¹¹ For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 

너희도 아는 바와 같이 우리가 너희 각 사람에게 아비가 자기 자녀에게 하듯 권면하고 위로하고 경계하노니

Fatherly discipline to the church collectively as well as to the individuals. The Fatherly discipline always reminds me of the Deuteronomy (8:1-5) where Moses explains to Israel the reason God gave them manna.

¹² encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

이는 너희를 부르사 자기 나라와 영광에 이르게 하시는 하나님께 합당히 행하게 하려 함이니라

‘Encouraging’ is a very moderate translation; it is more of ‘begging’. In line with the Fatherly discipline, ‘to live worthy of God’ would therefore be parallel to ‘Man does not live on bread alone’. God begged us to know that we lived on every word from the mouth of the LORD by making us hungry in the wilderness and giving manna. So as to test drive us that we may in the end have the right drive and be fit to obey his command and live.  Now we know more about what ‘test you in order to know what was in your heart’ (Deut 8:2) means (NB 1 Thes 2:4).

¹³ And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 

이러므로 우리가 하나님께 쉬지 않고 감사함은 너희가 우리에게 들은바 하나님의 말씀을 받을 때에 사람의 말로 아니하고 하나님의 말씀으로 받음이니 진실로 그러하다 이 말씀이 또한 너희 믿는 자 속에서 역사하느니라

That word of God is finally at work! Because the HS is doing the work He has been assigned. He glues us to Christ by giving faith so that we may take him as the word of God. This is the only way for anyone to believe Christ as God’s word. Same goes for the Christ preached. People under this influence are called believers. They are made to believe by the Holy Spirit whose power raises the dead to life!! This is who you are.

¹⁴ For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: you suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews 

형제들아 너희가 그리스도 예수 안에서 유대에 있는 하나님의 교회들을 본받은 자 되었으니 저희가 유대인들에게 고난을 받음과 같이 너희도 너희 나라 사람들에게 동일한 것을 받았느니라

Those who are made to believe as this are hated by who ‘love money’ (Luke 16:14), i.e. charging or demanding what the Master did not, therefore not His word.  

¹⁵ who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone 

유대인은 주 예수와 선지자들을 죽이고 우리를 쫓아내고 하나님을 기쁘시게 아니하고 모든 사람에게 대적이 되어

‘Pleasing God’ only possible when the Holy Spirt is present, as discussed before. When the HS is not present what they do cannot only be the opposite of Lord’s command: Love your God; Love your neighbour (Matt 22:37-40). This is our barometer to ‘test’ and see if we are properly driven by the HS.

¹⁶ in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.

우리가 이방인에게 말하여 구원 얻게 함을 저희가 금하여 자기 죄를 항상 채우매 노하심이 끝까지 저희에게 임하였느니라

To take on the wrath which Christ has already taken on Himself is sheer blasphemy. Indeed they climb up to be God themselves. ‘Sins to the limit’ is the opposite imagery to being filled with the HS, receiving faith to be believers, and being saved.

Lord, by your Spirit’s work now I believe. Always be present with me so that my unbelief and love for money can be helped. By the suffering of Christ and Holy Spirit’s competence we can do things that even what patriarchs could not do: to love you and to love our neighbours. Let me test myself to see if I’m driven by you today and be driven by you more and more everyday. Let me live the wonder of living on every word that comes out from your mouth today. Let me live on Christ. Let me be a believer. Thanks be to our God our Master.

Above image, the cross, is a digital art work produced by Saltiness https://www.saltiness.co.uk/