Your Work of Faith and Labor of Love

“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 ESV)

This was a letter penned by the apostle Paul, as carried along by the Holy Spirit. The letter was from Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So this was not an institutional church like we have today, associated with specific church denominations, incorporated as not-for-profit incorporations (businesses) under the state (the government), being marketed to the world just like any other businesses of human origin. And it was not a building called “church.”

The church was and is all who are of genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, who have died with Christ to sin and have been raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to righteousness. We are all who have repented of our sins, who have turned from our sins to obey the Lord and his commands. We are all who are walking in fellowship with the Lord under the direction of the Holy Spirit in doing the will of God for our lives, for the glory of God.

But that doesn’t make us perfect people, nor does it mean that we will never sin again. But the Scriptures do make a definite distinction between those who merely give lip service to the Lord and those who are of genuine walks of faith in the Lord. It teaches us that if sin remains our practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord do not become what we practice, that we do not know God, we are not born of God, we are not in fellowship with Jesus Christ, we are not saved, and we don’t have eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Now these words were spoken to a very specific group of people, commending them and thanking the Lord for them and for their walks of faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus. So we can only apply these words to our own lives if this is how we are living, in truth, and in practice. 

So, what specifically are the apostles thanking the Lord for here? They were thanking the Lord for the church’s (the people’s) work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Wow! That goes against what so many preachers are teaching the people today. For so many are teaching a gospel of salvation absent of all works, even if they are works of faith and labors of love of the Spirit of God in obedience to the Lord in ministry to the body of Christ and to the people of the world.

For they love to quote Ephesians 2:8-9 which tells us that we are saved by God’s grace, which is God’s gift to us, as is the faith to believe in Jesus. For it is also through faith that we are saved, which is of God, and which is not of our own doing, and not of our own works lest any of us should boast that we somehow did something in ourselves to earn or to deserve our own salvation. But not one of us can even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father persuades us to repent of our sins and to obey the Lord.

And since the faith to believe in Jesus is persuaded of God, and not of our own doing, then we don’t get to define what that faith looks like. God does. His word does. And if we read the next verse, verse 10, it says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” So our faith is not absent of works, they just have to be the works of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (in practice).

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]

And all throughout the New Testament we are told that we must die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands and live holy lives pleasing to God if we want to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. And this is not working in the flesh to try to earn God’s grace, but it is walking in the grace of God and in the salvation that our Lord provided for us via his death on that cross so that we can die with him to sin and live to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living.

For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works,” the “good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (see: Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-9)

So, it is not true that God requires no works or that works have nothing to do with our salvation. We are saved to do the good works of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them, by his power. And the New Testament is loaded with instructions to us regarding the good works that we are to be doing, too. And the Scriptures make clear that if we refuse to do the works of God and to obey his commands, but we continue to live in sin and for self, that we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[John 15:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 2:11-14; Titus 3:8; James 2:17] 

So, we are to be the people of God who do the works that God prepared for us to do, and who are engaged in the labors of love which he has called us to do, and who are steadfast of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and of his gospel message, which is that Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and now live for him and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands. For to this we have been called of God to his service and to obedience to him and to do his will for our lives – all in his power and strength and wisdom.

Have Thine Own Way, Lord 

Words by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907 

Music by George C. Stebbins, 1907

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! 

Thou art the potter, I am the clay. 

Mold me and make me after Thy will, 

While I am waiting, yielded and still. 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! 

Search me and try me, Master, today! 

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now, 

As in Thy presence humbly I bow. 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! 

Wounded and weary, help me I pray! 

Power, all power, surely is Thine! 

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine! 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! 

Hold o'er my being absolute sway. 

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see 

Christ only, always, living in me! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z11avpKNLsA