Lessons.—1. The Christian life is a sublime participation in the nature of God. 2. Love and patience reveal the God-like character. 3. Prayer is at its best when engaged with the loftiest themes.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSE.
Ver. 5. Waiting for the Second Advent.
I. The love of God a preparation for the Redeemer’s coming.—1. The love of God is the love of goodness. 2. The love of God is the love of man expanded and purified. The love of man expanded into the love of Him, of whom all that we have seen of gentle and lovely, of true and tender, of honourable and bright in human character, are but the shadows and the broken, imperfect lights.
II. Patient waiting another preparation for the Redeemer’s coming.—1. The Christian attitude of soul is an attitude of expectation.—Every gift of noble origin is breathed upon by hope’s perfect breath.
2. It is patient waiting.—Every one who has ardently longed for any spiritual blessing knows the temptation to impatience in expecting it.—F. W. Robertson.
MAIN HOMILETICS ON THE PARAGRAPH.—Verses 6, 7.
Christian Consistency.
The apostle commended with a warm-hearted eulogy whatever was good in the Thessalonians, but he was not less faithful in administering rebuke when it was needed. A number of the converts, not sufficiently pondering the words of the writer, were carried away with the delusion that the second advent of Christ would take place immediately, and they abandoned all interest in the practical duties of life—an error that has been often repeated since, with similar results. Fearing the mischief would spread, and seeing that all pervious warnings were disregarded, the apostle in these verses treats the mistaken enthusiasts with unsparing condemnation. Disorder must be crushed, and consistency preserved.
I. Christian consistency is in harmony with the highest teaching.—“After the tradition which he [or they] received of us” (ver. 6). The rules of Christian consistency were clearly laid down in the traditions or doctrines taught by the apostles and were enforced with all the weight and sanction of Divine authority. To violate these rules is to “walk disorderly”—to break the ranks, to fall out of line. The value of the individual soldier is the degree in which he keeps in order and acts in perfect harmony and precision with the rest of the regiment. A breach of military rule creates disaster. Let the believer keep the Divine law, and the law will keep him.