2 Thessalonians 1:3 (ASV)

Passage

We are bound to give thanks to God always to you, brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith growth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth;

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ;

2 Thessalonians 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to give thanks to God always to you, brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith growth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth;

2 Thessalonians 1:4 so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure;

2 Thessalonians 1:5 [which is] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "bound", "give", "thanks", "always", "brethren", "even", and "meet". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "bound", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Grace to you and peace from God..." into verse 4's "so that we ourselves glory in you...", so "faith" and "bound" belong inside that flow. In 2 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "bound" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.