1 Thessalonians 2:13 – As It Truly Is

13 And therefore we also are thanking God unintermittingly that, in accepting the word heard from us, from God you receive, not the word of men, but, according as it truly is, the word of God, which is operating also in you who are believing.

The Thessalonians had heard the word from the mouths of men. Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy had come to them and had spoken. Their voices were human, and so was their appearance. But the origin of what they brought did not lie with them. They were messengers of a word that came from God.

And that is also how the Thessalonians had received it: “not the word of men.” They were not hearing human philosophy, religious reflection, or an interesting opinion. That also explains Paul’s uninterrupted thanksgiving to God. Their reception of the word was not merely appreciation for the messengers. In what was proclaimed to them, they recognized the word of God.

But Paul says even more. He does not merely write that they received it as God’s word, but adds: “according as it truly is.” Their recognition did not make it the word of God. They recognized what it actually was. It came to them through human voices, but the message itself had a divine origin. They heard men speaking and received what it truly was: the word of God!

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