This multi-part expository study of the first epistle to the Thessalonians was preached at Flagstaff Christian Fellowship beginning in 2016. Audio and manuscripts are available for each lesson.
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July 10, 2016
I am often haunted by the thought that if Flagstaff Christian Fellowship ceased to exist this week, our city would not miss us because we have not made much of an impact here. They might wonder why our historic building was empty. Eventually, they would probably turn it into a quaint coffee shop or bar. But they wouldn’t think much about our departure because we have not really changed the life of this city in any obvious way.
But that could not be said of the Thessalonian church. When it began, the hostile opposition dragged some of the new believers before the city officials with the accusation (Acts 17:6), “These men who have upset the world have come here also.” The new church made such an impact, not only in that city, but also in the surrounding region, that people reported back to Paul the dramatic changes that had happened to these believers (1 Thess. 1:7-9). It was not a perfect church—there never has been such—but it is the only church in the New Testament of which Paul speaks as a positive example for other churches (1 Thess. 1:7).
The church had its start sometime in AD 49 or 50, when Paul and his companions, Silas and Timothy, visited this city of about 200,000 people on his second missionary journey. He and Silas had just been unjustly beaten and thrown into jail in Philippi, where God used them to found the first church on European soil. After the earthquake and the conversion of the Philippian jailer, the city officials begged them to leave. So they made their way west along the Egnatian Way, approximately 100 miles to this major city, which was the capital of one of four districts in Macedonia. It enjoyed local autonomy as a Roman colony and was the most prosperous city in Macedonia.
Unlike Philippi, there were enough Jews in Thessalonica to warrant a synagogue. As a visiting rabbi, trained under the renowned Gamaliel, Paul was permitted to speak, which he did for three consecutive Sabbaths (Acts 17:3), “explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’” As a result, some of the Jews were persuaded, along with many God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women (Acts 17:4).
We don’t know exactly how long Paul stayed in Thessalonica. It could have been as short as a month, indicated by the three Sabbaths. Or, the “three Sabbaths” could refer to his ministry in the synagogue only, which was followed by a longer time of preaching to the Gentiles. Paul mentions his example of working at his trade when he was among them (1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:6-9), which probably indicates a longer stay. And he received financial help from the Philippians more than once while he was in Thessalonica (Phil. 4:16), which would have required some time. The depth of doctrinal teaching that Paul reminds them of in this letter seems like too much to cram into a month. And, Paul seems to have designated some men as leaders before he left (1 Thess. 5:12). So perhaps he was there a few months.
But after a while, out of jealousy, the Jews who did not believe formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. They attacked the house of a new believer named Jason, thinking that they would find Paul and his companions inside. When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities with the charge of welcoming these world-upsetting strangers, who they claimed acted “contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7). The officials responded calmly, taking a pledge or bond from Jason and releasing him.
But to avoid further trouble, the church sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea (Acts 17:10), about 50 miles to the west. Paul found receptive hearts there until some of the unbelieving Thessalonian Jews arrived and stirred up more trouble. Paul then put out to sea for Athens, while Silas and Timothy stayed behind for a while (Acts 17:14), later joining him in Athens. Paul wanted to return to Thessalonica to see how these new converts were doing, but Satan somehow hindered him (1 Thess. 2:18). So he sent Timothy back. Although Acts doesn’t say, Silas may have gone back to Philippi, leaving Paul alone in Athens (1 Thess. 3:1-2).
Both men later rejoined Paul after he had moved to Corinth (Acts 18:1, 5; 1 Thess. 3:6). Timothy brought good news about the believers in Thessalonica, along with a few concerns. So Paul sent him back with 1 Thessalonians, written six months to a year after Paul had left there. Second Thessalonians was written a few months later. The church had probably grown more among the Gentile population than among the Jews (1 Thess. 1:9). Paul expresses his heartfelt thanks to God for their conversion. But because of Timothy’s report of some attacks on Paul from the Jews, Paul felt obligated to defend his conduct and motives when he had been with them (1 Thess. 2:1-12). He also was concerned because the Thessalonians were experiencing ongoing persecution, most of it from the Jews (1 Thess. 2:14-16; 3:3-5). He wanted to make sure that they stood firm.
Also, Timothy had reported to Paul some concerns about the Thessalonians’ confusion over some matters related to the Lord’s return. Some were not working because they thought that Christ’s coming was near (1 Thess. 4:11-12; 2 Thess. 3:6-13). Others were grieving excessively because some of their loved ones had died and they were uncertain what would happen to those who died before the Lord’s return. There was also some confusion about the events surrounding the “day of the Lord.” So much of both 1 & 2 Thessalonians focuses on “last times” issues.
There are several ways to outline any biblical book. John Stott (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 20) suggests analyzing the book from the perspective of the church and the gospel. He says that Paul “shows how the gospel creates the church and the church spreads the gospel, and how the gospel shapes the church …” His outline is (ibid.):
My outline breaks the book into two parts: Paul’s personal interest in the Thessalonians and his practical instructions for them:
Salutation (1:1)
1. Paul’s personal interest in the Thessalonians (1:2-3:13)
A. His interest shown by his prayers for them (1:2-10)
B. His interest shown by his past conduct with them (2:1-16)
1) He imparted to them not only the gospel, but also his own life (2:1-8)
2) His conduct reinforced the truth of the gospel (2:9-12)
3. As a result, they received his message as the word of God, enabling them to endure persecution (2:13-16).
C. His interest shown by his present concern for them (2:17-3:13)
2. Paul’s practical instructions for the Thessalonians (4:1-5:22)
A. Instructions concerning Christian conduct (4:1-12)
1) Moral purity (4:1-8)
2) Love for the brethren (4:9-12)
B. Instructions concerning deceased Christians (4:13-18)
C. Instructions concerning the Day of the Lord (5:1-11)
D. Instructions concerning conduct in the church (5:12-22)
1) The church’s attitude toward the leaders (5:12-13)
2) The leaders’ ministry toward the church (5:14-15)
3) The church’s practice of joy, prayer, & thankfulness (5:16-18)
4) The church’s practice toward the Spirit, prophecy, and spiritual discernment (5:19-22)
Conclusion (5:23-28): Prayer for their sanctification (5:23); encouragement regarding God’s faithfulness (5:24); Paul’s request for their prayers (5:25); Christian greetings (5:26); public reading of this letter (5:27); and, prayer for the Lord’s grace to be with them (5:28).
It’s difficult to know how much to include in this first message, since after Paul’s salutation, his first sentence goes from verse 2 through verse 5. But there’s too much to cover in those verses. So I’m limiting this message to verses 1-2, where we learn:
The church that makes an impact consists of people transformed by the gospel.
Note two things:
1 Thessalonians 1:1: “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.” Also, note verse 5a: “for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; …” Conspicuously absent from this greeting is Paul’s identification of himself as an apostle, which he uses in all his other letters, except for 2 Thessalonians and Philippians. Apparently he did not feel a need to remind this young church of his apostolic authority.
Paul includes Silas (Silvanus is the Latin form) and Timothy, who were with him at the founding of the church. They may have had some part with Paul in writing this letter, as seen by the frequent use of the first person plural (1 Thess. 1:2, 3. 5. 6, 8, 9; 2:1, 2, etc.), although Paul was mainly responsible for the content. Or, perhaps he included them because of their help in founding the church. Silas was a Jewish believer and gifted prophet whom the apostles in Jerusalem appointed to carry the directives of the Jerusalem Council to Antioch (Acts 15:22-35). Paul chose Silas to accompany him on his second missionary journey after he and Barnabas had a falling out over Mark.
Timothy was a young man from Lystra, who had a Gentile father and a Jewish mother (Acts 16:1-3). He became like a faithful son in the faith to Paul. He accompanied Paul on missionary journeys and Paul sent him on various pastoral assignments. Luke does not mention Timothy in the account of the founding of this church (in Acts 17), but he was with Paul both earlier and later on the same journey. Since Paul includes his name in the salutation, we can assume that he had a part in bringing the gospel to this city.
Paul addresses the letter to “the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The etymology of the Greek word for “church” literally means, “called-out ones,” but it was widely used to refer to various assemblies of people, both religious and secular. It is used a few times to refer to Israel as God’s people (Deut. 4:10; 23:2; Acts 7:38; Heb. 2:12, citing Ps. 22:22; [21:22 in the LXX]). But in the New Testament, it has special reference to the one body of Christ that began on the Day of Pentecost, consisting of born again Jews and Gentiles (Gal. 3:28). In the New Testament, church can be used to describe all Christians everywhere (the universal church) or a local congregation that is usually designated by the city where the believers live.
In The Church: The Gospel Made Visible ([B&H Academic], pp. x, xi), Mark Dever writes,
The church should be regarded as important to Christians because of its importance to Christ. Christ founded the church (Matt. 16:18), purchased it with his blood (Acts 20:28), and intimately identifies himself with it (Acts 9:4). The church is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12, 27; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:12; 5:20-30; Col. 1:18, 24; 3:15), the dwelling place of his Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17; Eph. 2:18, 22; 4:4), and the chief instrument for glorifying God in the world (Ezek. 36:22-38; Eph. 3:10). Finally, the church is God’s instrument for bringing both the gospel to the nations and a great host of redeemed humanity to himself (Luke 24:46-48; Rev. 5:9).
The distinctive about Paul’s mention of the church in our text is that it is “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” To refer to the church as “in God” rather than the church “of God” is unusual in Paul’s writings (F. F. Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Word Biblical Commentary [Thomas Nelson], p. 7). We should probably understand it in the same way as our being “in Christ,” a favorite designation of Paul. It means that we are identified completely with Him. We are organically “in Him” as the branch is in the vine (John 15:1-6). Or, as Paul writes (Col. 3:3), “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Also, to know God as Father is a distinctive of New Testament Christianity. In his classic, Knowing God ([IVP], p. 181), J. I. Packer asks, “What is a Christian?” He answers, “The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God for his Father.” He adds (p. 182):
You sum up the whole of New Testament teaching in a single phrase, if you speak of it as a revelation of the Fatherhood of the holy Creator. In the same way, you sum up the whole of New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one’s holy Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.
From the earliest stage of our Christian life, we should know God as our Father. He loves us and cares for us far more than any earthly father ever could.
The fact that Paul mentions “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” under a single preposition shows that he had already taught these new believers, from both Jewish and pagan backgrounds, about the deity of Jesus. To call Jesus “Lord” was to use of Him the Old Testament name, Yahweh, the God of Israel. As Stott says (ibid. p. 27), “Already within twenty years of the death and resurrection of Jesus the coupling of the Father and the Son as equal is the universal faith of the church.” To distinguish God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ shows that they are two persons. “Lord” refers to His deity; “Jesus” to His humanity; and “Christ” to His office as the promised anointed deliverer of God’s people.
Also, in verses 5 & 6 Paul mentions the Holy Spirit, whose power applied the gospel to the hearts of the Thessalonians, evidenced by their joy in the midst of much persecution. So in his short time with these new believers, Paul had grounded them in the doctrine of the trinity, including the deity of Jesus Christ. The fact that he doesn’t stop here to explain it more carefully shows that he assumed that they would be tracking with him.
Paul also adds, “Grace to you and peace.” “Grace” (charis) is a variation of the normal Greek greeting, charein, meaning “rejoice.” The heart of the gospel is that God’s grace or unmerited favor is extended to sinners. Because Christ paid the penalty for all our sins on the cross, God’s holy justice is satisfied so that He can extend a free pardon to sinners who will receive it. When Moses asked God to reveal His glory, the Lord replied (Exod. 33:18), “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” To be gracious is who God is!
“Peace” was the normal Hebrew greeting, “Shalom.” We have peace with God because He is gracious to us in Christ, who broke down the barrier of the dividing wall and abolished the decrees that were hostile toward us (Eph. 2:14-15; Col. 2:14).
So the main idea here is that the church is not a building; it’s not an organized religious social club that does good deeds. Rather, the church is a local community of people who are “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is people transformed by the gospel who now are united to each other and distinct from the world because they all are “in God and in Christ.” That leads to the second idea:
1 Thessalonians 1:2: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers ….” Why does Paul give thanks to God, rather than commending the Thessalonians for their wise decision to believe in Christ? He gives the answer in verse 4: He thanks God because He chose the Thessalonian believers for salvation. In verse 5 he adds that their salvation through the gospel was due to the power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3), being in God’s kingdom is not a matter of religious observance (as the Pharisees thought), but rather depends on the sovereign working of the Holy Spirit who gives new life.
That’s the consistent teaching of the New Testament. For example, in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Paul emphasizes God’s choice of them apart from any human qualifications they possessed:
For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
We’ll consider this further when we study 1 Thessalonians 1:4, but for now, ask yourself, “Has God changed my heart from unbelief to faith in Jesus Christ? Has He changed my desires from worldly pursuits to seeking first His kingdom and righteousness (Matt. 6:33)? Has He changed my aim from seeking my glory to seeking His glory (1 Cor. 10:31)? Has He changed my focus from wanting to please myself to wanting to please Him (Rom. 15:2-3; Col. 1:10)? Has He changed me from loving darkness and hating the light to loving the light and hating darkness (John 3:19-21)?
In other words, true Christianity is not a moral improvement project that anyone can work on if they set the right goals and use the right methods. Rather, it’s a matter of moving from death to life (Eph. 2:1-6), from blindness to light (John 8:12; 9:1-41), and from hardness to tenderness of heart (Eph. 4:17-24). Only God, through the life-giving power of Holy Spirit, can do that.
Pastor Darrell Gustafson recently wrote (Biblical Counseling Training newsletter, June, 2016), “Counselors, across the US, say that 75% of those coming for counseling think that they are Christians but are not converted.” I think that because of a weak “gospel,” centered on how God can solve your problems and make you happy, rather than on how God has provided a Savior from sin and judgment, there are many in evangelical churches who think they’re saved, but are not. They heard the pitch for an abundant life and prayed to receive Jesus. But they never were convicted of their sins, repented, and truly trusted in Christ. For the church to make an impact, we have to be a church where we all have been transformed by the power of God through the gospel.
We’ll see more of what that means in the rest of 1 Thessalonians 1. But the main thing to answer is, “Has God changed my heart by enabling me to trust in Jesus Christ as my only hope for eternal life?” As Paul wrote (2 Cor. 13:5), “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” If we want to make an impact on our city, our lives must be distinct from those around us. We must have lives that have been transformed by the gospel.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
July 17, 2016
I realize that my topic for today is a touchy one with many Christians. Differing views on the doctrine of election have created a huge divide in the Christian world. Some have left this church because they didn’t like what I have taught on it. So it would be easier just to skip it or touch on it lightly and move on. Why risk upsetting some people? Why preach on such a divisive subject?
There are several reasons: First, it’s in our text and I preach whatever the text says without dodging it. Paul didn’t say, “I thank God knowing how you all decided to choose Jesus,” but rather, “I thank God knowing His choice of you.” To accurately handle God’s word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15) we need to be faithful to what the Bible says, not to what we may wish it said. By the way, if the text says, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13), I preach that. You can look it up!
A second reason to preach on this subject is that it’s a frequent theme in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. In Genesis 12, God chose Abram out of a city of idolaters and promised to work through him to bring His salvation to the nations. He didn’t choose Abram’s entire city or even his entire family. God chose Abram, but He didn’t choose anyone else in Asia, Africa, Europe, or the Americas. Then He refused to choose Abram’s son Ishmael and chose Isaac. He rejected Isaac’s son Esau and chose Jacob, whom He renamed Israel.
Centuries later, Moses said to Jacob’s descendants (Deut. 4:37), “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power.” He repeated (Deut. 7:7-8), “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” To drive the point home, he repeated again (Deut. 10:15), “Yet on your fathers did the Lord set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.”
We would be here all day if I traced this theme through all of Scripture. The New Testament often refers to believers as God’s elect or those chosen by God (Matt. 22:14; 24:22, 24, 31; Luke 18:7; Acts 9:15; 11:18; Rom. 8:29, 30, 33; Eph. 1:4, 5, 11; Col. 3:12; 2 Tim. 2:10; Titus 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:10. See, also, Luke 10:21-22; John 6:37, 44, 65; 10:26; 15:16; 17:2, 6, 9; Acts 5:31; 13:48; Rom. 9:11, 15, 16; 18 11:5, 7, 28; 1 Cor. 1:27, 28, 30; Gal. 1:15; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:1-2; 2:8, 9; Rev. 5:9; 7:10-12). We can’t skip over such an important biblical theme. We need to understand it properly.
A third reason not to skim over what Paul states in our text is that this doctrine is profitable for us, including new believers. As Paul states (2 Tim. 3:16-17), “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Although Paul had only been with these new converts, many out of pagan backgrounds, for a few months, he had taught them this truth so that here he just mentions it in passing and assumes that they were tracking with him. In 2 Thessalonians 2:13, he repeats it, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”
So if you’ve struggled with this doctrine or just skipped thinking about it because it’s difficult, I’m appealing for a hearing. Look up the many verses (listed above) and ask God to give you understanding and a teachable heart.
I’ve had people ask, “Since election is a mystery hidden in the secret counsel of God, how can you know if you’re elect?” Since we’re talking about the matter of our eternal destiny, it’s not just an academic question! Paul’s assurance that God had chosen the Thessalonians rested on what he observed about their faith and their changed lives. Thus we can say:
You can know that you’re elect if God has powerfully changed your life through your reception of the gospel.
As a result of preaching the gospel, Paul saw that these people had received the word in spite of much tribulation (1 Thess. 1:6). They had become imitators of the evangelists and of the Lord. Their faith in God was evident by their good works (1 Thess. 1:3, 8). So he was confident that God had chosen them for salvation.
There are a number of objections that are often raised against the doctrine of election. One of them is, “If God has predestined everything, including who will be saved, why pray? What will be, will be, right?” Wrong!
1 Thess. 1:2: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers.” Also, “constantly bearing in mind” (v. 3) refers to Paul’s frequent, repeated prayers. Later, he exhorts these new believers (1 Thess. 5:17), “Pray without ceasing.” He didn’t mean “without a break,” which would be impossible, but rather that we should pray repeatedly and often.
Some who deny the doctrine of election argue that God has done everything that He can do to save people, but now the choice is up to them. They say that God never forces His will on anyone. So salvation depends upon people’s free will. But Jesus said that if we sin, we’re slaves of sin (John 8:34). We’re not free. If salvation depended on free will, then you shouldn’t waste your time praying for anyone to be saved, because God would be in heaven saying, “I’d like to see them saved, too. But they’ve got that free will. I can’t override their choices. Let’s hope they decide to choose Me!”
But Scripture shows that God always accomplishes His purposes (Isa. 46:10; Job 42:2). He sent His Son to earth to save a people for His glory (Eph. 1:4-12). He doesn’t leave that purpose up to sinful human will. Jesus said (John 6:44), “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” Although some of His larger company of “disciples” grumbled and turned away from Him because they didn’t like this teaching, He repeated (John 6:65), “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” If the Father is able to draw lost people to Christ, then we should pray that He will do so.
God ordains the means as well as the end. Prayer and proclaiming the gospel are His ordained means to save His elect. So we should pray for open doors for the gospel, both for ourselves and for other believers (Col. 4:3). God works in response to our prayers. We don’t know the ones to whom God has granted that they will come to Jesus until after they get saved. None of us would have predicted that Saul, the persecutor of the church, was one of God’s elect. Even after he came to faith, many of the disciples were skeptical that his conversion was genuine (Acts 9:13-14, 26).
But God’s hand is not so short that He cannot save whom He chooses to save (Isa. 50:2). If He wants to save the wicked people of Nineveh, He does it in spite of the lackluster preaching of His reluctant prophet, Jonah. So we should pray for God to accomplish His sovereign purpose by saving a people for His glory.
1 Thess. 1:3: “constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.” Paul knew that God had chosen these people for salvation because he could see the results in their lives: work stemming from faith; labor motivated by love; and steadfastness flowing from hope in the Lord Jesus Christ in spite of severe persecution. He goes on to mention how they had become imitators of himself and of the Lord and that the gospel was sounding forth from them all over the region (1 Thess. 1:6-10). So their dramatically changed lives were evidence that God had chosen them for eternal life.
Paul mentions three cardinal virtues, faith, love, and hope, which showed that the Thessalonians’ faith was genuine. John Calvin (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], p. 239) called these three qualities “a brief definition of true Christianity.” Gene Getz builds his book, The Measure of a Church [G/L Regal Books], around these three qualities, showing how they are a biblical standard for maturity (Paul mentions them in Rom. 5:2-5; 1 Cor. 13:13; Gal. 5:5-6; Eph. 1:15-18; Col. 1:3-6; cf., also, Heb. 6:10-12; 10:22-24; 1 Pet. 1:21-22). Paul mentions them again in 1 Thessalonians 5:8: “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” Later, the Lord indicts the church in Ephesus because although they had deeds and toil and perseverance, they did not do these things out of love for the Lord (Rev. 2:1-7). So motivation is important.
The genitive (“of”) points to the source: work that comes from faith. This mainly points back to their saving faith in Jesus Christ. While Paul taught that we are saved by grace through faith apart from works, he also taught that genuine saving faith always results in works. If you know Ephesians 2:8-9, you should also be familiar with verse 10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Paul and James are not at odds. Paul was battling the Judaizers, who taught that you must keep the Jewish law to be saved. So he emphasized that we are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. James was confronting those who claimed to have faith, but had no works to show for it. So he emphasized that genuine saving faith produces good works. But both men agree that we are saved by faith that necessarily works (see my sermons on James 2:14-19 & 20-26 on the church web site).
By “works,” Paul is referring to all of the good deeds that we are called to do as believers. This includes helping the poor, visiting the sick and helping them with whatever they may need, giving comfort to the grieving, or spending time listening to and counseling a needy brother or sister (1 Thess. 5:12-14, where Paul uses both “labor” and “work”).
It also includes sharing our faith, which the Thessalonians were actively doing (1 Thess. 1:8). A frequent charge against the doctrine of election is that if God has determined who will be saved, then they will be saved. So we don’t need to share the gospel. But as I said, God ordains the means along with the end. He has ordained whom He will save, but He does it through our proclaiming the gospel. As Paul said (2 Tim. 2:10), “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” God has His elect, but Paul had to suffer and preach so that they would obtain salvation. (See, also, Acts 18:9-11.)
“Work” and “labor” are somewhat interchangeable, although “labor” emphasizes the difficulty and toil. I understand “love” here to refer both to love for the Lord, which is our motivation, and love for others, both believers and unbelievers, which is the result (1 Thess. 3:6, 12; 4:9; 5:13). As we’ve seen, love is a self-sacrificing, caring commitment that shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved. The highest good for every person is to know Christ and be conformed to Him, to the glory of God. And, love for Jesus is the primary motivation for serving Him. When Jesus restored Peter after his denials, He asked three times (John 21:15, 16, 17), “Do you love Me?” As I mentioned, the church in Ephesus was doing good deeds and toiling for the Lord, but He rebuked them because they had lost their first love for Him (Rev. 2:1-7).
This labor motivated by love should be evident in our homes. We should display the qualities of love that Paul mentions (1 Cor. 13:4-7), “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Such love often involves labor or work. It isn’t effortless ecstasy! Husbands, loving your wife often means getting out of your recliner in front of the TV and helping her with the dishes or dealing with the kids. It involves putting down the newspaper and listening to your wife’s concerns. It’s labor motivated by love for the Lord and for her.
This labor motivated by love should also be evident in our church. Helping those in need is usually inconvenient. It sometimes requires physical work, such as helping an elderly person clean up their yard or house. It will cost your time and sometimes some money. By using the word labor, Paul implies that it’s not always easy. It involves self-sacrifice.
This is the hope of His coming that enables us to endure trials and even persecution with joy because we know that Jesus is coming back to reign. In New Testament Words ([Westminster], p. 144), William Barclay comments on the Greek word for “steadfastness”:
It is the spirit which can bear things, not simply with resignation, but with blazing hope; it is not the spirit which sits statically enduring in the one place, but the spirit which bears things because it knows that these things are leading to a goal of glory; it is not the patience which grimly waits for the end, but the patience which radiantly hopes for the dawn.
He goes on (p. 145) to tell of the Scottish hymnwriter and pastor, George Matheson. Even though he was blind by age 18, he wrote a prayer in which he pleads that he might accept God’s will, “not with dumb resignation, but with holy joy; not only with the absence of murmur, but with a song of praise.” That kind of steadfast joy under trials comes from hope in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will right every wrong and reward every good deed done in His name.
Paul adds (1 Thess. 1:3), “in the presence of our God and Father.” Some translations (NIV, ESV) and commentators connect that phrase with Paul’s “constantly bearing in mind.” In other words, his prayer was “in the presence of our God and Father.” But others (e.g. F. F. Bruce, Word Biblical Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Thomas Nelson], pp. 12-13; Gary Shogren, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Zondervan], p. 60) argue that the phrase is grammatically too far removed from the start of the verse to be connected with Paul’s remembrance of them. Thus it probably means that the Thessalonians’ work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope are exercised in God’s presence. We should be aware that all we do for the Lord is done in His loving presence.
So the point of verse 3 in the context is that if God has chosen us for salvation, it will be seen in changed lives. Faith in Christ results in work for Him. Love for Christ results in labor for Him and love for others. Hope in Christ results in steadfastness through trials and even persecution. Finally,
1 Thessalonians 1:4: “knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you.” Here, as elsewhere (cf. Deut. 4:37; 7:7-8; 10:15; 2 Thess. 2:13), election is linked with God’s love. As Paul says (Eph. 1:4-5), “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” The doctrine of election means that God took the initiative in our salvation because of His great mercy and love.
But this raises an objection: Doesn’t God love everyone (John 3:16)? And if He does love everyone, why doesn’t He show mercy to everyone? But we need to recognize the obvious fact that God has not shown His love and mercy to everyone in the same way or to the same degree. He loved Abram and chose to reveal Himself to him and bless him, but He didn’t choose any others around the world. As Paul says (Acts 14:16), “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways.” God showed mercy to the Jews in Egypt, but He did not show mercy to Pharaoh or to any of the Egyptians (Rom. 9:15-18). The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s already hard heart and he and all the Egyptians lost their firstborn in the final plague (Exodus 12).
Was God unloving or unfair to do this? In Romans 9, Paul argues that He is the potter who has the right to do with the clay as He chooses, and that we don’t have any right to challenge Him. He does not owe us an answer! The only answer Scripture gives is that God does what He does, including the salvation of His elect and the judgment of other sinners to display His glory (Rom. 9:17, 22-24). Rather than causing us to stumble, this should fill us with gratitude that in His kindness, He chose us to hear His gospel and respond in faith.
So, how can you know whether you’re elect? Have you truly repented of your sins, received God’s word as true, and put your trust in Christ to rescue you from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:6, 8, 9, 10)? If so, you’re elect. Your repentance and faith did not come from you, but from God, who chose you in love and grace.
But why does Paul bring this up in verse 4? Why mention this doctrine here? We can’t say for sure, but John Stott (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 28) offers a plausible thought: “Because he knew the insecurity felt by a young and persecuted church, he wanted to remind them that in the midst of their trials their security was in God.” He adds (p. 31), “The topic of election is nearly always introduced for a practical purpose, in order to foster assurance (not presumption), holiness (not moral apathy), humility (not pride) and witness (not lazy selfishness).” Or, as Leon Morris states (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 55), “Nothing gives security to the idea of salvation like the concept of election. Salvation, from first to last, is a work of God.”
My desire and prayer is that if you struggle with assurance of your salvation, this biblical truth will make you feel secure in His love. And if you’re going through trials, I pray that this truth will comfort and encourage you that you are His child and that nothing can separate you from His love.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
August 7, 2016
In my pastoral ministry, I’ve often had times when I wondered if the person I was dealing with was truly converted. You’ve probably had the same experience with someone who claims to believe in Christ, but whose life does not back up his claim. Or, perhaps at times you even wonder about yourself: “How can I know whether I am truly converted?” It’s not just an academic question, since it concerns one’s eternal destiny!
Paul tells these new believers in Christ that he knows that God loves them and has chosen them for salvation (1 Thess. 1:4). But how did he know that? In our text, he gives his reasons for knowing that the Thessalonians are elect. First, he refers to the experience of the evangelists, who sensed the power of the Holy Spirit working through them when they preached the gospel there (1 Thess. 1:5). The Thessalonians could know that they were elect because the gospel had come to them through the apostles with such power. Second, Paul could see the effects in the lives of the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 1:6-8). Their lives were obviously changed as they joyfully received the word in spite of much persecution and they spread the gospel to others. While not comprehensive, these verses show us some marks of true conversions:
True conversions come through faithful witnesses who present the gospel in the power of the Spirit, resulting in changed lives that spread the gospel to others.
1 Thessalonians 1:5: “for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” “For” gives the first reason that Paul knew that these people had been chosen by God and thus were truly converted: the gospel had come to them not as a philosophic lecture or through religious hucksters, but rather in the power of the Holy Spirit through men of integrity who were fully convinced of the truth of the message. We can break this into four aspects:
Paul refers to the message he preached as “our gospel.” Sometimes he called it “the gospel of God,” in that it is a message of good news that originates with God and comes to us from Him (1 Thess. 2:2, 8, 9; Mark 1:14; Rom. 1:1; 2 Cor. 9:7; 1 Pet. 4:17). Calling it “the gospel of God” affirms the authority of the message. It is not a humanly devised religious philosophy, but rather a message that comes to us from the living and true God. To reject it would be to reject the authority of the Supreme Ruler of the universe.
At other times, Paul calls it “the gospel of Christ,” because it is good news that centers on the person and work of the Messiah, the promised deliverer (1 Thess. 3:2; 1 Cor. 9:2; 2 Cor. 2:12; 9:13; 10:14; Gal. 1:7; Phil. 1:27). He gave Himself on the cross as the substitute for our sins. God raised Him bodily from the dead to authenticate that He accepted the death of His Son as the sufficient sacrifice for all who believe in Him. Paul also calls it, “the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thess. 1:8), because the good news centers on the glorious truth that the Lord God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus. Embracing this good news requires submitting our lives to Jesus as Savior and Lord.
But here Paul refers to it as “our gospel” to reflect his own experience of embracing the gospel as true and the fact that it was entrusted to him to proclaim (see, also, 2 Thess. 2:14; 2 Cor. 4:3). Here Paul says that his gospel did not come to them “in word only”; but obviously, it did come to them through words. In our postmodern day, some minimize the importance of words or doctrine, saying that our lives and deeds should communicate the gospel without words. As we can see at the end of verse 5, Paul’s life backed up his words, but words were necessary to communicate the truth of the gospel. We must present the gospel clearly in understandable words for people to be truly converted.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, in the context of defending Jesus’ bodily resurrection, Paul wrote a succinct statement of the content of the gospel: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” The essential facts are: (1) We have sinned against the holy God. (2) Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Many Scriptures could be cited, but none is clearer than Isaiah 53:5-6:
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
But, also, (3) Christ was buried (proving that He actually died) and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. If Jesus had not died, He would not have paid the wages of our sin, which is death. If He had remained in the tomb, we would have no assurance that the Father accepted His death as sufficient payment for our sins. The fact that Jesus was raised on the third day was also according to the Scriptures. Jesus said that His resurrection was a fulfillment of the sign of Jonah (Matt. 12:39-41; 16:4), who was in the belly of the great fish for three days and nights. One further essential fact, which Paul does not include in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, but repeatedly emphasizes elsewhere, is (4) that we must respond to the gospel by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31; Rom. 1:16; 3:22; Eph. 2:8-9).
Paul’s gospel is not primarily about how Jesus can help you with your marriage or help you rear your children or help you succeed in business or help you with your emotional problems, although He can do all of those things and more. Rather, the gospel is the message that we are sinners who deserve God’s eternal judgment, but Jesus rescues all who believe in Him from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10). For true conversions to take place, we must present the content of the gospel clearly in words that people can understand (Col. 4:3-4).
Paul’s gospel did not come (1 Thess. 1:5) “in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit.” Some say that this refers to miracles that God worked through Paul and the other evangelists when they were in Thessalonica. While that may be true, in that God often authenticated the gospel through miracles at the hands of the apostles (Heb. 2:3-4), I think that Paul is referring to the changes that took place in the hearts of the Thessalonians through the Holy Spirit when they heard the gospel. (cf. G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], pp. 50-51). Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 57) puts it,
In many places we see evidence that the gospel is power, for God is in it (cf. Rom. 1:16). It is not simply that the gospel tells of power, though this, too, is true. But when the gospel is preached God is there and God is working.
That effective power of the gospel comes through the working of the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, who worked to bring about the original creation (Gen. 1:2). Now He works to effect the new creation or new birth (John 3:5-8; cf. also, 2 Cor. 4:4-6).
This means that true conversion does not depend on slick salesmanship techniques or powerful rhetoric or convincing logic on the part of the evangelist, although we should be wise and persuasive when we present the gospel. But behind it all, we must pray for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully to open blind eyes to the truth of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4-6). True conversion is not just getting a person to make a decision or pray the sinner’s prayer, but rather the Holy Spirit must impart new life.
C. True conversion comes through those who have full conviction of the truth of the gospel because they have experienced its life-changing power.
Some (C. H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit [Pilgrim Publications], 51:56-57; F. F. Bruce, Word Biblical Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Thomas Nelson], p. 14) understand “full conviction” to refer to the assurance or “deep inward persuasion of the truth” that the Thessalonians had after they believed. But the first two parts of the verse relate to the manner in which the gospel came to the Thessalonians. So it is more likely that the third part refers to the conviction that Paul, Silas, and Timothy had when they preached the gospel there. After Paul had been beaten and wrongly imprisoned in Philippi (1 Thess. 2:2), it would have been natural for him to be a bit more cautious in Thessalonica. But his own boldness confirmed to him that the Holy Spirit was working through him (see Matt. 10:19-20).
Also, Paul was fully convinced of the truth of the gospel because he had experienced its life-changing power on the Damascus Road. As you know, he was vehemently persecuting Christians when the Lord struck him down, blinded him, and turned him 180 degrees so that he boldly proclaimed Christ, even in the face of repeated opposition and persecution. The story of Paul’s dramatic conversion is repeated three times in the Book of Acts (9:1-22; 22:3-21; 26:4-18). On two of those occasions, Paul used his testimony to bear witness, once to the angry mob in the temple in Jerusalem, and the other time to King Agrippa (see, also, Gal. 1:13-17). God used Paul’s full conviction of the truth of the gospel to bring the truth powerfully to the hearts of the Thessalonians.
You may be thinking, “That’s great for someone like Paul, who has a dramatic conversion story. But I grew up in the church. I don’t even know when I got saved. I don’t have such a dramatic story to tell.” That’s my story, too. But you don’t have to have a spectacular, sudden conversion story to be an effective witness for Christ. If you know Him, you know that He changed your heart. Before you were saved, being a Christian was routine—it was how you were raised. You went to church, went through all the motions, and probably were outwardly moral. But you didn’t love God or His Word. You didn’t hate your sin. And you probably thought that you’d go to heaven because you were a pretty good person.
But when God saved you, He opened your eyes to your self-righteousness, pride, lust, greed, selfishness, and many other sins. He worked repentance in your heart (Acts 11:18). As you see how much He forgave you, you love Jesus much (Luke 7:37-50). As you come to understand and believe the gospel, you grow to see the beauty of Jesus and how He fulfilled hundreds of Scriptures. You come to a full conviction of the truth of the gospel because God changed your heart when you believed. And that makes you a more effective witness for Christ.
Paul adds (1 Thess. 1:5), “just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” He, Silas, and Timothy were men of integrity. They weren’t preaching to get praise from people or to get rich from the gospel. They lived openly before God to please Him, not men (1 Thess. 2:4-6). John Calvin humorously commented on how preachers need to be obedient to what they urge on the congregation. He said (T. H. L. Parker, Calvin’s Preaching [Westminster/John Knox Press], p. 40), “It would be better for him to break his neck going up into the pulpit if he does not take pains to be the first to follow God.”
If you’re not living to please God on the heart level, please keep quiet about being a Christian! You’ll do more damage than good for the cause of Christ if your life does not back up the truth of the gospel. I’m not talking about perfection, but rather about integrity. Hypocrisy turns people off and hinders them from seeing the truth of who Christ is. True conversions come through faithful witnesses who present the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 1:6-8: “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.” Note four things:
1 Thessalonians 1:6: “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord.” You might wonder whether Paul was arrogant to tell people to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Cor. 4:4; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Pet. 5:3). But the fact is, every one of us is an example to others, either of Christlike behavior or of selfish, sinful behavior. This is especially true for parents: your kids imitate your example.
This painfully hit me when our oldest daughter was just a toddler. She was in her car seat when I rounded a blind curve on a mountain road near our home in California and nearly rear-ended a guy who had stopped in the road to admire the view. I slammed on the brakes, hit my horn, and yelled, “You jerk!” Behind me I heard a little voice repeat, “You jerk!” I thought, “Oh, no, my precious little girl is learning impatience and anger from her father!” I immediately asked the Lord to forgive me and realized the heavy responsibility on me to be an example of Christlikeness to my children. Again, this doesn’t mean perfection, but reality in your walk with Christ. When you sin in front of your kids (as we all do), ask their forgiveness and explain that you have asked the Lord’s forgiveness and are seeking to obey Him.
Paul mentions his and his companions’ example ahead of Christ because it was through them that the Thessalonians first saw the reality of the gospel. They heard how God had changed Paul from being a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent aggressor (1 Tim. 1:13) to a man who was willing to lay down his life so that others could come to know the Savior. That kind of change is always attractive. So the Thessalonians were changed from being self-centered, pleasure-seeking pagans to loving Christ and wanting to be like Him. True conversion always includes repentance from sin (1 Thess. 1:9; cf. my sermon, “The Mark of True Conversion,” 5/23/10).
The Thessalonians “received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:6). True joy does not come from comfortable circumstances or the absence of trials, but from the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Today, many are led to believe that if they trust in Christ, their trials will go away. They will have an abundant life, which is often presented as financial prosperity and miraculous healing from every illness. That’s a false gospel and those who are duped by it are often unprepared and disappointed when trials hit. They conclude that Christianity must not be true.
But Jesus plainly prepared His disciples for hardship and persecution. He said (Matt. 5:11-12), “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” When Paul led people to Christ, he followed up by telling them (Acts 14:22), “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Of his own trials he wrote (Rom. 5:3-5), “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
James (1:2-4) wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Peter wrote to believers suffering horrible persecution under Nero (1 Pet. 4:12-13), “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”
During his relatively short time in Thessalonica, Paul had taught these new believers to expect afflictions because we have been destined for this (1 Thess. 3:3-4). So we need to reject the heresy that the gospel brings health and wealth if you just have enough faith. Rather, true converts experience the joy of the Holy Spirit as they encounter difficult trials and persecution.
Paul says (1 Thess. 1:7), “so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” This is the only verse in the New Testament where a congregation is viewed as a model for other churches (Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans/Apollos], p. 99). As I’ve already said, you are an example to others; the only question is, “What kind of example are you?” Your children are learning from your example. Younger believers are watching how you live to learn how they should react when trials hit or when things don’t go the way they had hoped. What they should see is your joy in the Holy Spirit and your faith toward God (1 Thess. 1:6, 8).
1 Thessalonians 1:8: “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.” “The word of the Lord” refers to the gospel. It comes to us from the Lord, not from any human religious philosopher or theologian. It centers on the Lord Jesus, who gave Himself on the cross for our sins. Thus we can “sound it forth” with confidence to others.
The Greek verb translated “sounded forth” occurs only here in the New Testament. It is a strengthened form of a weaker verb from which we get our word echo. In other literature, it was used of a clap of thunder, the loud cry of a multitude, a rumor that runs everywhere, or the sound of a loud trumpet (Green, p. 101). It means that the Thessalonians were not mealy-mouthed milquetoasts when it came to telling people about Jesus. It always amazes me that even Paul asked for prayer that he would be bold in proclaiming the gospel (Eph. 6:19-20)! That would suggest that all of us need to put “boldness in witness” on our personal prayer lists.
So true conversions come through faithful witnesses who present the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, resulting in changed lives that joyfully endure hardship as they spread the gospel to others. As I said, there are more tests of true conversion in the New Testament. The letter of 1 John gives three main tests: (1) Theological: believing the truth about who Jesus is; (2) Moral: obedience to God’s commandments; and, (3) Social: love for others (Robert Law, The Tests of Life, cited by John Stott, The Epistles of John [Tyndale], p. 53). In our day of so much counterfeit Christianity, make sure that you are truly converted. And, help others to be genuine in their faith.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
August 14, 2016
A recent article in our paper reported an increase in the number of people being scammed out of money. Two common schemes involve callers identifying themselves as representatives of the utility company, claiming that they will shut off your power if you don’t pay an overdue bill; and, supposed IRS agents saying that you owe back taxes. A good liar convinces people that he’s telling the truth so that he can steal their money.
Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). But he’s not after your money. If he gets you to believe his lies, you lose eternal life! He uses many different spiritual scammers to spread his lies. So it’s vital that we not be deceived about what it means to be a genuine Christian. It would be the ultimate shock to think that you’ve been serving Jesus, only to have Him say to you at the judgment (Matt. 7:23), “‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
In our text, Paul continues to spell out some of the reasons that he knew that God had chosen the Thessalonian believers for salvation (1 Thess. 1:4). We saw in our last study that the experience of the evangelists (1 Thess. 1:5) and the effects in the lives of the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 1:6-8) convinced Paul that the faith of these new believers was genuine. Now he continues enumerating the results of true conversion that he saw in their lives. So if our theme today sounds like a repeat of last week, it’s because Paul continues the same theme. To sum up:
Genuine Christians receive the gospel, turn to God from idols, serve Him, wait expectantly for Jesus to come, and proclaim the gospel to others.
Paul specifically states three results of the Thessalonians’ conversion: they turned to God from idols; they served the living and true God; and, they waited for His Son from heaven. These correspond to the three things that he mentioned in verse three: turning to God from idols shows their faith; serving God reflects their love; and waiting for Jesus to return reveals their hope. But the beginning of verse 9 also reveals two other aspects of genuine Christianity as seen in these new converts: they welcomed the gospel and they proclaimed it to others. C. H. Spurgeon (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit [Pilgrim Publications], 30:579) calls our text “in miniature the biography of a Christian.”
Paul recalls “what kind of a reception we had with you” (1 Thess. 1:9). “Reception” literally means “entrance.” It may refer to what Paul elsewhere called an “open door” for the gospel (Acts 14:27; 16:9, 10, 14; 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3; see, also, Rev. 3:8). Paul knew that God had to open the door and open hearts for the gospel or else he would be preaching it in vain. Before he went to Macedonia, Paul had first attempted to go to Bithynia (now northern Turkey), but in some unspecified way, “the spirit of Jesus did not permit them” (Acts 16:6, 7). Then Paul saw the vision of the man from Macedonia asking for their help. So they took the gospel there, resulting in the first churches in Europe.
As we saw last time, the gospel is not the message about how Jesus can help you succeed in life, but rather about how Jesus alone can rescue you from the wrath to come. The Bible tells us that our sins have separated us from the holy God so that we are under His righteous judgment (John 3:36; Rom. 3:23; 6:23). Our good deeds cannot pay the penalty that we owe. But God so loved the world that He sent His eternal Son Jesus to take on human flesh and bear the penalty that we deserve (John 3:16). He gives salvation from His judgment to all who believe in Jesus.
The Thessalonians had “received the word” of the gospel (1 Thess. 1:5, 6). Paul says (1 Thess. 2:13), “We also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” Believing in Jesus to rescue you from the coming wrath is the beginning point of the Christian life.
Before the gospel, these people had hoped that their idols would placate God’s wrath. But once they heard the gospel, they threw away their idols, turned to God alone and trusted in Jesus’ death on the cross to rescue them from their sins. “Turned” is another way of saying, “repented.” It occurs often in the Book of Acts to describe the proper response to the gospel. Paul described God’s commission to him (Acts 26:18) as opening the Gentiles’ eyes “so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins ….” He sums up his preaching as telling people “that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:20; cf. Acts 9:35; 11:18, 21; 14:15; 15:19).
Sometimes I’m asked, “What is the relationship between saving faith and repentance?” My answer is that they are flip sides of the same coin. If you genuinely believe, you repent or turn from your sins. If you truly repent, you do it because you believe in Jesus. We shouldn’t separate these concepts. Both are used with reference to salvation. Mark (1:15) sums up Jesus’ preaching as, “Repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus told the disciples to proclaim repentance for forgiveness of sins in His name (Luke 24:47).
To illustrate, if you’re driving to Phoenix and believe that you should return to Flagstaff, you don’t keep driving south. You turn around. Your belief results in action, namely, going in the opposite direction. Saving faith is bound up with a U-turn from sin to God. You cannot turn to God without also turning from your idols.
Maybe you’re thinking, “That’s interesting, but I’m not an idolater. I’ve never bowed down or prayed to any statues. So this doesn’t apply to me.”
But before we repent and trust in Christ, we’re all idolaters. Perhaps few in America bow down before a literal statue (although even here in Flagstaff, we have a store that sells idols)! But an idol is anything that usurps the rightful place of the living and true God in your life. At the root of all idolatry is the god of self. Many people leave this god on the throne and try to “use” Jesus to get what self wants, such as happiness, health, wealth, love, or whatever. But to leave self enthroned and to use Jesus as a new idol to get what self wants is not to turn to God from idols. The Thessalonians did not just add Jesus to their existing shelf full of idols. They trashed their idols and turned to the living and true God alone.
This means that when you become a Christian, there must be a decisive, clear break from the old way of life. Spurgeon (ibid., 30:581) describes it: “Conversion is the turning of a man completely round, to hate what he loved and to love what he hated.” This turning to God from idols is both an initial decision and an ongoing process. As God’s Word reveals further areas of our lives that are not conformed to Christ, we turn from those to God. There is never a time in this life when we can say that we’re done repenting.
In America, we Christians call ourselves “evangelicals.” But that term has become so watered down that some are saying we need a new label. In Eastern Europe, the Orthodox people derogatorily refer to evangelicals as, “repenters.” I like that term! If we truly believe in Christ, we are “repenters.” We turned to God from our idols and whenever His Word exposes an idol we missed, we get rid of it, too.
The word translated “serve” comes from a word meaning to serve as a slave. A slave was not free to do whatever he pleased. If a slave wanted to go to the beach, he couldn’t tell his master, “I’m taking the day off. See you tomorrow!” He belonged to his master who had bought him. He lived to do his master’s will. We are not our own because we’ve been bought with the precious blood of Jesus (1 Cor. 6:19-20; 1 Pet. 1:18-10). We’re His slaves.
Our Master gave His life to rescue us from certain doom. Thus we don’t serve Him out of bare duty or obligation, but out of gratitude and love. And, thankfully, He is a loving and gracious Master, who has our best interests at heart. Serving Him is not a burden, but a delight (1 John 5:3).
Paul describes God as “the living and true God” (cf. Jer. 10:10). Idols are dead, false gods. Often when people set up literal idols, they’re attempting to placate the demonic spirits behind those idols. Demons are real, evil spiritual beings with great power, but they are not God. There is only one living and true God, who lives forever, who created all that exists by the word of His power (Rev. 4:9-11). Thus He is the only rightful Master of every person. If you’re a genuine Christian, you serve the living and true God.
It’s important to understand that serving the living and true God is not just giving Him a few hours each week and then spending the rest of your time for yourself. Rather, serving Him is a 24-7 mindset where you yield yourself fully to the Lord to do whatever He wants you to do because He is your Master. A slave lives to please his master and do his will. This gets your eyes off of yourself and onto the Lord and others.
When you come to church, your focus should be, “Lord, use me today to serve You by serving Your church.” It may be a formal ministry, such as teaching our children or being on a worship team. It may mean helping in a physical way, such as picking up trash or cleaning the kitchen. But also it should include serving in a spiritual way by ministering the love of Christ to others. You serve God by looking for new people and making them feel welcome. But you don’t just serve Him on Sundays. You serve Him every day at home, at work, or at school, because He bought you as His slave.
Genuine Christians receive the gospel; they turn to God from idols; they serve the living and true God.
1 Thessalonians 1:10: “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” When Jesus ascended into heaven, the angel told the disciples who watched Him go (Acts 1:11), “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” He ascended bodily; He will return bodily, and every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7).
Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 64) notes that the second coming is mentioned an average of every 13 verses from Matthew to Revelation. It’s not a minor doctrine! Paul mentions it at the end of every chapter in 1 Thessalonians, as well as in 2 Thessalonians 1 & 2. Bible-believing Christians differ on many of the details regarding Jesus’ coming, but they all agree with the fact that He is coming bodily.
When he was President, to show that he was in touch with common people, Jimmy Carter on a few occasions spent a night in the home of average Americans. If you got a call from the White House telling you that the President would be coming to spend the night, you’d probably make some changes around the house. You’d do some major housecleaning. You’d fix some broken things that you’d procrastinated about fixing. You might replace some worn out furnishings. In short, you’d clean up your act and be waiting expectantly. You’d be ready for the President’s arrival.
The second coming of Christ is not emphasized in the New Testament so that we can fill out prophecy charts, but so that we will clean up our lives as we live in anticipation of His coming. John Calvin (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], p. 246) observes, “For unless we are stirred up to the hope of eternal life, the world will quickly draw us to itself. … Let everyone, therefore, that would persevere in a course of holy life, apply his whole mind to an expectation of Christ’s coming.”
Note seven things about Jesus from verse 10: (1) He is God’s Son. This does not mean, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim, that there was a time before He was begotten when He was not. The Bible is clear that Jesus is God’s eternal Son. In Revelation 1:8 (reflecting Isa. 41:4), God declares, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.) Just a few verses later (Rev. 1:17; 2:8), Jesus twice claims to be the first and the last. Then, in Revelation 22:13, Jesus links Himself to God’s claim in Revelation 1:8 when He says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” So Jesus is God’s eternal Son.
(2) Jesus ascended into heaven, from where He will return. Just before they condemned Him to be crucified, the Jewish high priest asked Jesus (Matt. 26:63), “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus, who had been silent up to this point, replied (Matt. 26:64, referring to Dan. 7:13-14), “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
(3) Jesus is coming again. He is not just coming “spiritually” (as some preterists contend), but bodily. Revelation 1:7 declares, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.” If He is not coming again bodily, God’s Word is not true.
(4) God raised Jesus from the dead. The bodily resurrection of Jesus is at the heart of the apostolic witness. Paul goes so far as to say (1 Cor. 15:17), “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
(5) Jesus the eternal Son of God is also fully human. “Jesus” is His human name. He is the eternal Son of God who took on human flesh when the Holy Spirit miraculously impregnated the virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-35). He had to be God for His sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world (John 1:29). But He also had to be man to actually die and for His death to apply to humans.
(6) Jesus rescues us from the wrath to come. Paul’s description of Jesus as the “rescuer” or “deliverer” comes from the Greek translation of Isaiah 59:20, which promises that the deliverer will come to turn away ungodliness from Jacob when the wrath of the Lord comes (cf. LXX, Isa. 59:19-20; G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 61). That promise now extends to the Gentiles.
The fact that Jesus rescues us from the wrath to come means that we can’t rescue ourselves. Without His intervention, we’re doomed. And, we can’t help Him out with the rescue operation. It’s totally His doing. All we can do is call out to Him to save us (Rom. 10:13). Salvation is from the Lord (1 Cor. 1:30).
(7) When Jesus comes, He will deal out wrath to all who have not obeyed the gospel. Paul says (2 Thess. 1:6-8), “For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
The idea of God’s wrath and judgment is not popular in our day, even among evangelical Christians. We would rather tell people that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives. We downplay the notion that God is angry with them because of their sin and that they face horrible eternal punishment in hell if they die without being reconciled to God. Maybe we’re even a bit embarrassed by the notion of God’s wrath and eternal punishment. So we dodge it and promote the gospel as a great way to have a happier life. But in so doing, we misconstrue the biblical gospel and water down the biblical picture of salvation as God’s rescuing us from perishing. It becomes more like starting a new diet or exercise program, guaranteed to make you feel better right away.
But the truth of God’s wrath is essential to the gospel. Jesus didn’t suffer on the cross so that we could enjoy a happier life. He died to rescue us from the wrath to come. God’s wrath is His settled opposition to all sin and His righteous punishment of that sin. If He is infinitely holy, He must punish all sin with infinite punishment (see Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners”). If God does not punish sin, He is neither holy nor just. While it may not be pleasant to us, we need to realize that Jesus spoke more about the awfulness of God’s judgment than any other person in the Bible. We cannot rightly claim to be Christians and at the same time deny the wrath of God that is coming on all who reject Jesus as their Savior. Either your sin is on Jesus because you have fled to Him to rescue you, or it’s on you and you will face the terror of God’s eternal wrath.
We saw this in verse 8, where Paul says that the word of the Lord had sounded forth from the Thessalonians. It’s also implied in verse 9, where he says that others report back to him the kind of reception that he had when he was in Thessalonica. The point is, those who have been rescued from certain doom can’t help telling others their amazing story. You can’t keep it to yourself.
But don’t water down the gospel! Imagine a bunch of people on a luxury cruise ship, sailing in calm Caribbean seas. They’re lounging on deck, eating great food, and having an enjoyable time. Along comes a man selling sun visors. “Would you folks like to buy a sun visor? It will make your cruise much more enjoyable. They don’t cost very much.” So lots of folks buy the sun visors.
But what if you knew that before the cruise began, terrorists had planted a powerful time bomb on that ship that would blow it to bits? Would you be on deck selling sun visors to make the trip more comfortable or would you be warning people to get into the lifeboats while they still had time?
God isn’t a terrorist, of course! But He is a holy God who has warned that He will judge all sin. The cruise ship called “The World” will be destroyed and all who are on board will perish (2 Pet. 3:10). But He has not left us without a means of escape. His Son Jesus is not a sun visor to make your cruise more comfortable. He’s the lifeboat! But you must abandon ship to get into the lifeboat while there is still time. That’s the message we must proclaim.
So check yourself against these marks of genuine Christianity: Have you received the good news that Christ died for your sins? Have you decisively turned to God from your idols, especially the idol of self? Do you live each day to serve the living and true God as His blood-bought slave? Do you look expectantly for His Son to return from heaven? And do you tell others the good news about how Jesus can rescue them from the wrath to come?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
August 21, 2016
I want to begin by asking two questions: “Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ?” Hopefully, that one was easy. If you answered, “Yes,” the second, more intimidating, question is, “Are you discipling others?”
To define my terms: A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ. No one follows Him perfectly, of course. But as a disciple, the direction and aim of your life is to be obedient to Jesus Christ and His teachings as revealed in the Bible. To disciple others is to help them follow Jesus. Mark Dever defines it (Discipling [Crossway], p. 13), “Discipling is deliberately doing spiritual good to someone so that he or she will be more like Christ.”
In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded His followers (Matt. 28:19-20), “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; …” The command to make disciples applies to all who follow Jesus, not just to pastors and missionaries. Every Christian has received a spiritual gift which he or she is to use in serving Jesus Christ (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-31; Eph. 4:7-12; 1 Pet. 4:10-11). Part of the command to love one another involves helping others be what God wants them to be. That’s discipleship. So if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, God wants you to use your gifts to help others become more like Christ.
Discipleship should not be so much a program in the local church that some sign up for, but rather the culture of the church, where every member aims at helping others become more like Christ. It begins in our homes, with parents evangelizing and discipling their children. It should ripple out through the entire church, where we all are helping one another grow in godliness. In our text, Paul reveals three crucial ingredients for effective discipleship:
Effective discipleship is built on a godly message, a godly manner, and a godly motive.
The godly message is the gospel; the godly manner is evident love for others; and, the godly motive is to please God from the heart. If you’re clear on the gospel, evident in your love for others, and doing everything to please God who examines your heart, God will use you to help others grow to be more like Christ.
I’ll say more about this, but for now I point out that in 1 Thessalonians 2 & 3, Paul is defending himself against vicious opponents, perhaps the Jews who drove him out of Thessalonica (1 Thess. 2:14-16). They were trying to discredit Paul so that his gospel would be discredited. Paul mentions the gospel in verses 2, 4, 8, and 9 (as well as in 1:5 & 3:2). In verses 2, 8, & 9 he refers to it as “the gospel of God.” Paul didn’t make up the gospel. Rather, it came directly from God, who revealed it to Paul. To reject the gospel is to reject the living and true God who gave it to us.
The gospel stands against every other system of religion in the world, including some religions that go under the banner of Christianity. All these false “gospels” teach that the way you go to heaven is by some program of good works. Sometimes, as in the Roman Catholic Church, faith in Christ and good works are combined, just as the Judaizers in Paul’s day combined faith in Christ with keeping the Jewish law. By doing penance for your sins, going to church, moral behavior, helping the poor, and giving to the church, you accumulate merits to qualify for heaven.
But the gospel is that we are saved from God’s judgment by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, resulting in good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 states it clearly:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
The gospel is good news for sinners because it promises freely to forgive all the sins of those who believe. As Paul states (Rom. 4:5), “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” Jesus illustrated the same truth in His parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). The proud Pharisee thought that he was right with God through his religious practices, whereas the tax collector could only cry out (Luke 18:13), “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” Jesus said that the tax collector went to his house justified, whereas the Pharisee did not. The best news in the world is that if you come to Jesus with all of your sin and cry out to Him for mercy through Jesus’ shed blood, He freely gives it!
So why does the gospel result in opposition? Why would anyone have a problem with such good news? The Bible is clear that self-righteous people hate the gospel because it confronts their pride. It takes away all grounds for boasting in our good deeds. The gospel requires that we acknowledge that we are sinners without any claim for heaven. The gospel reveals that my heart is as desperately wicked as that of the worst of sinners. So proud people oppose the humbling message of the gospel.
Also, unbelievers don’t like to hear about God’s wrath and judgment against all sinners. As a result they often oppose the messengers of the gospel. But even if they oppose us, we shouldn’t back off or apologize for the message. Paul was mistreated in Philippi for preaching the gospel, but when he came to Thessalonica, he preached the same message boldly in spite of the opposition (1 Thess. 2:2). We can’t compromise the message to win converts.
Effective discipleship rests on the foundation of the gospel revealed to us in God’s Word. False teachers don’t tell people about sin and the judgment to come. Rather, they build people’s self-esteem and tell them how Jesus can help them have their best life now. To build godly disciples we must build on the foundation of the gospel that comes from God.
1 Thessalonians 2:7-8: “But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”
When people feel the love of Christ through us, they will more likely listen to the gospel that we present. There is a difficult textual variant in verse 7. Some early manuscripts read “we became babes,” whereas a number of others read, “we became gentle.” The difference is either the presence or absence of a single Greek letter (nu, or “n”). “Babes” is the better attested and more difficult reading, in that it doesn’t seem to fit with the metaphor of the nursing mother in the last half of the verse. Paul usually uses “babes” in a negative way, to refer to those who are spiritually immature (1 Cor. 3:1). He uses “gentle” with reference to how the Lord’s bond-servants must relate to others (2 Tim. 2:24-25): “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind [“gentle”] to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth ….”
So it’s difficult to decide. If the original reading was “babes,” it probably has the sense of being gentle or defenseless, as a little baby is. But the image of a nursing mother tenderly holding her baby next to her, protecting the child from all harm, pictures the love that we are to have for others.
But may I point out the obvious (to any mother, at least): Babies are needy, often difficult, inconvenient, and time-consuming! They dirty their diapers, they scream when they’re hungry or don’t feel good, they throw up on you, they wake you up in the middle of the night, and they require a lot of attention. So do new believers! This means that you can’t love others unless you’re willing to sacrifice yourself and your time and be inconvenienced. But it’s through your love that they will grow.
Note, also, that these are emotional terms. The same emotional language permeates the rest of chapters 2 & 3. It’s obvious that Paul had deep feelings for these new converts and he let them know it verbally. Not only did he tell them of his affection for them, but also they had seen it when he was with them. He repeats “you know,” “you recall,” and “you are witnesses (2:1, 2, 5, 9, 10 & 11). Paul’s love for them was evident.
He says that they had not only imparted the gospel, “but also our own lives” [lit., “souls”]. Part of sharing your own soul is being vulnerable and open. You don’t try to present an image that isn’t who you really are. You live openly and truthfully before God and before others. When I became a pastor 39 years ago, I resolved never to project through my preaching or in my private dealings with anyone that I’ve got it together if that’s not true. If I’m preaching on prayer and I struggle with my prayer life (as I do), I’ll let you know that I’m struggling. You can’t effectively disciple others if you’re not truthful about your own failures and struggles.
So, effective discipleship is built on a godly message: the gospel of God; and, on a godly manner: evident love for people.
We could also label this integrity before God. Paul reveals six ways he pleased God from the heart:
Paul says (1 Thess. 2:4), “but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.” He adds (1 Thess. 2:6), “nor did we seek glory from men.” Paul lived with a Godward focus. He wanted to please and glorify God on the heart level. When he says that he didn’t please men, he doesn’t mean that he was insensitive toward people. He was careful not needlessly to offend others (see 1 Cor. 9:20-22; 10:33). He spoke graciously to people (Eph. 4:29). But behind his actions toward people was a primary focus to please and glorify God.
Pleasing and glorifying God must begin on the heart or thought level, since God examines our hearts. We can fool people by putting on a good front when we’re in public, but God looks on our hearts. When Paul says that he had been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, he’s referring to his heart before God. Paul’s heart was right with God and so God entrusted Paul with the treasure of the gospel. A man can be a powerful, captivating preacher, but in private he looks at pornography or checks out the sexy women. Or he may posture himself as a man of God at church, but at home he’s angry and abusive.
To begin at this, gain and maintain a clear conscience before God. As Paul told the Roman governor Felix (Acts 24:16), “I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.” This means confessing all sins, including sinful thoughts. It means asking forgiveness of those against whom we have sinned. And then, positively, we aim to please God in all respects (Col. 1:10), not so that we look good to others, but so that God looks good through us. When you walk with that kind of reality and integrity before the Lord, He will use you to disciple others effectively.
Paul mentions how he and Silas had suffered and been mistreated in Philippi just before they came to Thessalonica. Acts 16 tells of how they were unjustly beaten without a trial and put in the stocks in jail. But at midnight, they were singing praises to God. He wrote Philippians from prison in Rome, where he didn’t deserve to be. Other preachers in Rome were unfairly attacking him. And yet Philippians overflows with joy in the Lord (Phil. 4:4): “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”
And when Paul preached the gospel in Thessalonica, guess what? He encountered much opposition (1 Thess. 2:2)! But, rather than complaining to God about how unfair it was or threating to quit preaching unless he got better treatment in the future, Paul kept on joyfully preaching the gospel.
Over the years, I’ve watched many people who begin to serve the Lord in some ministry, but when they get criticized or their feelings get hurt, they quit. Often, they get angry with God or with the Christians who mistreated them. They drop out of church or at least keep their distance by just attending, but never serving again.
But serving the Lord is not a Sunday school picnic! It’s spiritual warfare! The enemy will attack, often from unexpected angles. When I first began as a pastor, I naively thought that the opposition would come from the world. But I’ve rarely gotten flak from the world. Unbelievers don’t care about what goes on in the church. The attacks come from within. So if you’re attempting to disciple others, expect to be criticized. Sometimes those you’ve spent a lot of time with will turn against you. Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Demas deserted Paul. It happens! But if we endure trials and hardship with steadfast joy, it pleases God and He will use it to help others grow in Christ.
Paul says (1 Thess. 2:3), “For our exhortation does not come from error ….” The truth of the gospel is foundational, but then it extends to all major biblical truth. God is the God of truth (Ps. 31:5; Isa. 65:16) whose Word is truth (John 17:17). In Paul’s pastoral letters to Timothy and Titus, he repeatedly emphasizes sound doctrine (1 Tim. 4:6; 6:3; 2 Tim. 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1, 7, 9, 10). The word “sound” comes from the Greek word from which we get our word “hygienic.” Sound doctrine leads to spiritual health. Bad doctrine, like junk food, leads to spiritual sickness or disease. To disciple others effectively, feed them sound doctrine and teach them as they grow to feed themselves.
It’s amazing how much Paul had taught these new believers, many of whom were from a pagan background, in the short time he had been with them. He assumes that they knew about the doctrine of election (1:4) and the trinity (1:1, 5, 6). He had taught them about suffering (1:6; 3:3-4); the second coming (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:1-11, 23); moral purity (4:1-8); and many other truths.
Of course, we need to distinguish between the essential truths of the faith, which every true believer must affirm, and other doctrines, which may be important, but where godly people may differ. The gospel and all truths necessary for the gospel are essential. Some other matters, such as prophecy, spiritual gifts, church government and ordinances, or methods for ministry, are important, but not essential for the gospel. But in our postmodern era, when the whole notion of truth is challenged, we need to hold graciously but firmly to the truth of God’s Word.
But when you teach the truth, expect to catch flak! After exhorting Timothy to preach the Word, which includes reproving, rebuking, and exhorting, Paul warned (2 Tim. 4:3-5):
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
The reason Paul added “endure hardship” was that when you preach the Word faithfully, you will be criticized and attacked.
Paul says (1 Thess. 2:3) that his exhortation did not come from “impurity.” In that day, as in the present, there were many false teachers who were motivated by sexual impurity. They purported to preach the gospel and teach God’s Word, but they used their status as public figures to prey on unsuspecting women. Peter warned (2 Pet. 2:14) of false teachers who had “eyes full of adultery,” who enticed unstable souls. He added (2 Pet. 2:18-19), “For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; …” To effectively disciple others, we must be morally pure. Again, this begins on the thought level.
Paul states (1 Thess. 2:5) that he did not come “with a pretext for greed,” and then adds, “God is witness.” Greed and sexual lust are often linked in Scripture (Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5). Jesus mentions both in a list of sins that He says come from the heart (Mark 7:21-23). We can sometimes observe outward behavior and conclude that a man is motivated by greed or lust. But if we want to overcome these sins in ourselves to please God and to disciple others, we have to deal with them on the heart level.
Financial integrity requires being honest in all our financial dealings, including not cheating when we pay our taxes. If you’re paid cash for a job, you need to report it. If a clerk gives you too much change or doesn’t charge what you owe, you need to make it right. Greed is also the motivation for gambling and get rich quick schemes, both of which Christians should avoid. Greed keeps us from giving generously to the Lord’s work. To please God and to disciple others effectively, kill your greed.
Paul says (1 Thess. 2:3) that his exhortation did not come “by way of deceit,” and then adds (1 Thess. 2:5-6), “For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.” “Deceit” was used for the bait that a fisherman uses. He puts a juicy worm on his hook so that the fish thinks he’s getting a delicious meal, but the fish ends up becoming the meal. A deceitful person who is pleasing men tells people what they want to hear so that they will like him, even if he knows it isn’t the truth. He dodges the hard truths of Scripture because he doesn’t want to scare people away, but in so doing, he gets them to believe Satan’s lies about God.
Flattering speech means pleasing people to gain an advantage. It’s always manipulative. Paul could have wrongly used his apostolic authority to lord it over people, but he didn’t do that. When he used his authority, it was to build up others, not to lord it over them (2 Cor. 10:8; 13:10). To please God and disciple others, we need to be truthful and to avoid all manipulation.
Years ago, an agnostic was contemplating suicide, but he decided that if he could find a minister who lived his faith, he would listen to him. So he hired a private investigator to watch Will Houghton, a preacher who had become the president of Moody Bible Institute. When the report came back, it revealed that Houghton’s life was above reproach. He was for real. The agnostic went to Houghton’s church, trusted in Christ, and later sent his daughter to Moody Bible Institute. (“Our Daily Bread,” 11/83)
What would a private investigator dig up on you? Would you pass the test? God is the ultimate private investigator! He examines your heart! To disciple others effectively, you need a godly message—the gospel of God; a godly manner—evident love for others; and a godly motive—pleasing God from the heart. I pray that in our church we will develop a climate of discipleship—of deliberately helping one another become more like Christ.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
August 28, 2016
My college physics professor began every class in the same way: “Class, I’m going to tell you what I told you yesterday. Then I’ll tell you what I’m going to tell you today. Then I’ll tell you. Then I’ll tell you what I told you. Then I’ll review.” He knew that repetition is the key to learning. So he’d go over and over the same content until it was drilled into our heads.
The apostle Paul also repeated himself, which he does in our text. My message today is very similar to last week’s message because Paul makes the same points again. He wanted to equip these new believers to be solid disciples of the Lord so that they could disciple others. He holds up his example as a model for the Thessalonians and us to follow. Every Christian is a disciple, a follower of Christ. And every Christian is to be involved in the process of making other disciples, which means, deliberately helping others to be more like Christ.
Greg Beale (1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 76) gives a helpful overview of 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12:
Paul’s witness among the Thessalonians was effective (2:1) because it was based on his bold proclamation of the truth of the gospel (2:2). The two motives undergirding and inspiring this testimony were that Paul wanted to please God (2:3-4) and wanted others to please God in order to glorify him (2:5-12).
Keep in mind that in chapters 2 & 3, Paul is defending himself against critics who were attacking his motives. During his time in Thessalonica, these enemies of the gospel had stormed the house of Jason, a new believer, trying to find Paul. When they couldn’t find him, they dragged Jason before the city authorities, accusing him of harboring a man who was proclaiming another king than Caesar. Jason had to post a bond, but then the believers thought it best to send Paul and Silas away by night (Acts 17:5-10).
Now these critics were saying things like, “This religious huckster ran away suddenly and hasn’t been heard from since. He’s just like many others in the religion business, a charlatan who uses religion as a cover so that he can get your money, seduce your women, and exalt himself in power over you. He’s not sincere. When he thought he’d be exposed, he ran away, showing that he doesn’t care about you.” (Modified from John Stott, The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 46.)
So Paul is defending his motives and objectives, not so that he would look good, but because he knew that if these critics succeeded in undermining his integrity, they would also undermine the gospel that he proclaimed. Last week we saw that effective discipleship is built on a godly message: the gospel of God; a godly manner: evident love for others; and, a godly motive: pleasing God from the heart. Those same themes are woven through our text for today. We can sum it up:
Effective discipleship is founded on the gospel proclaimed in love through people of godly integrity with the goal of disciples who walk worthily of God and His glory.
In verses 7-8 Paul pictured himself as a nursing mother, tenderly and affectionately caring for her own children. Now he shifts the metaphor to that of a loving father who trains his children.
Paul keeps emphasizing the gospel of God (1 Thess. 1:5; 2:2, 4, 8, 9; 3:2; 2 Thess. 1:8; 2:14) because the gospel is the foundation for everything in the Christian life. If a person’s life is built on a faulty gospel, like the house built on the sand, it will not stand up when the flood waters hit (Matt. 7:26-27).
Paul says that he “proclaimed” to them “the gospel of God.” “Proclaimed” means to proclaim or announce as a herald. The job of a herald in that day was to go from city to city with the king’s message and tell people exactly what the king wanted them to know. He wasn’t free to modify the message or to add to it. If it was an unpopular message, he might get attacked, even though he didn’t originate the message. But he couldn’t soften the king’s message. He had to proclaim it just as the king had given it to him.
As we’ve seen, by calling it “the gospel of God,” Paul is emphasizing that the gospel comes from God. It wasn’t a message that Paul thought up on his own. It doesn’t come to us from the collective wisdom of religious thinkers down through the centuries. It comes to us from God Himself. It is the good news that God has provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him, to know Him, and to spend eternity with Him after we die.
But that good news invariably stirs up opposition wherever it goes because to accept the good news, you’ve also got to accept the bad news. The bad news is that we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). We all love the darkness rather than the light, because our deeds are evil (John 3:19-20). We all would like to think that our good deeds will qualify us for heaven (Luke 18:11-12). But God has to open our eyes to see that all our righteousness is worthless in His sight. We need perfect righteousness to live in God’s holy presence and that perfect righteousness can only come to us when we put our trust in Jesus Christ as the one who died and rose again in our place (Rom. 3:21-26; Phil. 3:4-9).
Satan has always attacked the gospel, because it is foundational for the entire Christian life. During my 39 years as a pastor, I’ve seen the gospel attacked by the health and wealth heresy, which teaches that believing in Christ will cure you of every disease and bring you financial prosperity. Robert Schuller’s Self-Esteem: the New Reformation [Word] redefined the gospel by saying that we should not fear pride, we should trust in ourselves, and we should stop thinking of ourselves as sinners. He said (p. 68), “To be born again means that we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image—from inferiority to self-esteem, from fear to love, from doubt to trust.” Hint: That’s not what the new birth is!
On another front, the so-called “free grace” movement came out of the seminary where I studied. It redefines repentance to mean merely a change of mind with regard to Christ, not to a change of behavior where we turn from our sin. It teaches that saving faith is a decision to agree with the facts of the gospel, not a reliance on Christ that stems from God changing our hearts. John MacArthur has confronted this error in several of his books, such as The Gospel According to Jesus [Zondervan] and Faith Works [Word]. I have heard him say that when he began in the ministry, he never expected that he would spend a large part of his time defending the gospel; but in fact, that’s what he has done.
So make sure that your gospel is the gospel that comes from God as revealed in His Word of truth. Proclaim that gospel to others and make sure that they are clear on it. It’s the only solid foundation for effective discipleship.
We saw this last week, but Paul continues to emphasize his godly motives and behavior when he was in Thessalonica. We learn three things about godly integrity here:
Note how Paul repeats, “For you recall, brethren” (2:9); “You are witnesses” (2:10); “just as you know” (2:11; cf. also, 2:1, 2, 5). He is appealing to his own example. We mainly influence both our physical children and our spiritual children through our example. As James Baldwin wrote (Reader’s Digest [1/86]), “Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”
There is a story (author unknown) about four pastors who were discussing the pros and cons of various Bible translations and paraphrases. The first minister said that he uses the King James Bible because the old English is beautiful and produces the most reverent picture of the Holy Scriptures. Another man said he prefers the New American Standard Bible because he feels it comes nearer to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. The third pastor said his favorite is the paraphrased Living Bible, because his congregation is young and it relates to them in a most practical way. The fourth pastor was silent for a time as he thought about it. Then he said, I guess when it comes to translations of the Bible, I like my Dad’s translation the best. He put the Word of God into practice every day. It was the most convincing translation that I’ve seen.”
Paul already referred to his example of not being deceitful or impure. His motive was not to please men, but rather God, who examines our hearts. He said that he never came with flattering speech to manipulate people for his advantage. He was not motivated by greed or personal glory. Rather, as a gentle, loving spiritual mother, he showed his tender affection for these spiritual children. Now he compares himself to a loving father who trains his children by example and by verbal instruction. So godly integrity is passed on both at home and in the church by our example.
Paul says (1 Thess. 1:9), “For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.” He is referring to the fact that he worked hard making tents so that he didn’t have to take any support from the Thessalonians while he was planting the church there. He didn’t even eat anyone’s food without paying for it (2 Thess. 3:8). He didn’t want to give his enemies any occasion to accuse him of preaching the gospel so that he could make money off of his converts.
Elsewhere Paul taught that it is legitimate for the person who labors in the gospel to be supported by the gospel (1 Cor. 9:1-15; Gal. 6:6). In the local church, he instructed (1 Tim. 5:17-18), “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,’ and ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’” “Double honor” refers both to the respect that is due to faithful pastors who teach the Word, and also to financial support, as the Scripture citations show.
As an apostle, Paul had a right to be supported by the gospel, but he chose to give up that right so as not to cause a hindrance to the gospel (1 Cor. 9:1-15). While he was ministering in Thessalonica, more than once Timothy brought financial support to Paul from the Philippian believers (Phil. 4:16). So he would take support from other churches, but to avoid the appearance of taking advantage of new believers, Paul wouldn’t take support from the church where he was currently serving.
If you’re a Christian businessman and you’re discipling a younger man, be very careful about any business dealings with him that might make you a profit. In the church I served in California, one of our members got involved in Amway, where you work your way up the pyramid by getting others under you to sell Amway. He told me that he had a goal of meeting five new people at church each week. But the reason for his goal was not so that he could help these people grow in Christ, but rather to recruit them for Amway. When I confronted him about this, he insisted that he was helping these people spiritually because he was helping them become financially independent. He refused to admit that he was being friendly to them so that he could make a profit through their joining his organization. But getting people signed up to sell Amway is not discipling them!
Paul is repeating what he has already said (2:3-4) when he adds (1 Thess. 2:10), “You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers.” He calls the Thessalonians as witnesses because they had observed his outward behavior. But he calls God as witness because God examines our hearts (2:4). In other words, we need to walk with reality toward God beginning on the heart or thought level if we want to disciple others effectively. We can’t live one way in secret and then put on our godly mask in front of others.
Paul may pile up these three adverbs (“devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly”) to show the necessity of right conduct for believers (Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 82). These words are somewhat synonymous, but “devout” may refer to being pleasing to God; “righteous” to dealing rightly with others; and “blameless” to our reputation in the world (Stott, p. 53).
Almost 30 years ago, Leadership [Winter, 1988, p. 24], a journal for pastors, reported that 20 percent of pastors admitted to viewing pornography in some form at least once a month! And that was before the internet and smart phones made that filth easily available! How can such men disciple others when they themselves are not “devout, righteous, and blameless”? Jesus wasn’t subtle in His warning about this. He said (Matt. 5:27-30):
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Integrity before God has to begin on the heart or thought level. If you don’t kill your lust on that level, Jesus says that you are headed for hell! I wouldn’t have said it so strongly, but Jesus did! You can’t effectively disciple others unless you have moral integrity before God on the heart level. Effective discipleship is founded on the gospel and takes place through people of godly integrity.
1 Thess. 2:11: “just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children ….” Paul taught the entire church publicly, but he also met individually or in small groups for further instruction with the men he was discipling. “Exhorting, encouraging, and imploring” are somewhat overlapping, but there are nuances of difference. There is not a “one size fits all” approach. Rather, a wise spiritual father discerns where each spiritual child is at and tailors his approach accordingly.
Some need exhortation, which refers to challenging or appealing to others to live as they should as Christians. Encouraging has the nuance of comfort and consolation. Paul uses this word in 1 Thess. 5:14 when he encourages the church leaders, “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” The fainthearted don’t need to be admonished; they need encouragement. Perhaps they were discouraged because of the persecution that they had come under as Christians. To them, Paul spoke tender words to comfort them, while urging them to be faithful. The third word, imploring, means “testifying.” It’s the strongest of the three words, implying a loving warning that a course correction is needed.
Paul uses the analogy of a loving father to convey how he used these different approaches. Every sensitive father knows that his children are different. Some need a stern word or they won’t even hear you. But if you give that same stern word to a more sensitive child, she will dissolve in tears. But every father should be loving and tender (Ps. 103:13), seeking to help each child become all that God wants that child to be. Effective discipleship requires loving, personal exhortation and encouragement.
So effective discipleship is founded on the gospel proclaimed in love through people of godly integrity. But note the goal:
1 Thess. 2:12: “so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” Note four things:
First, a worthy walk requires walking. (Duh!) Paul often uses “walk” to refer to our way of life (it’s in the Greek text of 1 Thess. 4:1, 12; 2 Thess. 3:6, 11). It’s an apt metaphor for the Christian life. A walk is a step by step process of making steady progress toward a goal or destination. Day by day a believer is to walk with God, even as Enoch of old did (Gen. 5:22, 24). Our goal is to make progress in godliness (1 Tim. 4:7). If you’re not spending frequent time alone with God, you’re not walking with Him.
Second, a worthy walk is the highest conceivable standard. There can’t be any higher goal than to walk worthy of God, who is absolutely perfect and holy! Elsewhere Paul exhorts us to walk worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1), worthy of the gospel (Phil. 1:27), and worthy of the Lord (Col. 1:10). We represent God to others!
Third, a worthy walk is a response to God’s effectual call. God’s call refers to His effectual call to salvation. It happened in the past (Gal. 1:6; 2 Tim. 1:9), but Paul here describes God as the one who calls us in a timeless sense (1 Thess. 5:24; F. F. Bruce, Word Biblical Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Thomas Nelson], p. 37). This verse shows us that God takes the initiative in saving us, but we are responsible to walk with Him. We don’t earn salvation by a worthy walk, but a worthy walk is evidence that we are truly saved.
Fourth, a worthy walk takes place in the sphere of God’s kingdom and glory. God’s kingdom is His rule, which begins now and is culminated when Jesus returns. We walk in submission to our King now. When He returns, we will see His glory and share it with Him. As Paul writes (2 Thess. 2:14), “It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” John explains and applies this (1 John 3:2-3), “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
So in this repeated lesson, Paul shows that effective discipleship is founded on the gospel proclaimed in love through people of godly integrity with the goal of disciples who walk worthily of God and His glory. I conclude with the two questions that I began with last week: Are you a disciple (follower) of Jesus Christ? If not, that is your main need! Trust in Him as your Savior and Lord before you face His wrath! He offers you mercy, forgiveness of all your sins, and eternal life as a free gift. Take it now! Are you discipling others (deliberately helping them to become followers of Christ)? If not, make that your aim! Ask the Lord where you should begin. That is the culture or climate that we want to cultivate in this church.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
September 4, 2016
It will be interesting to see what happens to the American church when persecution intensifies. I did not say, “if persecution intensifies,” but, “when.” Persecution for our faith has already begun in minor ways (compared to how those in other countries suffer), but unless there is widespread revival in America, persecution of Christians will grow stronger in the next few years. My aim in this message is to help you prepare for it.
We have already seen businesses fined and forced out of business because of alleged discrimination against the LGBT agenda. There is pressure both from the government and from politically correct corporations to force everyone to allow men who identify themselves as women to use women’s restrooms and shower facilities. A graduate student working on a counseling degree was forced out of her degree program because she said that she would refer homosexual clients to other counselors because of her religious beliefs. At least two states have passed laws that prohibit licensed counselors from trying to help homosexual clients become heterosexual. And, campus ministries have been forced off campus because they refuse to accept homosexuals as leaders of their groups.
I’m not a prophet, but in the future, churches and other ministries that hold to the biblical view on homosexuality will lose their tax exempt status. Military chaplains may be forced to perform homosexual weddings or lose their commissions. Public school teachers may be fired for refusing to teach “diversity” tolerance to their students. Christian colleges and seminaries may lose their accreditation if they do not endorse LGBT “rights.” Those employed by secular universities may lose their jobs if they refuse to embrace the LGBT agenda. Employees of secular companies may be fired for believing what the Bible says about homosexual sin.
At their recent convention in Philadelphia, the Democratic Party and their presidential candidate endorsed abortion rights, which Obamacare is trying to force on businesses and religious institutions. Concerning homosexuality, they said, “[We] applaud last year’s decision by the Supreme Court that recognized that LGBT people—like other Americans—have the right to marry the person they love.” Already, pastors in Sweden, England, and Canada have been arrested for preaching what the Bible says about homosexuality. It is likely that America will soon do the same.
So, we are headed for increasing persecution if we faithfully hold to what the Bible teaches about these moral issues. The question is, “Will you persevere and hold to the Bible’s teachings under persecution, or will you capitulate to our godless culture to avoid persecution?”
In our text, we see the new believers in Thessalonica holding up through persecution that probably was much stronger than anything we will experience in the next decade or two. Their perseverance was another evidence that God had chosen them for salvation (1 Thess. 1:4). In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6, Paul proclaimed the gospel with boldness. In verses 7-12, he lived the gospel with gentleness. As a result (in verses 13-16), the Thessalonians received the gospel as God’s word with perseverance in spite of much persecution.
To persevere under persecution, believe God’s Word, imitate other persevering believers, and trust that God will judge those who persecute His people.
1 Thess. 1:13: “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”
Note two things:
Scholars are divided over whether “for this reason” applies to what Paul has just said or to what he is about to say. It may mean, “Because God has saved you through the gospel and called you into His kingdom and glory, we constantly give thanks.” Or, it could mean, “Because you received the word we preached to you not as our word, but as God’s word, we constantly give thanks.” But either way, Paul was constantly thankful to God because the Thessalonians had responded favorably toward the gospel, which he here calls, “the word of God.” Paul has repeatedly referred to his message as “the gospel of God” (1 Thess. 2:3, 8, 9), emphasizing that it is good news that comes to us from God, not from any human source. But he also has referred to it as “the word” or “the word of the Lord” (1 Thess. 1:6, 8). The gospel is a verbal message that comes to us from God.
As a verbal message, the gospel has content. It centers on the person of Jesus, who is “the Word.” As John (1:1, 14, 18) writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth…. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” Or, as Hebrews 1:1-2 begins, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” All of God’s word, from Genesis to Revelation, centers on Jesus Christ, the Word of God in human flesh (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39, 46).
In Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve sinned, God made them clothing from an animal skin to cover their nakedness. It was a picture of God providing a blood sacrifice to cover our sins. The Bible says that we all sinned in Adam and that we all have added sins of our own (Rom. 3:10-23; 5:12-21). Thus we all stand guilty before God, unable to pay the debt for our sins. In mercy, He sent His own eternal Son to take on human flesh and die in our place. He offers a full pardon and eternal life as a gift to all who put their trust in Jesus Christ as their sin-bearer. As Paul wrote (Rom. 6:23), “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Acts 17:2-3 tells us that when Paul was in Thessalonica, he went to the synagogue and “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’” The Jews already accepted the Scriptures as God’s word, so Paul used it to reason with them. When he went to Athens and preached to the philosophers on Mars Hill, he used a different approach, citing some of their poets and philosophers, but he argued towards the same point about Jesus (Acts 17:30-31), “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
When you’re sharing the gospel with those who do not believe that the Bible is God’s word, my advice is not to try to prove that point. Rather, challenge the person to read the Gospel of John with the sincere prayer, “God, if this is Your word of truth, open my eyes to see and I will believe in Jesus.” God’s word is powerful in itself and doesn’t need our defense. God spoke the universe into existence by His word (Genesis 1). Isaiah 55:11 promises that God’s word will not return to Him empty, without accomplishing His purpose. So don’t get into debates with unbelievers about whether or not the Bible is God’s inspired word. Just challenge them to read it, asking God to show them the truth. So the starting place for persevering through persecution is to believe that the gospel is not the word of men, but rather the word of God.
Paul adds that the word of God “also performs its work in you who believe.” “Believe” is in the present tense, indicating the ongoing process of belief (Leon Morris, The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], pp. 88-89). For God to give us the strength to endure persecution, we must continue to believe in the gospel and in all of God’s revealed word of truth.
If you truly believe that God’s word is not the word of men, but rather, the word of God, you will study it diligently to learn what it means and how it applies to every area of your life. If you’re going through trials, the word gives real life stories of men and women of faith who endured trials and persecution, so that we can imitate their faith (Heb. 11:1-40; 12:1-3; 13:7). A major theme in 1 Peter is how to endure persecution for your faith. Many other Scriptures give specific teaching about enduring difficult trials.
But these examples and the explicit teaching of God’s word can only perform their work in you if you are in the word. Don’t just pick out a few favorite verses or, worse, open your Bible and point to a verse at random. Rather, read it consecutively, with a good study Bible for help, praying for understanding. God’s word is powerful because it exposes not only your behavior, but also your motives. As Hebrews 4:12-13 declares, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
If that sounds threatening, keep in mind that God uses His word to heal us, not to harm us. If a doctor gives a superficial diagnosis and does not probe to find the source of your illness, you won’t be healed and he’s not worth trusting. God wants us to be in His word so that it will expose the causes of our spiritual illness so that we can be healed. Persevering under persecution, which tests the reality of our faith, comes from believing God’s word.
1 Thess. 2:14: “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews ….” Sometimes when we suffer, whether it is a health problem, an emotional problem, a family conflict, or persecution, we tend to think that we’re the only one in the world with this problem. Even the godly prophet Elijah when he was under persecution complained to God that he was the only one left who followed the Lord (1 Kings 19:10).
Because of this tendency, Peter wrote to persecuted Christians (1 Pet. 4:12), “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” A few verses later, he added (1 Pet. 5:8-11),
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
It’s important in a time of suffering or persecution to know that you’re not alone. The same experiences of suffering are happening to your brethren who are in the world. And, as Peter reminds us, God is in charge. He is sovereign over our suffering.
As I said, the Bible has many stories of persecuted believers. The Psalms often describe a situation where the psalmist is being slandered or his life is in danger. But he rehearses God’s attributes and how God has been faithful to His saints in the past. By the end of the psalm, his perspective has changed to praise. Also, the prophets such as Jeremiah suffered because they told people what God wanted them to hear, not what the people wanted to hear. Jesus frequently told His disciples that they would face persecution for His name’s sake.
In addition to the Bible, read missions magazines like “Voice of the Martyrs,” which tell stories of persecuted believers. Read biographies of missionaries who suffered as they took the gospel to difficult places: Adoniram Judson, Hudson Taylor, John and Betty Stam, John Paton, and others. To read of how Judson and his wife suffered in Burma puts my puny trials in perspective! As Hebrews 13:7 exhorts, “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” To persevere under persecution, believe God’s Word and imitate other persevering believers.
1 Thess. 2:14c-16: “The Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.”
Paul’s strong words here against the Jews have led some to think that he didn’t write this, but it was inserted by a later scribe. But there is no manuscript evidence to support such a conclusion. Others accuse Paul of being anti-Semitic, but that’s ridiculous. If he was anti-Semitic, then so was Jesus (Matt. 21:43; 23:31-38), who pronounced judgment on the Jewish leaders and on the Jewish nation for their unbelief and sin. Paul even said that if he could, he would forfeit his own salvation so that his fellow Jews could have eternal life (Rom. 9:3-5)! And, wherever he preached the gospel, Paul always began with the Jews (Acts 13:5, 14, 46; 14:1; 17:1-2; Rom. 1:16). So Paul was not anti-Semitic.
But how then should we understand Paul’s vehement outburst here against the Jews? To understand, we have to realize that from the earliest days after his conversion, Paul had faced almost continual opposition from the Jews. They would have killed him while he was still in Damascus immediately after his conversion, but he narrowly escaped (Acts 9:23-25). When he first went to Jerusalem, they again tried to kill him, so that he had to flee to Tarsus (Acts 9:30-31). While he served the church in Antioch and then wherever he went, the Judaizers dogged his steps, trying to undermine his gospel (Acts 15:1-5; Galatians).
When Paul preached the gospel in Pisidian Antioch, the Jews opposed him and drove him and Barnabas out of that region (Acts 13:45-46, 50). At Iconium, the disbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles against those who had believed, attempting to stone Paul (Acts 14:1-2, 5). At Lystra, the Jews who had followed him from Antioch and Iconium, persuaded the Gentiles to stone Paul, whom God miraculously raised up (Acts 14:19-20). The same fierce opposition happened in Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth (Acts 17:5, 13; 18:4-6, 12-13).
Later, after Paul had expended much effort to raise and deliver a generous gift to help the suffering Jews in Israel, the Jews falsely accused him and would have killed him in the temple if the Roman soldiers had not rescued him. They then formed a plot to ambush Paul. When that failed, they tried to convict him before the Romans as a traitor (Acts 22-23). So Paul had quite a few reasons to indict the Jews, as he does here!
Obviously, Paul is making a generalization. There were many exceptions to Jewish unbelief, Paul himself being Exhibit A. He loved the Jews, but still he warns them of judgment. In our politically correct day, you can’t make a generalization about any group or you get labeled as homophobic, racist, or religiously bigoted (if you say something against Islam). But there are helpful generalizations and we should not shy away from making them because it’s not politically correct. Someone needs to point out that it is abnormal and a serious sin for a man to want to be a woman, or vice versa. It is sin against God’s created order for men to have sexual relationships with men and women with women (Rom. 1:26-27).
It is a fact of history that Islam has always conquered by the sword and then taken away freedom from other religions. This does not mean that all Muslim people are that way; but the Quran does teach jihad against all infidels. It teaches that men must keep their wives in subjection and even gives instructions on how to beat your wife properly if she is rebellious (Quran 4:34; 38:44; see www.thereligionofpeace.com). I don’t say any of this to stir up hatred or any violence toward anyone. We should treat all individuals with love and respect and should offer the gospel to all. But we should lovingly warn those who are not in submission to Jesus Christ that they are under God’s wrath and will come under eternal judgment if they do not repent and believe in Christ.
Not only the Jews, but also all of us are guilty of killing the Lord Jesus because of our sins. If someone goes farther and tries to hinder the gospel from going to the lost, they add to their guilt before God. Paul says (1 Thess. 2:16) that they “fill up the measure of their sins.” God used similar language when He told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved in a foreign land for four hundred years (cf. also Matt. 23:32; Rom. 2:5). Then He added (Gen. 15:16), “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” God tolerated the horrible sins of the Canaanites (Amorites) for 400 years, but then when their sin was filled up, He ordered the Jews under Joshua to slaughter them all. If someone raises the slaughter of the Canaanites as a reason not to believe in such a God, you could point out to them that He has justly ordained the physical and eternal death of all unrepentant sinners, not just the Canaanites. As Jesus warned (Luke 13:3, 5), “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
But what does Paul mean when he states (1 Thess. 2:16), “But wrath has come upon them to the utmost”? He uses an aorist verb, which here may look at God’s wrath in its entirety as a certain event, even though the ultimate fulfillment of it was yet future. It would include the awful destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, as predicted by Jesus. It would extend to the almost 2,000-year hardening of the Jews (Rom. 11:25). It would include Hitler’s awful slaughter of six million Jews. And yet to be fulfilled is Zechariah 13:8, which predicts a time when two-thirds of the Jews will be cut off and perish, but one third will survive and believe in Jesus as their Messiah.
The lesson for persecuted believers is: Keep believing in the gospel. In spite of your suffering, know that nothing can separate you from God’s love (Rom. 8:31-39). Look at others who have faithfully suffered and died for the gospel and imitate their faith. Trust that God has a sovereign purpose for your persecution and that in His wise time, He will right every wrong and bring every wrongdoer to just punishment. None will escape (Rev. 20:11-15).
The lesson for those who do not believe the gospel is, “Repent and flee the wrath to come while you still have time!” In His mercy, God delays judgment. But He warns every sinner that His wrath is coming, when His enemies will cry out to the mountains and to the rocks (Rev. 6:16-17), “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Don’t be so foolish as to shrug off His warning!
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
September 11, 2016
Elie Wiesel observed (goodreads.com), “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” When we don’t care about someone, we do not love that person. We hear it in the phrase, “I couldn’t care less!” The more recent expression is, “Whatever!” Someone shares a problem; you shrug and say, “Whatever!” You don’t care about that person or what he’s going through. Years ago, I read about a woman in New York City who got up and closed her window because the screams of someone being attacked in the street below was annoying her. Someone is being beaten or raped or murdered outside? “Whatever!” She only cared about herself.
As Christians, we should be characterized by the phrase, “I couldn’t care more,” not by, “I couldn’t care less.” We should truly care for one another and for all people. In our text, we see the apostle Paul’s heart for these new converts in Thessalonica: He couldn’t care more! He expresses his care for his new children in the faith in very emotional language. He wants them to know how deeply he feels about them and how painful his forced separation from them has been. This theme runs through the end of chapter 3, but in this message we can only cover through verse 5. Paul’s example teaches us that if we want to impact people for eternity, we must care for them deeply. How?
If we truly care for one another, we will want to be together to strengthen and encourage one another spiritually.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20, we see Paul’s deep desire to be with these people who had become very dear to him. But due to reasons beyond his control, he couldn’t come to them. So he did the next best thing: he sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage them in their faith, even though it meant that Paul had to be left alone in Athens. After Timothy returned to Paul with good news about the Thessalonians’ faith and love, Paul rejoiced and wrote this letter to deal with some of the issues that Timothy had reported to him.
One concern that Timothy reported was that Paul’s enemies in Thessalonica, who had forced him to leave town, were attacking his motives with these new converts. They were saying things like, “We understand how you got carried away by these smooth-talking foreigners. They really seemed concerned about you and led you to believe that they had your best interests at heart. But their sudden departure and failure to return shows that they really didn’t care about you. They’re probably relaxing in some luxury hotel and chuckling about how easy it was to dupe you into following them. Now you’re suffering and being publicly ridiculed because you believe these silly myths that these foreigners foisted on you. Why don’t you just forget about this Jesus thing and go back to leading a normal life?”
So Paul shares his heart to let these people know how much he cared about them and how he would come back and be with them at a moment’s notice, if he could. First, we learn…
Note three things:
1 Thess. 2:17: “But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.”
Because of intense opposition that had dragged Jason, one of the new believers, before the civil authorities, Paul, Silas, and Timothy had been forced to leave town quickly under the cover of darkness (Acts 17:10). The Greek word translated, “taken away from you,” was used to refer to children who had lost their parents or of parents who were separated from their children (G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 90). It was an emotionally painful ordeal! Paul assures the Thessalonians that although they were out of sight, they were not out of mind, or heart.
He piles up words to express his deep feelings: We “were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.” The word translated “desire” is used most frequently in the New Testament to refer to lust. Here it’s used in a pure sense to refer to strong emotional desire. We can also hear his feelings for these spiritual children when he tells them (1 Thess. 3:10), “we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face.” He uses different words, but equally emotional, to tell the Philippians that he has them in his heart, adding (Phil. 1:8), “For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” On a personal level, he later tells Timothy, his son in the faith (2 Tim. 1:3-4), “I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy.”
Luke gives us a moving picture not only of how much Paul cared for those he ministered to, but also how much they cared for Paul. After he told the Ephesian elders that they probably would no longer see his face (Acts 20:25), we read (Acts 20:36-38),
When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.
In our text, Paul calls the Thessalonians “brethren,” or, “brothers and sisters.” When the Holy Spirit causes people to be born again, they become our brothers and sisters in the faith. We’re family! And families should want to get together often. I know, there are usually difficult members in the family whom you’d rather not have to interact with! Families aren’t perfect. But God has designed the family as the basic unit of society. Your family should be the place where you’re accepted just because of who you are, not because of anything deserving that you’ve done. And the church is the family of God.
I’ve never understood why some people attend church and leave quickly after the service is over without hanging out with the family of God. They don’t know their brothers and sisters and they never get together with them during the week. Nor have I understood why out of over 300 people who come on Sunday mornings, when we have an evening meeting for prayer or a mission report or teaching, we rarely have 30 people show up. If we truly care about one another, we should want to get together often. Why doesn’t it happen?
1 Thess. 2:18: “For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us.” Although we may not think about it much or recognize his sinister schemes, we wrestle against the unseen spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). Like a wolf preying on a flock of sheep, Satan knows that it’s easier to pick off the sheep that is not staying with the flock. If he can keep us from being together, we’re more vulnerable to his temptations and those that come at us from the world and the flesh. The word that Paul uses for “hindered” was used of an army cutting through a road so that the other army could not easily get through.
But how did Paul know that Satan was behind this roadblock? In Acts 16:6-10, we read of Paul, Silas, and Timothy:
They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
We’re not told how the Holy Spirit did not permit the missionaries from preaching in Asia or Bithynia. It could have been a direct voice from God. Or, perhaps it was an inner feeling of unrest about going that way (2 Cor. 2:12-13). Or perhaps circumstances blocked the way. We don’t know. Nor do we know how Paul knew that it was Satan hindering him from returning to Thessalonica, not the Holy Spirit.
Paul knew from the Old Testament that while Satan can harm God’s people, he can only go as far as God, in His wise purpose, permits. God gave Satan permission to inflict great suffering on Job, but not to take his life (Job 1:6-12; 2:6). There is also an interesting glimpse into the spirit world when Daniel was fasting and praying for three weeks for enlightenment (Dan. 10:2-14). Finally, an angel appeared to Daniel and said, in effect, “I would have been here sooner, but the prince of Persia withstood me for three weeks until Michael the archangel came to help me.”
Here, the hindrance could have been the bond that Jason was forced to post guaranteeing that Paul wouldn’t return (Acts 17:9). Or, it may have been Paul’s recurring health problem, which he elsewhere refers to as “a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan” (2 Cor. 12:7). We just don’t know. But, we do know that in spite of Paul’s fervent desire to return to see these dear people again and in spite of his repeated earnest prayers (1 Thess. 3:10), Satan blocked the way.
Some Bible teachers tell Christians that they have authority over the devil and they can command him around as if he were their “trained poodle” (the phrase is from Gary Shogren, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Zondervan], p. 134). While James 4:7 assures us, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you,” the actual process isn’t always easy! Sometimes the Lord has a purpose that we don’t understand where He uses the devil to oppose us or hinder our way. He may use the devil to keep us humble, as He did with Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” He may want us to wait on Him in prayer for a period of time, as happened with Daniel. But we should remember that our unseen enemy doesn’t want us to be together with other believers, where we would be spiritually encouraged and strengthened. Separation may be necessary at times, but it shouldn’t be a regular thing.
1 Thess. 2:19-20: “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.” We learn here that Jesus is Lord and He is coming again bodily to be with us. When He comes, He will reward each one according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6; 2 Cor. 5:10). Because of that, Paul lived daily with a view to the final judgment, when he hoped that he would not have run in vain (Phil. 2:16; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 15:2, 58; Gal. 2:2; 4:11; 1 Thess. 3:5).
Paul again piles up words to emphasize how much the Thessalonians meant to him. He calls them “our hope or joy or crown of exultation.” He adds (1 Thess. 2:20), “For you are our glory and joy.” In like manner, he tells the Philippians (4:1) that they are his “joy and crown.” “Crown” refers to the wreath or garland that was awarded to the victors in sporting competition (1 Cor. 9:25, where “wreath” is the same Greek word). “Exultation” is the word for “boasting.” “Glory” sometimes refers to the same thing. Sometimes these words may refer to sinful pride (Rom. 3:27; 1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 6:13); but at other times they refer legitimately to what God has accomplished through us (Rom. 15:17; 1 Cor. 15:31; 2 Cor. 7:4; 11:10, 17; Gal. 6:14; Phil. 3:3). Neither Paul nor the Thessalonians could boast in their own spiritual achievements. Everything was due to God’s grace alone, seen supremely in the cross (Gal. 6:14).
So the point here is that if we care for one another, we should deeply desire to be with one another often. And the point of being together is not just to talk about sports and the weather (although there’s nothing wrong with small talk, per se), but rather to strengthen and encourage one another spiritually so that in the day of Christ, we may have reason to glory because we did not labor in vain (1 Thess. 3:5).
Again, note three things:
1 Thess. 3:1-2: “Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, …” The account in Acts doesn’t include all the details, but we do learn that Paul first went to Athens alone, while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea (Acts 17:14). They joined him in Athens as soon as they were able, but Paul’s intense anguish in wondering how the Thessalonians were doing led him to send Timothy, who could slip into town without the notice that Paul would have drawn. Also, Silas went somewhere else in Macedonia, perhaps to Philippi (Acts 18:5). But that meant that Paul was left alone in Athens and then in Corinth, for several months, until these faithful workers were able to rejoin him in Corinth.
We see how much of a sacrifice this was for Paul by the way that he describes Timothy: “our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ.” Timothy was like a faithful son to Paul in his labors in the Lord (Phil. 2:19-22). To refer to him as “God’s fellow worker” (some manuscripts read “servant”) is a startling truth (see 1 Cor. 3:9). God uses “earthen vessels” like us to accomplish His eternal purpose in the lives of others (2 Cor. 4:7)! It was painful for Paul to send Timothy on this mission, but he did it because he was more concerned for the spiritual well-being of the Thessalonians than he was for his own comfort. In the same way, showing genuine care for one another means putting others’ needs ahead of our own. But love is willing to sacrifice to help others spiritually.
Paul refers to faith (or, “believe”) in 1:3, 8; 2:13 (“believe”); 3:2, 5, 6, 7, & 10; 2 Thess. 1:3, 10 (“believed”), 11; 2:12 (“not believe”), 13; 3:2; so it is a major theme in these letters. It may be roughly equivalent to “being a Christian” (Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans/Apollos], p. 164). Or it may refer to believing the gospel (1 Thess. 1:8), or to trusting God to work through us (1 Thess. 1:3; 2 Thess. 1:11). In our text (1 Thess. 3:2, 5), it especially focuses on trusting God in the midst of trials.
Faith is never some nebulous or undefined optimism, but rather trusting in the truth of God about Jesus Christ as revealed in His word (2 Thess. 2:13; John 1:14, 17; 14:6). In Romans 10:17, Paul says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” In Romans 14:23 he adds, “whatever is not from faith is sin.” Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” So ongoing faith in God and the promises of His word, especially centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ, is essential. But…
Paul sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage them in their faith (1 Thess. 3:3-5), “so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know. For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.”
Paul didn’t teach these new believers that miraculous healing and financial success were their right as “King’s kids”! He taught them, rather, that as Christians, we are destined or appointed for trials. The godly Simeon used this word when he told Mary concerning the baby Jesus (Luke 2:34), “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed.” Paul used it of himself when he said (Phil. 1:16) that he had been “appointed for the defense of the gospel.”
Jesus plainly told His disciples (John 15:20), “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” He added (John 16:33), “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Paul taught (Rom. 8:17) that we must suffer with Christ “so that we may also be glorified with Him.” What Paul sent Timothy to do in Thessalonica, he also had done with new converts in Asia (Acts 14:21-22): “After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’” He plainly told Timothy (2 Tim. 3:12), “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” How so many professing Christians could be led astray by the false “health and wealth gospel” can only be attributed to satanic deception!
We need to teach new believers early on to expect trials and how to handle them by trusting in the Lord. Trials will come as a test of the genuineness our faith. In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that the seed sown on the rocky soil (thin soil with a hard layer just underneath) received the word immediately with joy, but they had no roots. So when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, they immediately fall away (Mark 4:3-20). That’s what Paul refers to when he feared that his labor might have been in vain. Many may make a profession of faith in Christ, but only those who persevere and bear fruit for eternity are truly saved.
Paul’s anxiety or fear for the Thessalonians here was not the sinful anxiety that comes from a lack of prayer (Phil. 4:7). He was constantly praying for these new converts (1 Thess. 1:2-3; 3:10). Rather, this was his godly concern for all the churches (2 Cor. 11:28). It was the concern of a spiritual parent for his children in the faith. It was the godly care that we all should feel for one another. If you see a believer going through trials, care enough to come alongside to strengthen and encourage him in his faith.
Frank Reed spent from 1986 to 1990 as a hostage in Lebanon. For months at a time he was blindfolded or chained to a wall and kept in absolute silence. Although he was beaten, made ill, and tortured, Reed felt most the lack of anyone caring. In an interview with Time, he said, “Nothing I did mattered to anyone. I began to realize how withering it is to exist with not a single expression of caring around [me]…. I learned one overriding fact: caring is a powerful force. If no one cares, you are truly alone.” (Leadership [Winter, 1991], p. 49.)
As Christians, we’re encouraged (1 Pet. 5:7) to be, “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” But the Lord has put us into His family where we should care for one another. If we truly care for one another, we will want to be together to strengthen and encourage one another spiritually.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
September 18, 2016
An unknown author wrote (in Reader’s Digest [10/01, p. 188):
Try to name the five wealthiest people in the world. Name the last five winners of the Miss America competition. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
Now, name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
The people you’ll never forget are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. The people who make a difference in your life are the ones who care. And they will live forever.
Every Christian wants God to use his or her life to impact others for eternity. This especially applies to our children, but also to extended family and friends. To impact people for eternity, we must truly care about them in a way that they feel it. Our caring is like the key that opens the door for the gospel and for the truths that are necessary for them to grow in their faith. Caring alone isn’t enough without the truth of the gospel. But truth without caring usually will be met with resistance, not acceptance.
We saw last time that if we truly care for one another, we’ll want to be together and we’ll want to strengthen and encourage one another spiritually. Now, Paul shows us two other aspects of truly caring for one another:
If we truly care for one another we will rejoice when we hear of others’ stability in the faith and we will pray for their continued spiritual growth.
In verses 6-10, Paul is overjoyed to hear Timothy’s report of the Thessalonians’ stability in the faith. In verses 11-13, he expresses a “prayer-wish” that he might be able to visit them and that they would continue to grow in their faith.
At the personal cost of being left alone in Athens and then in Corinth, Paul had sent Timothy back to Thessalonica. Paul himself could not go, perhaps because of the bond that Jason had been forced to take, but Timothy could slip into town unnoticed. The trip was over 200 miles each way. If he walked, it was at least a 10-day trip one way, plus the time that he spent with the new believers there. Paul was greatly concerned, praying constantly that the persecution had not caused these new believers to turn from the Lord. When Timothy finally returned and gave him good news about their spiritual condition, Paul was ecstatic. We learn four things about genuine concern for others’ stability in the faith:
1 Thess. 3:6: “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you ….”
Timothy’s “good news” is the Greek word that is almost always elsewhere used of the gospel. His news about the Thessalonians was like hearing the gospel to Paul. It caused his heart to leap with joy. When Timothy reported that the Thessalonians always “thought kindly” of Paul, it refers to disciples “maintaining and practicing a teacher’s model or pattern” (Gary Shogren, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Zondervan], p. 140). Even though Paul and his companions had been, in one sense, the cause of the Thessalonians’ trials, they still longed to see them, just as Paul and his companions longed to see the Thessalonians. At the heart of their kind thoughts and longing to see Paul was the fact that he had brought the gospel to them.
Timothy brought Paul good news about the new converts’ faith and love. John Calvin (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], p. 268) calls these two qualities “the entire sum of true piety.” He adds, “Hence all that aim at this twofold mark during their whole life are beyond all risk of erring: all others, however much they may torture themselves, wander miserably.”
“Faith” is obviously, faith in God. “Love” may primarily be love for one another, but I believe it also includes love for the Lord. When Jesus reinstated Peter after his failures, He asked him three times, “Peter, do you love Me?” (John 21:15-17). Paul said (1 Cor. 16: 22), “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed.” The church in Ephesus was commended in many ways, but rebuked because it had left its first love for Jesus (Rev. 2:1-7). But love for the Lord is inseparable from love for the people for whom the Lord laid down His life. So “love” includes both.
Paul had observed both the faith and love of the Thessalonians. He mentions their “work of faith” (1 Thess. 1:3). He adds (1 Thess. 1:8): “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.” He also refers to their faith in 1 Thessalonians 3:2, 5, 6, 7, 10; 2 Thess. 1:4, 11; & 2:13. He mentions their “labor of love” (1 Thess. 1:3), which refers to love for others stemming from their love for God. He also refers to their love for others in 1 Thess. 3:12; 4:9; & 5:13. In 2 Thess. 3:5, he mentions, “the love of God,” which probably refers to God’s love for us (cf. 1 Thess. 1:4).
In his other letters, Paul often links faith and love (1 Cor. 13:2, 13; 2 Cor. 8:7; Gal. 5:6; Eph. 1:15; 3:17; Col. 1:4; Titus 2:2; 3:15; Philemon 5; cf. also, James 2:5; 1 Pet. 1:8; 1 John 3:23; Rev. 2:19). But these two qualities seem especially important to Paul in his final two letters to Timothy, his son in the faith:
1 Timothy 1:5: “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
1 Timothy 1:14: “And the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.”
1 Tim. 2:15: “But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”
1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”
1 Timothy 6:11: “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”
2 Timothy 1:13: “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”
2 Timothy 2:22: “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
2 Timothy 3:10: “Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance ….”
So with other essential qualities, such as holiness, we can say that faith and love are two prime marks of genuine Christianity. We must believe in God and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. We must continue trusting God, even in the midst of difficult trials, as the Thessalonians were doing. We must love God with all our hearts and love one another, which are the two greatest commandments (Matt. 22:37-40). When God’s people are walking in faith and love, they are spiritually stable.
1 Thess. 3:7: “For this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith ….”
Paul had been going through hard times in every city where he preached. He was unjustly beaten, put in the stocks, and thrown into prison in Philippi. He was forced to leave Thessalonica because of persecution. The Jews in Thessalonica followed him to Berea, stirring up the crowds against him, forcing him to leave. He saw some fruit in Athens, but mostly jeers and rejection.
He went to Corinth, where the Jews resisted his message and blasphemed. They rose up against Paul and brought him before Gallio, the proconsul, who angrily drove them away from his judgment seat. Gallio passively watched as the Jews beat Sosthenes, a Jewish convert, in front of the judgment seat. Paul was fearful that he would be harmed. One night the Lord graciously appeared to him in a vision and said (Acts 18:9-10), “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” F. F. Bruce (Word Biblical Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Thomas Nelson], p. 67) suggests that after all of these trials, Paul and his companions may have wondered if God had truly guided them to go into Macedonia.
So even Paul needed encouragement and comfort from God in the midst of the battle. When he heard that the Thessalonians were standing firm in their faith, he was reassured that he had not labored there in vain (1 Thess. 3:5). He was comforted or encouraged (the Greek word is parakaleo). He had sent Timothy to encourage the Thessalonians, but now Timothy’s report about their spiritual stability encouraged Paul.
I’ve never suffered anywhere near what Paul went through, but I have had to battle discouragement. It wasn’t a problem for me in the early years of my ministry, but as time goes by, you begin to wonder whether all your years of service have made much difference. Years ago, I began to notice that the Lord balanced out criticism that I received with encouragements that my ministry had helped someone. If someone said something negative, I would receive a positive comment that same week. Or, vice versa, if someone said something positive, I’d brace myself for something negative, and it almost always came. More lately, He graciously has given me more encouragements than criticisms, perhaps because I’ve been more prone to discouragement. But when you hear of how God has used you to bring someone to Christ or to help someone stand firm in their faith, it’s encouraging.
I’ve found it comforting that two great men of God, Moses and Paul, were concerned that their labors for the Lord might not matter in light of eternity. Moses prayed (Ps. 90:17), “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hand; yes, confirm the work of our hands.” And, Paul repeatedly seemed concerned that he may have labored in vain (Phil. 2:16; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 15:2, 58; Gal. 2:2; 4:11; 1 Thess. 3:5). At the end of his life, he summed up his accomplishments (2 Tim. 4:7): “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” If God has used you to help someone else stand firm in their faith, you can be encouraged when you’re in a trial.
1 Thess. 3:8-9: “for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account.”
Which of the following causes you to erupt in spontaneous joy and thankfulness?
“We’re going to give you a nice raise!”
“Here are the keys to your new car!”
“Congratulations, you’ve just won the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes! You’ll be receiving $7,000 a week for the rest of your life!”
Or, you meet a friend whom you haven’t seen in a while and hear that in spite of going through many trials, he’s standing firm in the Lord. That’s what made Paul’s heart leap for joy. That which makes us really happy reveals our true values.
Paul didn’t take credit for the Thessalonians’ stability in the faith. Rather, he thanked God for them because their perseverance through persecution showed that God was truly at work in them. Many times Paul and other leaders pointed to Christians who were stable and growing in their faith as their source of joy (Rom. 16:19; 2 Cor. 7:4; Phil. 1:4-5; 2:2; 4:1; 1 Thess. 2:20; 2 Tim. 1:4; Philemon 7; Heb. 13:17; 1 John 1:4; 2 John 4, 12). As the apostle John wrote (3 John 3-4): “For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”
“Stand firm” was a military term, used of not retreating in the face of an attack. To stand firm in the Lord implies that they were truly in the Lord through faith in Christ and that He was their refuge. When the enemy attacked, they fled to the Lord and trusted in Him. I have heard Christian counselors say that advising people going through trials to trust in the Lord is worthless medicine. But over and over the Bible gives us examples of God’s people who trusted God when under attack. When David was hiding in a cave from Saul and his troops who were seeking his life, he sang (perhaps quietly! Ps. 57:7): “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!” That’s the resolve of standing firm in the Lord. If you really care for people, when you hear that they’re standing firm in the Lord through trials, you will rejoice and give thanks to God.
So, faith in Christ and love for God and for one another are the goals for spiritual stability. Joy over someone’s stability in the faith can bring encouragement when we’re going through affliction. Joy over someone’s stability in the faith reflects our true values.
Paul adds, (1 Thess. 3:10): “as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?” The way that Paul would have completed what was lacking in their faith was by teaching them God’s word. The word for “complete” refers to equipping or supplying a lack (Heb. 13:21). Paul uses it in Ephesians 4:12, where he says that God gave the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”
We’ve already seen the amazing depth of teaching that Paul supplied these new converts from a pagan background in just a few months with them. He assumes that they understand the trinity, the doctrine of election, how to endure trials and persecution, and much more. The Thessalonians’ lack was not because of sin, but rather that they lacked the full maturity that comes through further understanding of the truth revealed in God’s word. In chapters 4 & 5, Paul supplies in writing some of that which he would give them in personal teaching when he was able to come to them. “Your faith” here refers both to doctrine and its application. Doctrinal truth has to be applied to our daily lives.
Verse 10 mentions Paul’s constant, fervent prayers, while verses 11-13 voice more of the content of those prayers:
I can only briefly note three things:
We’ve already considered part of verse 10, but also note the fervency of Paul’s prayers. By “night and day” Paul meant, frequently or repeatedly. “Most earnestly” reflects his heart. He felt deeply the desire to be with these new believers to help them grow in their faith.
We shouldn’t turn our fervency or earnestness in prayer into a basis for why God should grant them. We always come to Him based on the merit of Jesus Christ and His grace, never on any worthiness in us. But at the same time, we shouldn’t just “knock and run,” like kids who ring a doorbell and run. If we feel deeply about others’ needs, we will keep knocking until the Lord answers (cf. Matt. 7:7-8, where “knock” is a present imperative, meaning, “keep knocking”). As it was, Paul had to keep praying for about five years before God granted him the opportunity to return to Thessalonica (Acts 20:1-3).
1 Thess. 3:11: “Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you.” Three things in this short request show Jesus’ deity: His close association with the Father (they are both the subject of a singular verb); His ability to hear and answer prayer; and His designation as “Lord.” Since Paul mentions this in passing without explanation, it shows that he had taught the deity of Jesus to these new converts. It was not some late invention of the early church fathers, as some liberals contend. Paul attributed the highest possible place to Jesus. When we pray, we come to a loving heavenly Father who cares for His children, and to Jesus our Lord, who gave Himself on the cross for us and lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25).
1 Thess. 3:12-13: “and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” Here, spiritual growth means increasing love. We should be growing in love for our family members and for those in the family of God. But our love should increase and abound for all people, too.
Also, spiritual growth means increasing in solid, holy hope. “Establish” is the same word translated “strengthen” (1 Thess. 3:2; cf. 2 Thess. 3:3). To be “without blame in holiness” does not imply that we can be sinless in this life, but rather that we would be walking in the light before God on the heart level, maintaining a clear conscience before Him and others (Acts 24:16). We aren’t harboring secret sins while we put on a good front before others.
We live that way in view of the fact that we will soon stand before “our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” “Saints” is literally, “holy ones.” It is used in Zechariah 14:5 to refer to the angels (see, also, Mark 8:38; Jude 14). But Paul uses it almost exclusively to refer to believers. So it may refer to both. When Christ returns, He will be accompanied by His holy angels and also by believers who have died. We who are living will be caught up to meet the Lord and this glorious company in the air, “and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
Also, since Paul’s prayer was that he might complete what was lacking in their faith (1 Thess. 3:10), his prayer here ties back in with their work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope (1 Thess. 1:3; John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Moody Press], p. 88). We never reach a point where we can say that we’ve arrived in faith, love, or hope. Pray for increasing and abounding faith, love, and hope for yourself, for your family members, and for those in this church.
So if we truly care for one another, we will want to be together to strengthen and encourage one another spiritually. We will find true joy when we hear of others who are standing firm in the Lord through trials. And we’ll pray for one another for continued spiritual growth. Don’t be a “whatever, I couldn’t care less,” Christian. Be a Christian whose life communicates to others, “I couldn’t care more!”
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
September 25, 2016
Some of you who are younger in your faith may be like the boy that the late pastor, Ray Stedman, asked how old he was. The boy quickly replied, “I’m twelve, going on thirteen, soon be fourteen.” He was eager to grow! It’s always refreshing to see Christians who are eager to grow spiritually. But as we grow older in the Lord, it’s easy to drift into a humdrum spiritual life, where we lose the eagerness to grow. The Christian life becomes routine, but the freshness of our first love for Christ fades (Rev. 2:1-7).
The same thing can happen in marriage. Obviously, no one can maintain the euphoria that we had when we first fell in love. But even so, we shouldn’t drift into a routine relationship, where the romance has faded away. But to keep the romance alive takes work and effort. The same is true spiritually. To keep your love for the Lord Jesus fresh requires deliberate effort.
In 1 Thessalonians 4, we move into the instructional or ethical part of the letter. Paul has shown them how much he cares for them. He was concerned for their spiritual stability under the persecution that they were enduring. Now, he addresses some concerns that Timothy had brought back after his recent visit there. He will address moral purity (4:3-8); love of the brethren and the need to work for a living (4:9-12); the Lord’s return and the events surrounding that time (4:13-5:11); and some matters concerning conduct in the church (5:12-22). In our text, he introduces all of these practical matters with an exhortation to continue growing in the Lord. Specifically, we learn:
To grow in your walk with the Lord, seek to please Him by learning and obeying His commandments.
“Finally, then” signals the transition to a new section of the letter. Paul is probably taking in the entire flow of thought from chapters 2 & 3 (Robert Thomas, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary [Zondervan], ed. by Frank Gaebelein, 11:269-270). But, specifically, he is expanding on 3:10-13, providing what is still lacking in their faith because of his sudden, forced removal from their midst (G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 112). He wants them to abound more in love (4:9-10; 5:12-15) and he wants their hearts to be established without blame in holiness (4:3-8) at the Lord’s coming (4:13-5:11).
John Stott (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 76) argues, “One of the great weaknesses of contemporary evangelical Christianity is our comparative neglect of Christian ethics, in both our teaching and our practice.” Clearly the apostle Paul taught these new believers, many from pagan backgrounds, many things about Christian moral behavior. He refers (1 Thess. 4:1) to how “you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God.” He adds (v. 2), “For you know what commandments we gave you.”
Regarding Christian sexual ethics, he reminds them (4:6), “just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.” Regarding the Christian responsibility to work and provide for one’s own needs, he adds (4:11), “just as we commanded you.” When he deals with the need to be alert with godly living in light of the Lord’s coming, he tells them (5:1), “You have no need of anything to be written to you.” Paul had taught them much in a short time about Christian ethics. Regarding the first two verses of chapter 4, Stott (p. 78) says that it is noteworthy both for its authoritative tone and for its emphasis on pleasing God as the foundation for Christian ethical behavior. We learn five things here about pleasing, obeying, and growing in the Lord:
Paul writes (1 Thess. 4:1), “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus ….” The fact that he calls them “brethren” (or, “brothers and sisters”) indicates that these people had experienced the new birth. The Holy Spirit had imparted new life to them (John 3:3-8; 1 Pet. 1:3), so that now they were in God’s family, brothers and sisters with all who believe in Christ. At the moment of the new birth, the Spirit places all who believe in Jesus into His body, the church (1 Cor. 12:13). Paul often refers to our new relationship with God as being “in Christ” (Eph. 1:3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13, etc.). It is to those in that new sphere of spiritual reality that he gives this exhortation.
I find that many Christians do not understand that “praying the sinner’s prayer” or “making a decision to receive Christ” do not necessarily indicate that the person has been born again. This is especially true of Christian parents. Their teenager is living as a rebellious pagan, but the parents will say, “But he’s a Christian, because he accepted Jesus as his Savior at summer camp when he was a child.” Or, “He prayed to receive Christ and was baptized.” But, there has been very little, if any, evidence that God has imparted new life to that young person.
Believing in Jesus as your personal Savior is more than mental assent to the gospel, while you continue to live for all that the world and the flesh can offer. To truly believe in Jesus means that God has changed your heart. Your desires are different than they were before. Now, you love God, rather than being indifferent towards Him. You delight in His Word, which is food for your soul. You hate your sin, turn from it, and strive to be more like Jesus, who is holy. You seek to obey the Lord and please Him out of thankfulness for the grace that He has given to you.
Thus Paul’s instruction here applies only to those who are “in the Lord Jesus” through repenting of their sins and believing the gospel. That changes these commands from being burdensome to be a blessing from a loving Savior. It changes our motivation from striving to earn God’s favor to wanting to please Him because we are the objects of His favor. It’s the difference between a maid who cleans a man’s house and does his laundry because it’s her job and a wife who does these tasks out of love for her husband who loves her. So, to walk in a way that is pleasing to God, you must be “in the Lord Jesus” through believing the gospel.
If you don’t have a translation that uses the word “walk,” at least in a marginal note, you need a more literal translation. Paul often uses this metaphor to describe the Christian life, and it’s helpful to think about it. In the first place, it’s not a leap, although we may wish it were. We don’t get where we need to be in one quick, sudden flash. It takes time to walk somewhere and it takes time to grow in the Lord.
Also, the Christian life is not an effortless flight, where you soar above all the problems below. Sometimes it is presented this way: When you learn the “secret” of “letting go and letting God,” your striving ceases. Like a bird at the Grand Canyon, you glide above the rugged terrain below, riding effortlessly on the currents. If you’re struggling against sin or wrestling with discouragement, there must be something wrong. If you’re exerting effort, you must not be trusting or resting in God.
One time over 40 years ago, I heard a man whose teaching was along these lines. In his message, he indicated that his times in God’s Word were always rich and profitable. I went up to him after his message and asked, “Don’t you ever have times when you don’t get anything out of the verses that you read that day?” He wagged his finger at me and said, “Young man, if you expect nothing from God, you’ll get it every time!”
But the picture of walking with God implies some effort. Last Monday, Marla and I walked from the Snow Bowl at 9,500 feet elevation almost five miles to the top of Mount Humphries at 12,633 feet. I assure you that that required a lot of effort! From the top, I watched the ravens soaring on the currents and wished I had their ability to fly. That walk was hard and there were many places where we could have twisted an ankle on rocks. But a step by step walk was the only way to get to that mountaintop.
If you’re walking closely with someone, it provides an opportunity for getting to know that person better. You can talk about many things. You can ask advice for problems that you’re going through. As believers, we get to know God through His Word. We share our hearts with Him through prayer. We walk with Him daily by spending time alone with Him.
The destination or goal of our walk is not a mountaintop, but rather, conformity to Jesus Christ. We move steadily toward becoming holy, as He is holy. We grow to become more like Him in His character qualities. We are to “walk by the Spirit” so that we do “not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16), but rather develop the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23): “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Paul says (Col. 2:6), “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
In Ephesians, Paul repeatedly uses the “walk” metaphor to show different aspects of the Christian life. He says (Eph. 2:10), that we are to walk in the good works which God prepared for us beforehand. He adds (Eph. 4:1) that we are to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which [we] have been called.” We are not to walk (Eph. 4:17-18) “as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.” Rather (Eph. 5:2), we are to “walk in love, just as Christ also loved you.” This means (Eph. 5:8-10) that we are to “walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” And (Eph. 5:15-16), “Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”
Occasionally, Paul uses the analogy of the Christian life as a race that we run (1 Cor. 9:24-27; Gal. 2:2; Phil. 2:16; implied in 2 Tim. 4:7; cf. Heb. 12:1), which has some useful lessons. But more often, it’s a walk: a steady, step-by-step, somewhat unspectacular journey toward a chosen destination, which is holiness. There are occasional setbacks, but if you get back up and keep going, you’ll make progress. The question is, “Are you walking with God?”
Paul says (1 Thess. 4:1), “You received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God.” “Ought” comes from a Greek word meaning, “it is necessary” or “one must.” It refers to inner necessity or the compulsion of duty (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament [University of Chicago Press], by William Arndt and Wilbur Gingrich, 2nd ed., p. 172). It means that we’re not free to decide how we want to live as Christians. We have been bought with the blood of Christ. We’re his slaves, not our own bosses. We are under obligation to live in a way that glorifies and pleases Him (1 Cor. 6:18-20).
A popular book on the Christian life pits pleasing God against trusting God, saying that we must choose one or the other as the primary and ultimate motive of our hearts (TrueFaced [NavPress], by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNichol, & John Lynch, p. 37). It portrays pleasing God as a life of striving to earn His approval, whereas trusting Him means acting on the basis of His complete acceptance of us in Christ. But that’s a false and misleading dichotomy. In fact, it is God’s gracious, undeserved acceptance of us in Christ that motivates us to live in a manner that is pleasing to Him. Trusting God and pleasing Him are complementary, not in competition.
Picture a child living in the squalor of a poorly funded third world orphanage. He’s dirty and malnourished, with several health issues. He’s not a squeaky clean Gerber baby! A wealthy couple from America who aren’t able to have children, but who desperately want them, visit that orphanage and pick out that baby to be their child. They bring him to their home, provide the necessary food and medical care to nurture him to health, and shower him with their love. As he grows up and learns about the horrible situation that his parents rescued him from, that child should be motivated to please them, not to earn their love, but because they have already abundantly bestowed their love upon him.
Pleasing God begins on the heart or thought level. Jesus constantly hit the Pharisees because they put on a good show outwardly and honored God with their rituals, but their hearts were far from Him (Mark. 7:6-23; Matt. 23:1-36). He emphasized the need for inner purity when He said that if we lust after a woman in our hearts, in God’s sight we have committed adultery with her (Matt. 5:27-30). Paul says (Rom. 8:8), “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Thus to please God, we must have experienced the new birth (as I said earlier), where God changes our hearts.
Paul said (2 Cor. 5:9), “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.” In the context, he means that in this life and in view of standing before the Lord at the judgment, his constant aim was to please the Lord. That should be our aim as well.
Thus, to walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, you first must be in Him through believing the gospel. Then you must walk with Him in a manner pleasing to Him.
Paul acknowledges that the Thessalonians are actually walking so as to please God, but then he encourages them (4:1), to “excel still more.” We never get to a place where we can say, “I’ve arrived! Now I’m fully conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. I don’t need to grow anymore!” The prophet Hosea (6:3) exhorted, “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.” Paul applies this verse to himself (Phil. 3:12-14):
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul wrote that about 25 years after he had become a Christian! If he still felt the need to press on in the Lord, how much more do we all need to keep growing! If you’re stagnant or in a rut in your walk with the Lord, do whatever it takes to start growing again! Root out any secret sins. Seek to get right in all your relationships. Make a commitment to get up a little earlier in the morning to meet with the Lord. Get a good book on the spiritual life and read it prayerfully. Change whatever you must to grow in the Lord!
After exhorting the Thessalonians to excel still more, Paul adds (1 Thess. 4:2), “For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.” Paul emphasizes that he wasn’t the one making up these commandments. Rather, they came (literally), “through the Lord Jesus.” As he repeats (1 Thess. 4:8), “So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.” Briefly, note four things:
Paul had already told them many of these commands. We have God’s commands written in His Word. We’re not under all of the Old Testament commands, since the old covenant was superseded by the new covenant (Heb. 8:6-13). But nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament. Some Christians argue that we are still under the Sabbath commandment, with Sunday becoming the Christian Sabbath. My understanding is that the Old Testament Sabbath was fulfilled by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4). We are instructed not to neglect gathering together as believers (Heb. 10:25), but Paul makes it clear that we are free to observe or not observe one day above another (Rom. 14:5-6; cf. Gal. 4:10-11; Col. 2:16-17).
All of God’s commandments are summed up in the two great commandments, to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). But you need to study God’s Word to learn specifically how those two commandments are to be obeyed in every situation.
When I teach the necessity of obedience to God’s commandments, invariably someone either thinks or tells me, “That’s legalism! But we’re under grace!” If you’re thinking that, you don’t understand either legalism or grace. Paul wrote (Titus 2:11-12), “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.” God’s grace teaches us to be obedient! It motivates us to be obedient. Freedom in Christ is not freedom to follow the lusts of the flesh, but rather, freedom from sin (John 8:31-36).
Paul has already said that he was exhorting them “through the Lord Jesus,” implying the Lord’s authority. The Greek noun (v. 2, “commandments”) refers especially to the transmitted orders of a military commander (G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Geek Lexicon of the New Testament [Charles Scribner’s Sons], p. 156). Although soldiers don’t always understand orders, they must obey them, trusting that the commander knows things that they don’t know. The Bible’s commandments have the wisdom of the omniscient Creator behind them and are given so that we can win the battle against the enemy of our souls. They aren’t optional suggestions. They’re God’s authoritative commands that we must obey.
Paul didn’t make them up himself. They come to us from the Lord Jesus, who is the only source of absolute moral truth. Our culture does not believe in absolute moral truth, and that error has infiltrated the church. Fifty years ago, no Christian would have thought that homosexual behavior was morally acceptable. But today many who profess to be Christians, especially those under 30, think that as long as the partners love each other, homosexual relations are okay. They also think that it’s okay to have sex outside of marriage as long as you are in love. There are other areas where Christians have compromised God’s absolute standards because they have drifted with our culture rather than obeyed God’s word.
Jesus claimed to be the truth and to be the source of truth (John 8:31-32; 14:6). He prayed (John 17:17), “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” If we start bending God’s word to make it fit with our godless culture, we will not grow in our walk with God. We will not please Him or help to further His kingdom and righteousness (Matt. 6:33). We must obey His commands, even when they are counter-cultural.
My main concern in this message is for you if you’ve become spiritually apathetic and you’re not growing. The longer you’re a Christian, the easier it is to become routine in your relationship with the Lord and lose the freshness of walking daily with Him. I encourage you to do whatever it takes to get back on the path of pleasing God, obeying God, and growing in Him. As you get into His word each day, ask Him to apply it to your heart. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
October 9, 2016
Most of us have had trouble at times discerning the will of God. At those times, we’ve wished that God would just speak audibly, “My will is that you take the job that you’ve been offered.” Or, “My will is that you marry Suzy.” “Okay, God, I’ve got it!”
In our text, God plainly states His will for each of us in one important matter (1 Thess. 4:3): “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.” There is no ambiguity in that: God wants you to be morally pure. He doesn’t command moral purity to deprive you of fun, but rather to increase your ultimate pleasure in Him. At His right hand are pleasures forever (Ps. 16:11). He designed the sexual relationship in marriage for our pleasure in Him. So, any violation of moral purity goes against God’s good and perfect will for your life. Any form of sexual immorality will hurt God’s name, hurt you, and hurt others. As the one who created sex, God tells us in His word both how sex can bless us and how it can harm us. His clearly stated will is that we abstain from sexual immorality.
But it’s safe to say that we live in a world where sexual temptation is more readily accessible than at any other time in history. When I was a young man, it wasn’t nearly as easy to view pornography as it is now. Then, you had to deliberately search it out, often in sleazy stores where you wouldn’t want to be caught dead. Now, it just takes a few clicks on your smartphone.
In 1988, before the internet or smartphones existed, Leadership journal (Winter, 1988, p. 24) did a survey on sex and the American clergy. Of the pastors responding to the survey, 20 percent said that they looked at sexually oriented print, video, or movies at least once a month! And 38 percent of these pastors said they find themselves fantasizing about sex with someone other than their spouse at least once a month.
The same survey found that 12 percent of pastors admitted to committing adultery since entering local church ministry! Leadership asked the same questions of readers of Christianity Today magazine who were not pastors. The incidences of immorality were nearly double, with 23 percent admitting to extramarital sex (p. 12)!
More than a decade ago, Al Mohler wrote (cited without reference by Ligon Duncan in a sermon on Eph. 5:3, June 4, 2006, at: fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/Ephesians):
The statistics are truly frightening. According to industry studies, 70% percent of 18-24 year old men visit pornographic sites in a typical month. These young men represent something like one-fourth of all visitors to pornographic sites on the internet. The next largest group of users are young men in their 20’s and 30’s, 66% of whom report being regular users of pornography….
Today the average teenage boy is likely to have seen thousands of explicit sexual images, ranging across the spectrum of sexualities and perversions. Many of these boys and young men are driven by sexual fantasies that previous generations of young men would not have even known existed…. Today Americans rent more than 800 million pornographic videos and DVD’s every year. About 20% of all video rentals are pornographic. At least 11,000 pornographic videos are produced annually, amounting to revenue for the adult film industry estimated at between 5 and 10 billion dollars a year.
Of course, with the invention of the smartphone, those statistics are probably not nearly as high as they would be now. And if you think that Christian men are exempt from this temptation, you’re not in touch with reality. It is a huge problem in the evangelical church! And I’ve read that the problem exists among Christian women, also. So, as the Apollo 13 astronauts famously said, “Houston, we’ve got a problem!”
But, so did the Thessalonians. Granted, they didn’t have cell phones and the internet to tempt them. But they did live in a sexually promiscuous culture, where the goddess Aphrodite, who was among the most popular deities in Thessalonica, was the symbol of sexual license and the patroness of prostitutes (Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans/Apollos], p. 35). Men could go to pagan temples and commit immorality with priestesses as an act of religious devotion. Various forms of extramarital sex were tolerated and even encouraged. F. F. Bruce (Word Biblical Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Thomas Nelson], p. 82) writes,
A man might have a mistress who could provide him also with intellectual companionship; the institution of slavery made it easy for him to have a concubine, while casual gratification was readily available from a harlot. The function of his wife was to manage his household and be the mother of his legitimate children and heirs.
So Paul’s commandments for sexual purity were as countercultural in that day as they are in ours. His message is crystal clear:
God’s will is for His people to be sexually pure by knowing Him and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We saw in verses 1 & 2 that as believers, we are under obligation to walk and please God by obeying His commandments. Now, Paul specifically zeroes in on the need for sexual purity or holiness:
“Sanctification” (NASB) means “holiness.” To be holy is to be set apart from this evil world unto God. Paul repeats the word three times in our text for emphasis (verses 3, 4, & 7). In verse 7, Paul links sanctification with our salvation: “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.” God’s calling refers to His effectual call to salvation. He took the initiative to rescue us from His judgment and wrath by sending His own Son to bear the penalty that we deserve. But now, having been bought by the precious blood of Jesus, God commands us to be holy, even as He is holy (1 Pet. 1:14-16).
The Bible uses “sanctification” or “sanctify” in three senses: First, there is positional sanctification. Every believer is set apart in Christ (1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Heb. 10:14). Second, there is progressive sanctification, the process by which we become holy in all our behavior (1 Pet. 1:14-15). Third, someday we all will achieve perfect sanctification, when Jesus returns and we will be like Him, with all traces of sin removed (1 John 3:1-3).
Dr. Ryrie used to illustrate this by a little girl with a lollipop. She wants it all for herself, but she sees her friend coming and is afraid that she will have to give it to her. So, she licks it all over. Now it is “positionally sanctified.” It belongs totally to her. Then she begins appropriating that lollipop for herself as she progressively licks it. Finally, it will be totally “conformed” to her, when she finishes it. In our text, verse 7 may be referring to our positional sanctification. God has called us in the sphere of sanctification, or holiness. But in verses 3 & 4, Paul is referring to our growth in holiness, which as we saw last time, comes from walking daily with the Lord. Specifically, here Paul focuses on sexual purity:
The Greek word (porneia) refers to any kind of sexual relation outside of heterosexual marriage. This includes sex before marriage, adultery, homosexuality, incest, prostitution, or bestiality (Green, p. 190; cf. 1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1 Tim. 1:9-11). Paul is not calling us to moderation of our sexual impulses, but to total abstinence outside of the marriage bond. As he wrote (Eph. 5:3-5):
But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
As Jesus made clear, sexual immorality begins on the heart or thought level. To look on a woman with lust is to commit adultery with her in your heart (Matt. 5:27). He also said (Mark 7:21-23),
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.
So to win the battle for sexual purity, you must control your thought life, which requires controlling what goes into your mind. You cannot look at sensuous movies or TV shows or internet content and be morally pure. You can’t avoid looking at all the sensuously dressed women who parade around in our culture, but you can avoid the second look. And, you can immediately redirect your thoughts by following Romans 13:14: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” But, to do that requires control:
In verses 4 & 5, Paul explains what he means by abstaining from sexual immorality: “that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God.” The problem is, Paul’s explanation is not exactly clear! There are two main views:
Some argue that “possess his own vessel” should be translated, “acquire his own vessel,” where “vessel” refers to a wife. Many godly Bible scholars hold to this view. The Greek verb as used elsewhere in the New Testament means “to acquire,” not to “possess” or “control.” This would line up with 1 Corinthians 7:9, where Paul teaches that if you lack self-control, you should marry rather than burn with lust. When Paul says that a Christian should “possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion,” he means that rather than basing marriage primarily on sexual attraction, as we often see in the Hollywood crowd, there should be a sanctity about the married relationship. It portrays the exclusive love that exists between Christ and His church (Eph. 5:22-33). Thus marriage should be held in honor and the marriage bed should be undefiled (Heb. 13:4; 1 Pet. 3:7).
The second view is that “vessel” refers to a person’s body and that “possess” has the meaning of “controlling, gaining mastery over, or keeping.” The verb can have that nuance (G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 117). Paul’s other uses of “vessel” refer to persons or their bodies (e.g. Rom. 9:21-22; 2 Cor. 4:7; 2 Tim. 2:21). So Paul was exhorting not only the men (as the first view would imply), but both men and women to control their bodies by restricting sexual activity to one’s marriage partner (1 Cor. 6:15-7:9). I lean toward this view.
But both views require self-control in the sexual realm and Paul taught both views elsewhere. God gave heterosexual marriage as the legitimate place for sexual relations. And, whether single or married, both men and women need to control sexual lust, beginning on the thought level. We must guard our thought life and put a huge fence around our marriages as sacred. You may think that no one knows what you’re thinking or looking at, and that as long as you don’t get physically involved with a woman or man who is not your spouse, no one will get hurt. But that’s fallacious on two counts: First, God knows your heart and you can’t be close to Him while you’re entertaining sinful lust. Second, looking at porn or looking lustfully at women is like tolerating cracks in a dam beneath the water level. No one can see them but if they’re not fixed, eventually the dam will collapse and there will be a lot of damage. That leads to the second point:
God is holy and He is identified with His people. When professing Christians engage in sexual immorality, it drags God’s holy name through the mud in the eyes of the watching world. This is especially true when Christian leaders are caught in sin. The world mocks and shrugs off the claims of the gospel as a joke. It gives occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme (2 Sam. 12:14).
Contrary to what is often said, all sin is not the same. Paul says that the immoral man sins against his own body (1 Cor. 6:18). Those who engage in homosexual sin, whether men or women, dishonor their bodies and “receive in their own persons the due penalty of their error” (Rom. 1:24-27). God’s moral laws are like the traffic laws: you can disobey them for a while and perhaps get where you want to go faster. But sooner or later, you’ll come around a curve too fast, hit a pole, and suffer the consequences. God’s laws are designed by the wise Creator to protect us.
This is probably what Paul means when he says (1 Thess. 4:6), “and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter….” To have sexual relations with another man’s wife or another woman’s husband is to transgress against the innocent spouse and defraud him or her. To violate an unmarried woman is to hurt her and to defraud her future husband of her virginity. Implicit in the word “defraud” (related to the word for “greed”) is that sexual sin is inherently selfish. You’re taking advantage of the other person for your own pleasure or benefit. You may rationalize it by saying that it was by mutual agreement and for mutual pleasure. But you’re deceiving yourself. If you have children or grandchildren, your sexual sin hurts them by robbing them of your godly example. It hurts other church members by damaging the reputation of Christians in the community. As David’s sin with Bathsheba shows, he paid an awful price with his family and with his kingdom for a night of sinful pleasure. But Paul ups the ante:
Paul adds (1 Thess. 4:6b), “because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.” Then in verse 8, he adds the warning, “So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.” This reminds me of the severe warning in Hebrews 10:26-31:
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 13:4 also warns, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Perhaps you’re wondering, “I thought that Christians were totally forgiven. I thought that we were under grace. But that doesn’t sound very gracious!”
If a genuine Christian falls into these sins and repents, God will forgive his sin, but He may not remove the consequences (as with David’s sin). But if someone professes to be a Christian, but habitually engages in sexual immorality, he may be deceived in calling himself a Christian. The Bible repeatedly warns that the sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-6). These strong warnings show that true Christians are susceptible to sexual immorality. But, true Christians will be miserable when they sin and cannot continue in sin (1 John 3:9). To reject God’s clear warnings indicates that the person does not truly know Him. So, how, then can a Christian be sexually pure?
More could be added for a comprehensive strategy against sexual sin, but here Paul mentions these two things:
Paul contrasts Christian sexual purity with “the Gentiles who do not know God” (1 Thess. 4:5). To be a true Christian means that you have come to know God through Jesus Christ (John 17:3; Gal. 4:9). In 2 Thessalonians 1:8, Paul says that when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, He will deal “out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” In Romans 1, those whom God gives over to suffer the consequences of their sin knew about God, since His attributes are evident through creation, but they suppress the truth in unrighteousness and do not honor God as God or give thanks. He goes on to add (Rom. 3:18), “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” If we truly know God, we fear Him, hate evil, and turn away from sin (Job 28:28; Ps. 97:10; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 9:10).
Paul mentions (v. 8) in passing (indicating that he also taught them this truth) that God “gives His Holy Spirit to you.” He uses a Greek construction that emphasizes “Holy” (literally, “His Spirit, the Holy One”). In Galatians 5:16, Paul writes, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” He goes on to enumerate some of those sinful desires, which include immorality, impurity, and sensuality. He adds that one fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control. So a daily step-by-step walk of dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit is the key to resisting sexual temptation and developing sexual purity.
There are several aspects of this to keep in mind: First, the Holy Spirit is a gracious, undeserved gift. When you think about the fact that you deserved God’s judgment, but He chose you and called you to salvation and gave you His Holy Spirit to live in you, it will make you hate your sin and turn from it.
Second, the Holy Spirit is holy! As the eternal third person of the trinity, He is the one of whom the angels cover their faces in His presence as they say (Isa. 6:3), “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” He is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). His eyes are too pure to approve evil (Hab. 1:13). Peter exhorts (1 Pet. 1:14-16), “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
Third, this Holy Spirit dwells in you. If you think about that when you’re tempted to click on that porn site or entertain lustful thoughts about a woman, you would immediately cut off your hand or pluck out your eye (Matt. 5:27-30). As David Powlison wrote (Sex and the Supremacy of Christ [Crossway], ed. by John Piper & Justin Taylor, p. 105), “The only way you ever sin is by suppressing God, by forgetting, by tuning out his voice, switching channels, and listening to other voices.”
Fourth, remember that your sin grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). “Grieve” is an emotional love-word. When you sin against someone who loves you, that person grieves. To sin against the Holy Spirit who sealed you for the day of redemption is to grieve the God who gave His Son to save you.
So if you know the Lord, His clearly stated will is for you to be sexually pure by the power of His Holy Spirit. If you are defeated by sexual sin, take whatever radical measures are necessary to get on the path to sexual purity. As John Owen put it (The Works of John Owen, Vol. 6, “Temptation and Sin” [Banner of Truth], p. 9), “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
October 16, 2016
A student once walked into Dr. Howard Hendricks’ office at Dallas Seminary and announced, “Prof, I’m dropping out of school.” “Why is that?” asked Dr. Hendricks. “Because I’m convinced that the Lord is going to return shortly and I want to get involved in a ministry before He comes.” Dr. Hendricks replied, “If there is something that you would be doing differently if you knew that Jesus Christ would return tomorrow, then you’d better be doing it!”
Dr. Hendricks wasn’t suggesting that the student drop out of school and go out preaching on the streets. If he believed that, he wouldn’t have been committed to training men for the ministry at Dallas Seminary. He was saying that we should live every day with an expectancy of the Lord’s near return and yet also live in a normal manner. As Martin Luther is reputed to have said, “If I knew that the Lord was returning tomorrow, I’d plant a tree today.”
Throughout church history, there have been both individuals and groups that have gotten so caught up with prophecy about the Lord’s coming that they have acted strangely. Some have sold everything, quit their jobs, and waited on a hilltop for the Lord’s return at a predicted date. Harold Camping thought that Jesus would return in 1988. Others were sure it would be in 2000.
Apparently some of the Thessalonians had gotten a bit carried away and decided that in light of the Lord’s near return, they should quit their jobs and spend their time proclaiming the end of the world. In the meantime, if they had need of the world’s goods, well, other Christians were commanded to help them! So they were not working and were sponging off the church. This problem was probably only in its earliest stages when Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, so he just mentions it in passing. But by the time he wrote 2 Thessalonians, the problem had grown, so he deals with it there more extensively (2 Thess. 3:6-15).
In our text, Paul gives some practical instructions about how to live until the Lord returns. He says that …
We should work at loving one another more and be showing God’s love by our behavior at work.
1 Thess. 4:9-10: “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more ….”
Paul began this letter commending the Thessalonians for their “labor of love” (1 Thess. 1:3). But he didn’t want them to rest on their laurels and become complacent about this most important quality. Note three things about loving one another:
In contrast to lust (4:3-8), Paul now turns to Christian love. Probably their culture, like ours, often confused the two. Sexual lust is never loving. It’s always selfish and harms all tainted by it. But Christians are not to be characterized by the passion of lust, but rather by fervent, pure love for one another. Paul uses the Greek word “philadelphia” (v. 9) which was used in secular writings for affection between natural brothers and sisters in a family. But in the New Testament, it is used of love between the members of the family of God, the church. Paul wasn’t correcting the Thessalonians for a lack of love, but rather encouraging them to keep working at it. Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 129) observes,
Something which should give modern Christians much food for thought is the way in which the early church was characterized by love. “Behold how these Christians love one another” is hardly the comment which springs spontaneously to the lips of the detached observer nowadays. But if our manner of life was based on the New Testament picture something like it would be inevitable.
Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another even as He had loved them. Then He added (John 13:35), “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” He also said that love for others is the second greatest commandment, after love for God (Matt. 22:39). Paul said that “love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10). John said (1 John 3:10, 14), “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother…. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” So love isn’t optional. Genuine love for one another should be the mark of the church.
Paul says (v. 9), “you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.” He has just mentioned that God gives His Holy Spirit to you. In Romans 5:5, he states that “the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” So when he says that the Thessalonians are taught by God to love one another, he’s probably referring to this work of the Holy Spirit, whom we receive when we trust in Christ. As 1 John 4:7-8 states, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
More than anywhere else, we see God’s amazing love demonstrated at the cross (John 3:16): “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Paul writes (Eph. 5:1-2), “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
Based on these and other verses, I developed this definition: Love is a self-sacrificing, caring commitment that shows itself by seeking the highest good of the one loved. God so loved that He gave. Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. God’s love involves self-sacrifice. Selfishness is the main hindrance to love. Husbands are exhorted to love their wives even as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us (Eph. 5:25). It’s easy to grandstand and say, “I’d lay down my life for my wife if someone was attacking her.” But what about sacrificing your time and inconveniencing yourself to serve your wife each day? What about thinking of her needs and her perspective above your own? That’s where biblical love has to show itself. It isn’t just talk; it requires observable action.
Also, love is caring. This is the emotional element of love. It’s not just cold, perfunctory service. The actions of love are done out of a heart that genuinely cares about the other person’s well-being. Love is a caring commitment. With regard to marriage, it’s a lifelong covenant before God to your mate. Although you should feel love towards others, even when the feelings aren’t there you should act in love because you’re committed to them.
And, love seeks the highest good of the one loved, namely, that he or she would come to know Jesus and be conformed to His image. The goal of love, both in the family and in the church, should be to encourage and help the other person to know Christ and to grow in Christ. Our model for love is our Lord and Savior, who gave Himself for us on the cross while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8). He teaches us to love by His own example.
Paul has repeatedly commended their love, but they still needed to excel even more (cf. 1 Thess. 1:3; 3:6, 12; 4:1). Since Christ’s perfect example is our standard (John 13:34), we always have room to grow. We can always love our spouse more, our children more, our family members more, our fellow Christians more, and our neighbors more. This is not automatic; it doesn’t come naturally to any of us. It requires deliberate thought and effort. If you’re not deliberately thinking about and working at loving others more, chances are you’re not improving at this commitment.
One practical way to work on this is to write 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 on an index card and read it over every morning until it governs all of your interactions with people that day. Begin applying it to your immediate family, but extend it to all you have contact with. Ask yourself hard questions about each quality:
“Love is patient.” Would my family or co-workers describe me as a patient person? Do I have a “short fuse”?
“Love is kind.” Am I kind and gracious toward others, especially when they fall short of my expectations?
“Love is not jealous.” Am I competing with others by trying to get the attention, relationships, or possessions which they have?
“Love does not brag and is not arrogant.” Am I self-focused, always trying to impress others with my achievements, my opinions, or my knowledge?
“Love does not act unbecomingly.” Am I rude? Do I often interrupt others? Am I considerate of their feelings and points-of-view?
“Love does not seek its own.” Am I selfish? Do I think about others’ needs ahead of my own?
“Love is not provoked.” Am I easily offended? Do I get angry when people don’t do what I want them to do?
“Love does not take into account a wrong suffered.” Do I keep score? Do I remind others of past sins or failures? Do I hold grudges? Am I quick to forgive?
“Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth.” Am I glad when others fail or sin, because it makes me look good and I can use it as ammunition against them? Am I truly happy when I hear of others’ victories in the Lord?
“Love bears all things.” Do I bear with people in their immaturity or shortcomings or do I always correct them?
“Love believes all things.” Am I suspicious of others? Do I trust them unless there is good reason not to do so?
“Love hopes all things.” Do I “write people off”? Do I believe that God can work to change the other person?
“Love never fails.” Do I give up on others who have wronged or hurt me? Am I committed to help that person become all that God wants him or her to be?
Even if others who know you would say that you’re doing fairly well at loving others, there’s always room to grow because our standard is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
But Paul was concerned not only for love in our homes and in the church, but also that God’s love would be seen in the workplace. The connection between verses 9-10 & 11-12 is not immediately obvious. But Paul seems to be showing how we should demonstrate God’s love (vv. 9-10) in the workplace (vv. 11-12).
1 Thess. 4:11-12: “and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.” Note four things:
What is your goal at work? You say, “To provide for my family’s needs.” That’s a worthy goal, since Paul says that if you don’t provide for your family, have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim. 5:8)! That’s a serious warning! But if your only goal is to provide for your family, how do you differ from the world? That’s why almost everyone works. They’re trying to provide enough for their family’s needs and wants.
Paul says, “make it your ambition.” That phrase implies a goal and some effort toward that goal. The goal isn’t to climb the ladder to success or make a pile of money or beat your competitors. The goal is to be a godly witness to those without Christ. In LifeWork ([YWAM Publishing], p. xxi), Darrow Miller writes,
As the so-called developed world enters the twenty-first century, too often we Westerners find that the secular worldview has reduced work to a career and life to an endless consuming of things. As a result we live without hope and purpose, and both our work and life itself carry little if any meaning…. When we see our worth as determined by the marketplace and the amount of money we make, we often sacrifice what matters most—family, friends, marriages, Christian fellowship—in pursuit of success, prestige, fame, power, and other goals prized by the world.
So the point of “make it your ambition” is that you need to think biblically about your goals at work. Your aim should not be to become rich or successful. Rather, it should be to display the love of our Savior to those who wrongly think that making a lot of money or becoming successful at work will bring lasting happiness.
What does Paul mean by “lead a quiet life”? He uses a similar phrase in 1 Timothy 2:2, where he says that we should pray “for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” Peter mentions a similar quality when he enjoins wives with unbelieving husbands to win them without a word, specifically “with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Pet. 3:1-6). In both contexts, the goal is godly witness, not through preaching, but through behavior that demonstrates contentment and peace in Christ. Because we are content with food and covering and don’t seek to get rich (1 Tim. 6:9-9), we can exude the quiet contentment that stands in contrast to the self-seeking, money-oriented values of the world.
“To attend to your own business” means that we should not be busybodies or gossips, meddling in matters that are none of our business (2 Thess. 3:11-12). He does not mean that we should not care about others’ problems, but rather that we should be known as those who can be trusted with confidential information without blabbing it all over the workplace. Both phrases imply that a Christian’s witness at work should primarily be through godly behavior, not through preaching.
The Greek culture in Paul’s day looked down on manual labor, which they viewed as fit only for slaves. But the Bible consistently upholds the dignity of all work. God gave Adam and Eve manual labor in the garden before the fall. Godly men in the Old Testament worked as farmers or shepherds. Paul made tents. He told slaves that they could do their menial work as unto the Lord (Col. 3:22-24). And, our Savior was a carpenter. When Paul says to work with your hands, he’s not prohibiting an office or professional job, but he is elevating manual labor as a dignified endeavor.
Some Christians erroneously view work as a curse. But God didn’t curse Adam’s work after the fall, but rather the ground that he tilled (Miller, p. 107). Work is now more difficult, but it does not lack dignity if we do it as unto the Lord. While some jobs may not be as satisfying as other jobs, we need to see work itself as being our calling from God. If you view work as a curse, you’ll try to avoid work and you won’t do your best on the job. You’ll only do the minimum required. But that hinders witness. Paul’s concern is that every Christian, including slaves, would (Col. 3:23) “do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” Why?
“To walk properly toward outsiders” means that our witness to unbelievers by our behavior on the job should always be uppermost in our minds. You should not spend company time in verbal witness, which would not please your employer. Except for a brief word here and there that doesn’t interfere with work, reserve that for after hours. Your employer didn’t hire you to evangelize your fellow employees on the job! Your witness on the job should primarily be by your contentment and peace in Christ and your personal integrity. Other workers should see that you aren’t greedily trying to take advantage of others. They should see your moral purity, concern for others, honesty, and work ethic.
“To not be in any need” means that we should be responsible managers of our income: paying our bills, living within our means, being generous and ready to share, and not mooching off the government or anyone else because we’re lazy or trying to take advantage of the system. Christians should not be a burden to others, but rather be able to help provide for those with true needs (the disabled, etc.; Eph. 4:28). Your fellow workers should be able to see that you live simply and generously as a Christian. You’re not acting in love when you expect financial favors from other believers simply because they’re your brothers in Christ.
Thus Paul is saying that we are to work diligently at loving one another and we are to act in ways that show God’s love at work. The Russian author, Leo Tolstoy (Twenty-Three Tales [Oxford University Press], “Where Love is, God is,” pp. 131-146) tells a story about a lonely, old Russian cobbler who was reading in Luke 7 about the Pharisee who did not welcome Jesus to his home. He thought, “If He came to me, would I welcome Him?” Pondering this, he fell asleep. Suddenly, the old man heard a voice calling his name: “Martin, Martin, look out in the street tomorrow for I shall come.”
The next day, he kept watch out of his window as he worked. He saw an old man that he knew, invited him in by his fire, and gave him some tea. He told the man about Christ’s mercy as he had been reading in the gospels. The old man listened with tears running down his cheeks and left thanking him for his hospitality.
A while later, Martin saw outside a woman dressed in shabby summer clothes, trying to keep her crying baby warm. He invited her in to sit by his fire. She was destitute and had pawned her shawl the day before to get something to eat. He fed her, gave her an old coat to wrap around her baby, and gave her the money to get her shawl out of pawn. Later he helped reconcile a poor woman and a boy who stole an apple from her. So the day passed, but there had been no appearance of Christ.
It was evening now. Martin lit his lamp, and opened his Bible. He had intended to read where he had left off the night before, but the Bible fell open to another place. Before he read, he heard a voice call out, “Martin, it is I.” He looked up and saw the old man he had helped, and then he vanished. This was repeated with the woman and her baby, and with the woman and boy he had served that day. Then he read, “I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in.” At the bottom of the page, he read, “Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me” (Matt. 25). Tolstoy concludes, “And Martin understood that his dream had come true; and that the Savior had really come to him that day, and he had welcomed him.”
That poor cobbler was demonstrating God’s love in his workplace. Paul wants us to be working at love for others and to be showing God’s love at work.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
October 23, 2016
This message will probably sound more like a Bible college classroom lecture than a sermon. But before we plunge into Paul’s treatment of biblical prophecy (1 Thess. 4 & 5; 2 Thess. 1 & 2), it’s important for you to understand an overview of various approaches to biblical prophecy. For some, this may be a boring review (my apologies!). But I hope for others it will help you understand some of the issues involved.
It has always troubled me that if I were to announce a mid-week series on prayer, few would show up, but if it was on prophecy, the place would be packed. It has also bothered me that much of the hype connected with prophecy is based on speculation about the future without application to the present. People are fascinated to know whether some famous world leader’s name transliterated into Hebrew or Greek adds up to 666 or whether the European Union is the 10-horned beast of Daniel 7, but knowing that doesn’t help them grow in godliness or love.
Also, many evangelicals think that all Bible-believing Christians believe in the pretribulation rapture of the church, as popularized by Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth and Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins’ Left Behind books. I was taught that view in seminary. Some of my professors believed that all other views border on liberalism. When I graduated from seminary 40 years ago, I agreed with that view.
But the more I’ve studied biblical prophecy, the less certain I’ve become that that is what the Bible teaches. I’d like for it to be true, because who wants to go through the tribulation? And I don’t have a system worked out so that I can explain all the prophetic passages. I’ve read many commentaries and books on prophecy, but I still don’t understand the Book of Revelation well enough to teach it. So I continue to read and study, but don’t expect a series on Revelation any time soon! But we’re coming to several sections dealing with prophecy, so I’ll try to explain them as best as I know how at this point in my understanding.
In this message, though, I want to provide a survey of the major views of biblical prophecy among Bible-believing Christians and explain some of the pros and cons of each view. To sum up:
All true Christians agree that Jesus Christ will come back bodily in power and glory, but there are some major differences about the details.
Let me begin by saying that as long as a person believes that Jesus Christ will come back bodily in power and glory, we should not make agreement on our particular view of prophecy a test for fellowship. Godly men and women differ on these matters, but each view has biblical support; if it didn’t, all who believe the Bible would be in the same camp. So while it’s fine to debate prophetic views in a friendly way, we should not attack those who differ with us as if they were enemies of the gospel.
All of the major approaches to biblical prophecy agree on this truth: Jesus will return bodily and when He comes, He will come in great power and glory to reign. At His trial Jesus told the Sanhedrin (Matt. 26:64), “I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” He was referring to Daniel 7:14, which predicts that Messiah’s kingdom will be everlasting. The angel told the disciples as they watched Jesus ascend into heaven after His resurrection (Acts 1:11), “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” He ascended bodily; He will return bodily. However Christians understand the details of prophecy, all agree that Jesus is coming back bodily to reign. To deny that is heresy.
There are three main views regarding the Lord’s coming:
According to this view, the gospel in this church age will grow like the mustard seed until it becomes a large tree. Or, it will spread like leaven in bread dough, until it permeates the whole earth, so that the world is largely Christianized. This millennial age in which God’s kingdom will come to earth will last for a long period of time (not necessarily 1,000 literal years). At the end of this time, Christ will return to resurrect the dead for judgment and usher in the new heavens and new earth (cf. Lorraine Boettner, The Meaning of the Millennium [IVP], ed. by Robert Clouse, pp. 117ff.).
The millennium envisioned by postmillennialists is very different than that expected by premillennialists (ibid. pp. 120-121). The conditions on earth will not be substantially changed, except as a majority of believers may bring about a culture of righteousness. Jesus won’t be bodily reigning in Jerusalem on the throne of David, since He doesn’t return until the end of the millennium. People will still be in their normal bodies, since the resurrection of the living and dead happens at the return of Christ. There will not be a final rebellion against Christ, as premillennialists believe. The millennium will be a time much like today, except that the gospel will spread widely throughout the world.
Some of those from the past who have held to postmillennialism are Reformers Martin Bucer and Theodore Beza, many of the Puritans, including Matthew Henry, the Wesley brothers, Jonathan Edwards, William Carey, Charles Hodge, and Augustus Strong. In our day, Kenneth Gentry (in Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond [Zondervan], ed. by Darrell Bock, who supplies the list above, plus many others), and Douglas Wilson (desiringgod.org/messages/an-evening-of-eschatology), among others, contend for this view.
Postmillennialism rests on God’s purpose of being glorified in His creation. It believes in His sovereign power to accomplish His purpose and that He has equipped His church with the necessary gifts and power to accomplish that purpose (Gentry, ibid., develops these points). It has a strong hope in the power of the gospel to spread and transform lives. It encourages evangelism with the hope that God will bless the gospel with widespread conversions. And it is supported by many Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments that predict the ultimate triumph of Christ (Gentry, pp. 31-55). Also, one modern form of postmillennialism (advocated by Gentry and the late Greg Bahnsen) is called theonomy, Reconstructionism, or dominion theology, which holds that God’s Old Testament civil laws are binding on governments today.
Against postmillennialism is the picture of the end times in the New Testament, when godlessness and the persecution of the godly increase, not decrease. Also, current world conditions do not reflect any sort of increasing righteousness, but rather increasing rebellion against God. Against theonomy is the New Testament teaching that we are not under the Mosaic Law. And the Scriptures used to support postmillennialism can easily fit into other approaches to prophecy.
Amillennialism was the predominant view of the church from the time of Augustine (early 5th century) until the Reformation. Today, many godly Reformed theologians and pastors hold this view, although some object to the label. They believe that the “thousand years” (Rev. 20:4) refers to the current church age when Satan’s influence over the nations has been bound (Rev. 20:1-3; Matt. 12:29; Col. 2:15) so that the gospel may spread to every nation. Christ’s kingdom began when He was on earth (Matt. 12:28). He is now reigning from heaven over His church, but there is a future fulfillment of His kingdom in the new heavens and new earth.
There will not be a literal future seven-year worldwide tribulation. Some amillennialists say that at the end of this age, Satan will be released for a time, leading to the deception of the nations, Armageddon, and the physical return of Christ. This will be followed by the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked for judgment, and then the new heavens and new earth.
Amillennialists argue that because the Jews rejected their Messiah, the kingdom was taken away from them and given to a believing “nation,” the church (Matt. 21:43; 1 Pet. 2:9). Christ is the true Israel (Isa. 42:1-7), the true temple where God dwells with His people (John 2:19-21). Believers in Him are the true seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:7), who saw in God’s promises of the land the heavenly city, whose architect and builder is God (Heb. 11:10-16). The promise of the land for God’s people will be fulfilled in the new heavens and earth that follows Christ’s return. Some amillennialists (e.g. Martyn Lloyd Jones) believe that Romans 11 teaches that there will still be a widespread conversion of the Jews before Jesus returns. But there are not two separate prophetic programs, one for the Jews and another for the church.
In favor of amillennialism is the fact that it is fairly simple. Amillennialists argue that they interpret Old Testament prophecies in line with the way that the New Testament interprets them, which often includes a spiritual fulfillment in Christ (e.g. Acts 2:17-21; 13:32-35; 15:16-18; Gal. 4:21-31; Heb. 4:1-11; 1 Pet. 2:9-10). Also, Revelation 20 is the only passage which mentions a thousand year reign of Christ and that number, like most numbers in Revelation, should be interpreted symbolically.
The main reason that I reject amillennialism is that I cannot swallow their interpretation of the binding of Satan (Rev. 20:1-3). They argue that it is limited to his ability to deceive the nations, but the picture in Revelation is much more extensive than that. He is thrown into the abyss and the door is shut and sealed over him. That sounds like complete restriction, which doesn’t describe the present age! Even if you limit it to being bound from deceiving the nations, it seems to me that he has deceived most nations (“people groups”) for these past 2,000 years. Many are still in complete spiritual darkness (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19).
Also, several passages in the Old Testament seem to describe a future period of glory that is greater than the present age, but not descriptive of the eternal state (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology [Zondervan], p. 1117). For example, Isaiah 65:20 describes a time when infants will not die, those who die in youth will be 100, and those who don’t live to 100 will be thought to be accursed. That is certainly not true now and it won’t be true in the new heavens and earth, when there is no death. It would seemingly refer to the millennium (also, cf. Ps. 72:8-14; Isa. 11:2-9; Zech. 14:6-21; Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15; cf. Grudem, pp. 1114-1121 for further arguments against amillennialism). Also, it seems to me that amillennialism goes a bit too far in spiritualizing God’s promises to Israel. That leads us to the third major view:
To complicate matters a bit, within premillennialism, there are two major views: pretribulational (or dispensational) premillennialism; and classic or historic premillennialism.
This is the view I was taught in seminary. It’s probably the most popular view among American evangelicals. Some dispensationalists argue that this view has been around for centuries, but most scholars agree that it was developed and popularized by the 19th century Plymouth Brethren leader, John Nelson Darby. It rests largely on two pillars: a sharp distinction between Israel and the church; and, a literal hermeneutic in prophetic interpretation.
The church will be removed through the secret rapture, followed by seven years that complete Daniel’s 70th “week” for Israel. During this time, many Jews will be saved, and many will be martyred by those loyal to the Antichrist, who will come to power and rule a one-world government. At the climax of the tribulation, just as the forces of the Antichrist are ready to annihilate Israel, Jesus will return, slay all of His enemies, and establish His millennial reign in Jerusalem. During this time, Satan will be bound and Christ will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Many will be saved, but there will still be some who will resist His rule.
At the end of this period, Satan will be released and lead a final rebellion. Fire will come down from heaven and destroy all the rebels. Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire. The dead will be raised for judgment and thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death (see Rev. 20:1-15).
There are also a few variations among dispensational premillennialists. A few argue for a partial rapture before the tribulation, where the watchful or overcomers will be taken to heaven, but the rest of the church will be purified through the tribulation. Watchman Nee taught this view. Others hold to a mid-tribulation rapture or a pre-wrath rapture that removes the entire church just before the worst judgments of the tribulation begin.
The main reason I no longer hold to the pretribulation rapture of the church is that I don’t see two separate returns of Christ clearly taught in Scripture. I heard Dr. Richard Mayhue of The Master’s Seminary, who holds to this view, say that it must be inferred. Several verses and arguments lead to this inference:
First, Christ’s promise to the church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:10) is to keep them from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world. This is interpreted to apply to the church at the end of this age. Second, the purpose of the tribulation is for the pouring out of God’s wrath (Rev. 6:17), but the church is not destined for wrath, but for salvation (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9). Third, it is argued that if Christ is not returning until the end of the tribulation, then His coming could not be imminent. (Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come [Zondervan], pp. 193-218, lists 28 arguments for the pretribulation rapture, but we don’t have time to go through all of these.)
I reject the argument about being spared from God’s wrath because throughout history, God has not protected His church from horrible tribulation. In our day, Christians are being persecuted and annihilated in many Muslim countries. The wrath from which we are to be spared is not temporal persecution, but the eternal wrath of God in the lake of fire. With regard to the argument about imminence, dispensational premillennialists agree that Christ’s Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24 & 25; Mark 13) refers to His second coming, not to the pretribulation rapture of the church. But Jesus clearly teaches that no one knows the day or hour of His coming and He warns His disciples to be on the alert (Matt. 24:36-44). He says (Matt. 24:44), “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” So even though His second coming follows the events of the tribulation (described in Matt. 24:4-28), the Lord pictures it as imminent and urges us to be alertly watching for it.
Also, there are predicted events that must transpire before the church could be removed from the earth. The disciples had to bear witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), which would have taken many years (in fact, it still has not been fulfilled). Jesus said that the end would not come until the gospel had been preached in the whole world, which is the task of the church (Matt. 24:14). The Lord told Peter that he would live to be an old man (John 21:18). He told Paul that he would live to bear witness in Rome (Acts 23:11). So the idea that we must hold to the pretribulation rapture because any other teaching denies that Christ could return at any moment doesn’t hold up (cf. Moo, pp. 207-211). As I said, I hope that the pretribulation rapture is true, because I don’t want to suffer. But I’m not convinced that the biblical arguments prove it.
This is also called historic premillennialism. It was the predominant view of the church for the first three centuries of the church. The late George Ladd (The Blessed Hope [Eerdmans]), Douglas Moo (Three Views on the Rapture [Zondervan]) and Wayne Grudem (Systematic Theology) all defend this view.
As I said, the pretribulation rapture rests on the pillars of a complete distinction between God’s purpose for the church and His purpose for Israel; and, on the literal interpretation of biblical prophecy. With regard to the distinction between Israel and the church, I see some distinctions, but not distinctions that continue throughout eternity. Paul states that in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile (Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:11-22; Col. 3:11). I find it hard to see in Scripture that the church is merely a parenthesis in God’s program, separate from Israel. Rather, Christ and the church are the culmination of God’s redemptive program. Many dispensationalists say that during the millennium, the Jewish temple will be rebuilt and animal sacrifices will be offered there as a memorial. I find that idea to be in opposition to the Book of Hebrews. Christ is the complete and final sacrifice for our sins. Why go back to offering “memorial” sacrifices when we have Christ’s perfect sacrifice for our sins?
Regarding the literal interpretation of prophecy, there are many places where even dispensationalists interpret the fulfillment of prophecies spiritually (cf. Vern Poythress, Understanding Dispensationalists [P&R Publishing], chapters 8-11). For example, the church is now the temple of God, where He dwells (1 Cor. 3:16-17). We are now “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession” (1 Pet. 2:9).
When it comes to a “secret rapture” of the church, the text that we will study next time is often used as a main support. But it doesn’t sound very secret: the Lord “will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God” (1 Thess. 4:16). Dr. Grudem states (p. 1134),
The doctrine of a pretribulation rapture is an inference from several passages, all of which are disputed. Moreover, even if one believes this doctrine to be in Scripture, it is taught with such little clarity that it was not discovered until the nineteenth century. This does not make it seem likely.
I don’t expect all of you to agree with me. But as I said, we need to disagree with one another graciously, admitting that there are many godly scholars in each camp. Whatever you believe, here are some concluding applications:
First, no matter what view you take, the Lord Jesus clearly is going to return bodily to execute judgment on unbelievers. This, along with the uncertainty of life, is incentive to believe in Christ without delay. Use this when you witness.
Second, in light of His coming (1 Cor. 15:58), “… be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Third, we can have assurance and comfort in the midst of the present world turmoil. God is sovereign and He works all things after the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11). He sets up rulers and takes them down to accomplish His plans (Prov. 21:1). No evil ruler, including the Antichrist himself, can thwart God’s plan. Therefore (Ps. 2:12), “Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
Finally (1 John 3:3), “Everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Make sure that you’re living in holiness in light of Christ’s warnings to be ready when He comes (Mark 13:33-37)!
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
October 30, 2016
We live in a time when many people lack hope. Those who battle depression usually lack hope and depression is one of the most prevalent emotional disorders in our society. Plenty of things fuel a lack of hope: Current world conditions, including the spread of Islamic terrorism; the increase of godlessness all around us; economic worries; disappointments in life; health concerns as we age; the loss of loved ones; and, our own approaching deaths.
But the Bible wants us as believers to stand out as people of hope in this hopeless world. In Romans 5:3-5, Paul explains: “… we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” In Romans 15:13, he prays, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Paul has already (1:3) commended the Thessalonians for their “steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” He added (1 Thess. 1:10) that he had heard how they were waiting “for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” But when Timothy returned from his visit there, he told Paul that some in the church were grieving because they had expected Christ to return soon, but in the meanwhile, some of their loved ones had died. Did this mean that these loved ones would miss out on Christ’s glorious coming for His church? Would their resurrection be delayed until later? So Paul addresses this concern in our text. He shows us that …
The certainty of Christ’s glorious coming gives us hope and comfort in our grief.
Before we work through these verses, I need to mention that this text, along with John 14:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-52, forms the biblical basis for the pretribulation rapture of the church (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Moody Press], p. 124). John MacArthur (pp. 135-137) gives nine reasons why he thinks the rapture of the church will precede the tribulation and second coming. But, he admits (p. 135), “No solitary text of Scripture makes the entire case for the pretribulation Rapture.” In other words, it must be inferred by comparing these three texts with other references to Christ’s second coming.
While I greatly respect MacArthur as a godly man and a solid Bible teacher, as I explained last week, I find it difficult to believe that the Bible does not directly teach a major doctrine, such as a second “Second Coming” of Christ, but rather it must be inferred. I don’t have time to go through MacArthur’s nine reasons. But I think that his reasons for the pretribulation rapture are inferences based on assuming what he’s trying to prove. So at this point, my understanding is in line with historic premillennialism, namely, that Christ will come at the end of the tribulation to take us to be with Him before He establishes His millennial kingdom on earth. In short, our text is not explicitly teaching a pretribulation rapture of the church unless we read it into the text. Rather, it gives us hope and comfort through the promise of Christ’s glorious coming.
One other thing to say in advance is that Paul did not write these things so that we can draw elaborate prophecy charts or to satisfy our curiosity about future world events. Rather, his concern is pastoral: he wants us to experience hope and comfort in the Lord when we lose believing loved ones based upon the certain promise of His coming. Note these three main truths:
1 Thess. 4:14-15a: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord ….”
When Paul states, “For if we believe,” he’s not implying any uncertainty. The Greek text implies, “since we believe” (ESV). Paul uses “Jesus,” the human name of our Lord (only used elsewhere in this letter in 1:10, also in connection with His resurrection), to show that our faith in Christ’s coming is based on the historical facts of His life, death, and resurrection. If Jesus was only a mythical figure, the embellishment of some legendary character who really didn’t do the things reported in the four gospels, then none of the apostles would have suffered and given their lives to proclaim Him as Lord and Savior. Paul’s point is that Jesus’ bodily return is just as certain as His physical death, burial, and resurrection, which are historically validated facts.
It’s interesting that Paul says that Jesus died, but Christians have fallen asleep (1 Thess. 4:13, 14, 15). While other ancient cultures used “sleep” as a euphemism for death, Paul seems deliberate when he contrasts Jesus’ death over against believers’ sleep. Jesus bore the full wrath of God for us, dying in our place (1 Cor. 15:3-4). If our trust is in Him to bear our sins, then physical death becomes not a curse, but more like sleep. This implies several things:
First, it does not imply “soul sleep.” The Seventh Day Adventists and some other groups teach that when we die, our soul sleeps until Christ’s second coming. But Paul said (2 Cor. 5:8) that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. He said that he wanted to depart and be with Christ (Phil. 1:23). Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross (Luke 23:43), “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” When Stephen was stoned to death, he cried out (Acts 7:59, 60), “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” “Having said this, he fell asleep.” And, as Paul goes on to say (1 Thess. 5:10), “whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” Soul sleep is not biblical.
Second, sleep as a metaphor for death implies that death is only temporary. You wake up from sleep. Jesus used this term when He said, just prior to raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:11), “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” As far as we know, after death our souls will be in a disembodied state with the Lord until He returns. At that point, He will raise our bodies. In Daniel 12:2 the angel reveals to the prophet, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” It doesn’t matter whether our bodies have decayed in the ground, been eaten by vultures, exploded by a bomb, or cremated and the ashes scattered at sea. Death is only temporary for our bodies, which will be raised. But our souls go to be with the Lord the instant we die.
Also, sleep implies relief from our bodily aches and pains and rest from our earthly labors. Heaven is the “Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). And, sleep is not harsh or fearful for believers. Paul longed to depart and be with Christ, which he said was much better than this world of suffering (Phil. 1:23).
Paul’s point in our text is that our resurrection depends on Christ’s resurrection. As Jesus told the disciples (John 14:19), “because I live, you will live also.” Or, as Paul also said (1 Cor. 6:14), “Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.” In 1 Thessalonians 4:14, “those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” is literally, “through Jesus.” The meaning seems to be that “just as Jesus’ death was in the hands of God, so is the death of saints in Jesus’ hands, and just as God raised Jesus from the dead, so Jesus will raise believers” (Marshall, cited by G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 134). Thus death does not separate us from Him. If we fall asleep through Jesus, just as certainly as He was raised from the dead, we will be raised when He comes.
Paul adds (1 Thess. 4:15a), “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord ….” These words refer to what follows concerning the order of the resurrection when Christ returns. Scholars are divided over whether Paul is referring to Christ’s general teaching regarding His coming, to some saying of Christ that is not recorded in Scripture, to a revelation of a New Testament prophet, or to a direct revelation to Paul. While there are many parallels between Paul’s teaching here and Jesus’ words in the Olivet Discourse (Beale, p. 137), nothing Christ said in the gospels reveals the order of the second coming that Paul here reveals. In 1 Corinthians 15:51, Paul calls these truths “a mystery,” which means something not previously revealed. Thus I think that God revealed these things directly to Paul.
But, however we understand it, Paul is emphasizing that he was not speculating or offering his opinion here. Rather, he is relating to us the direct “word of the Lord.” This makes the promise of His coming and our being raised up with Him certain.
1 Thess. 4:15-17: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
John Stott (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], pp. 102-104) outlines verses 16-17 as: (1) the return; (2) the resurrection; (3) the rapture; (4) the reunion. I’ll follow his outline:
There will be a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God. Leon Morris observes (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 145),
It is very hard to fit this into a secret rapture…. It may be that from this he intends us to understand that the rapture will take place secretly, and that no one except the saints themselves will know what is going on. But one would hardly gather this from his words. It is difficult to see how he could more plainly describe something that is open and public.
These verses parallel John’s description of the second coming (Rev. 1:7), “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.” That’s a reference to Daniel 7:13-14, where the prophet sees one “like a Son of Man” coming with the clouds of heaven, and to Zechariah 12:10, where Israel will look on the Messiah whom they pierced and mourn.
F. F. Bruce (Word Biblical Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Thomas Nelson], p. 104) notes that the Lord’s coming here “is described in terms associated with manifestations of the divine glory in the OT.” Clouds are a regular feature of biblical theophanies (appearances of the Lord; Bruce, 102; Stott, 104). There are supernatural phenomena here, because if Jesus appeared locally in the clouds over Jerusalem, He could only be seen in that vicinity. But this is a worldwide appearance in the sky, where every eye sees Him in His power and glory. The shout is probably a loud command from Christ, the commander of the heavenly host. The voice of the archangel may relay Christ’s command to the troops. The trumpet blast arouses the dead. It will be a truly awesome spectacle!
The spirits of departed saints are with the Lord now. He will bring them with Him when He returns, join their spirits to their resurrected bodies, and we will receive our resurrection bodies as we meet them in the air. This is the first resurrection; the unbelieving dead come to life at the end of the millennium (Rev. 20:5).
Paul does not say here whether Old Testament saints will return with Christ and receive their resurrection bodies at this time, since he only mentions “the dead in Christ.” Those who hold to a pretribulation rapture believe that OT saints are not raised until Christ’s second coming at the end of the tribulation. But Paul is speaking here to new believers, assuring them that their departed loved ones who had believed in Christ would be resurrected before those who are living when Christ returns. So I don’t think that he was necessarily excluding OT saints when he says, “in Christ.” Against the pretribulation view is the implication (Rev. 20:4-5 & 1 Cor. 15:23) that there are two, not three, resurrections: the righteous when Christ returns and the ungodly at the end of the millennium. Amillennialists argue that Jesus (John 5:28-29) spoke of a single resurrection of all the righteous and wicked at His second coming. But Revelation 20:4-5 mentions two separate resurrections. Whatever view you hold, the certain point that all agree on is that both deceased and living saints will receive new, eternal resurrection bodies, not subject to disease or death, when Jesus returns.
The word translated “caught up” means to snatch or seize by force. In Acts 8:39, it refers to the Spirit snatching Philip away from the Ethiopian eunuch after he led him to Christ. Paul uses the word to describe his experience of being caught up into the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2, 4). Many commentators point out that meeting the Lord in the air and returning with Him and all the saints to earth parallels the Hellenistic custom of going out to meet a visiting dignitary and escorting him back to the city. In Jesus’ parable about His second coming (Matt. 25:6), the bridal party goes out to meet the groom to escort him back to the banqueting hall. In Acts 28:15, Christians from Rome went out to meet Paul and escort him and his party back to the city.
When Paul includes himself and some of the Thessalonians among those who will be alive at Christ’s coming, he was not mistakenly asserting that they all would be alive at the second coming. He hoped that he would be alive, but he didn’t know for sure. Later (1 Thess. 5:10), Paul says that he and his readers could be either alive or dead when Christ returns. Years later, he indicated that he expected to die before the rapture (2 Tim. 4:6).
MacArthur (pp. 135-136) and other pretribulation rapture proponents argue that if the rapture is after the tribulation, there is no purpose for believers to be taken up to heaven, only to return immediately to earth. Rather, they say, Christ takes us to heaven to deliver us from the impending tribulation. But that’s an inference based on their presupposition. The Bible doesn’t need to give us a reason why we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. It may be that by so doing, we share in His glory when He returns in front of the unbelieving world. And, it may be that since the air was often thought of as the abode of demons (Eph. 2:2), the Lord’s meeting His saints in the air shows something of His power over those evil powers (Morris, p. 146).
It will be wonderful to be reunited with all of our loved ones who have died in Christ and to be with all of the saints from the past. But the best part of Christ’s return is that we will always be with the Lord! He is with us now spiritually (Matt. 28:20), but then we shall see Him face to face (1 Cor. 13:12). Now, we fluctuate in our sense of His presence with us, but then we shall always and forever be aware of His glorious presence. As Jesus prayed (John 17:24), “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
Even the apostle John, who knew Jesus intimately when He was on earth and who saw the amazing visions of the Revelation, did not know exactly what we will be like in heaven. He wrote (1 John 3:2), “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” The instant we see Jesus in His glory, we will be forever transformed into His likeness, free from all sin, sickness, and death. All of our loved ones in Christ will also be transformed. Any conflicts or bad experiences that we had with them on earth will either be forgotten or shrugged off as being of no consequence in light of the surpassing glory of being with Christ and being like Him. But all of this is not for speculation. Rather,
Paul begins and ends with practical application (1 Thess. 4:13, 18): “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope…. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
When Paul says, “we do not want you to be uninformed,” and he concludes, “comfort one another with these words,” he is saying that there is practical benefit in knowing biblical truth. As I said, Christ’s coming is not so that we can fill out prophecy charts, but rather so that we have real hope and comfort in the midst of life’s trials and losses.
I’ve been around Christians who suppress all tears when a loved one dies. They smile and try to turn a funeral into a celebration. But the Bible does not forbid all grief when we lose loved ones. Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb, even though He knew that He would shortly raise him from the dead. Paul tells us (Rom. 12:15) to “weep with those who weep.” Grieving is normal, but we are not to grieve as those in the world who have no hope in Christ.
Some may wonder, “But what if my loved one didn’t know Christ? How can I have any hope and not grieve if I know that my loved ones are in hell?” That’s hard, but we have to trust that the Lord will judge everyone fairly and justly. All of His judgments are righteous and true. Each person will get exactly what he or she deserves. Also, there are gradations of punishment in hell appropriate to the degree of light which the person rejected. And the Lord knows how people would have responded if they had been given more light (Matt. 11:20-24)! To the degree that we see Christ’s glory now our grief over the thought of unbelieving loved ones being in hell will be alleviated. That grief will vanish when we get the full view of His glory when He comes.
Often at the time of a loved one’s death unbelievers will say, “He’s in a better place now.” Or, “We’ll see him again in heaven.” But outside of Christ, such hope in the face of death is only wishful thinking. It has no foundation on the truth. But if Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead and is coming again to raise dead saints and transform living saints, we can have certain hope and comfort in Him in our grief.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
November 6, 2016
A recent article in Reader’s Digest (“The Big One,” 12/15-01/16) warned that a major, overdue earthquake along the northwest coast of the U.S. could trigger a massive tsunami that would wipe out everything on the coast from Washington to Northern California. It would be the worst natural disaster in the history of North America! But in spite of that clear warning, I’ve not read anything about people who live in that area moving away or doing anything to prepare for such a catastrophe.
After I read that story, I asked myself, “Would I do anything about that warning if I lived in that area?” The answer is, probably not. Relocating to a different area would be a major hassle. You’d have to sell your home, get a different job, and deal with many other changes, all for an uncertain event.
But what if the predicted event was absolutely certain? Would you heed the warning? Well, as we all know, scientists can’t be absolutely certain with such predictions, so that tends to make us skeptical of such dire warnings. Most of us would probably rather take our chances than go to the hassle of fleeing from a merely predicted event.
Maybe that’s why people ignore God’s warnings about impending judgment for all sinners. The Bible repeatedly warns that God’s righteous judgment is not just highly probable, but absolutely certain. As Paul told the Athenian philosophers (Acts 17:31), God “has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” But most people shrug it off or they figure that since they’re not terrorists or rapists, they’ll be okay. But they don’t do anything to get ready for that certain day.
Paul has just dealt with the question of whether our deceased loved ones in Christ will miss out on His second coming. Paul has shown that they will actually precede those who are still living when that momentous event occurs. He wants us to be informed and comforted with regard to that future event. But now he turns to the matter of “times and epochs,” specifically the time called “the day of the Lord.” We can’t be absolutely sure about the Thessalonians’ question that Paul was responding to. Many commentators think that they were wondering about when that day would occur. Or, perhaps they were worried that they were not spiritually and morally worthy to meet the Lord on the day of His coming (Jeffrey Weima, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament [Baker Academic], ed. by G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, p. 881). Weima summarizes the flow of verses 1-11:
Paul responds to their anxiety by reassuring them that they need not fear the day of the Lord (5:1-3). He then provides two supporting grounds for his claim: (1) their present status as “sons of light and sons of the day” (5:4-5); (2) their past election by God to obtain salvation and eternal life (5:9-10). Sandwiched between these two grounds is an appeal to live vigilantly as those who “belong to the day” (5:6-8). The discussion concludes with an exhortation (5:11).
I will focus on four truths in verses 1-8:
The phrase, “the day of the Lord,” is used often in the Old Testament (e.g. Isa. 13:6; Ezek. 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1; Amos 5:18-20 [the earliest reference]; Mal. 4:5) and four times in the New Testament (Acts 2:20; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:1; 2 Pet. 3:10). It is also called, “that day” (Luke 21:34; 2 Thess. 1:10); “the day” (Mal. 3:2; 4:1; 1 Thess. 5:4; Rom. 13:12); “the day of God” (2 Pet. 3:12); “the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10; 2:16); “the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6); and, “the day of our (or, “the”) Lord Jesus” (2 Cor. 1:14; 1 Cor. 5:5; or, “the Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Cor. 1:8). Revelation (6:17; 16:14) also refers to “the great day of their [God and the Lamb’s] wrath” and “the great day of God, the Almighty.”
The concept refers to God’s intervention in history for judgment on His enemies (including those who falsely claim to be His people; Amos 5:18-20) or for deliverance and blessing for His people (Isa. 11:10, 11; Joel 2:28-32, interpreted in Acts 2:17-21 to refer to the Day of Pentecost; Amos 9:11-12, interpreted in Acts 15:16-18 to refer to Christ). Sometimes these cataclysmic days of judgment found partial fulfillment when God wiped out Israel’s enemies and delivered His people from a military threat. But all such events pointed ahead to the culmination of God’s judgment and salvation in the first and second comings of Jesus Christ.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, Paul says that the day of the Lord is the time when Christ comes and we are gathered together to Him. It will be preceded by a widespread apostasy and the revealing of the antichrist, whom Paul calls “the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction” (2 Thess. 2:3). Thus the final day of the Lord begins with the tribulation and concludes with the second coming of Jesus Christ. Since when he was with them Paul had taught these new believers about this coming, certain day, he reminds them (v. 1) that they had no need for anything to be written to them.
Since this concept of the day of the Lord is repeated so frequently in Scripture, it will certainly happen or God’s Word is not true. Those are the only options! To conclude that because it hasn’t happened in 2,000 years, it isn’t going to happen, is to shrug off all of the many already fulfilled prophecies in the Bible. Peter anticipated scoffers doing this, though (2 Pet. 3:3-7):
Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
So we should not doubt that the day of the Lord is coming, even though it is delayed. You either have to throw out the Bible completely or acknowledge that this day will certainly come!
1 Thess. 5:2-3: “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.”
Whenever the idea of God’s intervening in judgment or salvation comes up, people are curious to know, “When is it going to happen?” In Mark 13:4, the disciples asked Jesus, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” He went on to give them a number of signs, some of which were initially fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, but others which await fulfillment in the future. But even though Jesus gave a number of future signs that would signal His coming, at the end of His discourse He still emphasized the need for His followers to be alert (Mark 13:37): “What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’”
Again, just before the risen Lord Jesus ascended, the disciples asked (Acts 1:6), “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus replied (Acts 1:7), “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” He then went on to repeat the Great Commission. Our focus should not be on fixing dates, but on spreading the gospel to those who will face God’s certain judgment if they do not repent.
The phrase Jesus used, “times and epochs,” is the same as that which Paul uses in verse 1. When Paul had taught these new believers about the Lord’s coming, he probably had passed on to them that Jesus had used this analogy of a thief to exhort His followers to be alert and watching for His coming (Matt. 24:42-43):
“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”
So the point of the day of the Lord coming like a thief in the night is that it will be sudden and unexpected. The analogy of the woman with labor pains may include some unexpectedness, since even though a woman knows her time is near, she never knows exactly when her labor pains will come on in earnest. But the main idea of the labor pains for the pregnant woman is that they are inescapable. In a day when many women died in childbirth, there was always a certain amount of anxiety about that inevitable process. But pregnant women knew that labor pains were the inescapable consequence of being pregnant.
When Paul says that people will be saying, “Peace and safety!” just prior to destruction coming on them, he may be referring to the prophets Jeremiah (6:14) and Ezekiel (13:10), who condemned the false prophets of their day for assuring people of peace when God had declared impending judgment. Or, he may be referring to a popular slogan of the Roman Empire, which declared peace and safety to all who were under their rule (Weima, p. 881). The picture is that people will be enjoying a time of peace and prosperity, perhaps under the initial rule of antichrist, the new world ruler. They will not feel the need to get right with God and they will laugh off the idea of impending judgment, just as Lot’s sons-in-law thought that he was joking about the doom of Sodom (Gen. 19:14).
Revelation 18 presents the same picture of worldly Babylon when the Lord returns. She will be prosperous and secure, living for pleasure without God. But suddenly, in one hour, destruction will come on her and all of her great wealth will be laid waste. “Destruction” as both Paul and John in Revelation use the term, does not refer to annihilation, but rather, as Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 153) puts it, “the loss of that life which is really life.” He points out that in 2 Thessalonians 1:9, the same word is used to describe eternal “banishment from the living presence of the Lord,” which is its meaning in our text. He concludes (p. 154), “It still needs emphasis that there are no other alternatives than life with the Lord or eternal loss. One or the other is inevitable.”
But what about for believers? How does the day of the Lord affect us?
1 Thess. 5:4-5: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness.”
When I used to believe in the pretribulation rapture, I understood these verses to mean that the day of the Lord will not overtake us as a thief because we won’t be on earth when it comes. But as I understand it now, that isn’t what Paul is saying. Rather, he says that as sons of light and sons of day, that day will not overtake us like a thief because we will be expecting it and we will be living in light of its certainty.
The darkness that Paul refers to is both spiritual and moral. In Ephesians 4:18-19, Paul refers to unbelievers who are “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.” In Romans 1:21, Paul refers to those who knew God, but didn’t “honor Him as God or give thanks.” As a result, “their foolish heart was darkened.” As a result (Rom. 1:24-31), God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to various degrading passions.
But when God saves us, He rescues us from Satan’s domain of darkness and transfers us to Christ’s kingdom of light (Col. 1:12-13). While exhorting us to moral purity in contrast to those in the world, Paul said (Eph. 5:7-10), “Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” (See, also, John 12:35-36.)
So there is a distinct contrast between unbelievers, characterized by spiritual and moral darkness, and believers, who are children of light and day. Believers will not be surprised when the day of the Lord comes because they expect it. But, if that is so, then why does Paul go on to exhort us to be alert?
1 Thess. 5:6-8: “So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”
The certain coming of the day should motivate us to live in line with what we are in the Lord. We are sons (children) of light and of day. I take those phrases to be synonymous. This is our position in Christ. But that position requires action: Let us not sleep, but be alert and sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
“Others” (v. 6) refers to unbelievers, pictured here as sleeping. This means that they are living as if there will never be a judgment day. If they hear someone mention God’s impending judgment on sinners, they roll their eyes and chuckle as if the person giving the warning believes in fables from the dark ages. Verse 7 is an illustration of the principle from the natural world: people generally sleep at night and get drunk at night. Those who sleep spiritually are in spiritual darkness, either like those physically asleep or like a drunk who has no idea of dangers around him. They will be caught by surprise when the day of the Lord engulfs them.
The Bible has many scenes of sleeping people who were oblivious to physical or spiritual danger. Some were unbelievers and some were believers. Israel’s enemy general, Sisera, was fleeing from Israel’s army. He came exhausted to the tent of a woman named Jael, who invited him in. After he fell asleep in her tent, she took a tent peg and drove it through his temple, giving Israel complete victory (Judges 4:17-24). He never knew what hit him.
Later, the mighty Samson was lulled to sleep by the deceptive Delilah, who then called for the Philistine warlords to try to seize him (Judges 16). He finally succumbed to her pleas to reveal the secret of his strength, leading to his capture, blinding, and enslavement. By sleeping in Delilah’s lap, he was extremely foolish and insensitive to the danger that he was in.
The disciples could not stay awake to pray with Jesus in the garden. When His enemies came upon Him, they all fled in terror. The virgins in Jesus’ parable of His second coming all fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom. The wise virgins had prepared themselves with sufficient oil, but the foolish ones slept without enough oil. The wise were taken into the wedding feast, but the foolish were shut out. Jesus’ application is (Matt. 25:13), “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
That’s Paul’s application here: Don’t sleep, but be alert and sober! The verb, “having put on,” may also be translated, “putting on.” If it means, “having put on,” Paul is saying, “Be what you are. When you trusted in Christ, you put on this spiritual armor. Now, live like it!” Or, if it means, “putting on,” the idea is that the way we remain alert and sober is by putting on this spiritual armor.
Elsewhere (Eph. 6:11-20; Rom. 13:12; 2 Cor. 6:7; 10:4), Paul uses the analogy of spiritual armor, assigning different meanings to the various pieces. In the well-known Ephesians 6 text, for example, the breastplate is righteousness, whereas here it is faith and love. In both texts, the helmet is salvation, but here it is “the hope of salvation,” which points to our future deliverance when Christ returns. In both cases, Paul is drawing from Isaiah 59:17, which pictures God as a mighty warrior:
He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing
And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.
In our text, Paul says that as believers, we must put on this armor, which God Himself uses in Isaiah. Paul describes the armor with the three cardinal Christian virtues that he has already emphasized (1:3), faith, love, and hope. John Calvin (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], p. 289, italics his) observes, “He omits nothing of what belongs to spiritual armour, for the man that is provided with faith, love, and hope, will be found in no department unarmed.”
John MacArthur (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Moody Press], pp. 161-162) points out that these three virtues protect us against temptation from the forces of darkness. He says that faith is trust in God’s person. He always acts in accordance with His attributes. It is also trust in God’s power. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Faith is trust in God’s promises. He always keeps His word. And, faith is trust in God’s sovereign plan, as revealed in Scripture. It will happen as God’s word states.
Love probably refers both to love for God and love for others, the two great commandments. Hope looks ahead to the glorious future that God has prepared for all who believe in Jesus Christ. MacArthur concludes (p. 162), “When faith is weak, love grows cold. When love grows cold, hope is lost. When hope in God’s promise of future glory is weak, believers are vulnerable to temptation and sin.”
So in light of the coming day of the Lord, do an occasional spiritual checkup. Ask yourself: “Is my faith in Christ and His sacrifice for me solid? Do I daily trust the crucified and risen Savior (John 14:1; 20:31)? Is my love for God fresh and vital (Rev. 2:4-5)? Is my love for others fervent and growing (1 Pet. 1:22; 4:8)? Does my hope in Christ’s coming and the future glory He has promised motivate me to obey and serve Him (2 Tim. 4:8)?
I once worked at the swanky Drake Hotel in Chicago. Years before I was there, in July of 1959, Queen Elizabeth was scheduled to visit Chicago. Elaborate preparations were made for her visit. The waterfront was readied for docking her ship. Litter baskets were painted and a red carpet was ready to be rolled out for her to walk on. Many hotels were alerted to be ready. But when they contacted the Drake, the manager said, “We are making no plans for the Queen. Our rooms are always ready for royalty.”
That’s how our lives should be in light of Christ’s return. We shouldn’t have to make any special or unusual preparations. We should live each day alert and ready for the day of the Lord.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
November 13, 2016
In a world where bad news and serious problems from around the world daily flood into our lives through various news sources, it’s easy to become discouraged and depressed. It often seems like the wicked prosper while the godly suffer. We may feel like crying out with David (Ps. 13:1):
How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
Perhaps even the thought of Christ’s return and the final judgment fills you with anxiety rather than encouragement and hope. How can you be sure that the day of the Lord will be good for you and not an awful day of judgment? In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, Paul states that as believers we are to put on as a helmet “the hope of salvation,” which refers to the future aspect of our salvation when Christ returns and we shall always be with the Lord (4:17). He has just described that time as “the day of the Lord,” which will come on those in spiritual darkness suddenly, unexpectedly, and inescapably. But it will not surprise us who are children of light and day. We should be alert and sober as we live in anticipation of that great day.
But, even so, some Christians may feel a bit anxious about that day. They worry, “What if my life doesn’t measure up? What if my faith in Christ is a bit shaky or my love for God and for others is a bit lukewarm or even cold?” If our salvation is based on our performance, we might be anxious about that coming day. So Paul goes on to remind us of the basis of our salvation and to exhort us to encourage and build up one another with this truth:
Since our salvation is based on God’s purpose, God’s provision, and God’s promise, we should encourage and build up one another with this wonderful truth.
1 Thess. 5:9: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ ….” The verb translated “destined” means, “to destine or appoint someone to or for something” (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, by Walter Bauer, William Arndt, and Wilbur Gingrich [University of Chicago Press], 2nd ed., p. 816). It “is used regularly for God’s sovereign determination of events” (Milligan, cited by Robert Thomas, Expositors Bible Commentary [Zondervan], ed. by Frank Gaebelein, 11:284). Jesus uses it with reference to the apostles (John 15:16), “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” Paul uses it to refer to his appointment as an apostle (1 Tim. 2:7). Hebrews 1:2 says that God appointed Christ “heir of all things.” Peter uses it (1 Pet. 2:8) with reference to those who stumble over Christ because they are disobedient to the word, explaining, “and to this doom they were also appointed.” All of these uses (plus others) “refer to God’s sovereign determination of someone for his own particular purposes” (G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 152).
This is called the doctrine of predestination. Many Christians stumble over it, often because they do not understand it rightly. It does not mean that we’re pre-programmed robots, unable to make real choices. The Bible clearly teaches that we all make choices for which we are responsible. No one can blame God, his parents, or his circumstances for the unwise or sinful choices that he makes. While we’re all affected by our upbringing, our circumstances, our personalities, and many other factors outside of our control, we are still responsible for the choices we make.
What predestination means is that God has a plan or purpose for the ages and that He can and will carry out that plan. No one would consider building a house without detailed plans. It’s inconceivable that the One who spoke the universe into existence did so without a purpose or plan for what He chooses to accomplish through His creation!
The Bible repeatedly affirms this. At the end of his ordeal, Job answered the Lord and said (Job 42:2), “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” Psalm 33:11 affirms, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” Psalm 103:19 proclaims, “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.” Psalm 115:3 answers the nations that insolently ask, “Where, now, is their God?” with, “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” Isaiah 14:24 asserts regarding the demise of powerful Babylon, “The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, ‘Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand.’” In Isaiah 46:10, God declares, “My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.”
Since God’s glory through His plan of salvation is at the center of why He created the universe, again, it’s inconceivable that He would leave the outcome of that plan up to the choices of fallen, rebellious sinners. Paul says that Satan, “the god of this world, has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4). “The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14). “The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7-8).
These verses show that if anyone is going to be saved, it only can happen because God predestined and causes it to happen. The Bible plainly states this (Eph. 1:4-6): “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” Romans 8:29-30: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” The whole of our salvation, from start to finish, comes from God so that He gets all the glory.
God’s foreknowledge does not mean that He knew in advance who would choose Him, so He put them on His list. That would mean that He made up His plan based on the choices of sinners, who (as we just saw) are incapable of choosing Christ. It would mean that God peered down through history and exclaimed, “Oh, good! Paul of Tarsus is going to choose Me! I was hoping that he would do that, because I knew he would make a good apostle.” No, rather, as Geoffrey Bromiley explains (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology [Baker], ed. by Walter Elwell, p. 420), “God’s foreknowledge stands related to his will and power. What he knows, he does not know merely as information. He is no mere spectator. What he foreknows he ordains. He wills it.”
Paul has already mentioned God’s choice of the Thessalonians and the fact that God called them to salvation (1 Thess. 1:4; 2:12; 4:7). He will repeat these truths again (2 Thess. 2:13-14): “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Why does Paul emphasize this so often? Is it just a theological point that doesn’t have much practical value? Hardly! It’s at the basis of our salvation. It means that God set His love on you and prepared a glorious future for you before the foundation of the world. He sent His own Son to pay the price required for your redemption from sin. So your salvation from God’s wrath is secure, not because of your feeble grip on God, but because He planned it and He will finish it (Phil. 1:6). As Jesus declared (John 6:37-40),
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
Before we leave verse 9, note also that there are two and only two final destinies for all people: salvation or wrath. In the context, “wrath” is the opposite of the eternal life of salvation, so it refers to the eternal wrath of God (Matt. 25:41; Mark 9:47-48; Rev. 20:10-15; John 3:16). God’s wrath is His settled opposition to all sin. Salvation refers to all of the blessings that God promises to His elect (Eph. 1:3; Rom. 8:28-39; 1 Cor. 2:9). John 3:36 clearly contrasts these two opposite destinies: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
I recently listened to a sermon by a local pastor who said that he does not believe in the eternal, conscious punishment of the wicked. He said that either they will be annihilated (cease to exist) or they eventually will be reconciled to Christ. He wasn’t sure which view he believes. While eternal punishment is a difficult doctrine, it’s really inescapable in God’s word. In Matthew 25:46, Jesus concluded His discourse on the end times, “These [the wicked] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Just a few verses earlier (Matt. 25:41), Jesus says that the wicked will be cast into “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” If eternal life lasts forever, then eternal punishment in the eternal fire lasts forever.
So Paul’s first point is that our salvation is based on God’s eternal purpose, which can never fail. If you ask, “How can I know whether God has destined me for salvation?” my answer is, “If your trust is in Christ alone, you’re destined for salvation.”
Paul says that salvation is “through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us” (1 Thess. 5:9b-10). If 1 Thessalonians was Paul’s earliest writing, then this is the first time in his writings that he states the specific means by which Christ procures our salvation (Thomas, p. 285). By mentioning this briefly in passing here, we can assume that Paul had emphasized it when he was in Thessalonica. Also, in Acts 17:3, Luke summarizes Paul’s preaching in the synagogue there. He reasoned with them from the Scriptures, “explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’” The substitutionary death of Christ is at the heart of the gospel (John 3:16; Gal. 2:20).
Someone may ask you or perhaps you wonder, “Why did Jesus have to die for our salvation? After all, if someone wrongs me, I can just forgive him. Why couldn’t God forgive us without Jesus needing to die?” The answer is: If God didn’t punish all sin, He would not be holy and just. As the righteous Judge of the universe, He has declared that the wages of sin is death (Gen. 2:17; Ezek. 18:20; Rom. 1:32; 6:23). Since we all have sinned many times, we all deserve death, which is ultimately eternal separation from God in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10-15). But in His great love and mercy, God sent Jesus, His eternal Son, to bear the penalty that we deserve. As Paul explains (Rom. 5:8), “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
This means that our salvation is not based on how many good works we can pile up or how many merits we may accumulate. Rather, it is based on God’s gracious choice of us and His provision of Jesus Christ to bear our sins on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18). The good news is (Eph. 2:8-9), “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Or, as the beloved John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Salvation, which means deliverance from God’s wrath or perishing, is God’s free gift to all who believe in Jesus and His death for their sins.
But, how do we know that this is true? Maybe it’s just Paul’s wishful thinking.
After stating that Christ died for us, Paul adds (1 Thess. 5:10b), “so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” If we will live together with Christ, it means that He is alive forevermore. God raised Jesus from the dead. Our entire faith rests on this historical truth (1 Cor. 15:17): “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
Jesus repeatedly predicted both His own death and resurrection (Matt. 16:21). In the Upper Room, He told the anxious, sorrowing disciples (John 14:18-19), “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.” Jesus kept that promise by revealing Himself to the disciples after His resurrection. They were so confident that Jesus was risen and coming again that they were willing to suffer and die for that truth. Our salvation is based on God’s promise of eternal life to all who believe that (1 Cor. 15:3), “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” In our text the future tense, “we will live together with Him,” refers to the culmination of our salvation when Jesus comes again (as we saw in 1 Thess. 4:14-17).
But I need to clear up an interpretive matter in verse 10. A few (Thomas, ibid.) argue that by the phrase, “awake or asleep,” Paul means (as he discussed in 5:1-8), “Whether we are spiritually alert and expecting Christ’s coming or spiritually asleep and insensitive to His coming, we will live with Him when He comes.” In other words, since our salvation is based on Christ’s finished work, it cannot be nullified by our lack of readiness. But such a meaning completely undermines the exhortation to spiritual alertness that Paul has just given. F. F. Bruce, Word Biblical Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Thomas Nelson], p. 114) puts it more strongly: “It is ludicrous to suppose that [Paul] means, ‘Whether you live like sons of light or like sons of darkness, it will make little difference: you will be all right in the end.’”
Rather, the Bible consistently teaches that those who are new creatures in Christ will live differently than the world. It’s not automatic or there wouldn’t be the many exhortations to obedience that we find in the New Testament. But if God has changed your heart through the new birth, you cannot live comfortably or complacently in sin (1 John 3:9). First John 2:3-4 states, “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
So when Paul says, “whether we are awake or asleep,” he means it in the sense of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, “whether we are living when Christ comes or whether we died before He comes.” (BAG Greek lexicon and most commentators interpret it this way.) Living or dead, we will be given eternal resurrection bodies when Jesus returns and live forever with Him. That’s God’s promise to all who believe in Jesus!
Paul concludes with a practical exhortation:
1 Thess. 5:11: “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” When Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to walk so as to please God, he added (1 Thess. 4:1), “Just as you actually do walk.” When he exhorted them to love one another, he acknowledged (1 Thess. 4:10), “for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren ….” So here, when he exhorts them to encourage and build up one another, he adds, “just as you also are doing.” In each case, he is trying to motivate us to “excel still more” (1 Thess. 4:1, 10). We always have room to grow in pleasing God, loving one another, and encouraging and building up one another.
To encourage means continually to strengthen by one’s words (Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 163). To build up implies the need for continual growth in the things of God. Paul combines the concept of using our words to build up others in Ephesians 4:29: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” “Unwholesome” means “rotten.” Rather than hurling rotten tomato words at someone, our words should be aimed at building up the other person according to the need of the moment. If you think, “But the other person deserves a rotten tomato,” Paul adds, “so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Grace is undeserved favor. We should not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but rather give a blessing instead (1 Pet. 3:9).
This process of encouraging and building up is the responsibility of the entire church, not just of the leaders. If you know Christ, as a member of His body, you’re responsible to encourage and strengthen others in matters pertaining to salvation. The church will only be strong when every member seeks to build up other members. As Paul writes (Eph. 4:15-16), “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
John Stott (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 115) points out that although the Thessalonians’ problem was personal and pastoral (they were grieving about the loss of loved ones and anxious about the Lord’s coming), his solution was theological. Their problem was emotional, but Paul gives them a solid dose of God’s sovereign election, the substitutionary death of Christ, and His second coming. In other words, properly understood, theology is not abstract, impractical theory that doesn’t relate to life. Rather, sound doctrine is the foundation for solving our personal and emotional problems.
One final thought: To encourage and build up others with sound doctrine, you’ve got to be learning and applying that truth to your own life first. You can’t impart what you do not possess and practice. Preach the gospel to your own soul every day! Go deeper in your understanding of biblical truth. When you consistently experience the encouragement and hope of your salvation, then you can encourage and build up your brothers and sisters with that glorious truth.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
November 20, 2016
Everyone wants healthy relationships, but sometimes we assume that such relationships just blossom spontaneously. If they thrive, it’s wonderful; but if they suffer, oh well—there’s not much we can do about it! But the reality is that healthy relationships entail responsibilities. For relationships to flourish, all of the parties involved must understand and work at fulfilling their mutual responsibilities. This is true in our marriages, our families, and in the local church. Healthy churches don’t just happen. Healthy churches require that both leaders and members fulfill their responsibilities.
So Paul concludes this letter to a young church in a pagan city with some practical counsel about their responsibilities in the local church. John Stott (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 117) calls this final section, “Christian Community,” or, “How to be a gospel church.” Verses 12-15 show that relationships require responsibility. Verses 12 & 13 show the church’s responsibility toward its leaders: Know them; esteem them highly in love; and, live in peace with one another. These verses also show the leaders’ responsibilities toward the church: work hard; have charge over the church; and, admonish the church. Verses 14 & 15 (next week) show the church’s responsibility toward one another: Minister sensitively; and, live lovingly. The main point of the entire section (1 Thess. 5:12-24) is that “God will sanctify and inspire peace in His people that they may be blameless at Christ’s coming” (G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 157). In verses 12 & 13, Paul shows that …
The local church and its leaders have mutual responsibilities in the Lord.
We’ll look first at the responsibilities of church members and then at the responsibilities of church leaders.
Before we look at these responsibilities in more detail, I need to point out that in the American church we need a major shift in how we think about the church. Americans often view the church as a business or service organization that provides benefits for its members or consumers. Customers shop around for a church that provides the benefits that they’re looking for and then they attend and support the best church. If that church later fails to provide the desired benefits, then the customers look for another church that might do better. Churches often cater to this consumer mindset by marketing the church as offering the best services available. Several years ago I was rather stunned to meet a woman who introduced herself as the “pastor of marketing” for one of the churches in Flagstaff! I must confess that I didn’t know that the church needs a pastor of marketing!
But in the New Testament, the church is not a business that competes in the religion marketplace to provide the best services or benefits for spiritual consumers. Rather, the local church is a living organism composed of those who have believed in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit has baptized them into the one body of Christ, who is the head. Of course, bodies are highly organized and so churches need organization and management, but the main feature of bodies is life. Church members have received new life in the Spirit, who has gifted each member for service. The local church is only healthy when every member is functioning for the building up of the whole (Eph. 4:12-16).
Another way the New Testament pictures the church is as the family or household of God, which is being built together into His temple or dwelling place. Speaking to the Gentiles, who formerly were alienated from God’s people, but now in the church are on equal standing with Jewish believers, Paul wrote (Eph. 2:19-22):
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
So we need to get rid of the American notion that the church is a business or service organization that provides benefits for consumers. We need to adopt the New Testament picture of the church as the body of Christ, the household of God. As members of the body or God’s household, here are three responsibilities that Paul mentions to this young church. (Obviously, these are not comprehensive, but focus on particular needs in that church.)
Verse 12 is variously translated: “appreciate” (NASB), “respect” (NIV, ESV), “recognize” (NKJV), or “give recognition to” (HCSB). The Greek verb is simply, “know.” This probably means that they were to recognize certain men as the legitimate leaders of the church and give them due respect (Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans/Apollos], p. 248). Dr. John Walvoord (The Thessalonian Epistles [Zondervan], pp. 89-90) explains that this church had only been in existence a few months, so every member was a relatively new convert. None had any seminary or Bible college training. Yet God had raised up some as leaders. Perhaps Timothy had appointed leaders when he made his follow-up visit under Paul’s direction. Some in the church may have said or thought about these leaders, “Who do they think that they are to take on a leadership role in the church? We all became believers at the same time.” So Paul is urging the church to recognize or respect those whom God had raised up as leaders.
We don’t know whether they were yet called elders or overseers, although Paul does describe part of their responsibility as “having charge over you in the Lord.” The New Testament uses three words for the same office: elders, overseers, and pastors (or shepherds; Acts 20:17, 28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:1; Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). “Elder” reflects the spiritual maturity necessary for the office. “Overseer” focuses on the spiritual and administrative requirement for the body to function well. And “pastor” looks at the task of shepherding God’s flock.
On his first missionary journey, Paul revisited the churches that he had founded and appointed elders in every church (Acts 14:23). Later, when he wrote Philippians, he addressed the letter to the saints, including the overseers and deacons (Phil. 1:1). Deacons (which as I understand it, may be male or female; 1 Tim. 3:8-13; Rom. 16:1) serve by assisting the elders in practical matters (Acts 6:1-6; see my message on 1 Tim. 3:8-13, “Servants: Official & Otherwise,” 3/13/94). The qualifications for these offices are similar, except that elders must be able to teach God’s Word (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9). The other qualifications focus on godly character.
Also, the New Testament always refers to a plurality of elders in each church. In Acts 20:17, Paul called to himself “the elders of the church” in Ephesus. In Titus 1:5, Paul reminds Titus that he was to “appoint elders in every city.” Since there was at that time only one church per city, Paul meant for there to be several elders in each church. It may be that in a large city like Ephesus, each elder was in charge of a particular house church, since the church did not meet in its own building. But there were elders (plural) in every church (singular). The only time the New Testament mentions one man who was over a local church, the apostle John condemns Diotrephes, who loved to be first among them (3 John 9-10).
Granted, one man may be a leader among the elders, as James, the brother of the Lord, seems to have been in Jerusalem (Acts 15:6-30; 21:8); but he worked with the other apostles and elders (Acts 15:22; Gal. 2:9). There is wisdom in a multitude of counselors (Prov. 11:14; 15:22) and a plurality of elders provides checks and balances. The pastor is not supposed to “run the church.” Rather, together the elders’ are to discern the will of God for His church as they seek the Lord and interact together.
So, whether the nuance is “know,” “appreciate,” “respect,” or “recognize,” your church leaders, how do you do it? Well, one starting point would be to get to know them! Have them and their families over for dinner. Learn about how they met the Lord and what has helped them to grow in the Lord. Find out what their concerns are as they seek to lead the church so that you can pray faithfully for them. Ask how you can help serve them as they serve the church.
1 Thess. 5:13: “Esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” The verb translated “esteem” means to think or consider. The adverb translated “very highly” is used in Ephesians 3:20 where Paul says that God is able to do “far more abundantly beyond” all we ask or think. So rather than gripe about church leaders (as we tend to complain about our political leaders), Paul says that the church should “hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work” (NIV). Their work is overseeing, guarding, and shepherding those whom Christ bought with His own blood (Acts 20:28). I assure you, it is not easy work!
There is one sense in which every member of Christ’s body is responsible to help shepherd the other members. You know certain members of this church far better than any of the elders will ever know them. If you sense that they are struggling or straying from the Lord, then you should come alongside and try to help them get back on track (Rom. 15:14; Gal. 6:1; 1 Thess. 5:14). If the problem is bigger than you can help with, call one of the elders and seek his help. We can shepherd God’s flock better together than if you dump the job totally on the elders.
Esteeming an elder very highly in love does not mean that you should never raise concerns or problems that you see in the church. Elders can’t do their jobs well if they are not aware of problems that need addressing. But there is a right and a wrong way to bring up problems. When my children were still in the home, I wanted them to feel free to talk to me about things that they weren’t happy about in the home. But I didn’t allow them to do so defiantly. They needed to respect my authority in the Lord as their father. The same analogy carries over to the local church. God has put elders over you in the church (more on that in a moment). You are to esteem them very highly in love in the Lord. With that attitude, you’re free to bring problems or complaints to them (not to everyone else in the church!). But also, you need to understand that the elder to whom you complain may ask you to get involved in the solution!
Also, if an elder mistreats you in any way or if you observe something in his conduct or his teaching that violates Scripture, you need to go to him privately and talk to him about the matter. If he doesn’t listen to you, take one other person and go to him. If he doesn’t listen to both of you, then take the matter to the other elders (Matt. 18:15-17). Regarding a leader highly in love does not mean that he is free from correction when he is wrong. Pastors are not exempt from rebuke as “God’s anointed,” as some teach!
But, also, if an elder confronts you about some sin or shortcoming that he sees in your life, you still need to regard him highly in love because of his work! You should assume that he is admonishing you because he loves you and cares about you. Don’t react by thinking or saying, “Who does he think he is? He’s got his problems, too! What gives him the right to correct me?” God’s word says that God gave him that right, or responsibility. And it isn’t an easy responsibility! So know (respect) your leaders and esteem them highly in love because of their work.
If you stir up dissension in the church by complaining or you get into personal squabbles with other members of the church, you make the elders’ job much more difficult! As I just said, if there is a legitimate problem that needs to be addressed, please bring it to the attention of an elder! False doctrine or serious disobedience in the church needs to be dealt with. But all too often, churches divide over selfish, petty matters. I’ve heard of churches that have divided because the announcements got moved from the middle of the service to the beginning, or because the worship leaders use drums! As Paul commanded (Col. 3:15), “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
But, although Paul is primarily addressing church members in verses 12 & 13, embedded in his request are some responsibilities of church leaders. Again, this list is not comprehensive:
There’s an old joke that being a pastor doesn’t pay very well, but the hours are great: 11-12 on Sunday! With the non-paid elders, even the pay isn’t there! Paul here may be countering those in the Thessalonian church who were not working, but sponging off the rest of the body (2 Thess. 3:6-12). Perhaps if any of the elders were being supported by the church, there was the tendency to slack off. Most of them were probably bi-vocational, and when push came to shove, church duties took second place.
In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul writes, “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” “Double honor” refers both to respect and to financial remuneration. But that double honor is to go to those who “work hard at preaching and teaching.” To do that job well is hard work! At least for me, messages don’t float down from heaven each week! They require many hours of labor.
I had an older pastor friend in California who wanted to get together with me often, but I often had to say no because I was swamped just trying to get my work done each week. I finally asked him how many hours each week he spent in ministry. He said, “About thirty.” I was stunned, in that I’ve always tried to limit myself to fifty hours a week. It was no wonder he had time to get together with me more often than I did with him!
Herodotus and Plato used the word translated, “have charge over you,” to refer to leadership in an army, a state, or a party. In the New Testament, Paul uses it when he says that both elders and deacons must be “good managers of their own households” (1 Tim. 3:4, 5, 12), and when he said that elders who “rule well” should be considered worthy of double honor (1 Tim. 5:17). So it includes responsibility for the management or oversight of all aspects of a local church: preaching the word, guarding the flock from false teaching, guiding them in the ways of the Lord, helping resolve conflicts between members, overseeing church finances, and providing overall direction for the church.
Elders are not to carry out these responsibilities by lording it over the flock, but rather by example and gentle exhortation (Luke 22:25-27; 1 Pet. 5:2-3; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; 1 Thess. 2:7-8, 11-12). On their part, the church is required to follow the elders’ leadership and submit to them, unless they are in serious doctrinal error or sin. Hebrews 13:17 (a scary verse for every elder!) commands, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”
I think that we often carry our American democracy mindset too far into local church government. While the entire congregation is given many important responsibilities in the functioning of the church, the elders have the final authority and responsibility in the Lord. That little phrase added to “have charge over you,” namely, “in the Lord,” means that elders are subject to the Lord. They will answer to Him. It’s like authority in the home: husbands are responsible for the direction of their families, but that doesn’t mean being dictators. Any God-given authority is primarily a responsibility, not a perk. But those under authority also need to submit to authority (an un-American concept!).
This also means that when we “elect” elders, we shouldn’t view it as voting for the candidates. Rather, we are giving our prayerful judgment that the men recognized as elders meet the qualifications spelled out in Scripture. We shouldn’t put any man into the office of elder so that he will begin doing the work of an elder. Rather, the man should be doing the work and because of that, we recognize him as an elder. Elders must be hard workers who have charge over the church in the Lord.
The NASB translates, “give you instruction,” but as the marginal reading notes, it literally is, “admonish you” (ESV, NIV, NJKV). Paul uses the same word in verse 14, “admonish the unruly.” Paul is the only person in the NT to use this word. In Acts 20:31, he reminded the Ephesian elders, “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” It has the nuance of giving verbal correction, whether individually or when teaching a larger group. It’s the task of every church member, not just of the elders (1 Thess. 5:14; Rom. 15:14; Col. 3:16; Eph. 6:4). But it is especially the task of the elders.
Let’s face it: Admonishing someone is never a pleasant task! Usually the person being admonished will resist your counsel or attack you in response because he doesn’t want to face his sin. But if you care about him and want him to be all that God wants him to be (which is the heart of biblical love), then you must admonish him if he’s heading toward a spiritual cliff. A good shepherd doesn’t watch a sheep stray toward a cliff and say, “That sure seems dumb! I’ll bet he’ll go over the side!” Rather, the shepherd does everything he can to keep the sheep from danger and harm.
The main job of a faithful pastor is to preach the word, which involves reproving, rebuking, and exhorting (2 Tim. 4:2). Paul explains (2 Tim. 4:3-4), “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” That means that when you choose a church, don’t pick one where the pastor always gives “feel good” messages. If a pastor’s sermons never step on your toes, then he isn’t doing his job, because the Bible often steps on our toes! It never does that to harm us, but rather to correct us so that we will be blessed by lives that conform to the image of Jesus Christ. Church leaders are responsible to use God’s word to admonish the flock.
To review: Healthy relationships and a healthy church don’t just happen. They require certain responsibilities. You’re responsible to recognize and respect church leaders, to esteem them very highly in love, and to live in peace with other church members. The leaders are responsible to work diligently in shepherding the flock, to have charge over the church in the Lord, and to admonish the church as needed.
Someone has observed that God is going to salvage only two things off this planet: His Word, which endures forever; and, His church, consisting of all who believe in Him. So our responsibilities in the local church are important in light of eternity. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
November 27, 2016
Our text urges us to engage in something that we all tend to avoid: the ministry of admonishing a disobedient brother or sister in Christ. Most of us don’t like doing this. I don’t like doing it! In fact, if you like admonishing a person who is in sin, you probably shouldn’t do it! But it is a vital ministry in the body of Christ which we all need to understand and practice, in spite of our natural inclination to avoid it. Without this ministry of godly correction, many in the church will succumb to the temptations that constantly bombard us from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s the job of the pastor and elders, isn’t it? They know how to admonish better than I, so I’ll just let them do it.” Yes, admonition is especially the job of the church leaders, as we saw in verse 12 (NASB, “instruction” is “admonition”). But “brethren” in verse 12 addresses the entire church and so it is likely that “brethren” in verse 14 speaks to the same group. Not only the leaders, but also the entire church, must patiently “admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, [and] help the weak” (1 Thess. 5:14).
Other texts repeat this command. In 2 Thessalonians 3:15, with regard to anyone who does not obey Paul’s instruction in that letter, he tells the church, “Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” In Romans 15:14, Paul states, “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.” In 1970, Jay Adams launched the biblical counseling movement with his book, Competent to Counsel [Baker], based on that verse. He called it “nouthetic” counseling, based on the Greek word for “admonish.”
Since admonishing one another is a ministry which the entire body is to engage in and since it is a vital ministry for the health of the church, my aim in this message is to help equip you regarding what this ministry is and how we should carry it out.
All believers are responsible to admonish those who are leading an undisciplined, disorderly life.
*“I’m afraid to do that sort of thing!” Husbands and wives are often afraid to exercise this ministry toward one another. Husbands will say, “If I confronted her sin, she would give me the silent treatment for a week! She’d never let me forget it!” Wives will say, “If I confronted him with his sin, he’d explode! Besides, the Bible commands me to be submissive to him!” (Normally, wives tend to ignore that command, but they’ll use it if it gets them out of confronting their husband’s sin!)
Many pastors are afraid to confront sinning church members, especially those who wield influence in the church. I heard of a pastor who wouldn’t confront an elder who was committing adultery because he threatened to sue the church or to get the pastor fired. Another pastor refused to confront a woman who sang solos in the church, even though she was divorcing her husband for unbiblical reasons. He said that he didn’t want to touch that one for fear of stirring up a hornet’s nest! You may shrink from confronting a sinning friend for fear that he will become angry with you.
*“I don’t want to be judgmental.” “Do not judge so that you will not be judged” (Matt. 7:1), is one of the most misapplied verses in the Bible! Jesus was not forbidding making judgments about another person’s spiritual condition. If you keep reading, in verse 6 Jesus tells us not to give what is holy to dogs and not to cast our pearls before swine. You can’t obey that verse unless you judge that the other person is a dog or a swine! Rather, in the context He meant, “Don’t judge others for minor sins in their lives while you ignore major sins in your life. First, take the log out of your eye and then you can help your brother with the speck in his eye.”
But that leads to another reason why we shy away from admonishing others:
*“Who am I to correct someone else when I’ve got my own issues?” We’re afraid that if we try to talk to a brother or sister about his or her sins, they will point their finger back at us, and we know that we’re guilty as charged. So we avoid bringing up the other person’s sins in hopes that he will not bring up our sins! But that approach just allows us all to perpetuate ongoing sins! Scripture commands us to confess and forsake all known sin so that we are cleansed vessels, fit for the Master’s use (2 Tim. 2:21). We don’t have to be perfect to admonish the unruly (or it would never get done), but we do need to judge our own sins first.
*“We need to be tolerant and loving.” The secular philosopher, Allan Bloom, pointed out thirty years ago (The Closing of the American Mind [Simon & Schuster]) that tolerance has become the chief “virtue” in Western civilization. If you call anyone’s behavior, no matter how outrageous, “evil” or “wrong,” you’re viewed as arrogant and intolerant, which is the only sin. He wrote (p. 27), “There is no enemy other than the man who is not open to everything.” But it is not loving to be tolerant of someone’s sin. Sin always damages the sinner and those who are sinned against. Sin destroys Christian families. Worse, when those who profess to be Christians continue in sin, it tarnishes God’s glory before the world. If we truly love others and seek God’s glory, we will be intolerant of their sin!
*“Maybe the problem will go away on its own.” Yes, sometimes the Holy Spirit convicts the sinning person without anyone’s intervention, leading to repentance. God is patient and gracious with us in our imperfection. And, there is wisdom in praying for the person to repent and waiting for the right time to admonish him about his sin. But usually God uses the ministry of a faithful believer to bring the sinning person to repentance.
*“Maybe the elders or someone else should do it. I’m just not good at this sort of thing!” Sometimes the elders should be the ones to admonish the unruly. But the general principle is that if you know the person, you will be more effective helping him turn from his sin than an elder who doesn’t know him as well as you do. If you need coaching, an elder can provide that and help you grow in the process. But it is not loving to distance ourselves from a fellow believer and passively watch him continue in sin. So we need to overcome these excuses and lovingly admonish the unruly.
1 Thess. 5:14; “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” One approach doesn’t fit all! You should not encourage the unruly nor admonish the fainthearted or weak. “Unruly,” was often used in military contexts to mean, “to be out of step, out of order, undisciplined, unbridled, or to act irresponsibly” (Gerhard Delling, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [Eerdmans], ed. by Gerhard Kittel, 8:47). When I was in the Coast Guard boot camp, sometimes a wise guy in our unit would deliberately march out of step or turn left when we were commanded to turn right. At times, this was funny, but if we were carrying rifles over our shoulders, it could be dangerous if you caught someone’s rifle in your face.
Here, Paul may be referring to those who had quit their jobs in anticipation of the Lord’s near coming and were sponging off the rest of the church. He alludes to this in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, and directly addresses it at length in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12. He describes these brothers as “leading an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6). He states further (2 Thess. 3:11) that they were “leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” They may have been teaching falsely that the day of the Lord had already come (2 Thess. 2:1-2). So their disobedience probably went beyond not working. They were generally out of line in their Christian lives.
So to admonish correctly, we first need to determine where the other person is at spiritually. If he is fainthearted or weak, he doesn’t need admonishing, but encouragement or help. If he’s spiritually immature, he needs gentle instruction in how to grow up in the Lord. When my kids were little, I tried to discern whether they were acting immaturely or being defiant. If a three-year-old is acting like a three-year-old, you try to help him behave in a better way. If a ten-year-old is acting like a three-year-old, he needs stronger correction. But if any child is defying your authority as a parent, you need to make it very clear that they can’t do that, even if they are tired or hungry. So before you admonish another person, try to gauge his spirit. Ask some questions to discern his spiritual condition.
To admonish means to strongly encourage, correct, or warn someone to change from behavior that is wrong or potentially wrong according to Scripture. It is related to the word for “mind,” so it involves imparting knowledge, understanding, or instruction with a view toward correction. But it is also an appeal to the will and feelings, not just to the intellect (F. Selter, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology [Zondervan], ed. by Colin Brown, 1:568). The intensity of our appeal to the person needs to be in proportion to the level of danger that he is in, so that he feels our genuine concern or even alarm. If someone is cruising toward a deadly waterfall, you’ve got to use some emotion to warn him!
It’s crucial that you use the Bible and not your own opinion when you admonish someone. If you say, “In my opinion, looking at pornography is spiritually dangerous,” the other person may reply, “Thanks, but in my opinion, everyone does it and it’s really harmless as long as you aren’t addicted to it.” But if you take the person to Matthew 5:27-30, where Jesus says that the person who doesn’t take radical measures to rid his life of lust is headed for hell, it has a lot more clout than your opinion does!
When you admonish someone who is unruly, you should expect resistance. Often the person who is straying from the Lord will be defensive, because he doesn’t want to face his sin. Or, he will blame others or blame his circumstances, because he doesn’t want to admit that he is responsible for it. Sometimes he will try to divert your admonition by bringing up some fault or shortcoming he sees in your life. Be prepared so that you don’t respond in anger or allow the conversation to shift to you. One way to diffuse tension is to ask pointed questions: “Are you telling me before God that you’re not looking at pornography? Do you think that He approves of your behavior?”
But no matter how gently you confront the sinning person, it’s easy to come across as harsh or judgmental. So how can we admonish the unruly without condemning him?
Talk to God much about the person before you try to talk to the person about God. If you’re eager to admonish, you should probably wait and spend more time in prayer. When you finally do meet with the person, you can begin by saying, “I’ve been praying a lot for you lately, because I’m really concerned about where I sense that you’re at spiritually.”
Don’t come down on the other person as if you live a sinless life and you can’t understand why he is sinning! You’re just as prone to temptation and sin as he is. The next time, he may be admonishing you. Paul instructs (Gal. 6:1), “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” None of us are above temptation!
“You who are spiritual” means, “You who walk in the Spirit and display the fruit of the Spirit,” which Paul has just described in the preceding context (Gal. 5:22-23): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Admonition normally should be bathed in patience, kindness, and gentleness.
Granted, sometimes Jesus confronted His disciples bluntly and forcefully (Matt. 16:23): “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” The apostle Paul, filled with the Spirit, said to Elymas the magician, who was trying to turn the proconsul in Cyprus away from the faith (Acts 13:10-11): “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” So there is a place for strong, direct confrontation. But it’s easy to operate in the flesh and not in the Spirit, so my counsel is to default toward patience, kindness, and gentleness.
You want to appeal to God’s authority, not to your opinion. To do that, you’ve got to know what God’s word commands and where you can find that command in Scripture. You want to offer not only rebuke and correction, but also training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). So you need to offer practical biblical help for how the person can gain victory over his sin. Your aim is never to prove that the sinning person is wrong and leave him feeling guilty, but rather to help him turn from his sin and be restored to the Lord.
So, to admonish others biblically, we need to overcome our excuses. We need to discern the other person’s spiritual condition and understand what biblical admonition is. We need to be prayerful, humble, Christlike, and knowledgeable of God’s word. Finally:
As Paul told the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:31), “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” His tears showed them how much he cared for them. Paul admonished his converts as a loving father would warn his children (1 Cor. 4:14): “I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” You want the other person to feel your concern for him. If you know about a brother who is in sin and you shrug your shoulders and say, “Whatever! It’s his life!” you aren’t loving your brother.
Paul says that he admonished each one. In Colossians 1:28, he sums up his approach to ministry: “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” Certainly there is a place for admonishing a group through preaching (2 Tim. 4:2), but sometimes the sermon goes right by a person who is in sin. He won’t get it until you sit down with him personally and help him apply God’s word to his specific problem.
Paul admonished the Ephesian elders night and day for three years. This means that he did it over and over as needed. Don’t give up if the person doesn’t respond immediately. This doesn’t mean that you should nag or hound him, but rather that you don’t give up after the first try and say, “I tried, but he wouldn’t listen!” Where would you be right now if the Lord had given up on you after the first try?
Your goal is not to embarrass the other person or to put him down, but to help him be “complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Your aim is for his life to glorify God.
This is implied in Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” It should also happen through biblical preaching, which includes reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with great patience and instruction (2 Tim. 4:2). In the home, fathers should be doing preventative admonition (Eph. 6:4): “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” “Instruction” is the Greek word for admonition or correction. Fathers should take the lead in training their children in the Lord, but this does not exclude mothers. When I was a young father, an older godly man whose father wrote the chorus, “Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me,” exhorted me, “Read the Bible and pray with your family often.” It was wise counsel and I pass it on to every father here.
But maybe you’re still hesitant to admonish another believer because of verses like Proverbs 10:12, which states, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.” Peter alludes to that verse (1 Pet. 4:8), “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” And, Proverbs 19:11 states, “A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.” Don’t these verses mean that we should overlook others’ sins rather than correcting them?
First, as I said earlier, we need to distinguish between spiritual immaturity and deliberate disobedience of God’s clear commands. If a person needs to grow up, gently come alongside and help him see where and how he can grow. Or if a person has inadvertently offended you, you may need to absorb it unless it’s a repeated pattern. But if he’s violating God’s word, he needs to be admonished, so that he doesn’t reap the consequences of sin.
Also (here I’m indebted to Stuart Scott, The Exemplary Husband [Focus Publishing], pp. 361-363; see, also his helpful chapter 15, “A Husband’s Resolve: Helping His Wife Deal with Her Sin”), the commands to cover others’ sins are not in contradiction of the Scriptures that exhort us to go to the person who sins in an effort to restore him (Matt. 18:15; Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:24-26). Stuart Scott explains (ibid. p. 363, italics his), “‘Love covers (or conceals) a multitude of sins’ means, love does not take into consideration, bring up, or share sins that have already been dealt with.” He adds, “We cannot gather from any of these verses that God wants us to do nothing about sin. Instead, He wants us to react in a godly way, deal with sin His way and then truly forgive by covering it.”
Paul sums up this ministry of admonition or correction in one sentence (2 Tim. 2:24-26): “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” Don’t be quarrelsome. Be kind. Teach God’s word. Be patient and gentle. Pray for God to grant repentance. But, do it! It’s a ministry we all want to avoid, but it’s a vital ministry for the spiritual health of God’s people. So, do it!
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
December 4, 2016
All right, class, what’s the answer? Huh? What’s the question? Obviously, we can’t give an answer unless we know what the question is. And we can’t minister sensitively to people unless we first learn where they’re at with the Lord.
The apostle Paul encourages this kind of sensitivity when he urges the church (1 Thess. 5:14), “Admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” One size doesn’t fit all. We would be wrong to encourage the unruly, who need a stronger word of warning to turn from their sin. We would be insensitive to admonish the fainthearted, who need a kind word of encouragement. And we would be hardhearted to scold the weak, who need help to get back on their feet. In every case, Paul says, patience is needed. And then, knowing our fallen human tendency to get even when we’re wronged, he adds (1 Thess. 5:15), “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” To sum up,
The Lord wants us to minister sensitively to one another and live lovingly in the church and in the world.
There is a basic assumption behind Paul’s exhortation here: Every Christian is a gifted believer-priest with a ministry to fulfill. Every passage that discusses spiritual gifts emphasizes that each believer has a gift that he or she is to use in serving the Lord. As Peter states (1 Pet. 4:10), “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (See, also, Rom. 12:3; 1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:12-16.)
So if you know Christ, the Holy Spirit has given you a gift to use in serving the Lord. And while some are gifted more in practical service, every Christian should be focused on the Great Commission, to help others become disciples. If the Lord has saved you, then you have something to impart to others, whether it is the gospel to the lost or helping a newer believer learn to walk with the Lord. Our text focuses on how we can minister sensitively to one another and live lovingly both in the church and in the world.
Paul mentions four aspects of sensitive ministry:
We looked at this last time. Admonishing a disobedient brother or sister is the ministry we all like to avoid. But if we love one another, we must prayerfully, gently try to warn and correct those who are straying from the Lord so that they and those they sin against do not reap the consequences of unrepentant sin. If you missed that message, I encourage you to read or listen to it.
“Fainthearted” is literally, “little-souled.” It refers to a person who is easily discouraged or overwhelmed by stress. Paul may be referring to those who were overly concerned about their loved ones who had died before the Lord’s return (1 Thess. 4:13-18). In the LXX, this word was used to refer to those who were discouraged due to trials (G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 165). In Exodus 6:9, it refers to the Hebrew slaves in Egypt who did not listen to Moses on account of “their despondency and cruel bondage” (NASB). Numbers 21:4 refers to the impatience (NASB) or discouragement of the people due to their wilderness wanderings. Isaiah 35:3-4 exhorts, “Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, ‘Take courage, fear not, behold, your God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you.’” Those with “anxious hearts” are the “little-souled” who need encouragement.
The Greek verb translated “encourage” is used only in 1 Thessalonians 2:11, in John 11:19 & 31, referring to those who had come to console Mary and Martha in the death of their brother Lazarus, and here. (The noun is also used in 1 Cor. 14:3 & Phil. 2:1.) It has the nuance of comforting, consoling, being sympathetic, or feeling with a person in his trials. We should not encourage self-pity, but we should communicate genuine sympathy. Sometimes the way to encourage a person who is discouraged due to a difficult trial is not to say anything, but just to be with him or her.
Joseph Bayly, who at different times lost three sons in death, wrote (The Last Thing We Talk About [David C. Cook], pp. 55-56):
I was sitting, torn by grief. Someone came and talked to me of God’s dealings, of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave. He talked constantly, he said things I knew were true.
I was unmoved, except to wish he’d go away. He finally did.
Another came and sat beside me. He didn’t talk. He didn’t ask leading questions. He just sat beside me for an hour and more, listened when I said something, answered briefly, prayed simply, left.
I was moved. I was comforted. I hated to see him go.
From Paul’s use of the word in 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, we can learn several things about this ministry: “… just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”
First, this ministry must be personal. Paul encouraged each one. This requires knowing the person and his particular needs. Paul uses the picture of a father with his children. Every sensitive father knows that each child is different. Some kids won’t listen unless they get a stern warning, but others melt with a disapproving glance. A wise father knows what motivates each child. To impact others for Christ, you have to know them and relate to them personally.
Second, this ministry should be done with deep concern and love. Paul exhorted and encouraged as a father would his own children. Every godly father cares deeply about his children. When they’re hurt, he is hurt. When they feel down, he feels sad. When they’re happy, he’s happy. He wants God’s best for each one.
Third, this ministry should be done with the goal of maturity in Christ. Your goal is not just to help the discouraged person feel better, but through their trials to grow in Christ. Paul wanted these new Christians to “walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”
Fourth, when appropriate, direct the discouraged person to the hope and promises of God’s word. After mentioning how he exhorted, encouraged, and implored each one as a father would his own children, Paul added (1 Thess. 2:13), “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” The word of God is powerful; use it when it is appropriate to do so.
I say, when appropriate, because as Joseph Bayly reminds us, when a person is grieving, silence or just a few words are better than bombarding him with Bible verses. But if we’re talking to a believer who is discouraged because of trials, he may need to understand from Scripture how God uses trials to build godly character in us. He may need some key verses that he can memorize and meditate on. You want to convey to him hope that God is sovereign over their trials and that He will never leave nor forsake them. Admonish the unruly, but encourage the fainthearted.
This could refer to those who are weak due to some disease, physical impairment, or financial hardship (Beale, p. 166). But most likely it refers to the spiritually weak. It may refer to those who were struggling to follow the Lord because of persecution or trials (1 Thess. 3:3-4). Or, it could include some who were tempted by the immorality from which God had saved them (1 Thess. 4:3-8). A weak person is one who is new in the faith, who does okay when he’s around other believers, but who is easily carried along with the crowd when he’s with his old pagan friends. He hasn’t yet learned how to trust God and stand firm in the Lord against the crowd.
The word translated “help” is literally, “hold firmly to” or “cleave to” (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13; Titus 1:9). Older, stronger Christians should not abandon a new believer who is weak. Just as a good older brother will rescue his younger brother from a bully, so older Christians need to come to the aid of younger believers who are under spiritual attack. Don’t shake your head and say, “It’s too bad to see him fall away from the faith!” Rather, stay near to him and hang on to him. If you’re swimming with one of your children who is a weak swimmer, stay close to him. If you let him out of sight for just a few minutes, he might go under. Hold on to or help the spiritually weak!
I should also note that if a person has been a Christian for a few years, but excuses habitual sinning by saying, “I’m just weak,” he’s probably not weak, but unruly or irresponsible. He needs to be admonished, not helped. A weak Christian is one who is young in the faith and hasn’t yet grown strong.
Also, note how Paul didn’t condemn, but accepted and cared for those who were weak in faith. He wrote (Rom. 15:1-3),
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”
Jesus, the good shepherd, tenderly cares for His little lambs and protects them from predators. Isaiah 40:11 pictures Jesus:
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
Isaiah 42:3 (Matt. 12:20) says of Jesus,
A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish.
Jesus helped or held on to the weak; so should His church.
Paul wraps up the whole package with patience. When he described biblical love, Paul began (1 Cor. 13:4), “Love is patient, love is kind.” If we aren’t patient and kind, we aren’t loving. If we’re frustrated and angry, we aren’t loving. The Greek word for patience comes from two words meaning, “long-tempered.” If you’re patient, you don’t have a short fuse. You understand that “the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). To use the family analogy, the older ones in the family understand that a baby dirties his diapers and spits up on your shoulder. You don’t chew him out when he does such things. You patiently clean up the mess, knowing that eventually, he’ll grow up.
And, even when a more mature Christian does something to offend or wrong you, you realize, “I’m a sinner, too, and God has forgiven me far more than how much I need to forgive this brother.” And so you’re patient with him. You probably still need to talk to him about the way he wronged you and try to get it cleared up. But you do it with patience and kindness, not with bitterness and anger. As Colossians 3:12-13 exhorts, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Because God is patient with us, we should be patient with one another.
We should minister sensitively to one another. Then Paul adds …
1 Thess. 5:15: “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” Since biblical love seeks the highest good for others, Paul is saying that we should live lovingly, both in the church and in the world. There are negative and positive sides to this:
“See that” is directed to the entire church. If you see another Christian repaying someone with evil for evil, you need to help him understand and follow the Lord’s way of not seeking vengeance, but rather doing good toward that person. This is totally contrary to the way of the world, which says, “Don’t just get mad; get even!” God says, “Be patient with everyone and don’t get even, but rather do good to those who wrong you.”
I need to point out that the most painful wrongs do not come from the world, but from other believers. You kind of expect that those in the world will wrong you from time to time. But when it comes from a person claiming to be a Christian, especially from someone you thought you knew and trusted, it really hurts. But at such times, don’t trade insult for insult (1 Pet. 3:9). Don’t tell others in the church how much that person hurt you. Don’t sabotage his reputation in the community. Love does not repay evil for evil.
But this raises some questions: What about the biblical principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exod. 21:23-25; Lev. 24:19; Deut. 19:21)? Doesn’t that principle say that we should do to the other person what he did to us? The short answer is, no. Originally, that principle was given as a judicial restraint in Israel, so that angry, wounded people would not take vengeance in their own hands. The court could apply a proportionate, just penalty. But over time, the Jewish scribes had distorted that principle into license for personal revenge. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke out against their misapplication (Matt. 5:38-42):
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
He goes on to say (Matt. 5:44), “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” That’s radical stuff! But it raises other questions: Does that mean that we’re supposed to be doormats? Don’t we have a right to defend ourselves when we’re attacked? Can’t we defend ourselves in court against a wrongful lawsuit?
By telling us to turn the other cheek, Jesus was not advocating pacifism or not defending yourself or a loved one if someone attacks you or them physically. The Bible upholds civil laws for the protection of law-abiding citizens. It would not be loving to watch your loved ones being attacked and do nothing. There is nothing wrong with protecting or defending yourself if someone physically attacks you. And, as providers for our families, there are times when we may need to use the courts to protect our assets from thieves who are after what we have worked for and saved.
Rather, Jesus was telling us that we shouldn’t be quick to fight for our rights or stand up for our honor when someone insults or offends us. A slap on the right cheek from a right-handed person was not a punch in the jaw, but a backhanded slap. It was an insult or a loss of honor. Jesus said, “Don’t retaliate when that happens to you.” John Stott says it well (Christian Counter-Culture [IVP], p. 108), “He teaches not the irresponsibility which encourages evil but the forbearance which renounces revenge.” Stott sums up (p. 113), “Jesus was not prohibiting the administration of justice, but rather forbidding us to take the law into our own hands.” Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 170) suggests that the practice of non-retaliation by the early church may have been “responsible in some measure for the impact the early Christians made on the men of their day.”
After commanding us not to repay evil for evil, Paul adds (v. 15b), “but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” The NIV translation, “try to be kind,” is weak. The Greek word translated “seek” is also used to mean “persecute.” It means to go after something with strong intent and effort. We could paraphrase, “Rather than seek vengeance, go after the other person’s highest good with a vengeance.” As 1 Peter 3:9 states, “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” Since the highest good for anyone is that he would come to saving faith in Jesus Christ and glorify God by living a Christlike life, our response to wrongs against us should promote the other person’s salvation or spiritual growth.
I conclude with two stories that show how believers have put our text into action. Watchman Nee (Sit, Walk, Stand [Christian Literature Crusade], p. 26) tells of a Christian Chinese farmer who had a rice field on a terraced hill. He used a water wheel, worked by a treadmill, to pump water from a stream below to irrigate his field. One night his neighbor, who had two fields below, made a breach in the Christian farmer’s dike and drained off all his water. The Christian repaired the dike and pumped more water, but the same thing kept happening over and over again.
Finally, after consulting and praying with some brothers at his church, the farmer first pumped water for the two fields below and then pumped water for his own field. After this, the water always stayed in his field. The neighbor was so amazed at the Christian’s action that he began to ask why he did this. After a while, he came to faith in Christ.
Another story took place during a time of horrible war and brutality in the Middle East more than a century ago. An Muslim enemy soldier chased a Christian woman and her brother until he cornered them. He mercilessly shot the brother and let the sister go free, but not until she had witnessed the brutal murder.
Later, she was working in a military hospital as a nurse when the soldier who had killed her brother was brought into her ward. He was critically wounded and the slightest inattention to his needs would have meant certain death. When the nurse realized this, a powerful temptation for vengeance raged in her mind. But as a Christian, a still, small voice within whispered, “Kindness.” She yielded to the Spirit’s prompting and patiently nursed this enemy back to health.
The soldier, who recognized her, asked her one day, “Why didn’t you let me die?” She replied simply, “I am a follower of Jesus and He said, ‘Love your enemies.’”
The Muslim soldier was silent for a long time. Finally, he said, “I never knew that anyone could have such a faith. If that’s what it does, tell me more about it. I want it.” (Edited from, “Our Daily Bread,” 11/81)
Our sensitive, loving ministry to one another in the church and our loving behavior towards those in the church and outside who wrong us should tell the world about our Savior (Rom. 5:6-8):
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
December 11, 2016
All of God’s commandments in the Bible are beyond our ability to obey in the flesh, so we must rely on His indwelling Holy Spirit. But some of the Bible’s commands are not just difficult, but impossible. Matthew 5:48: “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In all of history, no one except Jesus has ever come close to keeping that command! Or, could anyone claim to have achieved perfect obedience to the two great commandments, to love God with your total being and to love others as much as you love yourself (Matt. 22:37-39)?
Our text gives us three impossible commands (1 Thess. 5:16-18): “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” If Paul had only said, “Rejoice a lot, pray often, and try to be thankful,” I maybe could say, “Okay, I’ll try to do that!” But no one honestly can say, “I rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks!” And you can’t resolve, “I’ll start obeying those commands today!” Next week, you couldn’t honestly say, “I’ve kept those commands this past week. There wasn’t a single moment when I wasn’t rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks!”
So what do we do with these impossible commands? Curiously, John Stott (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 124) argues that these commands are not directed to us individually, but rather to the church regarding our public worship. He says that joy and happiness are not at our command, to turn “on and off like a tap.” But there are many biblical commands to rejoice and be glad in the Lord. And while our corporate worship should be filled with joy, prayer, and thanksgiving, we will not do these together in worship if we haven’t been doing them individually during the week. So I think that they must apply to us individually first.
It’s interesting that Paul doesn’t offer any explanation or help here on what these commands mean or how we can obey them. He just states them in staccato fashion and moves on! But other Scriptures do offer some help in understanding what these commands mean and how we can begin to develop the attitudes and habits that will help us move toward the mark, even if in this life we will never obey these commands perfectly. Paul’s idea is easily stated:
God commands us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything.
With each command, I want to explain what it means and give some help on how to grow in obeying it. Note, also, that Paul says (1 Thess. 5:18), “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Virtually all commentators agree that “this” refers to the previous three commands, not just to the third. You may have trouble discerning God’s will in some areas of your life. But, rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks are always God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
That last phrase gives the underlying clue as to how we can begin to obey these commands: We must be “in Christ Jesus.” Without being in union with Him through His indwelling Holy Spirit, we could never come close to obeying these commands. We are placed into union with Christ the moment that we trust in Him to save us from God’s judgment that we deserve because of our sins. As Paul says (1 Cor. 1:30), “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.”
So to obey these impossible commands, we must have experienced the new birth so that we are in Christ and He dwells in us. As we learn to abide in Him and trust in Him to work through us, we will progressively become conformed to His image. Jesus was always rejoicing, always praying, and always thankful. So being in Him and relying on Him are the keys to becoming like Him in these three qualities.
Does “rejoicing always” mean that you always go around with a smile on your face and an upbeat “Tigger” bounce in your steps? Are you sinning if you ever feel sad, depressed, upset, or grieved? I have met Christians who seem to think so. One man I used to know had some major problems in his life. But whenever I asked, “How are you doing?” he would reply, “I’m just praising the Lord!” He seemed to think that it would be unspiritual to reply, “I’m really struggling with some things.” I think he had bought into the positive confession heresy that our words create reality. So he always put on a happy face and said that he was praising the Lord. But he seemed to be denying reality.
If “rejoicing always” means always being upbeat and never feeling sadness, then we have a problem, because neither Jesus nor Paul were always happy. It’s interesting that the shortest verse in the Greek New Testament is (1 Thess. 5:16), “Rejoice always,” but the shortest verse in the English New Testament is (John 11:35), “Jesus wept.” As He faced the cross, Jesus prayed “with loud crying and tears” (Heb. 5:7). In 2 Corinthians 6:10, Paul described himself, “as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” In Romans 12:15, he tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” He does not say, “Exhort those who weep to stop weeping and start rejoicing!”
So “rejoice always” does not mean, “Deny your feelings, put on a happy face, and never feel sad.” Regarding the trials that God brings into our lives to train us as His children, the Bible acknowledges (Heb. 12:11), “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
So, what does Paul mean when he commands, “Rejoice always”? First, it’s important to remember that he wrote this to new believers who were suffering persecution because of their faith (1 Thess. 3:3-4). And the command follows Paul’s exhortation that we should not get even when someone mistreats us. Probably Paul had taught them Jesus’ words (Matt. 5:11-12):
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Or, as James (1:2-3) put it: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” In Romans 5:3-5, Paul wrote, “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
So, given their difficult circumstances, this command to rejoice always has to be viewed not primarily as a matter of feelings, but rather of obedience. When we are in difficult trials or if people have mistreated us because of our faith, we have a choice: either we can focus on our trials and lapse into self-pity. Or we can set our minds on the things above, where Christ is at the right hand of God, where our life is hidden in Him (Col. 3:1-4), and rejoice. As Paul commanded the Philippians (4:4), “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” That little phrase, “in the Lord” is the key. Since we are eternally “in the Lord” through faith in Christ, we can always rejoice “in the Lord.” Our joy cannot be totally oblivious to circumstances, but neither should it be governed by them.
So “rejoicing always” is a conscious attitude of contentment, hope, and happiness that comes from deliberately focusing on Christ and the eternal treasures that we have received freely from Him. Sometimes, as John Piper puts it (When I Don’t Desire God [Crossway]), we have to “fight for joy” in the Lord. We see this often in the Psalms. The psalm begins with the psalmist crying out to God for help in the midst of some life-threatening trial. But by the end of the psalm he’s praising the Lord and rejoicing in Him, even though his circumstances haven’t yet changed. What changed was his deliberate focus on the Lord. For example, Psalm 5 begins with David mentioning his groaning and his cry for help. As the psalm unfolds, we see that he was groaning because of enemies, whose inward part was destruction and their throats an open grave (Ps. 5:9). But having meditated on God’s abundant lovingkindness (Ps. 5:7), David concludes on this triumphant note (Ps. 5:11-12):
But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.
Of course, Paul himself had displayed this deliberate joy in the Lord when he was unjustly arrested, beaten without a trial, and thrown into the stocks in the Philippian jail. At midnight, he and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God (Acts 16:25). The same was true of the apostles. After the Jewish leaders flogged them for preaching the resurrection of Jesus, we read (Acts 5:41), “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.” So to rejoice always means that we must make this deliberate choice to focus on the Lord and the unfathomable riches that we have in Him, not on our difficult circumstances. And this joy shines the brightest in dark situations. If we do all things with joy in the Lord rather than grumbling or complaining, we will stand out as lights in this dark world (Phil. 2:14-15).
Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 172) observes about these first century believers:
Persecution was always threatening and often actual. The believers were usually in straitened circumstances and compelled to work hard for a living. Their lot can rarely have been other than hard. But if we fasten our attention on these things we put our emphasis in the wrong place. They thought more of their Lord than of their difficulties; more of their spiritual riches in Christ than of their poverty on earth; more of the glorious future when their Lord should come again than of their unhappy past.
So the question becomes,
First, daily focus on the riches that God has freely given you in Christ. For example, Ephesians 1:3-14 says that you have all spiritual blessings in Him. God chose you in Him before the foundation of the world. In love, He predestined you to adoption as His child. He freely bestowed His grace on you in Christ. In Him you have redemption and forgiveness of all your sins, lavished upon you by His grace. He has made known to you the mystery of His will. He has given you an inheritance and has sealed you with the Holy Spirit of promise. Now, what is your problem?
Second, walk in the Spirit, not the flesh. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). To walk in the Spirit means daily to yield to Him and to rely on Him to control your life in every situation. It takes time to produce fruit. It doesn’t pop out on a tree the day after you plant it! But if you walk consistently by the Spirit, eventually the fruit of joy will be yours.
Third, sing! If you’re feeling down, get out a hymnbook or put on some solid Christian music and sing of God’s goodness, grace, and love. Singing is one way of implementing the first strategy—focusing on the riches that God has freely given to you in Christ. I have not verified it, but I heard once that the most frequent command in the Bible is, “Sing!” The longest book in the Bible is a songbook. Use it often to set your mind on the things above.
Does this mean that you must pray every waking moment? Obviously, not, because neither Paul nor the Lord Jesus did that. It is helpful to know that the word translated “without ceasing” was used of a hacking cough. A person with a bad cough doesn’t cough continuously, but often and repeatedly. It was also used of repeated military attacks. An army would attack a city but not succeed. They would regroup and attack over and over until they won the victory.
Even so, our prayers should be frequent and persistent. Like the friend who came at midnight to ask for a loaf of bread (Luke 11:5-13), we keep knocking until we get what we’re after. Like the widow who kept bothering the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8), we keep coming back until we obtain what we were asking for.
Rejoicing always and praying without ceasing are related, because it is through prayer that we lay hold of the riches that we have in Christ, which are the source of true joy. Prayer claims the promises of God in our trials. Laying hold of God’s promises brings joy, because we know that He is for us. As Paul wrote (Rom. 8:31-32), “If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”
It’s a lifelong process. But, first, (in the words of Paul Miller, A Praying Life [NavPress], p. 44), “Know that … you can’t do life on your own.” In other words, recognize your need to depend on the Lord in every situation. Prayer is the language of trusting in the Lord.
Second, send up short prayers whenever you can. When you think of a loved one or friend, send up a short prayer for him or her. When someone asks you to pray for some need, don’t promise to pray later and then forget. Pray right there with the person. I love the scene where Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the pagan King Artaxerxes, had been sad in the king’s presence. This was a serious offense and Nehemiah was afraid. He explained to the king that he was sad because his home city, Jerusalem, was desolate and destroyed. The king asked what Nehemiah would request. Nehemiah (2:4-5) reports, “So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king ….” I’m sure he didn’t excuse himself for a few minutes of prayer! Rather, he shot up a silent prayer to God and then spoke to the king.
Third, spend time in God’s word and prayer each morning. Pray the word back to God. The Psalms are helpful in this way, but also all of Scripture (see Donald Whitney, Praying the Bible [Crossway]). Keep asking until you receive, seeking until you find, and knocking until the door is opened unto you (Luke 11:9-10).
Fourth, read some good books on prayer. Two that I’ve found helpful are Paul Miller’s A Praying Life [NavPress] and Bill Thrasher’s A Journey to Victorious Praying [Moody Publishers]. Also, Answers to Prayer [Moody] from George Muller’s Journal, George Muller of Bristol [Revell], by A. T. Pierson, and the 70 pages in John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion [Westminster Press], 3:20, are very helpful. On our church website, I have a short list of “Insights on Prayer” I gleaned from Calvin and Muller.
This command means that in every situation we are to give thanks to our sovereign and good God and Savior. In Ephesians 5:20, Paul puts it, “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” Giving thanks in every situation does not mean that we must be happy with every situation or resigned to accept matters without praying and working for change. I was not satisfied when I was single at age 26, and so I prayed often that God would change that. But by faith I could still thank Him, knowing that He was using that lonely time in my life to deepen my relationship with Him. And, ever since He answered my prayer when I met Marla on January 5, 1974, I have been overflowing with thankfulness for His giving her to me.
Also, we don’t need to feel thankful before we give thanks. When God takes us through hard trials, we don’t feel thankful. But by faith we can say, “Lord, I trust that You are good and that You know what You’re doing in this difficult situation. I submit to Your sovereign hand and purpose, knowing that You will work it together for my good.” So, like rejoicing always, giving thanks in everything is often a choice to believe God in difficult circumstances.
First, and most importantly, deepen your understanding of God’s sovereignty and goodness. The story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) illustrates this truth. Joseph’s brothers hated him and planned to kill him until they saw a caravan of traders heading toward Egypt. So they cruelly sold their brother into slavery. He ended up getting thrown in prison, even though he obeyed God by resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife. He begged the cupbearer to mention his case to Pharaoh so that he could be released, but the cupbearer forgot. Two years later, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and was instantly elevated to the second most powerful position in the country.
Later, he was able to be reconciled to his brothers and to see his aged father again. But after Jacob died, the brothers feared that Joseph would get even with them for what they had done. At that point, Joseph wept and asked, “Am I in God’s place?” Then he revealed the theological perspective that had sustained him during those awful years of slavery and imprisonment (Gen. 50:20): “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Joseph saw God both as sovereign and good. Submitting to the sovereign goodness of God in every situation the key to a thankful heart.
Second, thankfulness will be our habit when trust in God is our habit. Thankfulness and trust are bound together. If you are trusting God, you’re thankful. If you are not thankful, then you’re not trusting God. This is illustrated with the children of Israel. God delivered them from slavery in Egypt by the ten miraculous plagues on the Egyptians, while sparing Israel. He miraculously brought them through the Red Sea and then closed the water on top of the pursuing Egyptian army. You would think that by this point, they could thankfully trust in God. But we read (Exod. 15:22-24) that they then went three days into the wilderness, found no water, and grumbled at Moses, which really was grumbling at God. They didn’t trust that the God who had powerfully saved them from slavery could provide water in the desert.
If you’re grumbling, you’re not trusting. If you’re not trusting, you’re not thankful. Develop a habit of trusting God, especially in trials, and you will thank Him both for His great salvation and for the opportunity to see Him work in your time of need.
Thirteen years before his conversion, John Wesley had a conversation one night with a porter of his college that impressed Wesley that there was more to Christianity than he had found. The porter had only one coat. He had eaten no food that day and yet his heart was full of gratitude to God. Wesley said to him, “You thank God when you have nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and no bed to lie upon? What else do you thank him for?”
“I thank him,” answered the porter, “that He has given me my life and being, and a heart to love Him, and a desire to serve Him.” (A. Skevington Wood, The Inextinguishable Blaze [Eerdmans], p. 100)
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.” Even though we’ll never obey these commands perfectly, we should be working at making progress, because, “this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
December 18, 2016
John MacArthur (Fool’s Gold [Crossway], pp. 195-196) tells the story of Aben Johnson, a wealthy man who began investing in gemstones. He spent $3 million on a blue diamond called the Streeter Diamond that Sam Walton (the founder of Walmart) had won in a poker game from a man named Streeter. He spent $2.7 million for a collection of diamonds called the Russian Blue. He sunk another $17 million into the Sylvia Walton Collection, a set of diamonds that belonged to Sam Walton’s daughter. In all, Johnson invested some $83 million in the costly gems.
But he later found out that he had not bought genuine gems. Rather, Johnson had unknowingly invested in nearly worthless fake diamonds. It turns out that Sam Walton didn’t even have a daughter named Sylvia. When he found out the truth, Johnson sued his Florida-based jeweler, Jack Hasson. A year later, the FBI arrested Hasson for fraud. In 2000, he was convicted, sentenced to 40 years in prison, and ordered to pay more than $78 million in restitution. But Johnson is unlikely to recover his $83 million. He should have exercised some discernment by having the diamonds examined by a gem expert before he lost his fortune.
But even more serious than being bilked out of millions by a fraudulent jeweler is being deceived about eternal life by spiritual con artists. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, not of darkness, and his servants pose as servants of righteousness, not of evil (2 Cor. 11:14-15). What is at stake is nothing less than the eternal destiny of souls. Like a good counterfeiter, Satan’s counterfeit spiritual currency looks genuine. His doctrinal errors sound plausible. He even uses Scripture to support them (Matt. 4:6). His spiritual experiences seem to help those who testify of their benefits. But both his doctrinal errors and his spiritual experiences are counterfeit. Those who embrace them suffer either serious spiritual impairment or, often, eternal condemnation.
But as in all spiritual matters, there is the need for biblical balance. Some are undiscerning and spiritually gullible, prone to be led astray by every wind of doctrine or every fake spiritual experience that comes along. But others swing to the other side of the pendulum, denying the legitimate working of the Holy Spirit and blasting those who differ from them on minor points of doctrine. So to this church of recent believers Paul urges spiritual balance:
While we must not quench the Holy Spirit’s working in our midst, we must be discerning so as not to fall prey to false spiritual experiences or false teaching.
The difficulty in finding the biblical balance on the working of the Holy Spirit is complicated because godly Bible scholars differ. Most Reformed scholars, along with evangelical seminaries, such as Dallas Theological Seminary, The Master’s Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary, hold to a view called cessationism. While they believe that God works miracles today, they argue that modern examples of healing and miracles are not the same as the miraculous gifts described in the New Testament. They believe that the miraculous (or sign) gifts of the Spirit (prophecy, miracles, healing, speaking in tongues, and interpreting tongues) ceased at the end of the apostolic era with the completion of the canon of Scripture. John MacArthur, a leading proponent of this view, concludes his recent book, Strange Fire [Thomas Nelson] with an appeal to his non-cessationist (or continuationist) friends.
But other godly Reformed scholars, such as Wayne Grudem, John Piper, D. A. Carson, and Sam Storms, believe that such gifts are still valid for the church today. I would describe myself as a very cautious non-cessationist, because I do not think that you can prove cessationism from Scripture. But I agree with the cessationists that there do not seem to be any valid examples of the sign gifts functioning in our day. Almost all modern speaking in tongues consists of babbling in nonsense syllables, whereas the New Testament gift was clearly speaking in a translatable foreign language that the speaker had not learned. While there are many modern examples of miraculous healing, no one that I have heard or read about can compare to the healing ministry of Christ or the apostles. And while occasionally someone may speak a prophetic revelation from God, none practice that ministry with the regularity or accuracy of those with the New Testament gift.
With that as an introduction, let’s consider Paul’s first point:
1 Thess. 5:19-20: “Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances.” While scholars acknowledge that we cannot know for certain the problem that Paul is correcting here, apparently some were restricting or prohibiting altogether the exercise of the gift of prophecy in the church. Perhaps there had been abuses of this gift which led to these restrictions. For example, in 2 Thessalonians 2:2, Paul asks, “that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.” Perhaps some false prophecies like that had resulted in a ban on all prophetic utterances. But we can’t know for sure. But here are four ways that we may quench the Spirit’s working in the church:
In the context, this is the primary way of quenching the Spirit. The difficult questions here are, what are prophetic utterances? Did they cease with the apostolic era and the completion of the New Testament? Does God give any direct revelation today? If so, is it on a par with Scripture? Does it come through an audible voice, visions, dreams, subjective impressions, spontaneous thoughts, or a verse of Scripture impressed on our hearts?
In the early church, there seem to have been both the office of prophet (Eph. 4:11) and the spiritual gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 12:10, 28-29; 13:8, 9; 14:1-5, 22-40). The office of prophet, along with that of apostle, was foundational for the church (Eph. 2:20) and thus both offices were temporary. Once the foundation was laid, there was no longer any need for apostles and prophets. We have their authoritative revelation in the New Testament.
The modern debate centers, though, on whether the gift of prophecy in a lesser, fallible sense, continues today. This could include both foretelling some future event and/or forth-telling in the sense of declaring, “Thus says the Lord,” directed either to a church or to a person. This would not be on the same level as inspired Scripture. In other words, it is not the word of God, but rather a word from God. And proponents of this view argue that it may be mistaken, and thus must be evaluated.
Wayne Grudem argues for a more toned-down version of this in The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today [Crossway Books] and in his Systematic Theology [Zondervan]. John MacArthur attacks this view in Strange Fire (chapter six, “The Folly of Fallible Prophets”). Grudem (Systematic Theology, p. 1049) defines modern prophecy as “telling something that God has spontaneously brought to mind.” He says (p. 1055), “So prophecies in the church today should be considered merely human words, not God’s words, and not equal to God’s words in authority.” Thus he disagrees with those in charismatic circles who proclaim, “Thus says the Lord …” He doesn’t even want to say that modern prophecies are “a word from the Lord.” Rather, a person should say something like (p. 1056, italics his), “I think the Lord is putting on my mind that …” or “It seems to me that the Lord is showing us …” In my opinion, that seems much weaker than the supernatural gift of prophecy in the New Testament, which seems to have been direct revelation from the Lord.
On the other hand, MacArthur (Strange Fire, p. 124, citing his, The MacArthur NT Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Moody Press], p. 196, in line with John Calvin), argues that the New Testament gift of prophecy “was the Spirit-endowed skill of publicly proclaiming God’s revealed truth.” So it was and still is essentially the ability to preach. He contends (Commentary, p. 197), “Revelatory prophetic utterances (1 Cor. 12:10) were limited to the apostolic era. But the non-revelatory gift of prophecy is permanent, as preachers are called to ‘preach the word’ (2 Tim. 4:2) ….”
I am inclined to agree with Greg. Beale, (1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 173), who rejects the views of both Grudem and MacArthur. He says that “prophecy elsewhere in the Bible seems always to be connected with a direct revelation by the Spirit.” If, along with apostle, this gift ceased by the end of the first century (he admits that this point is greatly debated), then he says that the point of our text “for the modern church is that it guard the truth of prophetic scriptural revelation and reject false teachings purportedly grounded on this revelation.”
But, what about instances where someone says, “The Lord told me,” or, “God gave me a vision,” or, “I had a dream in which the Lord showed me …” or, “I had a strong sense that the Lord wanted me to tell you this”? Or, what if you have such an experience? What should you do?
First, be cautious before you accept it as true. John Piper had a woman come to him when his wife was pregnant with their fourth child and announce that she had a prophecy for him—she had written it down—that his wife would die in childbirth and that the baby would be a daughter (cited in Strange Fire, pp. 241-242). Piper went back to his study and wept, but he whooped for joy when his wife delivered a boy and lived. When my children were young, I had a dream that one of them died. I woke up in a cold sweat and lay awake a long time praying that my dream was not a prophecy. Thankfully, it was not! On the other hand, God seems to be bringing many Muslims to genuine conversion through dreams and visions. So we should not dismiss such claims by saying, “God doesn’t do that sort of thing in our day.” But, be cautious!
I am much more skeptical of people who often say, “The Lord told me ….” I am especially skeptical when they claim that the Lord told them that I should do something or that something will happen to me or my family! Why didn’t He tell me that information? The woman who told Piper that his wife would die in childbirth was not only wrong, but also extremely insensitive! If someone tells you that the Lord revealed to him some major decision that affects your life, run for cover! He is not a prophet! As I’ll explain in a moment, we should evaluate every purported prophecy, dream, vision, or revelation by Scripture. If it contradicts Scripture, it’s wrong! So we shouldn’t quench the Spirit by despising prophetic utterances, but neither should we swallow them without examination. Here are three other ways we may quench the Spirit:
In Ephesians 3:20, Paul says that God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” If we doubt that or if we limit what God can do by our own calculations or resources, we are quenching the Spirit. For example, when Jesus asked the disciples how they could find bread to feed the hungry multitude (John 6:1-12), they did the math and concluded that 200 denarii (which they did not have!) would be insufficient. But they forgot that little is much when we put it in the Lord’s hands. They were limiting God’s power and quenching the Spirit.
Even though we distance ourselves from churches that are heavy on ritualistic worship, it’s easy for us to go through our own “non-ritualistic” rituals without relying on the Holy Spirit to work. It is possible to crank out sermons by following a formula or prescribed method. We can run through a set of songs or partake of communion without relying on the Spirit. Or, for that matter, we could get creative and shuffle up our worship service and deliver a spontaneous sermon while still relying on human ingenuity rather than on the Holy Spirit. To be spontaneous is not equivalent to being Spirit-led. The key to not quenching the Spirit is to rely on Him in prayer.
Lewis Sperry Chafer (He That is Spiritual [Dunham], p. 86) wrote, “The Spirit is ‘quenched’ by any unyieldedness to the revealed will of God.” In the context of lying, anger, stealing, and abusive speech, Paul wrote (Eph. 4:30), “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” While grieving the Spirit emphasizes the relational side of things, it is pretty much equivalent to quenching the Spirit. We hinder the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives when we tolerate any known sin, whether individually or in the church.
So Paul’s first point is that we must be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit’s working in our midst. In the context, the main application is not to despise prophetic utterances. But more broadly, we may quench the Spirit when we limit God by our little faith, when we trust in our rituals or routines, or when we tolerate any unrepentant sin. Paul balances this by adding:
If Paul had only written verses 19 & 20, the church may have swung to the other extreme of swallowing everything that purported to be a prophetic utterance. So he provides the balance (1 Thess. 5:21-22): “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” Note three things:
Scripture is our infallible, inerrant guide for determining truth and error. Of course, we must interpret Scripture carefully in its context, comparing Scripture with Scripture on the assumption that God does not contradict Himself. If one Scripture says that God is absolutely sovereign in salvation (Rom. 9:15-18) and another Scripture says that we are responsible to believe (Rom. 10:13), these claims are not contradictory. If Paul says that we are justified by faith alone (Rom. 4:5) and James says that we are justified by works, not by faith alone (James 2:24), these are not contradictory when studied in their respective contexts. But to examine properly any teaching, claim of divine revelation, or spiritual experience, we must study God’s word. If it doesn’t line up with Scripture, it fails the test and must be rejected.
Jesus warned that false prophets are wolves who disguise themselves as sheep (Matt. 7:15). With reference to the end times, Jesus plainly stated (Matt. 24:11, 24), “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.… For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” As I mentioned, Paul said that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and his servants pose as servants of righteousness (2 Cor. 11:14-15). I once read of a seminary professor who assigned his class the project of determining what is the most frequent subject in the New Testament. They discovered that it is warnings about false teaching. So we must be on guard!
The 18th century revival called the First Great Awakening was accompanied by all sorts of extraordinary experiences. Much of it was good: intensified interest in spiritual things, professions of faith in Christ, unusual joy in the Lord, exuberant singing, and emotional outbursts of weeping and crying out to God. But critics attacked the revival as just emotionalism that had nothing to do with the Spirit of God. They argued that true religion was primarily a matter of the mind, not of emotions. So Jonathan Edwards did an exhaustive study of what the Bible says about what characterizes a genuine work of the Spirit and wrote, A Treatise on Religious Affections. It has been called “the best manual on discernment ever written” (Gerald McDermott, endorsement of Sam Storms, Signs of the Spirit [Crossway]). Edwards listed a number of unreliable signs of true spirituality and twelve reliable signs of true spirituality (in addition to Storms, see Gerald McDermott, Seeing God: Twelve Signs of True Spirituality [IVP]; and, The Experience that Counts [Grace Publications], a modern English, condensed version of Edwards’ original).
The point is, don’t swallow every teaching or spiritual experience that comes along as if it must be from God. For example, the current books about dying and going to heaven and returning often contradict Scripture. People’s claims that speaking in tongues or getting “slain in the Spirit” deepened their spiritual lives do not make these experiences valid. The question must be, “Do these teachings and experiences line up with Scripture?”
While there are broader applications of holding to what is “good” and abstaining from “every form of evil,” in the context “the good” refers to genuine manifestations of the Spirit, whereas “every form of evil” refers to the spiritually counterfeit. We are not to be skeptical and aloof from that which is spiritually genuine; and we are not to embrace or be tolerant towards that which is spiritually not from God, which is evil.
If a man claims to act in the power of the Spirit, but his teaching does not line up with Scripture, or his life is marked by unrepentant lust, greed, or disobedience to God’s word, or he purports to speak in God’s name but his predictions are later found to be false, do not endorse him or listen to his teaching. Most of the TV preachers who claim to receive fresh revelations or prophecies from God are godless showmen who are preying on spiritually gullible people (see Strange Fire for many documented examples).
The main way that God speaks to us today is through His inspired Word, properly interpreted. Do not be like the guy in the proverbial story who needed guidance. So he opened his Bible and pointed at random to a verse: “Judas went out and hanged himself.” He thought, “That can’t be God’s will for me,” so he tried again and came up with, “Go thou and do likewise.” He panicked, “Surely, that’s not for me!” So he tried a third time and landed on the verse, “What thou doest, do quickly!” The point is, we must interpret and apply Scripture properly. Certainly, the Holy Spirit can impress certain verses on our hearts as we wait on Him and seek to understand and obey His word. But, beware of random, subjective impressions, especially if they come from taking a verse out of its context.
Although Paul here doesn’t give the criteria for examining prophetic utterances, John Stott (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], pp. 128-129) suggests five tests based on other Scriptures:
The first test is the plain truth of Scripture. Like the Bereans, we are to examine the Scriptures to see if what someone is saying is true (Acts 17:11). The second test is the divine-human person of Jesus (1 John 4:1-3). Anyone denying either His full deity or full humanity is a false teacher. The third test is the gospel of God’s free and saving grace through Christ. Anyone who preaches a different gospel is eternally condemned (Gal. 1:6-9). The fourth test is the known character of the speaker. Jesus said that by their fruits we will know false teachers (Matt. 7:15-20). The fifth test is the degree to which what is said builds up the hearers. An authentic message will strengthen, encourage, and comfort the church, as well as convict those in sin (1 Cor. 14:3-4, 24-25, 31).
So Paul is saying, “Don’t quench the Holy Spirit’s working in our midst, but at the same time, be discerning so as not to fall prey to false experiences or false teaching.”
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
January 1, 2017
I’ve read that 36 percent of us break our New Year’s resolutions by the end of January (Reader’s Digest [1/03], p. 17). I’d guess that the percentage increases with each succeeding month. But I hope that the high rate of failure doesn’t keep you from setting some biblical goals this New Year. As is often said, “Aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time.” So I urge you prayerfully to evaluate your life before the Lord and set a few goals that will help you to grow in Christlikeness this year.
As Paul closes his first letter to this church of new believers, he offers a “prayer-wish” for their complete sanctification (holiness) in light of the Lord’s coming, followed by a reminder of the Lord’s faithfulness to complete the process He began when He saved us. Then Paul asks these new believers to pray for him; gives some brief final instructions; and commends them to the Lord’s grace. He’s saying that …
The church is a community that seeks to become wholly holy.
Paul has emphasized sanctification in this letter. In 1 Thessalonians 3:13, he prayed that the Lord … “may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” Then in 1 Thess. 4:3 & 7, he stated, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; … For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.”
To be sanctified means to be set apart unto God from this evil world, or to be holy. God has always commanded His people to be holy, or distinct from this evil world. Citing Leviticus 19:2, Peter commands (1 Pet. 1:15-16), “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” As we’ve seen (in earlier messages on 1 Thess.), there are three aspects of sanctification: (1) Positional sanctification, which was accomplished through Christ’s sacrifice at the moment of salvation (1 Cor. 1:2, 30; 6:11; Heb. 10:10, 14; 13:12); (2) progressive sanctification, which is ongoing throughout life (2 Cor. 3:18; 7:1; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 Thess. 3:12-13; 4:3-8; 1 Pet. 1:15-16); and, (3) perfect sanctification, which will happen the instant we see the Lord (1 John 3:2).
But, just as we need biblical balance in the matter of not quenching the Holy Spirit and yet being discerning (1 Thess. 5:19-22), so we need balance in the matter of sanctification. John Wesley and others in the Arminian tradition teach that it is possible to become totally sanctified in this life. Sometimes this happens over time, but it may happen at a moment of crisis. But invariably, they have to reduce the definition of sin to “the voluntary transgression of a known law” (Wesley), rather than as “any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God” (Westminster Shorter Catechism; G. Walters, New Bible Dictionary [IVP], ed. by J. D. Douglas, p. 1141). I dare say that if anyone had talked to John Wesley’s wife, this imbalanced teaching would have been laid to rest!
In our text, Paul is looking at the progressive aspect of sanctification with a view to the perfect or final state when Christ returns. While we won’t be perfectly sanctified until we meet the Lord, we should be making progress each year that He gives us. Make it your aim to grow in holiness in the New Year. Our text gives us five insights to help us grow in holiness:
1 Thess. 5:23: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” John Calvin (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], p. 303) admits that he does not completely understand why Paul refers to God as, “the God of peace.” But G. K. Beale, (1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 175) suggests that it is “to underscore that God’s sanctifying work is the instrumentation by which God gives peace.” In other words, there is a relationship between holiness and peace: as we grow in holiness, we will experience God’s peace more fully.
“Peace” is a Hebrew concept that refers to total well-being. Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 180) says, “Peace brings before us the prosperity of the whole man … especially including spiritual prosperity.” Spiritual peace refers both to peace with God and peace with one another, which come from being reconciled to Him through the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13-15). We also enjoy inner peace or freedom from anxiety as we bring all of our needs to our gracious Lord in thankful prayer, walking in obedience before Him (Phil. 4:6-9). F. F. Bruce, Word Biblical Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Thomas Nelson], p. 129) says, “The sum total of gospel blessings can be expressed by peace.” So we get peace with God, peace with one another, and peace within from the God of peace Himself as He sanctifies us, or makes us holy.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 is the classic verse for those who argue that men and women are composed of three parts: body, soul, and spirit (“trichotomy”). The more commonly held view is that people are made up of two parts, body and soul, the material and the immaterial (“dichotomy”). Usually those who hold to trichotomy teach that our soul is the carnal or natural part of man, which must be brought under the control of our spirit, where God dwells.
Those who hold to dichotomy point out that the immaterial part of people contains not only soul and spirit, but also heart, mind, will, and conscience. The Bible even refers to the kidneys as an immaterial part of man (Pss. 16:7; 73:21; Prov. 23:16; Jer. 9:20 [Hebrew]; Rev. 2:23 [Greek])! The distinctions between these different terms is not always uniform, precise, or technical. For example, in Luke 1:46-47, Mary uses the terms in Hebrew synonymous poetry when she says, “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” (See, also, Phil. 1:27.)
God commands us to love Him (Mark 12:30), “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” But, there is no mention of “spirit.” God is spirit (John 4:24), and yet He has a soul (Heb. 10:38; Lev. 26:30; Ps. 11:5). In other texts, Paul refers to body and spirit, but doesn’t mention the soul (Rom. 8:10; 1 Cor. 5:3; 7:34; 2 Cor. 7:1). In our text, it is clear that both soul and spirit need to be sanctified. So my understanding is that Paul is not giving us here a technical description of the nature of man, but rather is emphasizing that the process of sanctification should be entire. It should involve every part of our being, both material and immaterial. It begins with the inner person, but it also extends to our bodies.
Unlike some false religions that teach that all matter, including the body, is evil, the Bible teaches that our bodies, while fallen in sin, are to become holy or set apart unto the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Paul writes,
Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
He goes on to show that God ordained a legitimate, holy purpose for sexual relations between a man and a woman in marriage (1 Cor. 7:1-9). When you are tempted with sexually immorality, remember that God commands you to glorify Him in your body.
In the fundamentalist church where I grew up, the verse that says that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit was used to condemn smoking, drinking, and the use of illegal drugs. That is a valid application, but most of the church members already avoided those things! But it was never applied to overeating, although many of the members needed to reduce the size of their temples! But the ancient church identified gluttony and sloth (which may be a cause of not exercising) as two of the seven deadly sins. If our bodies are unhealthy because of gluttony or sloth, we won’t be fit to serve Christ.
Paul ties in disciplining our bodies with serving the Lord. After saying that he does all things for the sake of the gospel (1 Cor. 9:23), Paul explains (vss. 26-27), “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” Recent studies have shown that there is a link between physical fitness and mental fitness. If your body is in bad shape because you overeat and under-exercise, you won’t be mentally and spiritually sharp as a witness for Christ. So setting a goal to become more physically fit so that you will be a better servant of Christ is legitimate.
Thus, holiness comes from the God of peace Himself. It encompasses the entire person: spirit, soul, and body.
After praying that God might sanctify us entirely, he adds (1 Thess. 5:23b-24), “without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” Note three things here:
To be without blame does not imply that we can reach a state of sinless perfection in this life. Even when we are not aware of any deliberate sins of commission, we always are plagued by sins of omission. We never love God or others perfectly. We never “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). We can never perfectly control our tongues (James 3:2, 8). To be without blame is not to be perfect in this life.
Rather, to be blameless means that we have no legitimate grounds for accusation before the Lord and we haven’t wronged others without seeking to make it right. We have a clear conscience before God because we judge and turn from our sin on the heart level. And, others cannot bring a valid charge against us because we wronged them and didn’t make it right. To be blameless means to live uprightly before God and before others. As Paul says (1 Thess. 2:10), “You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers.”
Jesus, citing Isaiah, condemned the Pharisees because they honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (Mark 7:6). God always looks on our hearts (1 Sam. 16:7). Thus to be holy, we’ve got to confess and turn from our sins on the heart or thought level. As Jesus pointed out in the Sermon on the Mount, to lust after a woman in your heart is tantamount to adultery in God’s sight (Matt. 5:27-28). Envy, jealousy, greed, and pride are sins of the heart. So holiness is not outward only, where you stop doing certain sinful behaviors and start doing other religious behaviors. Rather, it’s a matter of walking uprightly before God and others, dealing with our sins on the heart level.
For the fifth time in five chapters, Paul refers to the Lord’s coming (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-17; 5:23). As the Lord emphasized in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-46), He has entrusted certain gifts and resources to us to use for His kingdom purposes. When He comes again, we will have to give an account of how we have used what He entrusted to us. We should be motivated by the desire to hear (Matt. 25:21, 23), “Well done, good and faithful slave.” With Moses, we should constantly pray (Ps. 90:12), “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”
1 Thess. 5:24: “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” Paul often encourages us by referring to God’s faithfulness toward us: (1 Cor. 1:9): “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Philippians 1:6: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” In each of those verses, Paul mentions God’s initiative in our salvation. He effectually calls us (every time the divine call is mentioned in the NT, it refers to God’s effectual call of His elect to salvation; cf. 1 Thess. 2:12; 4:7; Rom. 1:6, 7; 8:28; Eph. 4:1, 4; 1 Tim. 1:9; 1 Pet. 2:9; 5:10; 2 Pet. 1:10). This means, as Leon Morris puts it (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 183), “It is profoundly satisfying to the believer that in the last resort what matters is not his feeble hold on God, but God’s strong grip on him (cf. John 10:28 ff.).”
At the same time, we would be mistaken if we concluded that we are to be passive when it comes to holiness. Some wrongly teach, “Just let go and let God!” Or, “You’ll have victory over sin when you learn the secret of resting in Christ.” They use Jesus’ analogy of Himself as the vine and us as the branches to say, “Branches don’t strive to bear fruit. They just abide in the vine.”
But many verses contradict such teaching. As we saw, in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27, Paul uses an athletic example to say that he disciplined his body for the sake of the gospel. Later (1 Cor. 15:10), he says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them [the other apostles], yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” Colossians 1:29: “For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” We are to work out our own salvation, realizing that God is at work in us (Phil. 2:12-13). We are responsible actively to flee immorality and idolatry, not passively to let God deliver us (1 Cor. 6:18; 10:14). We are to perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7:1). We are to strive against sin (Heb. 12:4). The process of growing in holiness requires both relying on the Lord and responsible effort on our part.
Thus, holiness comes from the God of peace Himself. It encompasses the entire person: spirit, soul, and body. It has a Godward focus in view of Christ’s coming.
Sometimes we emphasize our individual responsibility for holiness, but neglect the need for other believers in the process. But note that Paul repeats the word “brethren” three times in three verses (5:25, 26, 27). Certainly, holiness is an individual matter, but it also involves being in community with other believers. Much more could be said, but briefly:
1 Thess. 5:25: “Brethren, pray for us.” Although Paul was a veteran apostle, he asks these new believers to pray for him! He knew his own weakness and need for God. He did not have it all together with no needs. So he often asked for prayer (Rom. 15:30; Phil. 1:19 Eph. 6:19; Col. 4:3-4; 2 Thess. 3:1-2). Please pray often for me and the other elders here. Pray for one another!
1 Thess. 5:26: “Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.” Should we apply this literally? I had an uncle and aunt who went to a church where the men greeted the other men and the women the other women with a kiss on the lips. It always grossed me out! I would argue that the holy kiss was a culturally appropriate means of greeting in Paul’s day that we can adapt to culturally appropriate greetings in our day. There are still some cultures where people greet each other with a kiss on each cheek, but that is not done in America and I don’t think it’s required. Rather, Paul was urging the church to give one another a loving greeting in a culturally accepted manner. The church is family and we should show it when we greet one another.
Be careful, though, about greeting the opposite sex inappropriately. A pastor friend of mine told me that he used to hug all the women in the church as he stood at the door after church. But he stopped doing it when an unbeliever in his town winked at him and said, “Yeah, I see you hugging all those babes at church!” It conveyed something inappropriate to an outsider. So, we need to be careful to show Christ’s love in an appropriate manner when we greet each other. If I’m counseling a sister in the Lord who breaks down crying, I’ll hand her a tissue, but I won’t hug her. I’m not being unsympathetic; I’m being discreet!
1 Thess. 5:27: “I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren.” “Adjure” is a strong word, meaning to put them under oath before God. Probably Paul was countering his critics who said that he didn’t care about these new believers or he would have returned. He wants the letter read (probably repeatedly) so that the church could hear of his tender love for them.
But, also, Paul viewed his apostolic letters as authoritative revelation from God (1 Cor. 7:12; 14:37; Col. 4:16). Peter also commended Paul’s letters as Scripture (2 Pet. 3:15-16). Apostolicity was a major criterion for a writing being included in the New Testament canon. The application for us is that we will not grow in holiness unless we take God’s word seriously. It should undergird and determine all that we do as a church and as individuals. Paul’s final greeting shows:
1 Thess. 5:28: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” That is a greeting, but it’s more than a greeting. It’s a prayer that has enormous implications. The abundant grace of our Lord Jesus is behind our salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) and should bathe and motivate our sanctification. As Paul told Timothy (2 Tim. 2:1), “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Peter closes his second letter (2 Pet. 3:18), “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” Jesus is full of grace and can impart grace (John 1:14, 16, 17), which shows that He is God. Legalism often arises in the church as an attempt to promote holiness, but it never succeeds (Matthew 23). When we understand and live under God’s grace, it always results in true holiness (Rom. 6:1-2). Let’s pour out God’s grace on one another.
I encourage you to make growing in holiness one of your main goals this New Year. You might begin by committing to spend a few minutes each morning reading the Bible and praying. Memorize some key verses on holiness. Read J. C. Ryle’s classic, Holiness. You can read it online at gracegems.org, which says, “This volume is considered the best book on the Christian life that has EVER been written.” Read a good book on using your time wisely. I’m currently reading Matt Perman’s What’s Best Next [Zondervan], subtitled, “How the gospel transforms the way you get things done.” Get in a small group where you can encourage one another to grow in holiness. I pray that this year will be a year of unprecedented growth in holiness for each one in our church!
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2017, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation