1 Thessalonians 1:3 – His Expectation Became Their Expectation

3 …unintermittingly remembering your work of faith and toil of love and endurance of expectation of our Lord Jesus Christ, in front of our God and Father…

Besides the work of faith and the toil of love, Paul mentions “the endurance of expectation.” The word hypomonē literally means something like “remaining under.” Despite pressure and opposition, you keep standing. That characterized the Thessalonians. From the beginning, they had faced severe opposition, but the expectation they had received enabled them to endure.

Literally, Paul speaks of “the expectation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Usually, this is rendered as the expectation in the Lord Jesus Christ. But that needlessly interprets Paul’s wording in advance. “Of” accurately conveys what is written: the expectation belongs to the Lord and proceeds from Him. When Paul later speaks about this expectation, he introduces it as “the word of the Lord” (4:15). The Lord Himself has made known what is about to happen.

His expectation thus became their expectation as well. The Lord will descend from heaven, and His own will be snatched away “to meet the Lord in the air” (4:17). He expects that meeting, and they expect Him. That prospect enabled the Thessalonians to stand firm under all opposition. Their endurance drew its strength from an expectation that had not begun with themselves, but with their Lord.

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