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2 Thessalonians 1:3
ESV We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
NIV We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.
NASB We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is only fitting, because your faith is increasing abundantly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another grows ever greater.
CSB We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing.
NLT Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing.
KJV We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

What does 2 Thessalonians 1:3 mean?

In this verse Paul, Silas, and Timothy assure the Thessalonians that it was right for them to give thanks to God for them. They give two reasons for such thankfulness. First, the Thessalonians' faith was growing extremely well. The expression, "to grow abundantly," contains the Greek word hyperauxanei, a word used to describe the rapid growth of babies and plants. The Thessalonians' relationship with God was continuing to grow greater, and healthier.

Paul and his coworkers also thank God for the Thessalonians' increasing brotherly love. The word used for "love" in this verse is agapē, describing a sacrificial love, not simply a sentimental fondness. The Thessalonians loved one another so much that they willingly gave whatever it took to benefit their fellow believers. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul commended the churches of Macedonia, which included the church at Thessalonica. He praised them for contributing generously to aid their brothers in Judea. He boasted: "For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord" (2 Corinthians 8:2–3).
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