Verse 8. Who shall also confirm you. Who shall establish you in the hopes of the gospel. He shall make you firm bebaiwsei amidst all your trials, and all the efforts which may be made to shake your faith, and to remove you from that firm foundation on which you now rest. Unto the end. That is, to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He would keep them to the end of life in the path of holiness, so that at the coming of the Lord Jesus they might be found blameless. Comp. Joh 13:1. The sense is, that they should be kept, and should not be suffered to fall away and perish; -- and is one of the many places which express the strong confidence of Paul, that those who are true Christians shall be preserved unto everlasting life. Comp. Ph 1:6. That ye may be blameless. The word rendered blameless anegklhtouv does not mean perfect, but properly denotes those against whom there is no charge of crime; who are unaccused, and against whom there is no ground of accusation. Here it does not mean that they were personally perfect, but that God would so keep them, and enable them to evince a Christian character, as to give evidence that they were his friends, and completely escape condemnation in the last day. See Barnes "Ro 8:33,34". There is no man who has not his faults; no Christian who is not conscious of imperfection; but it is the design of God so to keep his people, and so to justify and sanctify them through the Lord Jesus, that the church may be presented "a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle" Eph 5:27 in the day of judgment. In the day, etc. In the day when the Lord Jesus shall come to judge the world; and which will be called his day, because it will be the day in which he will be the great and conspicuous object, and which is especially appointed to glorify him. See 2 Th 1:10: "When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe." {} "confirm" "establish" {d} "confirm you" 1 Th 3:13; 5:23,24 |