Their Conversion
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What Does 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Mean?
1 Thessalonians 2:13
The principle of thanking God without ceasing means often and for everything. Anytime is appropriate. Nevertheless, the principle of balance holds true as well. Thanksgiving would be just vain repetition if we thoughtlessly repeated our thankfulness all day. Conversely, ingratitude is a deadly but common sin. Human beings tend to neglect giving God proper gratitude more than being excessively thankful (Romans 1:20-21).
Martin G. Collins
Thankfulness
1 Thessalonians 2:13-14
That the Colossians "became imitators of the churches of God which in are Judea" is the evidence Paul gives to show that the Word of God was working in them.
To whom is he writing? To a Gentile church of which he had been the instrument of raising—and they were doing the same things that the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were doing! Why? They believed the same Scriptures. They had faith in the same laws and the same way of life that the Jews did. They did not do it because the Jews were doing it but because they had faith in God, just as the Jewish converts in Palestine did.
Thus, they became imitators. The word here is the same as the one in I Corinthians 11:1, where Paul says, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." Here was a Gentile church in Thessalonica imitating the Jewish Christian churches in Judea—and Paul commends them for it!
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty)
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing 1 Thessalonians 2:13:
Matthew 13:24-30
1 Thessalonians 2:8-9
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Thanking God without ceasing means often and for everything, at any appropriate time, yet balanced so thanksgiving does not become vain repetition. Ingratitude, however, is a deadly but common sin, since human beings neglect giving God proper gratitude more than being excessively thankful. The evidence that the Word of God worked effectively in the Thessalonians is that this Gentile church became imitators of the churches of God in Judea. They did the same things the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem did because they believed the same Scriptures and had faith in the same laws and way of life. They did not imitate simply because the Jews did so, but because they had faith in God. For this Paul commends them.