The final words of 1 Thessalonians 1:3, in the original Greek, refer to God the Father. Paul concludes this statement of verse 3 by saying before our God and Father. Now, some English translations put that earlier in the verse, because the idea of the presence of God and prayer seem to go together. But it is not likely that Paul meant that—the distance in the text between the two suggests that Paul put it at the end to sum up the whole. And what he is saying is that the Thessalonian believers—and that we today—are to engage in the work of faith and the labour of love and the steadfastness of hope, knowing that our entire lives are spent in the presence and sight of God the Father. He is reminding believers that God sees us. God himself is glorified by the evidences of his saving grace in us.
Now notice that Paul emphasizes not merely God, but the fatherhood of God, and I think that that is where the real emphasis is. And just as we are to think of our whole lives as the people of Christ—that he died for us, he is leading us, and he is coming back for us—so we are to look to God the Father, and we are to say that we have become his dearly beloved children. I have noticed in the church that when the young people are together and their fathers show up, they tighten things up a little bit. And it is certainly true that remembering that we live in the sight of the Father—that is to call us to our duty. That is not a bad thing.
But I think the real stress here is on the encouragement and the blessing it is to have the Father present. Have you noticed that little boys and girls like to have their fathers there for their soccer game or for their baseball game? Why is that? For the encouragement and the strength and the blessing of the father’s cheers and of his smiles—together with the mother’s, to be sure—emboldening the children in the work of faith, the labour of love, and the steadfastness of hope. The Father’s presence encourages us that he sees us. He is with us. He is providing for us. He is the one who saves us. Let us then live for the praise of the glory of his grace.1
Richard D. Phillips
3 nous rappelant sans cesse l'œuvre de votre foi, le travail de votre amour, et la fermeté de votre espérance en notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ, devant Dieu notre Père.