Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
But even as we have been approved by God (alla kaqwv dedokimasmeqa upo tou qeou). Perfect passive indicative of dokimazw, old verb to put to the test, but here the tense for completed state means tested and proved and so approved by God. Paul here claims the call of God for his ministry and the seal of God's blessing on his work and also for that of Silas and Timothy.
To be entrusted with the gospel (pisteuqhnai to euaggelion). First aorist passive infinitive of pisteuw, common verb for believing, from pistiv (faith), but here to entrust rather than to trust. The accusative of the thing is retained in the passive according to regular Greek idiom as in I Corinthians 9:17; Galatians 2:7; Romans 3:2; I Timothy 1:11; Titus 1:3, though the active had the dative of the person.
So we speak (outwv laloumen). Simple, yet confident claim of loyalty to God's call and message. Surely this should be the ambition of every preacher of the gospel of God.
Not as pleasing men (oux wv anqrwpoiv areskontev). Dative case with areskw as in Galatians 1:10. Few temptations assail the preacher more strongly than this one to please men, even if God is not pleased, though with the dim hope that God will after all condone or overlook. Nothing but experience will convince some preachers how fickle is popular favour and how often it is at the cost of failure to please God. And yet the preacher wishes to win men to Christ. It is all as subtle as it is deceptive. God tests our hearts (the very verb dokimazw used in the beginning of this verse) and he is the only one whose approval matters in the end of the day (I Corinthians 4:5).
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing 1 Thessalonians 2:4:
Acts 17:5
Acts 20:20
Romans 3:2
Galatians 1:10
1 Thessalonians 1:5
1 Thessalonians 2:1
1 Timothy 3:10
2 Timothy 2:4
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