2 Thessalonians 1:3 (DRB)

Passage

We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith groweth exceedingly and the charity of every one of you towards each other aboundeth.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul and Sylvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians. In God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

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

2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith groweth exceedingly and the charity of every one of you towards each other aboundeth.

2 Thessalonians 1:4 So that we ourselves also glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith, and in all your persecutions and tribulations: which you endure

2 Thessalonians 1:5 For an example of the just judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which also you suffer.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "bound", "give", "thanks", "always", "brethren", "fitting", and "groweth". 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 unto you and peace from God..." into verse 4's "So that we ourselves also glory in...", 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.