And may the Lord make you to increase and abound in love unto one another and unto all, just as we do unto you,
Truth to Learn
All Christians need to grow in our love for others.
Behind the Words
Kurios is the Greek word translated “Lord.” It is derived from kuros, meaning “might” or “power.” Thus, kurios refers to “someone who has legal power or supreme authority over you.” When accompanied by the definite article (the) as it is here, it is a reference to “the Lord,” that is to God, who has supreme authority over us. He is our King, our owner, our Lord, and our Master.
The words “may … make you increase” are translated from the Greek verb pleonadzō, which means “to have, or to cause to have a lot, or more than enough.” The verb is expressed here in the rare optative mood, which is used to express a wish or a desire as used in a prayer to God.
“Abound” is from the Greek verb perisseuō, which means “to be in excess in number or measure.” The meaning of this word is really more than just “to abound.” It means to super abound. It, too, is expressed in the optative mood, indicating a wish or a prayer request.
Meaning Explained
In the New Testament we are instructed more than thirty times either to do something or not to do something to one another. In virtually all cases it is a reference to how we are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. And, by far the most frequent of these is for us to love one another. (1Thessalonians 4:9; Romans 12:10; Romand13:8; 2Thessalonians 1:3; 1Peter 1:22; 1John 3:11, 1John 3:23; 1John 4:7, 1Jn_4:11; 2John 1:5)
Paul’s prayer request here does not just include an increase in, and abundance of, love for the brothers, he prays that Christian love might abound to all people.
In yesterday’s verse we noted that Paul expressed this prayer to the Father and the Son. There are some scholars who believe that “the Lord” expressed in this verse is a reference to the Holy Spirit. If that is the case, then this is the only prayer in the Bible addressed to the third person of the Trinity. In this case, it might be appropriate, since Paul tells us in Romans 15:13 that it is the Holy Spirit who causes us to abound in hope, and he tells us in Romans 15:16 that it is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us (makes us holy, as in the next verse). Other scholars, however, point out that the instructions that we have been given in the New Testament are to pray “to the Father, through the Son, in (or by) the Spirit,” not to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
One more thing to note here: Paul has written this letter to a church undergoing severe persecution. Under such difficult circumstances, it is easy to take our eyes off those around us and focus instead on ourselves and our fears. Therefore, it is significant that he should pray for an increasing and overflowing love for the Thessalonian Christians. Do you recall what John said in his first epistle? “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear …” (1 John 4:18a)
Application
Let us all commit ourselves to exercising love for others, both within and outside the church. Doing so will make the persecutions we face easier to bear.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved