2 Thess 1:3, What Should We Be Protecting?

Class Outline:

Wednesday June 14, 2023

What is valuable to the human race?

 

1CO 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

Act unbecomingly: manners in all situations, appropriate behavior in all settings. Self cannot be center if that is to be true. Being all things to all men that you might win some.

 

Love does not seek itself (seek its own). Agape love is not preoccupied with the interests of the self.

 

Today, we add to these “is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.”

 

All together these will show us the path of pure and abundant truth possessing our hearts.

 

“Love is not provoked”

The heart of the word means to exasperate or to irritate.

 

It is reaching a level of exasperation. It is one who resides somewhere between irritation and anger because he has taken offense because

his self-regard has been dented, wounded, or punctured by a sharp point.

 

It is only used twice in the NT.

 

ACT 17:16

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. [NASB]

 

Since the word means to stir to anger, to be irritated, or incensed, we would not conclude that Paul was stirred with sorrow for the people of Athens, but more like he was angry that so many were worshiping idols.

 

ACT 17:16

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. [NLT]

 

“It [Love] is not embittered by injuries, whether real or supposed.”

 

Self interest - castle walls protecting self’s imagined treasures.

 

A lack of self-interest allows very effective encouragement and comfort to others.

 

Does not take into account a wrong suffered.

 

The final one in vs. 5 is a little trickier. In NASB “does not take into account a wrong suffered.” The verb logizomai means to think or to reckon followed by the noun “evil” as its object. We could translate it, “love does not think evil.” But that is a little too vague for my taste.

 

Sparing you a lot of detail about what translations and interpretations other scholars and Bible translations have come up with, we will stay with “take into account,” or “reckon up.”

 

Love does not keep a reckoning of the faults of others.

 

Paul’s wonderful poem of love that we have before us uses imagery throughout. Imagery is a distinct picture. It is not vague. It would do every person some good, or more good, to have more imagery in their lives. Life is grayer and drabber without it.

 

Let’s briefly look at the imagery of each to vs. 6 and see how these lead us to a life of truth.

 

Remember, all fifteen descriptions of love are verbs. It is therefore imagery in action. I will group them loosely by category.

 

1CO 13:4-6

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 

 

Love:

Waits patiently.

Shows kindness.

 

Draw your own pictures:

The picture of a person waiting for the right timing to secure the welfare of another, etc., ….

 

Love:

Does not burn with envy.

Makes no parade.

Does not inflate its own importance.

 

Love:

Does not behave with ill-mannered propriety.

Is not preoccupied with interests of self.

Is not punctured by a sharp point (exasperated).

 

Love:

Does not keep tabs on evil (accounting).

Does not take pleasure in rebuking another’s wrongdoing.

 

For instance, consider you were an Israelite in Israel during the OT and the following instruction from the Law had needed to be executed in your home village.

 

DEU 17:2-7

"If there is found in your midst, in any of your towns, which the Lord your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, by transgressing His covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, which I have not commanded, 4 and if it is told you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. Behold, if it is true and the thing certain that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil deed to your gates, that is, the man or the woman, and you shall stone them to death. 6 On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”

 

As you looked at the person, holding a stone in your hand in the midst of dozens of others, would you relish the opportunity to throw your stone with vigor or would you be sorrowful?

 

Application: What should we really be protecting or keeping well?