1 Thessalonians 2:6 – No Glory From Men

6 neither seeking glory from men, neither from you, nor from others, when we could be a burden as Christ’s apostles.

Paul sought no “glory from men.” This connects directly with what precedes: he did not speak to please men and did not use flattery. His concern was not the recognition or standing that people could give him. And he made no distinction in this: “neither from you, nor from others.” Human appreciation was not what he was seeking.

Yet Paul and his coworkers held a position that gave them certain claims. They were “Christ’s apostles.” Apostle is the Anglicized form of apostolos and simply means delegate. Precisely as delegates of Christ, they had certain rights, but they did not make use of them. They could have been “a burden.” What Paul means by that becomes clearer a few verses later. In verse 9 he reminds them how they worked night and day so as not to be “burdensome” to any of the Thessalonians.

That word “burdensome” is related to “burden” in verse 6. As delegates of Christ, they could have claimed support, but they refrained from it. That also sheds light on the “pretense for greed” in verse 5. They did not use the evangel to obtain anything from men; they even refrained from what they were entitled to receive as delegates of Christ.

Share: