1 Thessalonians Chapter 3

Other Translations

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1 Therefore when we couldn’t stand it any longer, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone,

2 and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in the Good News of Christ, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith,

3 that no one would be moved by these afflictions. For you know that we are appointed to this task.

4 For most certainly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction, even as it happened, and you know.

5 For this cause I also, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, sent that I might know your faith, for fear that by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would have been in vain.

6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you, and brought us glad news of your faith and love, and that you have good memories of us always, longing to see us, even as we also long to see you.

7 For this cause, brothers, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith.

8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

9 For what thanksgiving can we give again to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sakes before our God,

10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.

12 May the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all men, even as we also do toward you,

13 to the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).