As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:
3For
our appeal [was] not out of error neither out of uncleanness nor in deceit, 4but
just as we have been tested by God to be entrusted with the gospel, thus we
speak but not as ones pleasing men but God, the One testing our hearts. 5For,
as you know, we were not once in a word of flattery neither in a pretext of
greed – God [is our] witness – 6nor seeking glory out of men,
[though] being able to be in weight as apostles of Christ.
Paul is here, unfortunately, having to defend himself. In I
Thessalonians, he doesn’t mention his detractors as he does in Galatians or I &
II Corinthians (for example), but they were of course always there, accusing
him of all of the things he here insists were never true. It is saddening to
see how truly good a person can be and yet still be maligned and accused. Paul
did nothing but sincerely love people at great sacrifice on his own part, and
yet there were still those who were quite sure he was just a greedy peddler disseminating
his deceitful fairy tales. Of course, that is how they treated Jesus too. He
never did anything but love people and they crucified Him for it.
Obviously, Paul is dealing with all of this in the realm of
the ministry (since that was his calling), but I want to point out that what he’s
talking about is true no matter what your vocation or what you try to
accomplish. We won’t change this sad reality of our fallen world. What we can
change though is whether or not we are like Paul (and like Jesus) in what we
allow to be our motives and the methods we employ as we go about our business
and our lives. In Titus we are instructed to be workers who can be “fully
trusted” so that “in every way” we “will make the teaching about God our Savior
attractive” (2:10). On the other hand, in I Timothy Christians should be good
workers “so that God’s name may not be slandered” (6:1).
So, based on these and many, many other passages, this is
true whether we’re talking about ministers or school teachers or plumbers or car
mechanics or lawyers or engineers or stay-at-home moms, and whether those same
people are involved in a church ministry of some kind or whether they are
living their daily lives and doing their jobs. The kind of sincerity that Paul
is describing is simply the kind of people we all should be, no matter what we’re
doing. As Albert Barnes said, “It is much when a man can say that he has never
endeavored to accomplish anything by mere trick, craft, or cunning … Guile,
craft, cunning imply deception, and can never be reconciled with that entire
honesty which a minister of the gospel, and all other Christians, ought to
possess.” John Trapp said, “True grace is of a most masculine, disengaged,
noble nature, and remits nothing of its diligence either for fear of a frown or
hope of a reward.” I guess my point is that what Paul is describing is not just
the work of a pastor or missionary but that of everyone who calls themselves a
Christ-follower.
As we do our jobs or interact with family and friends and
grocery store clerks, it should be true of all of us that “we speak … not as ones pleasing men but God, the One testing our
hearts; for, as you know, we were not once in a word of flattery neither in a
pretext of greed – God [is our] witness…” We don’t need to resort to deceit
or trickery, we don’t need to flatter, greed deserves no place in our hearts,
and we live our lives with “God as our witness.” Christians are free to simply
do right and love people because they know that the Lord sees and cares and
will reward their faithfulness in His way and in His time.
The Lord frees us to just live simply and honestly.
I have often told people I am convinced in work that if you
take care of people, in the long run they’ll take care of you. It is true that
sometimes, in the short run, people can certainly take advantage of you; but I
still believe, in the long run, if you make it your goal to take care of them,
they will take care of you. In other words, if I sincerely make it my goal to do
good for the people I work for, in the long run I will have work to do, and I
will be paid a reasonable wage. I don’t have to play games, neither do I have
to resort to any schemes to “get their money.” I can just “do good” and trust
the Lord to make it all work out.
Studying this passage just reinforces that determination in
my own life – to simply live and work honestly.
God help me.
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