John Calvin Commentary 1 Thessalonians 2:13

"And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, [even the word] of God, ye accepted [it] not [as] the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe." — 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (ASV)

Therefore we give thanks. Having spoken of his ministry, he returns to address the Thessalonians, so that he may always commend that mutual harmony which he has previously mentioned. He says, therefore, that he gives thanks to God, because they had embraced the word of God which they heard from his mouth, as the word of God, as it truly was. Now, by these expressions he means that it was received by them reverently, and with the obedience it deserved.

For as soon as this conviction is established, it is inevitable that a feeling of obligation to obey takes possession of our minds. For who would not shudder at the thought of resisting God? Who would not regard contempt of God with detestation? The fact, therefore, that the word of God is regarded by many with such contempt that it is scarcely valued at all—that many are not at all moved by fear—arises from this: they do not consider that they are dealing with God.

From this passage, we learn what credit should be given to the gospel:

1. It is a credit that does not depend on the authority of men but, resting on the sure and certain truth of God, raises itself above the world; and, finally, is as far above mere opinion as heaven is above earth.
2. It is a credit that produces of itself reverence, fear, and obedience, since men, touched by a sense of Divine majesty, will never allow themselves to trifle with it.

Teachers, in turn, are admonished to beware of bringing forward anything but the pure word of God, for if this was not permissible for Paul, it will not be so for anyone today. He proves, however, from the effect produced, that what he had delivered was the word of God, since it had produced that fruit of heavenly doctrine which the Prophets celebrate (Isaiah 55:11, 13; Jeremiah 23:29) in renewing their lives, for the doctrine of men could accomplish no such thing.

The relative pronoun may be taken as referring either to God or to his word, but whichever way you choose, the meaning will amount to the same thing. For since the Thessalonians felt in themselves a Divine energy, which proceeded from faith, they could be assured that what they had heard was not a mere sound of the human voice vanishing into air, but the living and efficacious doctrine of God.

As to the expression, the word of the preaching of God, it means simply, as I have rendered it, the word of God preached by man. For Paul meant to state expressly that they had not regarded the doctrine as contemptible, although it had proceeded from the mouth of a mortal man, since they recognized God as its author. He accordingly praises the Thessalonians because they did not rest in mere regard for the minister, but lifted up their eyes to God, so that they might receive his word. Accordingly, I have not hesitated to insert the particle ut (that), which served to make the meaning clearer. There is a mistake on the part of Erasmus in rendering it, “the word of the hearing of God,” as if Paul meant that God had been manifested. He afterwards changed it thus, “the word by which you learned God,” for he overlooked the Hebrew idiom.