2 Thessalonians 1:3
“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul feels obligated to give continual thanks to God because the believers' faith is growing rapidly and their love for one another is overflowing.
What Does 2 Thessalonians 1:3 Mean?
Paul opens the body of the letter as he often does, with thanksgiving. But here he says he is "bound" to thank God and that it is "meet," or fitting, as though gratitude were a debt he owes. The reason is the visible spiritual progress of this church: their faith is not merely holding steady under pressure but growing, and their love for each other is spilling over.
These two graces, faith and love, are the marks of a healthy soul and a healthy congregation. Faith reaches upward to God; love reaches outward to the brethren. That both are flourishing under persecution is itself a quiet miracle, for hardship more often shrinks the heart than enlarges it. Paul gives the credit to God, not to the people, teaching us to see growth in others as something to thank God for rather than merely to admire.
In the Original Language
agape (ἀγάπη), here rendered "charity" — self-giving love that seeks the good of others.