What Does 1 Thessalonians 2:3 Mean?

(3) “The reason that we were able to endure so much was our consciousness of the sincerity and purity of our attention.” **Exhortation.**—Exhortation is an attempt to make men take a particular line of action. “*Our* efforts to get men to act as we wish,” St. Paul says, “do not spring from a desire to dupe them,” etc. It is a question whether “of deceit” is the right rendering, or “of error,” “all a mistake.” If the latter, the argument would be that of Paley’s *Evidences, i.e., *to deduce the truth of the revelation from the sufferings of its prophets. But the points raised in contrast, in 1Thessalonians 2:4-12, seem to preclude this meaning, which would be more likely to introduce some substantiation of the gospel truths, as in 2Peter 1:16. **Of uncleanness.**—It is possible that the word only means “with impure (or *covetous*) motives;” but it probably refers to the subtle forms of temptation which often accompany spiritual work. See, for example, the Greek of 1Timothy 1:5; also 5:1, 2; 2Timothy 3:4-7. **In guile.**—The preposition is changed;” nor yet by the use of tricks;” Not only were their motives sincere and pure, but their manner of dealing straightforward.