<p>3:4 <i>And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do, and will do, the things which we command</i>- Why &quot;confidence in the Lord&quot;, rather than 'confidence in you'? The Greek strictly means 'to be persuaded'. Paul was persuaded of their current and future obedience because they were &quot;in Christ&quot;. Time and again, this was the basis for his positivism about others. They were in Christ and counted as Him. And so he assumes their current and future compliance with His will, knowing that the Spirit would be working to make them in reality what they were counted as by status.</p>