Paul assured them there was no false teaching or living –in other words, error—in his ministry.”

            I have mentioned that Paul’s critics probably were accusing him of error, but Paul states that he was preaching the truth.  Paul mentions the importance of teaching and preaching the truth to his son in the faith, Timothy.  One of the places we see this is the verse that I have chosen to be the name of my blog 2 Timothy 2:15 which states “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”  It is my desire to write nothing but the truth as I do my Spiritual Diaries and then put them on my blog.

            John MacArthur writes about the word “impurity” in his commentary on 1 Thessalonians and he states that this word is usually used in a sexual way, a sexual way that did not go along with the Word of God.  Sexual acts were very common in false religious ceremony during the days of Paul, and Paul was accused of doing this same kind of thing, but of course, this was not true. 

            One more word to look at and that is the word “deceit” which is translated from the Greek word dolos  and this word means a fishhook or a trap or trick which are forms of deception.  Paul did not use these kinds of tricks, but only taught the truth that is found in God’s Word. 

Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Paul did not trap people into being saved, the way a clever salesman traps people into buying his product.  Spiritual witnessing and ‘Christian salesmanship are different.  Salvation does not lie at the end of a clever argument or a subtle presentation.  It is the result of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5).”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I surely take it to heart in doing my Spiritual Diaries and listen and read from people I trust to have a good knowledge of the Word of God, and then pass on this truth to those who read it on my blogs.  I never want to write something that is not true and I never want to water down the Word of God like some people I have known to have done.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I want to remember that the successful Christian life is a series of new beginnings.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-10

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “"Beware of the false prophets, - "You will know them by their fruits.

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Answer in our next SD.

4/3/2014 10:14 PM