I Thessalonians 1:4,5 – “I Know”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁴knowing, brothers loved by God, the choosing of you, ⁵because our Gospel was not produced into you in word only, but also in power and in [the] Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, just as you know what sort [of people] we became among you because of you.

This is an interesting couple of verses, but before I record my thoughts on them, I want to note one more thing about v3: Note it was “your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope.” Someone pointed out that a life can be filled with work, labor, and endurance, and yet lack the three graces of faith, hope, and love. Paul of course warns of exactly this in I Cor 13, “though I …, though I, though I … and have not love, I am nothing.” We can “do it all” and “have not love.” We can work without real faith, labor without real love, and endure without real hope. It is incumbent on each one of us throughout our days to humbly and consciously let the Lord search our hearts and test our motives. People talk about getting “burned out.” I strongly suspect most of the time what really happened is exactly this, that, for whatever reason, they were working without faith, laboring without love, and enduring without hope. If what we’re doing is really for the Lord, if it’s really being done with the graces of faith, hope, and love, then the Bible tells us “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint.” Lord, help me to be honest with You about my motives and may Your grace in fact make me strong even when I’m weak.

Back to vv4,5, I have a different sort of thought to record, but totally not sure how to say it. So I’ll just wade in and see if I can make any sense. Paul says in these verses that he knows the election of the Thessalonians because they didn’t receive the Gospel in word only “but in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.” In verse 3, we were able to dissect the three graces faith, hope, and love and their fruit and be quite logical and scientific about it all. I don’t think we can do that with vv4,5. In fact, I think we have to be quite unscientific in these verses. What do I mean? (Maybe I’m still wondering myself!) I think in real faith and in real life, there is a subjective element that simply is. It’s like the old song said, “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.” I remember years ago kind of objecting to those words, thinking they were “feeling oriented,” that such words were not an expression of true confidence but just sort of popular sentiment. “He lives within my heart.” How subjective, I thought. Well, now I’m old and decrepit, and if you ask me how I know He lives, I might just tell you, I know it because “He lives within my heart.” I don’t care if it’s subjective. He lives within my heart. How do I know it? I just know it. Unscientific? Yes. Subjective? Yes.

Where this observation comes to bear on our verse today is trying to figure out what Paul means by knowing their election, because there was “power, the Holy Spirit, and much assurance.” What exactly does he mean by that? And was it on his part as the preacher or on their part as the listeners? I don’t think that matters. And I don’t think anything needs to be “defined.” This is just something that, when it happens, you know it. How do you know it? You just do. Subjective? Yes. But still very true? Yes. There simply are times, and I hope everyone reading this has experienced it, when this is exactly what happened. It could have been the whole group or just in your own heart. You might have been the preacher/teacher or you might have been sitting in the pews. But the Word was preached and it wasn’t just words. It was power. It was the Holy Spirit. And it was in full assurance.

I’ve sat through presentations of all kinds over the years and sometimes you sit through one and say, “That was excellent. Those were really good ideas. I liked that.” That is one thing. It is another thing when the Words of the Living God come alive in your heart. I would suggest that the vast majority of sermons and lessons and even Bible studies we all engage in will always and of necessity be just that -- We sit through it, we work through it, we get up and we go on. Then there are those time when it seems the Lord shoves sticks of dynamite in our ears and lights the fuses.

That’s what Paul is talking about. He started preaching at Thessalonica and that is exactly what happened. The Lord showed up. Paul knew it. Timothy knew it. Silas knew it, and the Thessalonians knew it. It wasn’t just words, it was power, and it was the Holy Spirit, and it was full assurance.

That last one is really important – full assurance. Once again, there is a time when I “know” it’s true. There’s a time when I’m hearing something, reading something, realizing something, and I just “know” it’s true. How do I “know” it? I just do. There’s not a doubt in my soul. One day in 1979 I was getting up from my bed and as I stood up I just “knew” that all this stuff about Jesus, and God, and the Bible was true. I just knew it and I would never be the same. Full assurance. Time and time and time again, I open my Bible because I need a word from the Lord and time and time and time again He speaks to me right off the words that fall before my eyes. It’s Him. I know it. How do I know it? I just know it. And I love the sense of assurance He gives me. It’s the strength to go on, the strength to be brave, the strength to face the obstacles.

So what is Paul talking about in I Thess 1:4,5? If you don’t know, you should. I suspect you do. You can’t know the amazing, infinite God and not know the wonder of His touch.

Is that subjective? Yes. Is it true? Yes.

Ask the Thessalonian believers how they know He lives. I’ll bet I can tell you their answer.

And that’s okay.