Exhortation To Unity Of Love And Lowliness Of Mind (2:1-4)

The second chapter of the Epistle of Paul to the Philippians contains one of the greatest declarations coming to us from the pen of the apostle, the theological statement of the humiliation and self-emptying of Christ and the exaltation of Christ which follows. This section pivots on the great affirmation of verses ten and eleven: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” Contemplated in this statement is the universal acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The church at Philippi had relatively few spiritual problems as compared to the church at Corinth. There seems to have been no doctrinal heresy or serious breach of morality among the Philippians. Though Paul takes up in chapter four the problem of two women in the church who had some differences, there was no serious schism, and on the whole a united testimony was being maintained. Yet there was room for improvement along several lines. The plea of the apostles in chapter one for a spirit of abounding love, spiritual discernment, and for a fullness of spiritual fruit summarized the spiritual need of the church. Having referred to the need for unity in verses nine and twenty-seven in chapter one, the apostle now deals with the problem of unity more in detail in the opening four verses of the second chapter.

Most translations of these four verses do not carry the full implication which the original language connotes. The fourfold “if” of verse one has no sense of uncertainty, but is rather a statement of fact. The passage could be translated: “Because there is consolation in Christ, comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, and tender compassions and mercies, therefore fill my joy full by being likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, and of one mind, doing nothing through faction or empty pride, but in lowliness of mind each considering the other to be better than themselves, not looking every man on his own things, but every man also giving consideration to the things that belong to others.”

Essentially, these four verses are a plea for thoughtfulness and an exhortation to approach the work of God in a spirit of unity in which all work together sympathetically to accomplish their common task. In view of the blessings which are common to all Christians, such as consolation in Christ, the comfort of love, the fellowship of the Spirit, and God’s tender mercies and compassions, we should also manifest the unity of the Spirit in the ministry of the church. The Philippians in doing this would fill Paul’s cup of joy to the full. He is already rejoicing in their faithfulness, the certainty of their salvation, and their efforts to further the gospel. Now he wants them to add to this the supreme grace of working together unselfishly for the goal God has set before them.

The admonition of the apostle is at once good common sense and good spiritual sense. It is according to the mind of God. It is the kind of common effort that should characterize every body of Christians, though sometimes it is sadly lacking. In the Corinthian church, for instance, there were four contending parties, each considering itself right and regarding the other three as wrong. The only way it is possible to have one mind is to have the mind of God derived from the unity of the Spirit of God, a unity which comes only when believers find the will of God and give themselves unselfishly and unstintingly to its fulfillment.

The Example Of Christ (2:5-8)

Having set before them the precept of unity and humility, the apostle now introduces the supreme example, the Lord Jesus Christ in His act of incarnation, suffering, and death. This is often called the kenosis passage because in it Jesus Christ is described as emptying Himself. The word kenosis is derived from the Greek word ekenosen, meaning to empty. The passage is not without its theological and expositional problems, but presents more succinctly and pointedly than any other Scripture the practical application of the attitude of Christ to the attitude of the individual believer.

The great truth of the humiliation of Christ is introduced in support of the exhortation: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” The passage then reveals in detail what Jesus Christ did in becoming incarnate: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”

It is declared first that He existed in the form of God. The expression “being¹² in the form¹³ of God” means not only that Christ is God, but that He always was God and that He existed as God, not simply because He possessed all the attributes of God, but because these were manifested outwardly and He had the appearance and glory of God. Being thus from eternity past all that God is both in substance and in manifestation, He did not consider His being on equality with God something that needed to be retained by self-effort, but rather “made himself of no reputation,” literally, “emptied Himself,” taking on the form of a servant.¹⁴

The fact that the Apostle Paul here reveals that Jesus Christ emptied Himself has given rise to much discussion. Some have attempted to prove from this statement that Christ partially gave up His deity and reduced Himself to the level of man. This, however, the passage does not say, and our understanding of what it means should be indicated by what the passage itself reveals. What Paul is actually stating is that Jesus Christ, though essentially God and entitled to the outer manifestation of His deity, voluntarily set aside the manifestation of His glory and substituted instead the appearance of a servant, or a slave. This of course is what Christ did when He was born a babe in Bethlehem and lived among men, and became in outer appearance no different than that of an ordinary servant.

The apostle goes on to speak of the complete humiliation of Christ in dying on the cross. Because He “was made in the likeness of men” and was “found in fashion as a man,” that is, His outer appearance was that of a man. He was able to humble Himself, become “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” His great act of condescension in becoming man and His willingness to be completely humiliated in the death on the cross is set before us here as the supreme example of what our attitude should be. If Jesus Christ the Lord of glory was willing to be obedient unto death, how much more should sinners saved by grace who owe everything to God give back to the God who saved them the life which He has redeemed.

There is much for the spiritual soul to contemplate in this great declaration of what Christ did for us. It of course reveals the genuine humanity of our Lord and Savior. Though He was born without human father, He was a genuine man in every respect apart from sin. He had a real human soul and spirit. He had a genuine physical body. Unlike other men, however, He was God incarnate, all that God is and all that man is in every essential particular. His genuine humanity is revealed not only in His birth, but in His growing maturity as a child and young man. At the age of twelve, though the scholars of His day were astounded at His wisdom, they did not question His humanity. Later after being introduced by John the Baptist to His public ministry, He labored for three and one half years walking the dusty roads of the Holy Land and ministering in word and deed. Finally, rejected by His own people and sentenced by a Roman ruler, He submitted Himself to the supreme ordeal of being crucified on the cross at Calvary. It should be obvious to any careful and discerning reader of Scripture that Christ was under no external compulsion to submit to the cross. He was the eternal God, and, though He was in human flesh, He could have stepped down from the cross if He wished or prevented His crucifixion from coming into reality. He did not die because it was impossible for Him to prevent it, but He died willingly in obedience to the will of God the Father. He died in submission to God in keeping with His prayer in Gethsemane: “Not my will, but thine be done.” There was no holding back. He went all the way to the cross. This was the supreme manifestation of His yieldedness to the will of God and His willingness to accept the utmost in humiliation.

No one else has ever come from infinite heights of glory to such a shameful death. If there had been a better way or another way by which the sin of the whole world could have been taken away, surely God would not have required His beloved Son to submit to such a death. This was the only way. There had to be a perfect sacrifice, an atonement of infinite value. This could be accomplished only by a person who was both God and man, who was without sin and yet was truly a man representing the human race. No other could take the place of Christ, no act of devotion, however unselfish, no act of ordinary man, however courageous, could atone for sin. As we contemplate the mind of Christ which made Him willing to die on the cross, we must realize that if Christ had not died men would still be in their sins with a hopeless eternity and facing just as certain a judgment as that which is the lot of the lost angels who know nothing of salvation.

With this reminder that eternal life is ours because of the mind of Christ in being willing to go to the cross, certainly our complaining lips and murmuring hearts should be stilled as we realize that God never asks His children to suffer or bear what Christ endured upon that cross. Whatever our measure of sacrifice, it is insignificant in comparison to what Christ did. We cannot share His sacrifice, but we can have the same attitude, the mind of Christ. We can be like Christ, obedient unto death. It is this attitude which yields the precious fruit of the unity of the Spirit and humility of mind which Paul sought to inculcate in the believers in the church at Corinth.

The Exaltation Of Christ (2:9-11)

The story does not end, however, with Christ on the cross or His dead body in the tomb. Evangelical Christians use as a symbol of their faith an empty cross because the work is now finished. The body of Christ was taken off the cross, temporarily laid in a tomb only to rise in triumph and victory over death and the grave. Our Savior now is a glorified Savior, not only possessing the glory which was His from eternity past as the Second Person of the Trinity, the outer manifestation of which He laid aside when He became incarnate, but now He has the added glory of victory over sin and death, the demonstrated power and work which He accomplished while in the earthly sphere. Of His present glory the apostle writes, beginning in verse nine: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The same Christ who divested Himself of the outer form of deity, condescended to become man, and humbled Himself by becoming obedient unto death, now is highly exalted and given a name which is above every name.

There has been some speculation as to just what this name is before whom every knee should bow. The simplest explanation however seems to be the best. As indicated in the text, the name before which everyone will bow is not some mystical unrevealed name which is yet to be given, but it is rather the simple name Jesus, the human name of Christ, the name which means Savior. It is this name which gathers in the whole story of His victory over sin and death and represents the added glory which was obtained by Christ through becoming man.

Those who are described as bowing the knee to the name of Jesus, though not named, are declared to be in heaven, in earth, and under the earth. This probably includes all created moral intelligences, namely, angels and men. Because of the exaltation of Christ, everyone in heaven should bow the knee to Him. Everyone in earth should recognize His supremacy and even those under the earth. Those in heaven undoubtedly include the holy angels and the saints. Those on earth may have primary reference not only to those now living on the earth, but to those over whom Christ will reign in His millennial kingdom. All will bow the knee to Him on earth in that future day. Those under the earth seems to be a reference to those who die without salvation and are forever lost. As stated in the text, the glory of Christ is presented as being such that everyone should bow before Him and confess Him as Lord.

A number of ancient manuscripts with slightly different reading affirm that not only should everyone confess Jesus Christ as Lord, but state that everyone shall confess Jesus Christ as Lord.¹⁵ In our present earthly experience it is clear that not all will bend the knee, nor will all acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, but the day is coming when every moral intelligence, both men and angels, will recognize that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord and that He is worthy of worship and adoration. Whether or not lost men and lost angels will ever bend the knee, they will not be able to gainsay in that day that Jesus Christ as their Judge is also their Lord.

Their reluctant confession in that day, however, will be too late. The Scriptures make plain that now is the day of salvation. Now is the time to receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Scriptures do not promise further opportunity on the morrow. The universal recognition that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord, which will occasion the shout of triumph and the adoration of the saints, will wring a cry of despair from those who have neglected their day of opportunity. But now it is still the day of grace and the day of opportunity. This is the impelling motive for evangelism, for missions, for translation of the Scriptures into all the languages of the world. It is still true that whosoever will may come.

If these things be true, let us heed the admonition of Scripture to bow our hearts, to bend the proud knee, and to acknowledge Him now, while there is time, as our Lord and Savior. May we not only enter into that which pertains to our personal salvation, but may we worship and adore the one who throughout all eternity will be the revelation of divine love, the one who considered the outer manifestations of His deity not something to be retained, but was willing to go all the way to the death on the cross. If we are able to enter into this blessed truth of what it means to have the mind of Christ, we will have opened the door to achieve the will of God for our lives.

As we examine our own meager vessels of devotion, our own limited yieldedness to the will of God, we have set before us the great example of a Savior who loved us to infinity, who gave Himself without stint, who held nothing back. For Him no task was too hard, no shame too great, no physical suffering beyond endurance. How necessary in the church of Jesus Christ as well as in our own souls is this attitude. As we sometimes find ourselves unwilling to do even a simple thing to the honor and glory of God, how important it is to turn away from all that is selfish and to be willing to serve God in unstinted love and devotion.

Application Of Christ’s Example (2:12-16)

Following the great declaration of the self-humiliation of Christ in His sufferings and death and the significant exaltation of Christ in glory which followed, the apostle now drives home to his Philippian readers the practical application of these truths to their own lives. This exhortation found in verses twelve to sixteen has its key thought in the expression of verse thirteen: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

The work of Christ on the cross was only the beginning of the work of God for man. Rich as was its provision in the redemption provided for the entire world, the application of that redemption to the individual and the realization in spiritual experience of victory over sin involves a subsequent undertaking of God. God’s method, using the work of Christ as the basis and the example of Christ as the pattern, is to reproduce in the life of the Christian the mind of Christ. The secret of this is bound up in the little phrase: “God worketh in you.” This portion of Scripture does not intend to unfold the complete doctrine, for it is clear that the total process of salvation, beginning with conviction before the transformation and consummating in perfection in glory, is a work of God involving many doctrines. In verse twelve, however, it is presented as a Christian experience of manifesting the salvation which God provides in a life of victory and obedience.

In approaching this subject the Apostle Paul is encouraged by the fact that the Philippians are not novices in the faith, but are already mature Christians. He addresses them therefore in these words: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” These verses have been subject to considerable misunderstanding in that the emphasis seems to be upon self-effort. What does it mean to work out one’s own salvation? Some have attempted to support the idea that when God saves a soul it is then up to the individual to possess and achieve the ultimate goals of salvation in Christ. They view Christianity as a step-ladder which reaches from earth to heaven which it is our duty to climb. A careful examination of this passage, however, will not justify this immature conclusion.

First of all, the salvation which is in view in this passage is not salvation from the guilt of sin. This is accomplished once and for all when a sinner receives Jesus Christ by faith as the One who bore his sins in His own body on the cross. In this sense, salvation is accomplished once and for all. Many times in Scripture, however, salvation is presented as a process which is not completed until the redeemed saint stands perfect in glory. The salvation that is in view in this passage, therefore, is deliverance from the power of sin, and the experience and manifestation of the new life in Christ. Like all other forms of salvation, it is a work of God but involving to a larger degree the element of individual experience and participation. It is therefore described as a human work in the expression: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” What does this mean?

As many have pointed out, it is not possible to work out something which is not already possessed. In other words, having received Christ as our Savior and having become a child of God, one has received many things which relate to his salvation which are true of every Christian, such as the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, eternal life, and the new possibility of serving God acceptably. The exhortation is to the point that this manifestation of salvation in life is one of the supreme goals of Christian experience, the details and realization of which is of such importance that one should approach the task with fear and trembling. The exhortation to accomplish this is couched in most loving terms by the apostle. He reminds the the Philippians of their past experience of always obeying, a yieldedness to God that was manifested not only when he was there but also in his absence. Now without his presence in their midst they were to give themselves all the more to a diligent working out of their salvation. In a word, it is an exhortation to realize the whole program of God in sanctification, testimony, and growth in grace.

Having thus alerted them to the necessity of serious effort, he assures them, however, that salvation fundamentally is a work of God for, in, and through man, not a work of man for God. It is God’s work in us. It is something that God does for us. Whatever effort we may expend, our salvation is nevertheless the working out of God’s plan in our life and experience. Accordingly, in verse thirteen he assures them: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Though the Scriptures recognize the validity of human choice, it is no contradiction of the principle of human responsibility that God works especially in His children inclining their wills to do the will of God and providing spiritual enablement that they may accomplish His good pleasure. Even the present experience of salvation depends upon divine provision. The present tense of the word worketh is most significant. It is God who keeps on working, not content with initiating the believer’s salvation, but continuing the work of salvation until the process is complete in glory.

With the great principles of experience of salvation set forth in verses twelve and thirteen, a series of particular exhortations follow. Though at first glance they may not seem to be sweeping in their character, a closer study will reveal that the apostle has set forth in these three verses the great essentials of the believer’s testimony in the world. In verse fourteen he categorically commands them: “Do all things without murmurings and disputings.” There are few exhortations in Scripture that are more incisive or demanding than this simple command. It demands of the Christian that he avoid complaining, not only in some things but in all things. The very common failing of the saints of God of murmuring, as illustrated in the life of Israel in the wilderness, is regarded as a very serious failure in the eyes of God. Their complaint about lack of water and lack of food, though very human, nevertheless brought sweeping divine judgment upon them. Their murmuring, though understandable, reflected an attitude of insubordination and lack of faith in their relationship to their God.

The saints at Philippi were exhorted to avoid murmuring and disputings or arguments in regard to all things. The order of Greek words is very significant, the word all occurring first and the verb second. Further, the tense of the verse is in the present, emphasizing that in all things and at all times they were not to murmur, or to substitute human reasonings for faith in God. This attitude of complete submission and complete trust is of course the key to working out our own salvation in fear and trembling and is the mark of a truly spiritual Christian.

In verse fifteen the apostle makes the further point that complete avoidance of murmurings and human reasonings is essential to a true testimony for God. The achievement of this standard will make possible, as he states in verse fifteen: “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” They were to be blameless, or more accurately, without blemish and harmless, pure in the midst of a wicked world. As the children of God (tekna, born ones), they were to be like lights in a dark world. Their moral purity was to be in contrast to the immoral world, their testimony as lights in a dark place.

Their position in the world, however, was not to be one of silent display, but they were actively to proclaim the gospel. This the apostle expresses in verse sixteen in the words: “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” The primary object of Christian testimony is not simply to illustrate in life the holiness and purity of Christ, but to proclaim in word the way of salvation that others may participate also in God’s salvation. They were to run the race to win the prize (Gal. 2:2; 1 Cor. 9:24; 2 Tim. 4:7). Paul holds this before them as an objective that they bring his own testimony in their midst to mature fruition. He anticipates the day of Christ, an expression earlier mentioned in chapter one, verses six and ten, referring to the rapture of the church and the judgment seat of Christ. The full fruit of his ministry in Philippi was not achieved simply by leading them to a knowledge of Christ as Savior, but depended upon their manifestation of that new life in Christ and the full extension of their Christian testimony. Evangelism and missions do not achieve their goals simply in the salvation of souls, but in the maturing of saints and the establishment of a true testimony for Jesus Christ.

The Example Of Paul (2:17-18)

The second chapter of Philippians falls naturally into four divisions. The chapter opens with four verses devoted to the exhortation to unity and humility. The second division deals with the humiliation and exaltation of Christ as the supreme illustration of the mind of Christ which should be in the believer. The exposition of what the mind of Christ is as manifested in working out one’s own salvation is contained in the third section, verses twelve to sixteen. In the concluding section, beginning with verse seventeen, a threefold illustration of the mind of Christ is offered in the life and witness of the Apostle Paul (w. 17-18), in Timothy (vv. 19-24), and in Epaphroditus (vv. 25-30). The mind of Christ as presented in this chapter therefore is not an unattainable ideal, but that which has been realized in large measure by those who have committed themselves completely to the will and service of the Lord.

The first illustration is that of Paul himself in which he speaks of his rejoicing in whatever measure God has used him to be of help to the Philippian church. He writes: “Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.” Paul is here contemplating the possibility that his service for the Lord may result in his martyrdom. He therefore contemplates what would be his reaction if he, like a drink offering, were poured out. The word offered is literally “to be poured out,” a figure of speech which might refer to his own blood shed in martyrdom, but perhaps more generally to be understood as the offering or pouring out of his life. Whether as a sacrifice or in priestly service, Paul would rejoice in the sacrifice and service of God up to the time of his writing in which he and the Philippian church had joined. Like Paul, the church at Philippi rejoiced in its sacrifices for it was to the glory of God and in it Christ was magnified. In some real measure Paul approximated the mind of Christ in being like Christ, willing to suffer and die in achieving the will of God.

The Example Of Timothy (2:19-24)

Not all of God’s servants, however, face martyrdom, and faithfulness in life and ministry are also an acceptable sacrifice to God. In this light the apostle commends Timothy to the Philippian church as his beloved son in the gospel, and announces his intention to send Timothy to them in verse nineteen: “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.” Paul’s concern for the Philippian church is manifested in this plan to send Timothy to them that Timothy may in turn report their progress in spiritual things. He therefore also includes a commendation that they may receive Timothy as his personal representative.

Paul describes Timothy’s testimony in these words: “For I have no man likeminded,¹⁶ who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.” In thus referring to Timothy he is not casting reflection on others who have served with him, such as Luke, but it is rather that Timothy to a pre-eminent extent had revealed the mind of Christ. Timothy’s care for the saints at Philippi was a natural or genuine solicitude. In contrast to others described as seeking their own advantage rather than the things of Christ, Timothy was genuinely unselfish in his love for others just as Christ manifested His love for the world. This was not idle sentiment on the part of Paul. He reminds the Philippian church that they knew Timothy’s testimony proved by a long life of service for God. Under Paul’s tutelage, as a son with his father, Timothy had demonstrated his faithfulness in the past in his service in the gospel.

Paul, however, will delay his sending of Timothy until such time as Timothy can bring report to the Philippian church of the outcome of his trial before Caesar. Paul anticipates that he will be able to follow Timothy shortly with a personal visit after his freedom. This he states in verses twenty-three and twenty-four: “Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.”

The Example Of Epaphroditus (2:25-30)

This great chapter of Scripture concludes with another illustration of a saint who had attained the mind of Christ in his life and witness. Epaphroditus, who had come from Philippi with the offering of the Philippian church to Paul, is being sent with this epistle back to Philippi with a word of apostolic approbation. As Timothy would be delayed until after the outcome of the trial, he is sending Epaphroditus at once. He describes him in verse twenty-five in these words: “Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.” In these words the apostle graciously describes Epaphroditus first as his brother in Christ, then as his companion in labor and fellowsoldier, that is, one who has borne the hardness of the spiritual conflict with Paul. He reminds them that Epaphroditus is also their messenger and one who faithfully ministered to Paul on their behalf.

In the providence of God, Epaphroditus had been very sick while in Rome, and in that state had been full of concern for he learned that the Philippian church had received tidings of his illness. Paul bears witness that their concern was not without foundation for in verse twenty-seven he indicates that Epaphroditus “was sick nigh unto death.” A further word of praise comes from the pen of Paul as he contemplates God’s mercy, not only upon Epaphroditus in raising him up, but also on Paul himself lest the added sorrow of Epaphroditus death should be laid upon him in his already burdened state in prison.

The sending of Epaphroditus to the Philippian church therefore has a double meaning. Paul states: “I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.” In stating that he “sent him the more carefully,” the meaning is that Paul has been more diligent in returning Epaphroditus to them promptly because of their concern about him and his desire that they may rejoice in his full recovery, thereby relieving any concern on the part of the apostle for the Philippian church in this time of testing.

He exhorts them: “Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation.” Epaphroditus was not only to be received as one of their own number who had served the Lord well, but they were to recognize his faithful ministry in Christ. This ministry is described in verse thirty. “Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding¹⁷ his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.” Paul is not complaining here about any lack of service on the part of the Philippian church, but rather taking note of their separation by distance which made impossible any other means of service than that which they had employed in sending Epaphroditus with their offering. The devotion of Epaphroditus to his responsibility toward Paul, even to the experiencing of sickness which might have resulted in his death, is an occasion of thankfulness to the Philippian church because in effect he was their substitute or representative.

¹² The Greek here is not the usual verb on (to be), but huparchon in the form of an imperfect participle, meaning continued existence, emphasizing the fact that Christ had always been and still is in the form of God. The imperfect tense is in contrast to the aorist verbs used in reference to the incarnation which describe acts in time.

¹³ Three Greek words are used to describe the outer appearance of Christ: (1) Morphe (form), referring to divine nature and attributes in their manifestation. The form of God is in contrast to the form of a servant (v. 7) or the manifestation of Christ in the substance and attributes of a servant. (2) Homoiomati (likeness), meaning that Christ was made like other men in His essential attributes and manifestation as a genuine man (v. 7). (3) Schemati (fashion), referring to outer manifestation and more transient characteristics of humanity (v. 8). The use of the three words together affirm that Christ was from eternity past all that God is in substance, attributes, and manifestation. Becoming incarnate He was all that was necessary to genuine humanity apart from sin. In appearance he looked like a man and acted like a man. In His incarnate state Christ continued to be all that God is though appearing in the form of man. After His ascension and glorification He continued to be all that man is apart from sin, limitation, and human characteristics that pertain only to this life.

¹⁴ The Greek expresion ekenosen, meaning to empty, is a strong word speaking of the dramatic act of incarnation. It must be interpreted, however, by its context. Christ did not empty Himself of deity, but of its outward manifestation. He emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant (Gr. labon, meaning taking, an aorist participle indicating simultaneous action). The incarnation did not change the person and attributes of Christ in His divine nature, but added to it a complete human nature. To achieve the divine purpose of becoming the Savior, the divine glory needed to be veiled. Christ voluntarily, moment by moment, submitted to human limitations apart from sin. The humiliation was temporary. The incarnation was everlasting.

¹⁵ Translators have preferred the reading giving the form of confess (Gr exomologesetat) as the aorist subjunctive (found in Aleph and B). An alternate reading in the form of the future indicative achieved by the change of one letter would make this a prophecy, i.e., “shall confess” instead of “should confess.” This is supported by a number of ancient manuscripts (ACDFGKLP).

¹⁶ The word translated likeminded (Gr. isopsuxon) is found only here in the New Testament and means literally like-souled.

¹⁷ In some versions with slight change of rendering the meaning is risking or gambling his life.

Peace In The Church (4:1-5)

The opening verse of the fourth chapter of Philippians is at once the conclusion of the previous discussion and the introduction of a new subject. In the light of doctrinal confusion caused by false teachers in contrast to the wonderful hope to be found in Christ culminating in our glorification in heaven, the apostle continues with another word of exhortation to realize in experience the unity, joy, and peace of Christian fellowship. He writes: “Therefore, my brethren dearly longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.”

Though he had earlier referred to the church at Philippi as the object of his love and affection, he now uses more emphatic language to express his love for them. They are not only dearly beloved (Gr. agapetoi) in contrast to being merely brethren as he had previously addressed them, but they are longed for and his joy and crown.¹⁹ They are exhorted to stand fast in the Lord. At the close of the verse he repeats the appellation by way of emphasis: “My dearly beloved.” In every way he has manifested his love for them to an unusual degree. Even the expression “longed for” (Gr. epitothetoi) is found only here in the New Testament though it occurs occasionally in other Greek literature.

With this background of love and devotion expressed to the Philippian church, he introduces a word of entreaty to Euodias and Syntyche for which apparently he had been preparing the way in the previous references urging unity in the church. He writes: “I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.” The same thought of unity is found earlier in the epistle (1:9, 27; 2:14; 3:16). Though there is no explanation of the problem beyond that which is stated in the next verse, a reasonable deduction is that these two women in the church had contributed an element of disunity which the apostle wants them to correct by becoming of the same mind in the Lord. It would seem from the general tenor of the epistle that the difficulty was not deep-seated and did not constitute a major schism, but it is evident that there was some friction between them.

One of the realistic problems which must be faced in the church is that personalities which differ may sometimes introduce an element of disharmony. The fact that individuals are fellow members in the church of Jesus Christ does not automatically give them the same opinion, either in doctrinal or practical matters. Sometimes ambition, pride, and stubbornness can intrude. These matters, however, are not impossible for grace to conquer, and it is this approach that is taken by the apostle. Though they may not be of the same mind in many matters, they should seek to have the same mind in the Lord.

In a partial solution of the problem which may have been created by these two contending women, he addresses in verse three an entreaty to one described as his “true yokefellow.” Some have taken the word for yokefellow (Gr. sunzuge) as a proper name of an individual. If it is a reference to a general rather than a specific person, it leaves us without a definite clue. Though the most likely solution is that it is addressed to Epaphroditus who is going to carry the letter back to Philippi, other suggestions have been made such as Timothy, Silas, Paul’s wife, or the husbands of the two women named in verse two. Light-foot’s suggestion that it is Epaphroditus is probably the best interpretation.

More important than the identity of the one to whom this exhortation is addressed is the exhortation itself: “And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.” There perhaps had been a failure to recognize the proper place of women in the Philippian church, either by giving them undue place or insufficient recognition. Paul exhorts that those women who had labored with him in the gospel should have the sympathetic co-operation and help of the men in the church. Though their names are not mentioned, Paul assures us that their names are entered in the book of life along with other laborers.

The reference to the book of life is left without explanation and has been variously interpreted as containing the roll of the saints who have eternal life or as the book which contains the names of all men, but from which have been deleted those who reject Christ or who fail to be numbered among those who are saved (cf. Ex. 32:32; Dan. 12:1; Luke 10:20; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 20:12). The clear implication here is that those who are mentioned are permanently inscribed in this record of the saints.

There is no implication in this passage that Paul is here authorizing women to take the place of men as preachers or evangelists. It is rather that in Scripture recognition is given to work properly assigned to women which is not properly assigned to men, and men are called to ministries that women are not. The principle guiding Paul’s exhortation is that every Christian, whether man or woman, should have his proper place and proper recognition in the Lord’s work.

In concluding this section on exhortation pertaining to unity and peace in the church, two important commands are given. “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” The theme of rejoicing introduced in chapter three, verse one, before taking up the subject of false teachers, is here reinforced by a double command. The use of the present imperative is emphatic. They were not only to rejoice, but they were to keep on rejoicing in the Lord at all times. This is so important that Paul repeats the command at the close of verse four.

There is an evident connection between rejoicing in the Lord and having peace and unity in the church. Both are products of fellowship with God, oneness of mind, and singleness of purpose in the Lord. To this exhortation he adds: “Let your moderation be known unto all men.” Translators have struggled to capture the meaning of this term translated moderation, and various alternatives have been suggested. One of the most accurate and significant is the expression “sweet reasonableness.” One possesses a sweet reasonableness who has the capacity of seeing things from another’s point of view. Such an attitude would help immeasurably in achieving peace and unity in a church fellowship.

The exhortation concludes with the simple declaration: “The Lord is at hand.” The significant fact of the Lord’s return mentioned in 3:20 has a tremendous effect on our judgment in matters facing spiritual decision. When problems are viewed from the standpoint of the imminent coming of the Lord, some things that formerly seemed important become unimportant, and others assume larger significance. Matters that pertain to eternity and which have eternal value tend to unify Christians in a common effort for the Lord.

Peace In The Heart (4:6-7)

The secret of peace in the church and unity of Spirit in spiritual matters is directly related, however, to peace in the heart of the individual believer. One of the major problems which faces the world in general as well as the individual believer in Christ is the matter of inner adjustment. The world as a whole is characterized by trouble, and problems both real and fancied plague the human heart. The world for all its scientific brilliance, its great scholars, and tremendous advance in many areas, has somehow not achieved a true ground for peace among nations, peace among individuals, or peace in the heart. On every hand there is evident tension and lack of peace is seen in the relationship between nations, the relationship between races, and even in the home. The many panaceas suggested fall far short of meeting the need. It should be obvious to any intelligent child of God that only by application of the Word of God can real peace be achieved. There is no peace for the wicked, and the Scriptures assure us that the way of the transgressor is hard.

It should be kept in mind that in addressing the Philippian church and exhorting them to peace of heart the apostle is building on the assumption that they already have received peace with God through personal faith in Jesus Christ. The only ground for real peace is one of individual relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. The basic requirement includes not only satisfaction of the righteous law of God through justification by faith, but the inner adjustment that is made possible by the new life in Christ Jesus and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit who alone can bring peace to troubled hearts.

It is nevertheless true, however, that Christians sometimes fall far short of experiencing the peace that could be theirs in Christ. Many genuine Christians never enter into the truth that God can give them peace, and for this reason they continue in a struggle with a strain and stress which God never intended them to have. Paul had established a standard of peace in the church and the goal of having one mind. Now he desires that Christians should also have the peace of God which passeth understanding.

It is with the purpose that the Philippian believers might know the reality of the peace of God that he exhorts them in verses six and seven: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” In exhorting the Philippian church that they should be careful for nothing, the apostle does not mean that they should be without care or careless. It is rather that they should in nothing be filled with anxious care but rather should present their needs to the Lord in prayer.

Three words are used for prayer. The first is a reference to prayer in general (Gr. proseuche). It is an approach to God which recognizes His infinity, His power, and His majesty. To this is added “supplication” (Gr. deesei) which has the thought of asking for specific things or the presentation of our needs. The third word, “requests,” (Gr. aitemata) is a word which sums up the items included in the two previous words for prayer and implies that divine action in answer to prayer is anticipated. The extent of the prayer life is defined by the phrase “in everything,” constituting an important reminder that lack of peace often results from lack of faithfulness in presenting to God in prayer the little things which constitute the frustrations and annoyances of life. It is only as every need is presented that God is given proper ground for granting peace in every respect. Appending the prayer, however, is the voice of praise indicated in the phrase “with thanksgiving.” This is at once a recognition of the grace of God, but is also the expression of faith that the God who has answered prayer in the past will continue to answer prayer in the future.

The question has often been raised, Why is it necessary to pray if God knows all about our life and our needs? Why is it necessary for the believer to exercise his privilege in prayer? The complete answer may not be given in the Word of God, but it is clear that God expects His children to pray and to present in detail the needs of their lives. It is also clear that the gracious provision of God is sometimes withheld because of failure on the part of the believer to come to God faithfully in prayer. Answers to prayer hang upon a simple human condition: “Let your requests be made known unto God.” This is then eloquently expressed in the familiar hymn: “Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain, we bear, All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.”

The exhortation is followed by the promise of verse seven: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” It is of course true that much can be learned by the application of ordinary psychology to the mental and intellectual problems of life. Undoubtedly Christians do not always employ common sense in approaching their problems. Sometimes even those who are not Christians can achieve a relatively sane attitude toward life and an adjustment to their difficult circumstances even apart from divine enablement.

In this passage, however, Paul is not referring to a peace of God which is derived from human reasoning or proper application of psychology. He specifically claims that the peace of God is an experience over and beyond any ordinary step toward mental health. It is not simply a balanced mind or looking at life from the standpoint of common sense. It is not to be defined as reducing our problems to proper dimensions and taking steps to solve them. Here he is talking about a peace that defies the psychologist, a peace which is beyond human understanding, a peace that is contradiction to common sense. It is a peace that can be achieved in the midst of trouble with problems unsolved, with the future unknown. It is the kind of peace that keeps not only the heart, the seat of human personality and feelings of love and emotions, but it keeps also our minds.

As the child of God faces the intellectual problems of life, the decisions that must be made and situations for which there does not seem to be any reasonable solution, he can still have the peace that passeth understanding. It is not derived from unusual analysis of his problems, nor peculiar insight. It is a peace which passeth understanding which is derived through his relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. Though the unbelieving world and many false religions offer a counterfeit peace, there is no substitute or equal to the peace of God. It is the fruit of the Spirit, a heart at rest in complete confidence, fellowship, and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is truly a peace of God, not a peace of man. It is the right and privilege of every child of God to have this blessed experience.

Peace With God (4:8-9)

In verses eight and nine of the fourth chapter of Philippians the apostle unfolds the doctrine of peace as it relates to the believer’s fellowship with the Lord. Though every Christian has peace with God in the sense that he is in Christ and no longer at emnity with God, many times that experience of peace does not include as it should a proper relationship experimentally with the Lord. The life of peace has not only the factors of faith and trust and resulting tranquillity of soul, but it involves also great moral issues without which there can be no experience of peace.

It is with this thought that the apostle exhorts the church at Philippi in verses eight and nine in these words: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” It is clear from this exhortation that the experience of peace in our relationship to God involves a mental approach and a moral life that is in contrast to that of the world.

Paul begins by mentioning that our minds should be fixed on that which is true in contrast to that which is false, on things that are honest or honorable, on things that are just or right, on things that are pure in a moral sense, on things that are lovely, that is, attractive to the spiritual mind, on things of good report, that is, things that are judged good by our fellow Christians. If there is any virtue, i.e., moral excellence or any item worthy of praise, these should be the objects of our meditation. In a word, the apostle exhorts the Philippian believers to being occupied mentally with the things of God, thereby providing the proper soil for the nurture of the soul and the experience of the peace of God. Further, he concludes that they should follow the example of Paul and do those things which they have learned, received, heard, and seen in him. He assures them that if they follow this instruction and this program of life that the God of peace would be with them. He does not imply that these are necessary to avoid abandonment by God, but it is rather that God would manifest Himself to them as the giver of perfect peace.

In the upper room the Lord told His disciples: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” These memorable words define what is meant by the peace of God. Christ in the shadow of the cross, in the hour of great agony of soul as He contemplated becoming the sin offering for the whole world, could nevertheless speak of “my peace.” He referred to the peace of God, that peace which rests in unlimited measure in the heart of God and is realized by the believer as he puts confidence in a God of wisdom, a God of love, and a God of power. It is a peace that comes from dependence upon a God who knows the end from the beginning, who does all things well, and will not permit in the life of His children anything that will not work out for eternal good. The peace of God, which is described by Paul as beyond understanding, becomes the possession of the child of God when he is willing to rest his burden with the Lord and find the divine grace which is bestowed through the Holy Spirit.

Contentment In All Circumstances (4:10-13)

In the closing portion of his Epistle to the Philippians, the apostle discusses the main purpose and occasion of the epistle, that is, the recognition of the gift the Philippian church had sent to him by the hands of Epaphroditus. His joy at their gift and the thoughtfulness and love it reflected is described and made the occasion for a discussion of the proper attitude of a Christian toward physical things. He opens the discussion in verse ten by writing: “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.”

It might have been expected that the Philippian church would have communicated to Paul’s needs if he had been in jail at Philippi, but the long distance between Philippi and Rome did not give them opportunity to minister to him, and it is to this he refers. The fact that they had gone to such effort to send him an offering by the hand of one of their beloved brethren in the church at Philippi touched Paul’s heart and gave him great encouragement in the lonely hours of his imprisonment.

Paul wants, however, to make it plain to the Philippian church that his joy is not occasioned primarily by the physical benefit he derived. It would not have been impossible for him to go on without their help. Therefore he is careful to state in verses eleven and twelve: “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both²⁰ to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

As is made clear by the life and testimony of the Apostle Paul, these words are not an idle boast, but a sober statement of life principle. In many years of suffering deprivation because of his loyalty to the Lord, he had learned to adjust to any situation and to be content with it as that which God had provided for him. In his experience he had had all the vicissitudes of life. He had on occasion been abased, and on others had abounded. At times he had had plenty, and at other times had been hungry and suffered need. The apostle is mentioning this not only to clarify his own motives in receiving their gift but also in the hope that they would share with him the same attitude toward life. The secret of his contentment was not simply resolution of character, but is revealed in verse thirteen in the simple affirmation: “I can do all things through Christ which strengthened! me.” In other words, his ability to withstand suffering and endure privation did not arise in his own character, but instead was a testimony to the power and grace of Christ operating in him.

Though he was sufficient by the grace of God to do without things when this was necessary, he wanted it to be understood that this was accomplished by the power of Christ which was also available to them.

Thanksgiving For Their Gift (4:14-18)

In verse fourteen he assures them that nevertheless God was working in their loving gift which they had communicated to him. He writes: “Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.” The word translated “communicate” has the thought of fellowship or sharing. Through their gift they had not only communicated to Paul a share of their temporal goods, but had in measure shared with him his trials.

The gift of the Philippian church was all the more remarkable because it was not the first gift they had sent. He bears testimony in verse fifteen to their earlier love gifts: “Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.” In verse sixteen he mentions that while he was in Thessalonica, even though his stay there was so short, they had sent more than one gift. “For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.” Considering the many friends of the Apostle Paul and the many churches to which he ministered, it is no less than remarkable that none of them undertook to care for Paul in temporal things like the Philippian church. It therefore was not simply the physical benefit that was derived, but the thoughtfulness and love which it reflected that moved the Apostle Paul to write these tender words of appreciation.

In discussing the matter the apostle again makes clear that it is not the gift in which he is interested primarily, but in the giver. In verse seventeen he wrote: “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” Then, lest it should be thought that the apostle was indulging in any self-pity, he describes their offering in glowing terms as having met completely his need. “But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.” It would seem to indicate from this description that their gift was a generous one and one that met his immediate financial needs, but Paul is mostly concerned with the nature of the offering which he describes as an odor of sweet smell, an acceptable sacrifice, and one that is well-pleasing to God, and similar to the sweet-savor offerings of the Old Testament. Paul uses the same expression for sacrifices that are well-pleasing to God as is mentioned in Hebrews 13:16.

If the Philippian church is here commended because of its gift to the Apostle Paul, it should be clear that the principle of faithful stewardship on the part of churches in support of Christian workers is also commended. Though sacrifice is inevitable in any true service for God, it is not to be one-sided. Those who dedicate their lives like Paul should not be expected to bear a disproportionate share of the sacrifice, but the churches that are served or represented by the Lord’s servant should, like the church at Philippi bring their offerings as an acceptable sacrifice in which God is well pleased. Such an offering as described is similar to the sweet savor which ascended from the altar of sacrifice or the altar of incense and was accepted by God as a most commendable work. It is remarkable that a God who possesses all earthly things can be impressed by the temporal gifts of His children. It is not the amount or character of the gift that is important. It is the love and devotion it reflects. In giving a love token to one of infinite wealth the value of the gift is insignificant. The thoughtfulness, love, and motives that prompt the gift are by far more important. The widow’s mite is noticed by an infinite God who ignores the gifts without sacrifice of the rich.

Assurance Of Divine Supply (4:19-20)

Though Paul could give to the Philippian church no monetary gift in return, he gives them a promise worth infinitely more as recorded in verses nineteen and twenty: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” The Philippian church had been faithful with what God had committed to them. Now they were given in return the promise that God would supply their needs.

One of the questions which face all donors who give of their substance to the Lord is whether they will ever need it themselves. To human wisdom the future is unknown, and there may be troubles and unexpected needs ahead. Every act of giving is by its very nature an act of faith. The Philippians are assured that their act of faith will be rewarded. God will supply all their needs. This does not mean necessarily that they would be unduly wealthy, but that there would be manifested in their physical as well as their spiritual lives the evident supply of the Lord.

There is no better way to be assured of God’s care in the future on the part of the child of God than to have the conviction that he is being faithful with what God is giving to him at the present. God may not always award His children distinctive temporal gifts, but it is impossible to be a faithful steward without just recompense from a faithful God. God may not give us all our desires or even what we consider to be wants, but He will supply our needs.

The pattern of divine giving is also stated graphically in this passage as being according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. It is another way of saying that God will give according to His own infinite ability to give, according to His infinite love, and according to His infinite grace. Though all we give to God necessarily has been given to us by God and we are only stewards of all we possess, it is nevertheless true that God will repay a hundredfold every act of devotion, every gift of sacrifice, and that He will pay accounts in full, not only in this life but in the life to come. Both the gift and its reward, however, fit into the larger pattern of bringing glory to the Lord, and with this he concludes the exhortation of the book: “Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Salutations And Benedictions (4:21-23)

In the closing verses of this epistle Paul addresses greetings to the saints: “Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Though many of Paul’s friends were far removed from him in distance, he was not without fellowship with the believers in Rome. These brethren joined with him in greetings to the Philippian church. Of particular interest, however, is the fact that joining with the others are some who are members of Caesar’s household, undoubtedly trophies of grace won through his faithful witness as a prisoner in the city of Rome. They too sent their greetings to the Philippian church as if to say that their presence is another evidence of the faithfulness of God in using the witness of the apostle.

As Paul closes the epistle he pronounces the usual benediction: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Above all else he wanted the grace of God to be experienced by the Philippian church, to be manifested in their lives and testimony, and to cause the fruit of the gospel to abound in them.

¹⁹ Gr. Stephanos, a crown given to a victor in an athletic contest to be contrasted to diadema, the crown of a ruler.

²⁰ Gr. memuemai, to learn or be initiated in a secret, to be initiated.

First Thessalonians 2:1-20

Salvation First

Over the first chapter the word “salvation” was written because this letter would never have been written if the Thessalonians had not trusted in the Lord Jesus. It was the beginning of vital living for God, of entering into eternal things. It is a reminder, of course, that one does not begin living until he is saved by trusting the Lord Jesus Christ. Life begins when that greatest of all decisions is made of trusting in Jesus Christ as personal Savior.

There are many today who have religion, that is, they go to church and engage in religious activities. But it is only too true that many have only the outer appearance of Christianity and have never come to real faith in Jesus Christ as personal Savior. The Thessalonians were not guilty of superficial religion, however. They had really trusted Christ and their lives had been transformed. The fact of their salvation lays the foundation for the truths which are revealed in the chapters which follow.

A Success Story

Over Chapter 2 can be written a very common word, “service.” The chapter reveals how to serve God both by precept and by Paul’s dynamic example. Chapter 2 of First Thessalonians is a “success story.” Paul had done something that was quite phenomenal. He had come to a town where there was not a single Christian. He had gone into the Jewish synagogue and there had preached the gospel. He had preached also to Gentiles in their homes. In three weeks this dynamic person by the grace of God had founded a new church—a church which has come down through the centuries to us as an example of faith and faithfulness. How did he do it?

There are many communities in America that need desperately churches bearing a real testimony for Christ. Can we have such churches? The answer is found in the second chapter of First Thessalonians. Paul begins chapter 2 with the fact of their testimony being used of God: “For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain.” God had undertaken for them and blessed the message and souls were saved. In verse 2 the secret of it is revealed.

Boldness in Testimony

Over the first two verses of the second chapter we can write the word boldness. One of the reasons why Paul was successful was that he was bold. If he had gone to Thessalonica and had failed to preach the gospel, the probability is that in three weeks he would not have made much of an impression. If he had not told anyone about the Lord Jesus Christ, if he had not proclaimed boldly that Christ was the only Savior, that Christ loved the world, that He died for the world, that they could be saved only by trusting in the risen Savior, he would not have had one convert.

Boldness in Spite of Suffering

The first point in effective service for God is boldness, a boldness made more significant by subjection to suffering. Paul and Silas had come from Philippi where they had been thrown into prison, and beaten, and had suffered for the gospel’s sake. When Paul came to Thessalonica, instead of saying “I have suffered enough”—as some Christians might have done—he spoke boldly. Hence in verse 2 we read, “Even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.”

The word that is translated “bold” comes from a Greek word of eight syllables, eparresiasametha. It is a long word. It means to be bold in the sense of speaking out publicly, of making a public declaration. It is possible to be a secret believer. Undoubtedly, some are saved that have not told very many about it. But secret believers do not lead souls to Christ. The way to lead people to Christ is to be bold, to proclaim the gospel. This is the basic program of the present dispensation.

Boldness with Agony of Heart

Paul was called to preach and he preached boldly, “with much contention.” The word which is translated “contention” is agoni. It is the word from which we get agony. There was an agony of soul in Paul as he preached the gospel. To be effective in our testimony, to be successful even by worldly standards, it is necessary to have a boldness inspired by an agony of heart. This does not mean that one should be tactless, or without common sense in the approach, but there must be a bold witness for Jesus Christ.

Preaching the Pure Word

In 1 Thessalonians 2:3-6, the character of Paul’s preaching is graphically portrayed. One of the tragedies of our day, as all true Bible students know, is that some preaching is not according to the Word of God. Like the ancient Bereans, modern Christians need to search the Scriptures, testing the message by the Book. By this standard, Paul’s preaching rang true. This was evident first by the things that were not true about his preaching. In verse 3 Paul writes, “Our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile.” In other words, it was pure in its content and in its intent. It was pure in the sense that there was no deceit or, literally, no error. There was no uncleanness or impurity of motive either.

Danger of Adulterating the Word

Sometimes truth is mixed with error. In fact, the most dangerous kind of preaching is that which is partly true. But Paul said, “my message was not just partly true. It is without error. It has no deceit in it. It is the pure truth. It is not adulterated by human philosophy and human speculation.” It was, then, God’s message to them concerning Christ.

Paul goes on to a further claim: his message was also without guile—that is, Paul did not come to trick them and to use methods that were questionable. He did not try to get a superficial decision for Christ, but he laid down plainly before them the truth of the gospel and the issues of heaven and hell that were concerned. The result was that when they trusted in Christ it was a clear-cut decision which resulted in a real testimony that stood the test in the days that followed. It depended upon the purity of the message in both its content and intent.

Pleasing God

It is also brought out that Paul was a faithful servant of God as he preached. “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.” The final test of every life and of every message or sermon is “What does God think about it?” The judgment of God is not always according to the judgment of men. Men may judge a message by its interest, its literary quality, the words delivered, its intelligence, the fact that the speaker revealed great background of knowledge in his subject, or by the skill with which it was delivered. When a preacher delivers a message for God it should be just as good as he can make it. On the other hand, God is primarily concerned with the message itself. Is it true? The most beautifully delivered sermon that is not true, that is not God’s message, is useless in the hands of God.

The ultimate test of a message is, does it please God? That is true for the preacher, for the Sunday school teacher, or the personal worker. There is no more acid test of any service that is rendered for God than the question, “Is it pleasing to God?” Our little houses of self-praise and self-gratification tumble in a moment when we stop to consider “What does God think about it?” As Paul preached he said, “I was not trying to please you Thessalonians; I did not come here to impress upon you that I was a great pulpit orator, or a great missionary, or a great scholar. I was here because I was seeking to please God.” Certainly this is a standard to challenge every thoughtful Christian.

Twin Evils of Flattery and Covetousness

Paul reveals how this worked out in verse 5: “Neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness.” In this verse is seen, as was mentioned earlier, in Chapter 1, that Paul appeals sometimes to the outward, i.e., what man can see; sometimes he appeals to what God can see. It is not difficult for us to identify flattery. We all know people who are flatterers, and sometimes we like to listen to them. Some people delight to be told, “My, you look so young,” and to hear the comment that they look fifteen years younger than they actually are. The flesh loves flattery. But Paul said, “I did not come to you Thessalonians and say, What outstanding citizens you are! What beautiful characters you are! Folks as good as you are ought to be trusting Christ.” No, he did not use any flattery. He told them the hard truth, that they were lost sinners, that they were bound for hell, that they needed a Savior desperately, that their religion such as they had was not enough. They needed Christ; they needed His glorious salvation. There was no flattery in that, was there? That was the truth. He said, “I did not come to flatter you; I came to deliver a message from God.” He reminds them of the fact that they knew it. There was no one in Thessalonica who thought of Paul as a flatterer.

But when it came to covetousness, there was something that pertains to the heart. It is not always apparent whether a person is covetous or not. It is difficult to determine whether one is serving you to make money or whether he is honestly trying to help you without covetousness. Paul does something here which is certainly the application of the acid test. He calls God to witness. “As God is my witness, I did not come here to make merchandise of you; I did not come because you promised me an honorarium, or a high salary, or any of the things that pertain to the comforts of life. I did not come that way to you and you know it. God is witness that my heart was right in this thing.” Not only was his message pure in its content, but his whole purpose was pure in the sight of God. That, of course, was one of the reasons God could use him.

Renunciation of the Honor of Men

Verse 6 adds another important factor: “Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.” In other words, Paul could have come to the Thessalonians and expanded his chest and said, “I am an apostle and you must recognize my high office because God has sent me.” He could have told them he had the right to order them around, but he said, “I did not come in that spirit. I did not come to be honored by you. I came because I had a message, because I wanted to help you, because you needed the Savior.” Certainly that is the secret of effective Christian testimony. Boldness, having our hearts right before God, delivering God’s message in its purity and in its power, seeking not our own advantage but seeking the glory and the approbation of God—that is the secret of Paul’s success.

Loving the People of God

Through verse 6 Paul has itemized the things that he did not do. He was not covetous or deceitful and he did not have errors in his message. In verse 7 and through verse 12 we have what he did do—the positive side of his message. There is a danger of regarding Christianity as a negative standard. We should not do this; we should not do that; we should not do something else. There are bona fide negatives in the Christian faith. If one is going to have a real testimony for Christ, there are some things he cannot do. But Christianity does not consist in negatives. Christianity consists in what one believes, in the life one lives and in the service one renders. Paul is revealing here the secret why he was so effective in this Thessalonian church.

In verses 7-8 Paul shows his loving care for them: “But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: so being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.” Here is the compassionate heart that made possible the successful ministry of Paul.

In our service for God have we lost our heart? Sometimes we do things for God because it is our duty. If we cannot do it for any other reason, let us do it as our duty. But certainly there is something deeper than that. Paul had come to this city of Thessalonica, to those he had never seen before. But how he loved them now as trophies of grace! As a parent loves his child he loved these little ones of Christ.

Paul was taking care of them just as a nurse takes care of her children. Literally, the expression is a “nurse taking care of her own children.” A professional nurse will often do a good job of taking care of someone else’s child because she believes in a certain professional standard of duty. But if it is her own child, that makes a tremendous difference. All the technicalities now become tremendously important and she is willing, if necessary, to give her own life, as Paul says he is willing to do for the Thessalonians. Paul is revealing the compassion, the burning heart that he has as he deals with these whom he had led to know Jesus Christ as Savior.

Laboring Night and Day

Paul reminds the Thessalonians also in verse 9 how he had labored in their midst: “Ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.” Paul did not have a forty-hour week. When it came to 4:30 or 5:00 o’clock, he did not say, “Now the rest of the day is mine; I can do with it as I please.” No, Paul was a bondslave of Jesus Christ. He was under orders like a soldier whether it was eight hours or twelve hours or twenty-four hours. Paul was on duty, and as he realized that his time was short he “laboured night and day.”

In apostolic times it was customary to stop work when darkness came and go to bed. When a person labored night and day it was the unusual thing, but that was what Paul did. Many a lonely hour in the night he was trying to help some soul come to Christ, to understand the tremendous issues that were latent in the gospel message, and praying with them. He was laboring night and day. There was many a late hour when Paul was alone on his knees before God getting the power and strength and the wisdom to know what to do the next day as he sought to be a true servant of God. The Christian life is not a continuous vacation. Christians should have vacations even as Christ took His disciples off to rest awhile. But the Christian life should not be a question of doing as little as possible. Rather like Paul our lives should be poured out in service for the Lord.

Inverses 10-11 he reminds them of his faithful labors: “Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: as ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children.” Earlier Paul used the figure of a nurse caring for her child, a mother’s love if you please; now he turns to a different figure, a father’s love for his children. Both were true in the Apostle’s heart. His labor and his ministry were honorable before God who sees the heart. Seeking to win others for Christ is not only a matter of boldness in the spoken message. There must also be the attendant life of testimony for God. Few Christians realize how many are watching them to discover in their lives the answer to the question of whether Christianity is real, whether it really satisfies, and whether it pays to serve the Lord. Paul, as he ministered to the Thessalonians, not only delivered the message in word but he delivered the message also in life. His daily life before them was the life of a man who was walking in the will of God.

Walking Worthy

Paul concludes this section, therefore, in verse 12, with the exhortation “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” Christians are in the kingdom of God now, but there is a glorious kingdom ahead of us also, the glory that is going to be ours in the predicted millennial kingdom and throughout eternity as we are with Christ. In view of these things, God has called us to a walk that is in keeping with our destiny. A little child born into a royal family is given special care. He cannot do the things that other children do, at least not in quite the same way. The reason is that he is being prepared for a place of responsibility and leadership.

Christians are exactly in that position. We do not “walk worthy” in order to be saved, or in order to become a royal child, but we “walk worthy” of God because we are saved, because we are a child of the King by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So Paul lays before the Thessalonian Christians this exhortation to “walk worthy.” How many problems this standard solves! Sometimes folks will come to a preacher or a Sunday school teacher and say: “Now, is this right? Can a Christian do this?” So many of those problems are solved in a moment if the question is asked: “Is it worthy? Is it something that is honoring to God? Would God be pleased with this situation? So often the uncertainties and the obscurities in the judgment of men are wiped away when one applies the test of the Scriptures. Certainly there are many things that we cannot do as Christians because we are Christians, because God has called us to a holy walk and a life that is well pleasing to Him.

Receiving the Word As From God

In the closing portion of Chapter 2, beginning with verse 13, the other side of the picture is presented. In the first eleven verses Paul’ s secret of success is unfolded — why he preached, how he preached, and why he had such phenomenal results. There are two aspects to every sermon; one is the delivery and the other is the hearing. How do we listen to sermons? We listen to sermons from different standpoints. A preacher may listen to a sermon to see if he can get a message for some future occasion. A Sunday school teacher may listen to a sermon to see if he can get some information for his Sunday school lesson. A person who is lonely may be coming for comfort. A person who is unsaved may be seeking salvation. There are different motives behind our hearing. Sometimes our motives are not good. Sometimes Christians do not really come with open hearts to receive a message from God, and become occupied with the messenger instead of the message and the Savior.

The Thessalonian Christians, according to the record, were not simply interested in Paul, as grand a figure as he was, but as he delivered the message recorded in these verses they received it as the Word of God. Verse 13 notes:” For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” The message was received not because Paul delivered it. The thing that thrilled them was that they had heard the Word of God. They had received it as the authoritative Word of God because it came from God. The proof of it is found in the verses that follow.

Persecution a Test of Faith

Testing had come almost at once for this new band of Christians and they were bitterly persecuted. Paul tells them that they became followers of others who were persecuted. “Ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews.” One of the hardest experiences in life when you stand for Christ is to have your own loved ones oppose you. If friends and neighbors and relatives—one’s own loved ones—oppose a young Christian, it makes it very difficult, but this was often true in the early church. It is also true in modern times. What a young Christian does under these circumstances is a test of the reality of his faith. The Thessalonians had stood true, no matter who opposed them.

Persecution was not peculiar to the Thessalonians however. Paul mentions the fact that those who lived in Jerusalem at that time had “killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men.” You see Paul, who was a Jew, was being persecuted by his fellow countrymen just as Christ had been crucified before by His own people. The Thessalonians were going through a similar experience. Opposition to the apostles had gone so far as to be described in verse 16 as “forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.” The opposition of the world and of the unbelieving heart is especially brought out when a person faithfully preaches Christ. The world does not necessarily oppose morality as such. It often does not oppose religion as such, but it does oppose a bona fide, transforming kind of Christianity. The world does not want Christ and Him crucified. When we take our stand for Christ, we can expect some opposition from unbelievers.

Paul’s Longing for Them

Paul opens his heart in verses 17 and 18 as he tells them how he longed after them. When we have loved ones who are away from us and we get word that they are going through the deep waters of affliction, how we want to drop everything and rush to them! We think they need us, and our comfort and help. Paul was just that way, but he could not go back. If he had gone back, he would have become a martyr for the faith. He would have cut short a ministry that God had for him. It was not God’s will for Paul to die at this point in his life. For this reason, he could not go to Thessalonica. Satan hindered him. How Satan sometimes gets in our way! This word hinder in the Greek means to break up the road. The thought is that the way was impassable. Satan had broken up the road before him and Paul could not get through to them, even though he longed to see them and to be a further help to them.

What Is Our Hope?

But all was not lost. In verses 19 and 20 there is a bright note, repeated so often in this epistle, the theme of the coming of the Lord and the joy that will be ours when Christ comes back. Paul asks in verse 19, “What is our hope?” What does the future hold for us? Do we have a real hope? A person who is a Christian has a real hope. One who has been born again, who is a child of God, has a real hope. But if our hope is not in Christ we have no ground for hope. Paul said, “What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?”

What Is Our Crown of Rejoicing?

Paul is looking forward to that glad day when this life’s journey will be over and he would be in the presence of the Lord along with all the other Christians. He is picturing the time of the translation of the church, when Christ will come for His own to take them home to glory. He had asked, What is our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing? The answer is: “Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.” Paul was not content to be saved himself. It is wonderful to be saved; it is wonderful to know one is going to heaven. But Paul said the real joy that was going to be in his heart as he stood in the presence of the Lamb of God, the one who loved him, the one who had died for him on the cross, would be his spiritual children that he would bring with him, whom he had led to know Jesus Christ as Savior.

Have you ever led a soul to Christ? One may say, “I am not an evangelist. I am not a good personal worker.” But have you ever tried? God loves to use those who are willing to be used, and there is latent in many a Christian a gift for leading souls to Christ which he does not realize. Almost anyone can give out gospel tracts. Any Christian can pray. Anyone can give of his substance for missions. There are more ways than one by which earnest Christians can lead souls to Christ. When that glad day comes when we are in the presence of Christ, will we have some trophies of grace? Paul said, “When that day comes, I am going to be exalted. Why? Because of you Thessalonians who came to know the Lord Jesus Christ through my ministry among you.” In that day, will it be our portion to look at those saved through our gospel testimony and with Paul to say, “Ye are our glory and joy”?

Questions

1. Why is this chapter a success story?

2. What do we learn about boldness?

3. Explain how Paul’s message was pure in content and intent.

4. Contrast Paul’s desire to please God and his approach to pleasing men.

5. Contrast what Paul did not do with what he did do in presenting his message to them.

6. How does Paul describe the response of the Thessalonians to his message?

7. How does Chapter 2 end on a message of hope?

First Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Daily Expectation of the Early Church

The fourth chapter of 1 Thessalonians contains one of the outstanding prophetic or eschatological passages of the New Testament. In this epistle there is constant reference to future things, each chapter closing with some allusion to prophecy. It was typical of the early church to have daily expectation that Christ would return. None of the apostles or early Christians, however, realized that the church age in which we find ourselves would be extended two thousand years. They, of course, did not set any date for the return of the Lord, but they were looking for Christ’s coming in their lifetime, and this expectation continued in the early church fathers.

In the Old Testament there had been many predictions concerning Christ’s coming, including His first as well as His second coming. As far as the Old Testament revelation was concerned, both comings were seen in one picture. The disciples did not understand the distinction between the two comings because the Old Testament does not make clear that there was to be a period of time between the first and the second coming of Christ. The disciples anticipated that when Christ came the first time He would fulfill the prophecies that actually pertained to His second coming, such as the earthly reign of Christ, the kingdom of righteousness and peace, and the deliverance of the Jews from their enemies, the Romans. They confidently expected that Christ would reign and that they would reign with Him. That is why they were so disappointed and disillusioned when Christ began to tell them that it was necessary for Him to die. They could not fit this into the picture. They thought Christ was going to bring in the Messianic kingdom immediately.

Doctrine of Translation Introduced in John 14

In Chapter 14 of John, in the very shadow of the cross, Christ reveals an amazing new revelation which He had not tried to teach them before, that is, that there was another purpose of God to be fulfilled first before bringing in the millennial kingdom. Christ told the disciples that He was going to leave them and go to heaven, that He would prepare a place for them in heaven, and that He would come back to receive them unto Himself. In other words, He revealed to them that before He fulfilled His purpose to bring in a kingdom on earth He was going to take them home to glory first. He would come back for them and take them to dwell with Him in the Father’s house in heaven before His return to the earth. This truth, of course, was not completely understood by the early Christians, just as it is not completely understood by many Christians today, but it inspired a daily expectancy of His return. They were looking for Christ to come and take them home to glory. This was not death, though of course when a Christian dies we believe that he is “absent from the body” and “present with the Lord.” They were looking for Christ to come and take them home to glory without dying.

The Order of Resurrection and Translation

Though Paul had been in Thessalonica a short time, it is quite clear that he taught the Thessalonian Christians this truth. As this epistle makes plain, they had no doubt as to the truth of the coming of Christ for them. But there was a problem which Paul had not made clear to them. That was the question concerning the time when their loved ones who had died in Christ would be raised. It is evident that Paul had taught them that there would be a number of resurrections in a chronological order as the Scriptures portray—not just one general resurrection as some believe today. The question in their minds was: When, in the order of the various resurrections, would the loved ones in Christ be raised? Apparently they thought they would be caught up to be with the Lord at any time and that the resurrection of their loved ones would be delayed, possibly until after the great tribulation when Christ came back to establish His kingdom. They wanted some instruction on this point. Paul writes this letter to answer this question.

The Certainty of Christian Hope

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Paul states: “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” One of the great facts of the Christian faith is that we have hope when our loved ones in Christ are taken away from us in death. Christians often fail to realize the hopelessness that characterizes heathen religions. There is no hope in the future life apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. A Christian has a wonderful hope that after this life there is going to be a glorious, unending existence in the presence of God with all the joy and ecstasy that will be ours when we are joined to Christ and with our loved ones in Christ who have gone on before us. So Paul tells the Thessalonians that he does not want them to have the attitude of the pagan world which has no hope, but instead he wants them to enter experimentally into the glory of the hope that is before them.

In verse 14 the ground for that hope is given. How certain is our hope? “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” In other words, the precious truth concerning the coming of Christ for His own is as certain as the central doctrine of the death and resurrection of Christ. Unless we are absolutely certain concerning the death and resurrection of Christ, we are not certain in our Christian hope. The place to begin is at the cross of Christ. It is there that Christ died for our sins; it is there we learn that we had a substitute—one who was able to save us and one who provided a sufficient sacrifice for our sin. We do not progress in our Christian faith until we come to the cross. Linked with the cross is the resurrection of Christ which is God’s seal and the evidence or the apologetic for our Christian faith. Here is the stamp of certainty: Christ rose from the dead. If we believe that Christ died for us, if we believe that Christ rose from the dead, and really believe it by receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior, then we have a ground for hope.

Loving His Appearing

One of the reasons why so many in these days do not consider seriously the coming of Christ for them is that they have not been at the cross of Christ enough. Pulpits that do not proclaim the death of Christ and His resurrection can hardly be expected to preach the coming of the Lord. It is all tied together. If we accept what the Scriptures teach about the first coming of Christ and put our trust in Him, then there will be planted in our hearts an earnest desire to see the Savior, and the truth of His coming for us will be exceedingly precious. Do we really love the Lord’s appearing? Does it mean anything that Christ might come back today? There are many Christians who may have it as a part of their creed, but not as a living expectation. The difficulty is that their hearts and minds are not really fixed on Christ. We will love the appearing of the Lord in direct proportion as we love the Lord Himself. If we love Him, if we long to see Him who first loved us, then the truth of the Lord’s coming and the fact that He could come today will be a precious truth.

Them Which Are Asleep

In verse 14 there is the statement: “Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” Reference is made in verse 13 and in verse 15 to “them which are asleep,” and in verse 14tothem “which sleep in Jesus.” What does it mean? Sleep is a softened expression for death, which for a Christian is very much like sleep. We understand from Scripture that it refers to bodies which are laid in the grave. As far as our souls and spirits are concerned, we go immediately into the presence of God, into the conscious enjoyment of heaven, for “to be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord.” We believe in the sleep of the body, but we do not believe in the sleep of the soul. Those whose bodies are sleeping in the grave, according to this Scripture, will be resurrected when Christ comes back.

There is a problem in verse 14 in the statement, “them also which sleep in Jesus.” Literally, it is “them also which sleep through Jesus,” the preposition being not in according to the Greek New Testament, but through. What does it mean to sleep through Jesus? The meaning is that when a Christian dies, his hope of being in the presence of God is made possible through Jesus. Our loved ones who are asleep through Jesus go to sleep in the certain hope of waking. Some have taken the expression “through Jesus” to go with “shall God bring with him.” This is also true and may be the meaning of the expression. All our hope is certainly “through Jesus.”

The Time of the Resurrection

In verse 15 and following Paul answers their main question. This question was not “Is the Lord coming?” or “Are we going to be with the Lord?” They believed that. The question was: “What is going to happen to our loved ones who have preceded us in death?” Some of the Thessalonians may have died a martyr’s death. The expression “asleep through Jesus” could mean this. In any case, in the few months since Paul had been in Thessalonica these had slipped away from their mortal bodies. It reminds us of the uncertainty of life. Whether we are young or old, whether well or in poor health, we do not know how much time God is going to give us to serve Him in this world. These few in the Thessalonian church who had already died in Christ were illustrations of the uncertainty of human life. We should be living every day in such a way that if it is our last day on earth it will be a day well spent in the Master’s will.

Because some had gone on to be with the Lord, Paul writes the Thessalonians in verses 15 and 16: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [or “shall not precede”] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” The question had been asked: “When will the dead in Christ be raised?”

The answer is: “The dead in Christ will be raised before we go to see the Lord.” Then it follows, verse 17: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” This passage teaches that when Christ comes back He will come back to the atmospheric heaven. When that occurs and the other events which are pictured here, Christians whose bodies have been in the grave will be resurrected, their bodies will be transformed into resurrection bodies and they will meet the Lord in the air. All of this will take place in a split second before living Christians are translated from these bodies of flesh into resurrection, immortal, incorruptible bodies.

The Translation of Living Saints

The companion passage to 1 Thessalonians 4 is the revelation given in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. Just as 1 Thessalonians 4 teaches about the dead in Christ, so 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 teaches concerning the translation of the living saints. It reveals that they will be transformed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and will be given immortal, incorruptible bodies. This Corinthian passage teaches very plainly the order of the resurrection of Christians. It is going to occur just a moment before the translation of the church. Those rising from the grave and the church on the earth are going to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

The Scriptures also seem to make it very clear that when Christ comes for His own He will take them to heaven where He has gone now to prepare a place for us in the Father’s house (John 14:1-3). Thereafter on the earth, while the church is in glory, will take place the great climactic event of this age—the great tribulation, and the outcalling of a great many Jews and Gentiles even in that awful time who come to trust in Christ. There will be many martyrs in this period. The climax will come when Christ returns in power and glory with the angels and with the church from heaven to set up His righteous kingdom on the earth.

The Shout of Command

There are some aspects of the revelation that deserve closer study. In verse 16 it is stated that the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. This word for shout is a peculiar word. It is a word for a command. It is the shout of a military officer giving a command such as “Forward, march.” When Christ comes back He will give a shout of command. In Chapter 11 of John the^ account is given of Lazarus being raised from the dead. When Christ went to the tomb and said, “Lazarus, come forth,” Lazarus came forth. Some have commented that if Christ had left off the name of Lazarus, all the dead would have come forth. Such was the authority and sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lazarus was not resurrected in the sense that we will be. He was restored to a mortal body and in due time, as age came upon him, it can be presumed that he died a natural death and was returned to the tomb. Christians will be resurrected like the resurrection body of Christ and will have a resurrection body which will never wear out, which will never be subject to death or disease or pain, a body which will last for all eternity, suited for the glorious presence of the Lord.

The Voice of the Archangel

In attendance was the voice of the archangel, who is none other than Michael, the chief of the angels, and the special protector of Israel. He also gives a shout. The Bible does not explain why Michael gives this shout or why he should be included. The Scriptures do reveal, however, that there is a great battle going on, a battle which began in the Garden of Eden and perhaps even before, and has continued through the present age. This battle is against the forces of darkness, the forces of Satan and the wicked angels and the demons who are associated with him. This is why Paul tells us that we wrestle not with flesh and blood. This is why we need to pray without ceasing. This is why we need to come to God for protection, care, and guidance. When the archangel speaks, it is a shout of victory not only for men but a shout of victory for the angels. It is a great victory for the angels when Christ comes for His church. Even though it is a work of Christ and not the angels, the archangel rejoices and exults in the tremendous victory over the forces of evil that is occasioned by the resurrection of the church from the dead.

The Trump of God

Another significant expression is “the trump of God.” There are many trumpets mentioned in Scripture. There were trumpets in the Old Testament at the beginning of each month. There was the feast of trumpets and countless different trumpets. In the order of march, trumpets were used. The trumpet seems, in Scripture, to be a sign of assembling, a sign of going forward, of taking a new step, of unfolding something that has not been revealed before. The sounding of the trumpet here is like the sounding of the trumpet to an army. It is the call to forward march. So in this passage there is the shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God. These are three separate things, but they picture to us one grand event: the coming of Christ for His church, and the translation of the church living and dead from scenes of earth to the scenes of heaven.

Some students of Scripture have had difficulty with the trump because they find other trumps in the Bible. For instance, in the Book of Revelation there is mention of seven trumpets. These are part of the dramatic sequence of events unfolded in what Christ called the great tribulation. Revelation presents first of all seven seals. Out of the seventh seal there comes a series of events which is called the seven trumpets, and out of the seventh trumpet comes another series of events known as the seven bowls of the wrath of God or the seven vials. These picture in very graphic language in the Book of Revelation the climactic events of the great tribulation leading up to the second coming of Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 15 there is mention of the last trump and some have said: “If this is the last trump, it must be the seventh trump of Revelation.” That certainly is not true! Anyone who will study the subject of trumpets from Genesis to Revelation will find that there are many trumps. In fact, the last trump of Revelation is not the last trump in the Bible at all. At the second coming of Christ, which is after the seven bowls of wrath, there still is another trump that calls the elect, mentioned in Matthew 24:31.

Is this trump of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15:52 the same as the seventh trump of the Revelation? What do the seven trumpets of Revelation do? Every one of them is a judgment of God upon a Christ-rejecting world. They assemble no one; they are not symbols of salvation; they are not symbols of deliverance; there are no resurrections; they are symbols of judgment upon men living in the world who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ.

By contrast, what is the significance of the trump of 1 Thessalonians 4? It is a call addressed to the saved, to those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a trumpet of deliverance, of grace, and of mercy. God is dealing with His saints only in this trump and there is absolutely no connection with judgment upon unbelievers. The only similarity is that in both cases there are trumps. Simply because there is mention of the last trump in 1 Corinthians 15 does not mean that it is the last trump in God’s whole program.

At Dallas Theological Seminary there are classes regulated by a system of bells. These bells ring several times each hour. The question sometimes arises concerning what bell has been ringing. There is a series of bells: a three-minute warning bell, then the bell to start the class, another warning bell five minutes before the end of the class, and finally the last bell closing the class period. When the warning bell preceding the beginning of the class rings, someone might ask, “Is that the last bell?” The answer would be, “No, that is the first bell.” A few minutes later the last bell—which is the bell that begins the class—would ring. After forty-five minutes, the warning bell near the end of the class session would ring. Someone then might ask, “Is that the first bell?” The reply of course would be, “Yes, that is the first bell.” In another five minutes, the bell would ring again—the last bell for the class hour. In a few minutes the whole cycle of bells begins again for the next hour. The last bell for one class hour would ring before the first bell of the next hour. How ridiculous it would be to make all the “last bells” one and the same. So it is with the trumpets of Scripture. The last trumpet for the church is long before any of the trumpets of Revelation.

Meeting the Lord in the Air

The Thessalonians passage continues with another tremendous revelation. “The dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” This Scripture does not reveal where we are to go with the Lord, but, as has been already indicated, John 14 tells us plainly that when Christ comes for us He will take us to the Father’s house in heaven. When we meet the Lord in the air, we shall assemble in the atmospheric heaven and from there go to the third heaven, which is the immediate presence of the Father. This is indicated in the last part of the preceding chapter where Paul speaks of our being in the presence of God the Father, unblamable in holiness.

It will be a wonderful event when you and I who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ in this life stand in His presence. In that triumphant moment we will be like Christ for we are told in 1 John 3 that we will be perfectly holy. We will be cleansed from every spot and wrinkle and every sign of age and corruption. We will be a perfect and a beautiful bride for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and shall be with Him forever. Whether Christ is in heaven or reigning on the earth, or in the new earth or the new heaven in eternity future, wherever Christ is there shall the church also be. We are going to be with the Lord forever.

The Dead in Christ

A fascinating sideline study is the expression “the dead in Christ” (v. 16). What does it mean to be “in Christ” and who are the dead in Christ? Obviously the “dead in Christ” are those who in life were in Christ and have died a physical death. In other words, their bodies have been laid in the grave and their spirits have gone to heaven. This expression occurs about forty times in the New Testament and in most of these instances refers to our position in Christ. When a person receives Jesus Christ as Savior and trusts in Him as the Son of God, as the one who died for him on the cross and who shed His blood for his sins and rose in triumph, God does something. He saves his soul.

At the very moment God saves us many wonderful things happen. Lewis Sperry Chafer in his book Salvation lists thirty-three things that occur instantaneously the very moment a person puts His trust in Jesus Christ. One of the things that occurs is that we are placed in Christ which the Scriptures explain by telling us that we are baptized into one body and are baptized into Christ. We become an integral part of the organism which is the church of Jesus Christ in the world. This occurs the instant we really trust in Christ. Every genuine Christian is equally in Christ. First Thessalonians 4 teaches that the dead in Christ will be raised when Christ comes back. It is a selective resurrection. All dead will not be raised. The Scriptures make it plain that unsaved people will not be raised until many years later after the predicted millennium as is made very clear in the twentieth chapter of the Book of Revelation. The question which has bothered Bible students is whether the dead in Christ include all the saints who have died up to this point or does it include only the saints of this dispensation, that is, from the Day of Pentecost until the present time?

C. I. Scofield, who edited the Scofield Reference Bible which has been such a blessing to countless numbers of readers, says in a note on 1 Thessalonians 4 that the dead in Christ includes all the saints. Lewis Sperry Chafer, who was for nearly two decades Scofield’s associate, after studying the question for many years came to a different conclusion, that the expression the “dead in Christ” refers only to the saints of this dispensation. If the translation occurs before the time of great tribulation pictured in the Bible, then the resurrection of the Old Testament saints would occur after the tribulation in connection with Christ’s return to establish His kingdom. If two men of God like Scofield and Chafer differ, how can we determine the correct interpretation? The key seems to be in the phrase “in Christ.”

This expression “in Christ” in every one of its many instances in the New Testament refers only to the saints of this dispensation. As far as the expression “the dead in Christ” indicates, only those in Christ are raised. Of course, all the saints are in Christ in the sense that Christ is their substitute, but the question is whether they are in the body of Christ, baptized into His body, as the Scriptures picture.

The doctrine of the resurrection of the Old Testament saints, as it is revealed in the Old Testament itself, relates the event to the second coming of Christ to establish His kingdom. By way of illustration, Daniel 12:1 deals with the great tribulation. Daniel 12:2 speaks of many being raised from the dust of the earth. If that is a genuine resurrection, it is a clear indication that according to Daniel the resurrection of the Old Testament saints occurs after the tribulation. The resurrection of the church, however, occurs before the tribulation. There is no explicit teaching anywhere in the Bible that reveals that the Old Testament saints are resurrected at the time the church is resurrected. In other words, the two events are never brought together in any passage of Scripture. The best explanation of the expression “dead in Christ” is to refer it to the church alone.

The Comfort of the Lord’s Return

The Thessalonians were having a hard time and this wonderful truth of the coming of the Lord, the resurrection of their loved ones, and their being gathered together to be with the Lord was a joyous prospect. Paul writes accordingly, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” This is another good reason why the Lord is going to come for His church before the tribulation. Paul did not tell these Thessalonian Christians: “Now if you endure through the tribulation time, if you survive that awful period, then you will see your loved ones at the end.” That would not have been an encouragement to them. They were in trouble already and no doubt they had been taught that the time of great tribulation would be much worse than the trouble they then had. Instead, Paul lifts up their eyes to contemplate the coming of the Lord and they were comforted; they were encouraged by the fact that the Lord would come at any time to receive them unto Himself.

The Challenge of the Truth

This very precious truth of the Lord’s return is certainly very important and one that is most significant, but it depends on our personal relationship to Jesus Christ. Are we really trusting Him? Is our heart, our faith, our life really centered in the Lord Jesus Christ? Some Christians are actually afraid of the doctrine of the Lord’s coming, and of the thought that the Lord might come today. Such an attitude is born of ignorance and unbelief. Oh the prospect, the joy of looking forward to the coming of the Lord, and of resting in these precious truths! There are so many ills of life that nothing can heal except the Lord’s return. How many loved ones are on the other side and how many problems of this life, incurable diseases, pain, sorrow, difficulties will be made all right. As we face the duties and the challenges and the trials of life, God has given us this blessed hope, this hope of the Lord’s return. May we take it to our bosoms, may we live in its reality, and may our hearts be refreshed by this precious truth. This hope can be the certain prospect of anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ the Son of God, who loved us and died for us, who shed His blood that we might be saved, and who rose in victory that we might have hope.

Questions

1. Where is the doctrine of the rapture first introduced in the Bible?

2. What was the problem which the Thessalonians had concerning the relationship of resurrection and translation?

3. Is there evidence that God wants believers to understand prophecy?

4. How does prophecy relate to comfort?

5. How certain is the hope of the Lord’s return?

6. What does it mean that Christ will bring those “which sleep in Jesus” with Him and why does He do it?

7. What is Paul’s authority for his teaching on the rapture?

8. Explain how the shout of the Lord, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God relate to the rapture.

9. Who responds first to the command to be raptured and how does this solve the problem of the Thessalonians?

10. Where do believers meet Christ?

11. Is there any indication in Scripture where the saints will go after they meet Christ in the air?

12. What does the expression “the dead in Christ” mean?

13. In what sense is the Lord’s return a comfort to the Thessalonians and to us?

14. Does Paul predict any events as preceding the rapture of the church in this passage?