1 Thessalonians 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;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul recalls their faith, love, and hope, each one proven by what it produces: work, labor, and patient endurance.
What Does 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Mean?
Here Paul names the three great Christian virtues, faith, love, and hope, but he does not leave them as abstractions. Each is joined to something visible. Faith does 'work,' love takes on 'labour,' and hope holds steady with 'patience.' These believers are not merely sincere; their inner life has become a way of living.
This is one of the earliest portraits of faith, hope, and love together, the triad Paul would later set at the heart of his teaching. Notice that hope is anchored 'in our Lord Jesus Christ.' Their endurance is not grim self-reliance but a confident waiting on Him. And it all unfolds 'in the sight of God,' before the eyes of the Father who sees what others miss. A quiet life of faithful work, costly love, and patient hope is never wasted; it is seen and remembered by God.
In the Original Language
hypomone (ὑπομονή), 'patience' -- a steadfast remaining-under, the endurance that holds its ground rather than retreating.