Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Thessalonians 3:6

"But when Timothy came even now unto us from you, and brought us glad tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, longing to see us, even as we also [to see] you;" — 1 Thessalonians 3:6 (ASV)

“Just now” shows that Timothy’s arrival from Thessalonica immediately preceded the composition of the letter and probably provided its chief motivation. This arrival is the same as that in Ac 18:5, when Timothy and Silas came at approximately the same time. This substantiates the earlier conclusion that Paul was actually separated from both Timothy and Silas for a time (cf. 3:1). Doubtless he was refreshed by the return of his two associates, though by now he had moved from Athens to Corinth, where a new Christian fellowship had developed.

Timothy “brought good news” (GK 2294) about the Thessalonians. This verb is reserved almost exclusively for gospel preaching. That Paul places Timothy’s report in this exalted category shows his high estimate of the Thessalonians. The report was both spiritual and personal. Spiritually, they had progressed in “faith”; their trust in God had been sufficient for their trials. Yet room for improvement remained (cf. v.10). Likewise their progress in “love” for others was uplifting news, though even here too there was room for growth (cf. 3:12; 4:9–10).

Timothy’s report of the kindly feelings of the Thessalonians toward him (“pleasant memories,” “long to see us”) assured Paul that they had not written him off as an exploiter, disinterested in their welfare. They still maintained a warm spot for him, matching his own tender longing to see them (cf. 2:17; 3:10).