1 Thessalonians 1

Chapter 1

1:3  Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

work of faith

Lit. operative faith, and laborious love, and hope-filled patience.

1:9  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;

how ye turned

The tenses of the believer's life here indicated are logical and give the true order. They occur also in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 . The "work of faith" is to "turn to God from idols" (cf) John 6:28 John 6:29 the "labour of love" is to "serve the living and true God"; and the "patience of hope" is to "wait for his Son from heaven" (cf) ; Matthew 24:42 ; 25:13 ; Luke 12:36-48 ; Acts 1:11 ; Philippians 3:20 Philippians 3:21 . Paul repeats this threefold sequence in Titus 2:11-13 .