to live (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active indicative, 1st person plural
if
ἐὰνean
G1437
a conditional particle · conditional particle
ye
ὑμεῖςhymeîs
G5210
you (as subjective of verb)
fast
στήκετεstēkete
G4739
to be stationary · verb — present active indicative, 2nd person plural
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
Lord
κυρίῳ.kuriō
G2962
supreme in authority · noun — dative singular masculine, a title
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
Colossians 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was prea…
Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Psalms 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Acts 11:23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lor…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10
Here we have Paul's great satisfaction upon the return of Timothy with good tidings from the Thessalonians, in which we may observe,
I. The good report Timothy made concerning them, Th1 3:6. Without question, he was a willing messenger of these good tidings. Concerning their faith, that is, concerning their stedfastness in the faith, that they were not shaken in mind, nor turned aside form the profession of the gospel. Their love also continued; their love to the gospel, and the ministers of the gospel. For they had a good and a kind remembrance of the apostles, and that constantly, or always. The names of the apostles were very dear to them, and the thoughts of them, and what they themselve…
now--as the case is; seeing ye stand fast.
we live--we flourish. It revives us in our affliction to hear of your steadfastness (Psa 22:26).
if--implying that the vivid joy which the missionaries "now" feel, will continue if the Thessalonians continue steadfast. They still needed exhortation, Th1 3:10; therefore he subjoins the conditional clause, "if ye," &c. (Phi 4:1).
Adam Clarke on 1 Thessalonians 3:8
For now we live - Your steadfastness in the faith gives me new life and comfort; I now feel that I live to some purpose, as my labor in the Lord is not in vain.
John Gill on 1 Thessalonians 3:8
For now we live,.... Before they were dead men, lifeless, disconsolate, dispirited, carrying about with them the dying of the Lord Jesus, and death working in them, and they, as it were, under the sentence of that, being killed all the day long for Christ's sake; but now, upon this news, in the midst of all their sore trials and troubles, their spirits revived, and they became alive and cheerful; see Psalm 22:26, it was like life from the dead unto them:
if ye stand fast in the Lord: or "our Lord", as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions read; that is, "in the faith of the Lord", as the Arabic version renders it: they were in the Lord secretly by electing grace, and openly by regenerating grace…
The Church Fathers
Such ought a Teacher to be, so to regard his disciples, to think them everything. "Now we live," he says, "if ye stand fast in the Lord." And again, "What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ?" You see his anxiety in this matter, his regard for the good of his disciples, not less than for his own. For teachers ought to surpass natural parents, to be more zealous than they. And it becomes their children to be kindly affectioned towards them. For he says, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls as they that must give account."
This is why I am admonishing your graces and urging you in the Lord to think lightly, my brothers and sisters, of things present, which you can't carry with you when you die. Be on your guard against sin, on your guard against injustice of all sorts, on your guard against worldly appetites and greed. It is only then, you see, that our profit from you is undiminished and our reward full of joy in the Lord. I mean, we say what has to be said. We preach what has to be preached and absolve ourselves of our debt to the Lord in the Lord's sight. We haven't kept quiet about what we fear, and haven't kept quiet about what we love. So the sword of the Lord's vengeance, upon whomever it may fall, cannot blame the sentinel for failing at his post. Still, we don't want our reward to be assured with all of you being lost, but with all of you being found. The apostle Paul too was sure of his reward, and yet what did he say to the people? "Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord."
And if ye would fain even number them, let us bring in some one of those that are in honor in kings' courts, and let him have both very much wealth, and great power, and a birthplace excelling others, and distinction of ancestry, and let him be looked up to by all men. Now then let us see, if this be not the very person to be more in slavery than all; and let us set in comparison with him, not a slave merely, but a slave's slave, for many though servants have slaves.… But not such are our circumstances; rather should another fare ill, there are many to grieve with him: should he obtain distinction, many to find pleasure with him. Not so again the apostle: "For whether," saith he, "one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it." And the words of him who gives these admonitions, are at one time, "What is my hope or joy? are not even ye?" at another, "Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord;" at another, "Out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you;" and, "Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not?"
Dictionary and topics
Thessalonians, First Epistle To The — was written by the apostle Paul at Corinth, a few months after he had founded the church at Thessalonica, at the close of the year A.D. 62 or the beginning of 53. The Epistles to the Thessalonians,…
Decision · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Ministers · When faithful: Rejoice in the faith and holiness of their people — When faithful: Rejoice in the faith and holiness of their people
Perseverance · 1:10,22,23;2:7; — 1:10,22,23;2:7;
Steadfastness · Ministers: Encouraged by, in their people — Ministers: Encouraged by, in their people
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
1 Thessalonians 3:6-10
6. But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:
6. Nuper autem quum venisset Timotheus ad nos a vobis, et annuntiasset nobis fidem et dilectionem vestram, et quod bonam nostri memoriam habetis semper, desiderantes nos videre, quemadmodum et nos ipsi vos:
7. Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:
7. Inde consolationem percepimus fratres de vobis, in omni tribulatione et necessitate nostra per vestram fidem:
8. For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord…
Paul was distressed by his present circumstances (3:7) and deeply concerned for the church (3:1, 5). He was relieved to learn that the Thessalonians remained strong and were standing firm in the Lord even though they were also suffering (2:14; 3:3-4).
