WALKING, WORKING, AND LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD’S COMING
The main emphasis of the two books to the Thessalonians is that the Christian walk and living is one of three dimensions—faith, love, and hope. Faith is the beginning as the foundation, the source; love is the process as the structure, the main part; and hope is the end, the consummation. We must always begin by faith. Then, we must walk, live, work, and do things for the Lord in love with the hope that one day we will meet Him. We will see Him, and He will see us. What a wonderful and glorious day that will be! Yet we have to be warned. What will happen if we are not faithful to Him? This is a warning to us.
There is no need to explain and define all eight chapters of these two books. If we keep all the above main points in mind when we read them, we will receive the proper light. We will be warned and reminded, and we will learn to be watchful, to go on with the Lord based upon faith, in the process of love, and with the hope of His coming. We should not care how much we suffer or lose for Him, because we know that we will see Him. Every kind of trouble, persecution, and suffering will become a glory in His presence.
The purpose of these two books is to show us that we need to walk, work, and live in the light of the Lord’s coming. His coming must always be before us. We dare not be defeated or love the world, the fleshy things, and the things of this age, because one day we have to meet Him. We also do not care about our suffering or loss because one day He will reward us in His presence. We must be the faithful ministers, faithful servants, faithful believers, and faithful members of His Body because one day we will stand before Him in His glory. This is the proper interpretation of these two books.
We should not use these two books to argue with people about doctrine. Rather, may the Lord be merciful that we would have the work of faith, the labor of love, and the endurance of hope. Endurance is a real strength to us. If we have endurance, we can do everything. Endurance comes from the hope of glory. We have the hope that we will see Him, that one day He will come, and that one day He and we will be in glory. By this we have endurance. This endurance is the power and strength for us to suffer, labor, press on, live for Him, and sacrifice everything for Him. Strength is in endurance, and endurance is in hope.
(General Sketch of the New Testament in the Light of Christ and the Church, A - Part 2: Romans through Philemon, Chapter 13, by Witness Lee)
