For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love ( τοῦ κόπου in the Textus Receptus is ill supported, having, perhaps, been interpolated kern 1 Thessalonians 1:3) which ye showed towards his Name, in that ye ministered to the saints, and do minister.
It appears that the Hebrew Christians had formerly (some especial occasion being probably referred to) been active in their charity towards fellow-Christians in distress, and that such charity had not ceased.
On this is grounded the persuasion that they will be kept steadfast in the faith. Those who had so shown their faith by their works would surely not be allowed to lose it. The very idea of the Divine justice implies that the use of grace, thus evidenced, will be rewarded by continuance of grace.
Cf. Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perfect it ( ἐπιτελέσει) until the day of Jesus Christ; "where also there is reference to deeds of charity, shown in the case of the Philippians by their sympathy with the apostle in his bonds, which charity he prays may "abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all discernment."
No difficulty need be felt in this reference to God's justice, as though it involved the doctrine of human merit, de congruo or de condigno, claiming reward as of debt. The simple and obvious view, that God, in virtue of his justice, will be most gracious to those who have used his grace, by no means contravenes the doctrine of all grace being the free gift of his bounty (cf.
1 John 1:9; Romans 2:6, etc). Observe, too, as bearing on the idea of this passage, how the will to do the will of God is said by our Lord to be followed by knowledge of the doctrine (John 7:17), and how works of charity are the very tests of the final judgment (Matthew 25:31, etc).