Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Thessalonians 3:5

"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ." — 2 Thessalonians 3:5 (ASV)

The Lord — See the note on 2 Thessalonians 3:3. The Person of the Blessed Trinity to whom this guidance directly belongs is the Holy Spirit. To this extent, the Greek commentators are correct in considering this a proof of the Holy Spirit’s divinity. Their correct conclusion, however, is drawn from a wrong premise, because the name “Lord” is not used here to consciously refer to Him.

The basis for their assumption is that the names “God” and “Christ” appear immediately afterward, rather than “His” or “for Him,” as we might expect. In 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13, however, precisely the same arrangement of the three words occurs. The Greek equivalent for the sacred Hebrew Name stands first and is then, for the sake of clarity, explained by the personal titles “God our Father” and “our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Direct your hearts into the love of God — This prayer itself implies that they had not yet reached the point Paul wanted them to reach and were perhaps not taking the most direct course. The same word is used in Luke 1:79 and 1 Thessalonians 3:11. The “love of God” mentioned here is the practical love that consists in keeping the commandments (John 14:21), as can be seen from the context: “I am sure that the Lord will strengthen you, and that you are doing and will continue to do as you are commanded. May God help you toward the obedience of true love and toward such perseverance in obedience as was shown by Christ. It is in this hope that we command you to address the disorderly conduct that is widespread among you.”

The patient waiting for Christ — This rendering is so beautiful in itself, and so consistent with the main themes of these two epistles, that it is painful to be forced to reject it. But the only possible rendering is Christ’s patience. The simplest meaning of that phrase is “the endurance that characterizes Christ,” with the genitive case functioning, as in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, almost as a descriptive adjective: “Christ-like” or “Christian endurance.” This “patience” includes both the idea of enduring their present persecutions and the idea of “patient continuance in doing good,” as opposed to the fitful restlessness that had begun to afflict the Thessalonian church.