1 Thessalonians 3:9 – All the Joy

9 For what thanksgiving are we able to repay to God concerning you for all the joy with which we are rejoicing because of you in front of our God,

Paul searches for words to thank God, but they fall short. “What thanksgiving can we offer God in return?” he asks. The expression in return conveys the idea of giving something back in response to what has been received. The joy that the news about the Thessalonians had brought him was so great that Paul wonders how he could adequately thank God for it. No thanksgiving can equal God’s grace. But the greater the awareness of that grace, the greater the thanksgiving.

He almost piles up the words: “all the joy with which we rejoice because of you.” Joy and rejoice belong to the same word family in Greek. What began with consolation in verse 7 and was expressed as “now we are living” in verse 8 is described here as great joy. That joy reflects the close bond Paul had with them. After all, he had already spoken of them using the language of parents and children (2:7, 11).

But that joy did not stop with the Thessalonians themselves. Paul rejoiced because of them “in front of our God.” He saw their standing firm as a reason to thank God. Their faith, after all, was not the fruit of human effort. God’s word was operating in them. Thus Paul’s joy over people became thanksgiving to God at the same time!

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