19. Walking in the Light (Ephesians 5:7-14)

7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says,

“Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

Introduction

Several months ago, our blue Jetta was involved in an accident, rearranging the front end. I opted to repair the car myself. I went to a place that sold used Volkswagen parts. There were several Jettas in this small wrecking yard, with similar body styles. I was looking each car over to find the body parts which were in the best condition. Among these Jettas, I was more than delighted to find a blue one. Since its body parts were in very good condition, I bought them.

As I was completing this repair project, I was amused, and just a little proud that I had been able to obtain parts which were the same color. I didn’t even have to repaint the car! It was getting dark as I finished the car. My daughter, Jenny, and I decided to drive it to the service station and fill the fuel tank. Under the lights of that service station I realized something I had not previously known—Volkswagen has more than one dark blue. The new body parts were not the same color. The colors were similar, but not identical. In the darkness, the difference was unnoticeable, but in the light, the discrepancy was obvious.

Light has a way of exposing what darkness tends to conceal. That is precisely the truth upon which Paul bases his instruction in Ephesians 5:7-14. In chapters 4-6, Paul sets down the standards of the conduct which God requires of those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ. These high standards define the conduct which the gospel was purposed to produce (see Ephesians 2:8-10), which reflect the glory of God through the church (1:3-14), and which are pleasing to Him who saved us by His grace (5:10).

Light and darkness are prominent themes in Paul’s epistles.⁹⁷ These symbols are prominent in the gospels,⁹⁸ and in the teaching of our Lord.⁹⁹ They are employed as well by Peter¹⁰⁰ and John.¹⁰¹ The symbols of light and darkness are not new in the New Testament; they are themes which are rooted in the Old Testament, and which are drawn upon and applied in the New. In our text, Paul likens our former nature and conduct as “darkness,” contrasting our nature and conduct as Christians by likening it to “light.” Let us listen well, to grasp what it means to walk no longer as children of darkness, but to live as children of light.

Paul’s Argument

Paul’s argument is based upon a fundamental premise: Christians have undergone a dramatic transformation which is here described as having been transformed from darkness to light. In the Bible, salvation is never spoken of as a trivial matter. Those who are saved by faith in Christ are not merely improved, they are radically transformed. They have been delivered from death and given eternal life and have been saved from a life of sin to a new life which is characterized by good works (Ephesians 2:1-10). They have been delivered from slavery to sin and to Satan to become sons of the living God (see John 1:12; Ephesians 2:11-22; Romans 8:1-25). Here, in our text, Paul describes the transformation which the Christian experiences in terms of the change from darkness to light. His words in our text are similar to his teaching in the Book of Colossians:

9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:9-14).

This change in our condition should be accompanied by a corresponding change in our conduct. At the beginning of chapter 4, Paul exhorts each believer to walk in a way that is consistent with his calling as a Christian: “I, Therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1).

The Christians “walk” or Christian lifestyle has been described in several different ways thus far in Ephesians 4 and 5. The Christian is to walk in unity and in community with his fellow saints (4:1-16).¹⁰² The Christian is to walk in a way that is dramatically different from his walk as an unbeliever (4:17-32). Christians are further instructed to “walk in love” (5:1-6). And now, Paul speaks of the Christian’s lifestyle as a “walk as children of light” (5:7-14). If we are to walk in a manner that is consistent with our calling, Paul instructs us, we are to live as those who are “children of light.”

It may be well here to pause for a moment, and to reflect on what Paul is telling us, for Paul’s teaching and the popular perception of Christianity differ greatly. The gospel is often presented as though faith in Jesus Christ requires no great change, and that one need but to “add” Christ to his experience, to “invite Christ into his life,” and then life will become more pleasant, but at little cost to the Christian. Jesus spoke of discipleship, and he cautioned those who would too quickly follow Him to “count the cost” (see Luke 9:23-24, 57-62; 14:25-25).

Becoming a Christian is not so much a matter of adding Christ to your life as it is abandoning your life to find true life in Christ. And when one thus trusts in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the change is not small. It is a radical transformation. It is a change from death to life, from darkness to light. Paul’s words indicate that our calling as Christians should have a radical impact on our conduct. We will never be the same again. We should never think or act the same. Our thinking and our behavior after our conversion should compare to our former “walk” as though it were night and day. Anyone who thinks of salvation differently would seem to do a disservice to the teaching of our Lord, and of the Old and New Testament writers.

While Paul has been privileged to reveal certain truths previously mysterious to the saints (Ephesians 3:1-13), his call to conduct our lives as “children of light” is not new. It is consistent with the teaching of the Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testaments. And so he calls our attention to this citation in verse 14: “For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” As it has often been observed, this citation does not precisely match any Old Testament text. Some have therefore concluded that this must not be a citation of Scripture, but rather a reference to an early Christian hymn, or spiritual teaching known to Paul and the Ephesians. A number of the more recent commentators understand it in this way.

There are difficulties with this explanation. Not only do many of the older scholars reject it, but the way in which Paul introduces it strongly suggests to us that it is a Scriptural quotation. While several texts in Isaiah are suggested (9:2; 26:19; 52:1), the text which is most similar is found in Isaiah 60:1.

Hodge (along with other older commentators such as Calvin) concludes that this citation in verse 14 is intended by Paul to be understood as a quotation from the Old Testament. He writes,

“As this formula of quotation is never used in the New Testament except when citations are made from the Old Testament, it cannot properly be assumed that the apostle here quotes some Christian hymn, with which the believers in Ephesus were familiar, or some apocryphal book, or some inspired book no longer extant. We must understand him either as referring to many exhortations of the Old Testament Scriptures, the substance of which he condenses in the few words here used; or as giving the spirit of some one passage, though not its words. Both these methods of explanation may be sustained by appeal to similar passages.”¹⁰³

Hendriksen, in his fine commentary, seems inclined to agree with Hodge when he writes, “For myself, the more I study Isa. 60:1 in the light of its own context the more I begin to see certain resemblances.”¹⁰⁴ Hendriksen goes even further, however, by proposing a solution to the problem by suggesting that Paul may have been referring to the Isaiah text(s) and to a hymn at the same time:

It is conceivable that though Ephesians 5:14 is in the final analysis rooted in Isa. 60:1, the form in which the latter passage is here reproduced by Paul was that of lines from an early Christian hymn. The hymn, in other words, may have been based on the Isaiah passage.¹⁰⁵

Contemporary Christians often have difficulty understanding how the writers of the New Testament employ Old Testament texts, even when it is clear which text is being quoted. The reason is that our understanding, interpretation, and application of biblical texts is often too narrow. We expect the connection between the Old Testament text and its use in the New to be both obvious and direct.

Sometimes there is a direct, obvious correspondence between the Old Testament text and its appearance in the New. Such would be the case with some of the commandments (see Romans 13:8-10). If an Old Testament prophecy, this may have been evident even before the prophecy was fulfilled (see Matthew 2:5-6). The connection with New Testament events may also not have been understood beforehand (see Matthew 2:17-18). It may come as a complete surprise:

And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “OUT OF EGYPT DID I CALL MY SON” (Matthew 2:14-15).

There are times when a New Testament writer may claim Old Testament support for his teaching, but does not actually cite a biblical text: “Let the women keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but let them subject themselves, just as the Law also says” (1 Corinthians 14:34). At other times, a text is cited, but somewhat loosely, and without a precise reference to its location:

But one has testified somewhere, saying, “WHAT IS MAN, THAT THOU REMEMBEREST HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT THOU ART CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? (Hebrews 2:6).¹⁰⁶

Not infrequently, an Old Testament text is cited in the New, but in a form that is less precise than the original text. This is sometimes due to the fact that the quotation is cited from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament, frequently employed by the New Testament writers), a sometimes rather free paraphrase of the text, rather than a precise Greek equivalent of the original Hebrew text. At other times, the quotation by the New Testament author may not precisely follow any known Old Testament text. It may even be that the New Testament writer deliberately departed from the Old Testament text, for his own reasons.

Sometimes, a New Testament author may apply an Old Testament principle in a way that appears to go well beyond its original instruction. This may be due to the New Testament writer’s greater insight into the meaning and application of the Scriptures. In seeking to show how the Old Testament Law supported his teaching that those who minister the gospel should be financially supported, Paul cites this text which refers to the treatment of an ox:

I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING.” God is not concerned about oxen is, He? Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops (1 Corinthians 9:8-10).

I believe that there is yet another use of the Old Testament Scriptures, which both the Old and the New Testament authors often employ, which often goes over our heads, unnoticed. This is the use of symbolic terminology, which refers to previous events or to prominent biblical themes, with which the reader is expected to be familiar.

Let me seek to illustrate this from the Old Testament. The Old Testament prophets frequently referred to events which happened earlier in Israel’s history, often by the use of terms associated with those events. In the prophecy of Isaiah, for example, the theme of creation is often employed. God created the heavens and the earth. He also created the nation Israel. These events involved great miracles. The God who accomplished creation is the same God who now promises to do great things for His people. Reference to God’s previous work as the Creator gives assurance that He is able to accomplish that which is yet future. The “exodus motif” is yet another prominent theme to which the prophet Isaiah refers. In Isaiah, both the creation and the exodus are drawn upon to give the readers courage and confidence in the words which God is speaking through His prophet, Isaiah:

Do you not know? Hove you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable (Isaiah 40:28).

But now, thus says the LORD, your creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD you God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place (Isaiah 43:1-3).

“I am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.” Thus says the LORD, Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters (Isaiah 43:15-16).¹⁰⁷

Paul frequently employs the imagery of light and darkness in his preaching and in his epistles (see Acts 13:47; 26:22-23; Romans 13:11-14; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; 6:14-18; 11:13-15; Colossians 1:9-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; 1 Timothy 6:13-16). When he does so, I believe that he expects us to understand his references in the light (no pun intended) of the progressive development of the light/darkness theme in Scripture. I believe that his citation in verse 14 of Ephesians chapter 5 not only draws upon the “light” imagery of Isaiah, but also of the rest of the Scriptures. Let us pause to consider the development of this prominent and powerful image through the Scriptures.

The first creative act of God recorded in Genesis chapter 1 is the creation of light:

And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:2-4).

At the beginning of this creation account, the earth was dark and in disarray (formless and void). At the end, it has light and is ordered. The progress is from darkness to light and for disorder to order. Light was created by God to separate darkness and light. Paul will later draw on this creation of light and relate it to godly living (see 2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

In the Psalms, light and darkness are used symbolically. Light becomes the symbol for salvation (27:1), life (36:9; 49:19; 56:13), righteousness (37:6), truth (43:3), the Word of God (119:105, 130),¹⁰⁸ and God’s splendor and presence (104:2; 44:3; 89:15; 90:8). Darkness symbolizes ignorance (82:5). Of particular importance, light is symbolic of the Christ who is yet to come:

The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, do save, we beseech Thee; O LORD, we beseech Thee, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, and I give thanks to Thee; Thou art my God, I extol Thee. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting (Psalm 118:22-29).

Proverbs speaks of the conduct of the godly using the imagery of light, while using darkness in reference to the wicked:

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble (Proverbs 4:18-19).

It is in Isaiah, however, that the symbolism of light and darkness becomes most prominent in the Old Testament:

Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord (2:5).

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness (5:20)

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to His word, it is because they have no dawn (8:20).

The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them (9:2; see Matthew 4:15-16).

And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day (10:17).

“I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon, And those who dwell in darkness from the prison” (42:6-7).

“And I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone” (42:16).

“He says, ‘It is too small and thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (49:6).¹⁰⁹

“Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God (50:10).

“Pay attention to Me, O My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation; For a law will go forth from Me, And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples” (51:4).

“Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.” … And if you give yourself to the hungry, And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness, And your gloom will become like midday” (58:8, 10).

Therefore, justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We hope for light, but behold, darkness; For brightness, but we walk in gloom (59:9).

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you, And His glory will appear upon you. And nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising (60:1-3).

“No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. Your sun will set no more, Neither will your moon wane; For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be finished” (60:19-20).

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn (61:1-2).

Other prophets join with Isaiah in using the imagery of light and darkness:

It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him (Daniel 2:22).

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is light for me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, And I will see His righteousness (Micah 7:7-9).

If darkness symbolized man’s sinful ignorance and actions, it was also employed by the prophets to speak of the coming day of God’s wrath. Some unbelieving Jews mistakenly looked forward to the coming of Messiah, thinking that it was a day of “light,” of divine blessing, when it was to be, for them, a day of “darkness,” of divine judgment:

Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, For what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be darkness and not light; As when a man flees from a lion, And a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall, And a snake bites him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18-20),¹¹⁰

Before we give particular attention to Isaiah 60:1-3, let us press on to the New Testament, to see how the themes of “light” and “darkness” are taken up by our Lord and by the apostles:

At the time of His coming as a child, Jesus was worshipped as the “light” that was to come:

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 “Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bond-servant depart In peace, according to Thy word; 30 For my eyes have seen Thy salvation, 31 Which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:25-32).

John, in words reminiscent of the first chapters of Genesis, introduced his gospel by presenting Jesus as the “light.”

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. 9 There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him (John 1:1-10).

Matthew also spoke of our Lord as the light. When Jesus left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, Matthew informs us that this was a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah who was the light:

12 Now when He heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—16 “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, And to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a light dawned” (Matthew 4:12-16, citing Isaiah 9:1-2).

Jesus clearly and repeatedly spoke of Himself as the “light”:

Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5).

As the “light,” Jesus was God’s provision for salvation:

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. 20 “For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (John 3:16-21).

“I have come as light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).

When our Lord died for sinners on the cross of Calvary, darkness supernaturally fell upon the earth for three hours. I believer that this “darkness” was symbolic of the divine wrath which God had poured out upon His Son, as our substitute.

45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:45-46).

Our Lord also declared that all who believed in Him were to live as “lights,” or as “sons of light.” They were therefore to be a reflection of His light:

35 Jesus therefore said to them, “For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 “While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He departed and hid Himself from them (John 12:35-36).

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Little wonder that in Acts and the Epistles of the New Testament “light and darkness” are such prominent symbols. Saul’s conversion was one which resulted from our Lord’s appearance to Him in a blinding light (Acts 9:3-4, etc.). Paul understood that the gospel of our Lord was a “light,” not only for Jews, but for Gentiles as well:

“For thus the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You should bring salvation to the end of the earth’” (Acts 13:47).

“And so, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23).

For the Apostle Paul, the imagery of light and darkness was a prominent theme:

11 And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts (Romans 13:11-14).

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. 18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. 11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).

13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen (1 Timothy 6:13-16).

Both Peter and John spoke of “light” as well:

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10).

5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us (1 John 1:5-10).

8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him (1 John 2:8-10).

And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it (Revelation 21:24).

3 And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; 4 and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:3-5).

Little wonder, then, that Paul should speak of the Christian’s conduct in terms of the contrast between light and darkness. Living as light fulfills God’s purpose for Christians, as seen throughout the Scriptures, Old and New Testament. Our overriding purpose in life is not just to preach the gospel, to win souls, or even to make disciples. Our overriding goal is to reflect God to an ungodly world, and to a heavenly host, to the glory of God. The goals of missions, evangelism, and discipleship are an outgrowth of our function as lights. We proclaim the gospel and make disciples because this is what God has done, in Christ. We do these things because they are a part of living as lights in a dark world.

What Does It Mean To Live As Lights?

Having seen that we are obligated to live as lights, we must now turn our attention to the application of Paul’s instructions. What does it mean to live as lights? Paul does not leave us without guidelines in this matter. Our text not only contains Paul’s exhortation, it provides us with instruction concerning the implementation of living as lights.

We are not left to wonder what “light” is like. Light produces certain fruit. The fruit of the light,¹¹¹ Paul tells us, is goodness, righteousness, and truth.¹¹² Goodness is the predisposition to do that which is both wholesome and helpful, what is beneficial. Righteousness encompasses all that is consistent with the holy character of God and which meets the standards set down by His Word. Truth not only excludes falsehood, but it includes only that which God’s Word defines as true, truth as God’s Word declares it.

Living as children of light is living so as to manifest goodness, righteousness, and truth, as Paul has indicated in verse 9. Living as children of light can also be described as “trying to learn”¹¹³ what is pleasing to the Lord” (verse 10).

The children of light desire to live as light. Therefore, they do not merely avoid the thinking and the deeds of darkness out of a fear of divine chastening alone, but they genuinely desire to do what is right in order to please the One who delivered them from darkness to light. Where there are negative motivations for avoiding sin, the motivation of which Paul speaks here is a positive one. The children of darkness have pleasure as their goal, too, but they live in order to please themselves, not to please God.

While it is true that living as lights is for our own best interest, this should be a secondary motive, not a primary one. We should seek to please God and others before seeking to please ourselves (see Romans 15:1). All too often I hear evangelical Christian leaders urging Christians to act in a certain way primarily because it serves their own interests best. This is not the “high road” of the Apostle Paul, nor of any other writer in the Scriptures.

The expression “trying to learn” suggests something more to us. It suggests that learning to walk as children of light is an on-going process. The commands of the Scriptures, Old Testament and New, provide us with some clear absolutes as to what we must and as to what we must not do. But these commands do not cover every choice we are called upon to make.

Let me illustrate this in terms of marriage. When we marry, we make vows which express our commitment to our mate. We are obligated to keep our vows. But in addition to the keeping of these vows, there is a process of getting to know our mate (see 1 Peter 3:7), so that we may please them (see 1 Corinthians 7:33-34). There are many books published which “instruct” men on how to “please” their wives, but I believe that a wife’s greatest pleasure comes from her husband “learning” this on his own, and doing it out of the joy which he finds in pleasing her.

So it is with pleasing God. God delights in His children learning to know Him, and then doing that which we believe gives Him pleasure. What we decided to do (or to avoid doing) may not be what another believer chooses to do, but this is a matter of personal conviction, not of keeping a command. Pleasing God is a life-long process, one that is never complete, but one in which there should be both perseverance and growth.

Paul’s teaching in our text indicates that living as children of light will have a radical impact on our relationships. We have already seen this indicated earlier in the epistle. While we Gentiles were once alienated from Israel, her covenants, and her blessings, we have now been reconciled to God in one body, the church. We who were once at odds with Israelites are not united with them inseparably. This union was not grasped by the Old Testament saint (chapter 3), but it has become clear to the church through the teaching of Paul (4:1-16).

If, in Christ, we have become one new man (2:15) and one new building (2:19-22), we also discover that in Christ we have a new relationship with unbelievers, those who are still the children of darkness (see 2:1-3; 4:17-24). As children of light we now have far greater intimacy with those who, like us, are in Christ. But we also experience a corresponding detachment from the children of darkness.

Paul describes this detachment in terms of two prohibitions. The first is expressed in verse 7: “Therefore do not be partakers with them.” The second “do not” is found in verse 11: “And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.”

In some of His final words to His disciples, our Lord indicated to them that their relationship with Him would bring about a corresponding animosity from those who rejected Him:

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (John 15:18-20)

Years later, Peter writes to those who are suffering persecution at the hand of unbelievers and assures them that such is the normal reaction of those in darkness, whose deeds have been exposed by the light:

For the time already past is sufficient for your to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you (1 Peter 4:3-4).

In Ephesians 5:7, Paul urges the saints to not become partakers with those who are godless because their actions are (1) improper for saints (5:3) and (2) because the wrath of God is the fate of those who live in sin (5:5-6). In verse 11 Paul presses the matter even further. Christians are to avoid participation in the “unfruitful deeds of darkness” because their task as lights is to expose the deeds of darkness.

Light reveals that which darkness conceals. Darkness conceals sin and even promotes it. Light exposes sin and thus living as children of light has the function of exposing the sins of those in darkness, which is the first and fundamental step in evangelism.

Our Lord Himself came as the “light” (John 1:1-13). Those who acknowledged their sin turned to Him for salvation, while those who preferred darkness to light rejected Him (see John 3:16-21). We, like Christ, are to live as children of light as a part of our calling to reflect and reveal Christ and to proclaim the gospel. It is the contrast in our conduct with that of the world which makes the gospel clear. It is by our contrast with the world that we fulfill our obligation as “lights”:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing any more, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).

The rub comes in determining where it is that we draw the lines of separation. We are not to be partakers with those in darkness (Ephesians 5:7), nor are we to participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness (5:11). Where, then, do we draw the line in terms of our relationships with the lost?

The Pharisees of our Lord’s day drew the line far too conservatively. They hypocritically drew the line at the level of association with sinners. To have any contact with sinners was thought by them to be ungodly. They were wrong, as our Lord made clear, both by His teaching and His preaching. Very early in His ministry Jesus offended the self-righteous Pharisees by His association with sinners. Jesus indicated that it was necessary to associate with sinners in order to save them:

27 And after that He went out, and noticed a tax-gatherer named Levi, sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he left everything behind, and rose and began to follow Him. 29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax-gatherers and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:27-32).

The Corinthian church seems to have agreed with the position of the Pharisees, but they went to an additional extreme. They, like the Pharisees of our Lord’s day, seemed to hold the conviction that they could not associate with unbelievers (1 Corinthians 5:9-10). And yet, while they were careful to shun unbelievers, they were puffed up with pride in the fact that they accepted a man who professed to be a believer, yet who lived with his father’s wife, something which even shocked the pagans (1 Corinthians 5:1-5).

Paul’s teaching on separation and fellowship is clear. In general terms, as “children of light” we are not to have fellowship with darkness. More specifically, we are not to shun unbelievers, nor to avoid association with them. We are to avoid intimate fellowship with them, especially as they practice what is displeasing to God. As Christians, we are not to have fellowship with those who profess to trust in Christ, but whose conduct denies Him.

9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one (1 Corinthians 5:9-11).

In some ways, I fear that the contemporary Christian church surpasses the error of both the Pharisees and the Corinthians. Both the Pharisees and the Corinthians drew the line somewhere, even if they drew it in the wrong place. We don’t seem to be willing or able to draw the line anywhere. Because we equate the success of a church with its size, we seem unwilling to discourage any from attending and taking part, let alone to act in discipline by putting someone out of the church.

As I read the Book of Acts, the church grew dramatically. In the context of the Book, Luke is careful to indicate that the church grew because of its faithful proclamation and practice of the Word of God (see Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-35; 6:1-7).¹¹⁵ Luke also indicates that the church grew as its purity was protected. Thus, as a result of the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, great fear came upon the whole church and the unbelieving community, and with it came more converts:

11 And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things. 12 And at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. 14 And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number (Acts 5:11-14).

The purity of the church does not hinder the proclamation of the gospel; it is an essential manifestation of the gospel. I believe that this truth underlies the words of Paul in our text. In other words, by living as children of light we not only practice the truth of the gospel, we proclaim it to an unbelieving world.

I fear that in many churches today which proclaim to be evangelical, we are not “manifesting the light” to the glory of God and to the health of the church, and to the salvation of the lost. To keep with the symbolism of light and darkness, I fear that some churches are trying to win the lost by “turning the lights down low.”

Allow me to explain. The underlying premise of the “lights down low” folks is that people won’t be attracted to a gospel which threatens their beliefs, values, and lifestyles. And so, in order to get people saved, we need to play down the negative aspects of the gospel (sin, righteousness, judgment) and slip the gospel in positively. We need to make the unbeliever comfortable with Christianity if we are to attract them to our churches. If sin and hell are unpleasant topics, then these should be set aside, at least for a time. Once people are saved, they tell us, then we can speak to them about discipleship. This sounds a whole lot like the “bait and switch” methodology of unscrupulous salesmen.

There are many difficulties with this philosophy and methodology. In the first place, it does not square with our Lord’s methods or teaching. There were many who seemed eager to follow Jesus, but He consistently warned them of the cost of discipleship. Neither does it square with the Lord’s teaching concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit in evangelism, as found in the Gospel of John:

7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged” (John 16:7-11).

If the Holy Spirit is to convict men of sin, righteousness, and judgment, then surely we dare not avoid these truths in dealing with unbelievers. The very subjects which Scripture identify as the foundation and starting point of the gospel are those which the “low-light gospeleers” would set aside. The truth of the matter is that the gospel, in its pure form, is not appealing. Indeed, it is repulsive, to lost men. Nevertheless, it is our task to proclaim it in the simplest and clearest terms possible, relying upon God to draw men through the ministry of His Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 1:18–2:5).

Jesus did not come to minister to the healthy, but to those who are sick. He did not come to speak to those who were comfortable, but rather to those who mourned and were broken-hearted. He spoke words of comfort, healing, and salvation to the hurting, and He spoke words of rebuke and warning to those who were comfortable and complacent. Why should we do anything less?

As Paul’s words indicate, our task is not to ignore sin, but to expose it. This is done by living righteously, living as lights. Those whom God has chosen, He will draw to the light by His grace and through His Spirit. And those who love their sin and the darkness will seek to extinguish our light. And so it is that some of the texts which speak about light are found in close proximity to those which speak of persecution (see Matthew 5:10-16). We are not to identify with darkness, nor to withdraw entirely from it, but to live as lights in a darkened world, so that sin might be exposed by righteousness, to the glory of God, to the salvation of the lost, and to the blessing of the believer.

Conclusion

Let us conclude our lesson by seeking to sum up what Paul has said. First, the Christian’s conversion calls for a radically new lifestyle and a new relationship with the world and with unbelievers. Jesus is the light of the world, and all who name His name as believers are to walk in the light and to walk as lights, just as He did when He was physically on this earth.

Second, to walk as children of light is also to walk in love. All too many play down our obligation to walk as lights by emphasizing their intention to “walk in love.” We dare not attempt to separate these two aspects of our Christian walk. Paul has just spoken of our “walk in love” in Ephesians 5:1-6. Now, in verses 7-14, he presses on to remind us of our responsibility to “walk as light.” There is no conflict. If we do no walk as light we will not be walking in love. Love does not “support” the sinner and the expense of righteousness. Love admonishes, rebukes, and seeks to restore the sinner in the promotion and practice of righteousness. Note the close connection of “love” and “light” in Paul’s letter to the Romans:

To walk as children of light is the ultimate calling of the Christian. It is in so doing that we obey and please God. It is in so doing that we glorify God. It is in so doing that the gospel is proclaimed.

Walking in the light will, in all cases, glorify God. It will in some instances result in the salvation of lost souls. It will in many cases lead to persecution. And it will also put us at cross-purposes with Satan. We should expect him to seek to blind men with respect to the light of the gospel:

Satan is not content to stop here. In his attempts to “turn out the lights” he goes so far as to disguise himself as an “angel of light,” thereby hoping to directly attack the church through deception and distortion:

13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

These false lights will be evident because their fruit will not be the fruit of the light, as Paul indicates.

Paul’s emphasis is not merely upon individual compliance with our duty to “walk as lights,” but on the task of the church, collectively, to be a light. The church must take a hard line toward sin. The church must act decisively and rigorously to root sin out of the church. We are not only to seek to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24), but to rigorously root sin out of the church (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-13).

If I understand Paul’s teaching on “light” correctly (including his citation from the Old Testament in verse 14), it is not the unbeliever that is challenged to “wake up” and to “rise from the dead,” but rather the believer. This text, as I understand it, is not primarily a salvation text, but a sanctification text. We can be lights only in a reflective way. Christ is the only true light. We shine as He shines upon us. In Isaiah chapter 60, the exhortation was for the people of Israel to “wake up” and to turn from their sin to righteousness, from darkness to the light. Elsewhere, when Paul takes up the theme of light and darkness, he is exhorting Christians to wake up:

Only those who are in Christ can be lights. This compels me to ask you a simple question of the greatest import: “Have you seen the light?” Have you acknowledged your sin, Christ’s righteousness, and the judgment which awaits all who reject the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary? These are dark days. Those without Christ are not only darkness, subjects of the prince of darkness, but they also await the dark day of God’s coming wrath on sinners. Come to the light. Trust in Him who suffered and died for your sins, and whose righteousness can be yours by faith.

May God grant that we may not only see the light in personal salvation, but that others may see the light in us, as we live lives that are marked by goodness, righteousness, and truth, to His glory.

97 See Acts 13:47; 26:22-23; Romans 13:11-14; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; 6:14-18; Colossians 1:9-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; 1 Timothy 6:13-16.

98 See Matthew 4:12-16; 26:45-46; Luke 2:25-31.

99 See Matthew 6:19-25; Luke 11:33-36; 22:53; John 3:16-21; 5:33-35; 8:12; 9:5; 11:8-13; 12:35-36, 46.

100 1 Peter 2:9-10.

101 See John 1:1-13; 1 John 1:5-10; 2:8-10; Revelation 18:22-23; 21:24; 22:3-5.

102 I acknowledge the fact that Paul does not employ the term “walk” in these verses, but it is evident that Christian unity and community is the central theme of verses 1-16. The Christian’s conduct is to live and serve in an interdependent relationship to the whole body of Christ.

103 Charles Hodge, A Commentary on Ephesians (Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1991 [reprint]), pp. 215-216.

104 William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1967), p. 234.

105 Hendriksen, p. 235.

106 See also Hebrews 4:4.

107 See also 4:5-6; 40:26; 41:20; 45:8, 12, 18; 48:7; 51:13; 65:17-18, which are but a sampling of Isaiah’s allusions to God’s earlier actions in history.

108 Psalm 19 is particularly interesting, as God’s revelation is described as “light.” In those verses which speak of God’s revelation of Himself through His creation (verses 1-6), the sun is prominent as the light emitting source (verses 4-6). The psalmist then speaks of the revelation of God through His Word (verses 7-14). In Psalm 119, the Word is referred to as “light” (verses 105, 130). In Psalm 19:12, while the term “light” is not employed, the Word of God is spoken of as that source of illumination that reveals the psalmist’s secret and hidden sins.

109 Be sure to read the preceding context in verses 1-5.

110 See also Jeremiah 4:23; 13:16; Lamentations 3:1-2.

111 Some texts read “fruit of the Spirit” rather than “fruit of the light.” In the final analysis, we need not agonize over which reading is correct because those things which Paul identifies as “fruit of the light” in Ephesians chapter 5, are virtually the same as those which he also identifies as “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians chapter 5.

112 For “goodness” see Romans 16:14; Galatians 5:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:11. For “righteousness” see Romans 6:21f.; Philippians 1:11; Hebrews 12:11. For “truth” see 2 Corinthians 4:2; 6:7; 7:14; Galatians 2:5, 14; 3:10; Ephesians 1:13; 4:21, 24-25; 6:14; Colossians 1:5-6.

113 The term rendered by the expression, “trying to learn” here in Ephesians 5:10 is the same as that rendered “prove” in Romans 12:2. Foulkes writes concerning this term: “The participle here dokimazontes [‘trying to learn’] is from a verb that sometimes means ‘approving’ (as in Romans xiv. 22 and I Corinthians xvi. 3), but more commonly ‘proving’ for oneself, and so here ‘choosing.’” Francis Foulkes, The Epistle of Paul to The Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1963), p. 146.

114 See also Matthew 18:15-17.

115 A case can also be made for the growth of the church due to the sovereign work of God, in spite of the actions of the church and its leaders. For example, consider the evangelization of Gentiles in spite of the reluctance and resistance of the Jews (see Acts 8:1-2; 10:1—11:22).

116 See also Romans 13:11-14 above.

Homosexuality and the Church

This article is a companion article to the more comprehensive one entitled Homosexuality: The Biblical-Christian View.

For those in the church, Jesus has set a pattern to follow. He was not afraid to deal with the issues and sins of the day. For those holding onto them in their pride (religious leaders) He was very strong in pointing it out. He does this throughout the Sermon on the Mount. For those caught in their sins and repentant He was not hesitant to offer His grace (John 8:3-11 ). For those looked down upon in society He was not afraid to socialize with them as He lovingly shared the truth (John 4:4-42). For those lost He was not reluctant to pursue them (Luke 15:1-10). Neither should we be. Grace and truth should characterize our lives. Wisdom will seek to discern what is the most appropriate word or action for a given situation.

Since we have been forgiven by Jesus of our sins, since we have been rescued from our slavery to sin, then we of all people on this planet should be able to relate to the struggles that others are going through. We know that our redemption has been entirely by His grace. It has been apart from any merit of our own (Ephesians 2:8-9). We should earnestly desire with every fiber of our being to see the same freedom come to those in the LGBT ¹ community. Our issues may be in a different area, but it is the same destructive sin that we all face. We should help others see God’s work in our lives and how He is helping us day by day. We should let them see how fellow believers and God’s Word help us to continue to overcome in our own struggles. We should have the most compassion and concern for others since we know our own helplessness in our own strength against sin.

Jesus laid down His life for us while we were His enemies. While we hated Him He died willingly for us. Nothing deterred him from loving, redeeming, and rescuing us from our sin. (Rom. 5:6-11, John 5:17-20) Nothing should deter us from being His ambassadors of love and truth.

Love will mean being honest about the truth of sin—our sin, and the sin of all people— without partiality. No one will want to hear that their covetousness, lying, fornication, evil thoughts, strife, homosexuality, gossip, pride, envy, adultery, taking the name of the Lord in vain, lust, murder, etc. deserves God’s judgment. Yet the most hateful thing one could do is pretend everything with God is okay when it is not. The consequences are eternal. What makes this so hard is that this point can be both over-emphasized and under-emphasized. We do not want to over-emphasize it so much that the next point of God’s gracious love is missed. Nor do we want to under-emphasize it so much that God’s gracious love become irrelevant. (If there is no problem between us and God, then Jesus’ death means nothing.)

Love will likewise mean being honest that the grace of God can redeem any sinner. God can overcome any sin. Though it will be a lifelong battle to walk in God’s grace there is victory through faith in Jesus Christ. We do still live in this fallen world and in our sin-affected bodies, but God’s grace is sufficient.

Love also means that we should follow Christ’s example and be willing to give up our lives to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ as they too try to grow in becoming more Christ-like. Many sins and struggles that are deeply ingrained require a process of walking alongside. Just like our struggles when we became believers (or that we struggle with now) might require continual encouragement and assistance, so too will those who come to faith in Christ from LGBT experiences. We should be part of the expression of God’s grace to our fellow believers—whatever struggle they might be going through.

Love also means that we should follow Christ’s example and be willing to give up our lives to serve those who do not believe in Christ. If the grace of God is real to us, and if we have truly believed it, and if it has truly changed our lives, then we should be learning to become more like Christ in sharing the good news of the gospel through both our actions and our words. This is not a giving to get. This is a giving like Christ gave. Everything.

So, brother or sister in Christ, how are you doing? Are you walking in truth and love? Are you expressing the saving grace of God through your words and actions? Are you expressing the same grace that saved you? Are you growing in your understanding of God’s grace? Are there any sins that you are holding onto that God is strongly calling you to give over to Him? Is your local assembly of Christians a place where people will see Jesus Christ faithfully proclaimed? Will they see both the truth of sin called out impartially as well as God’s loving grace? Will they see God’s grace changing you and how it can transform them?

May we seek God in prayer and through His Word daily so that we continue to become more like Christ in these ways.

¹ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender

Lesson 40: God’s Time or Man’s Time? (John 7:1-13)

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December 29, 2013

A young man came to W. E. Gladstone when he was Prime Minister of England and said, “Mr. Gladstone, I would appreciate your giving me a few minutes in which I might lay before you my plans for the future. I would like to study law.” “Yes,” said the great statesman, “and what then?”

“Then, sir, I would like to gain entrance to the Bar of England.” “Yes, young man, and what then?”

“Then, sir, I hope to have a place in Parliament, in the House of Lords.” “Yes, young man, what then?” pressed Gladstone.

“Then I hope to do great things for Britain.” “Yes, young man, and what then?”

“Then, sir, I hope to retire and take life easy.” “Yes, young man, and what then?” he tenaciously asked.

“Well, then, Mr. Gladstone, I suppose I will die.” “Yes, young man, and what then?” The young man hesitated and then said, “I never thought any further than that, sir.”

Looking at the young man sternly and steadily, Gladstone said, “Young man, you are a fool. Go home and think life through!” (Told by Leonard Griffith, This is Living [Abingdon Press], pp. 48, 49.)

Since the old year is almost gone and the New Year is upon us, I thought it may be profitable to revisit the same text that we studied last time from a slightly different perspective, considering the topic of God’s time versus man’s time. In John 7:6, Jesus says to his half-brothers who advised Him to go up to the Feast of Booths and do some miracles to make Himself known, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.” Jesus was drawing a contrast between how He lived in view of God’s time versus how His brothers lived their lives. I want to develop the thought:

Since life is short and eternity is forever, live by God’s time, not by man’s time.

The first point is obvious, and yet worth thinking about often:

1. Life is short and eternity is forever.

Billy Graham was once asked what he was most surprised by in life. He answered, “Its brevity.” (Christianity Today, 10/06, p. 90) An older man gave this perspective on how he viewed time differently as he aged (Dewey Gill, Reader’s Digest [5/83]):

Days were plentiful and cheap when I was young. Like penny candy. I always had a pocketful—and spent them casually. Now my supply is diminished, and their value has soared. Each one becomes worth its weight in the gold of dawn. Suddenly I live in unaccustomed thrift, cherishing hours the way lovers prize moments. Even at that, when the week is ended, it seems I’ve gone through another fortune. A day doesn’t go as far as it used to.

I can relate to those thoughts! We just came from being with my Dad on his 90th birthday. It was sad to see his declining physical and mental condition. But it was also sobering to think that in just over 23 years, if I’m still alive, I will be that old! Life is short and then eternity is forever!

If Jesus had been born in our times, His parents would have recognized that He was an unusually gifted child. They would have begun His education early, put Him on the gifted child track, and had Him preaching by age 12 when He made an impression on the scholars in the temple. By the time He was 20, He would have a huge international following. With a good public relations man, He could have learned to tone down some of His more offensive comments so that the religious leaders would not have plotted to kill Him. Think how much more He could have accomplished if He had lived to 70 or 80!

But Jesus, living by God’s time, didn’t begin His ministry until He was about 30 and after three short years He could pray (John 17:4), “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given me to do.” Amazing!

If we want to think like Jesus, we need to live with the awareness of how short life is and that one day we will give an account to God for how we spent our lives. In Psalm 90, as Moses thought on these things, he concluded with the prayer (90:17), “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands.” If none other than Moses had to ask God to confirm the work of his hands, how much more do we need to pray that prayer repeatedly!

2. Jesus’ brothers were living by man’s time: Their time was always opportune.

Jesus told His brothers that they could go up to the feast whenever they wanted to go, because their time was “always opportune” (7:6). The implication is that they were not living under God’s time, as Jesus was. D. A. Carson (The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans/Apollos], p. 308) says that Jesus meant “that what they did was utterly without significance as far as God was concerned.” We can draw three implications about what it means to live by man’s time:

A. Those living by man’s time are not living under the lordship of Christ.

As John 7:5 adds, “For not even His brothers were believing in Him.” As we saw in our last study, Jesus’ brothers had grown up with Him, so they knew Him better than most people would have. They had heard His teaching and seen some of His miracles. They were good, religious Jews, who observed the various feasts in Israel, such as this Feast of Booths. But they didn’t believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. They probably did not see their need for a Savior from sin, because they thought of themselves as good, religious Jews in comparison with the pagan Gentiles.

So if you want to live by God’s time and not waste your life living by man’s time, the first order of business is to trust in Christ as Savior and Lord. When you are born again, you repent of the sin of living for yourself and you begin to live for the glory of your wonderful Savior and Lord. You realize that if He is Lord of all, then He is Lord of your time. So you begin to seek Him earnestly to figure out how He wants you to spend your life. If you determine your goals and priorities apart from submission to God and His Word, then you’re living by man’s time, not by God’s time. Such living is ultimately futile.

B. Those living by man’s time go along with their culture apart from Christ.

Jesus draws a sharp contrast here between His brothers’ time and His time. If you’re using your time as our culture does, you aren’t living by God’s time. The brothers went up to this religious feast but they went without Jesus. They went because it was the thing that all Jewish men did at that time of the year. It was a God-ordained ritual, but they did it without reality because they did it without Jesus and without faith in Him. They were living by man’s time, not by God’s time.

We, of course, live in a godless, corrupt culture that exalts selfish pleasure and materialism as the ultimate aims in life. To go along with our culture and live for those fleeting pleasures is obviously to waste your life. But it’s possible to be a part of the Christian wing of our culture, to go to church and go through Christian rituals (such as communion) and yet leave Jesus out. You’re just doing it because it’s the thing that other Christians do. But that is to live by man’s time, not by God’s time.

C. Those living by man’s time operate by worldly wisdom, not by God’s wisdom.

As we saw last time, Jesus’ brothers offered some worldly-wise advice on how He could advance His “career.” They may have meant well, but as I pointed out, their advice was in line with Satan’s temptation for Jesus to jump off the pinnacle of the temple, have the angels float Him gently to the ground, and impress everyone with His miraculous powers. The brothers’ advice was, “For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” (7:4).

As Carson points out (ibid., pp. 306-307), by the world, Jesus’ brothers meant, “to everyone,” but John no doubt saw irony in their comment. We already know that such a display of Jesus’ miraculous powers would have the multitude clamoring to make Him a political Messiah (6:14-15), but it would not have resulted in genuine faith (2:23-25). In one sense Jesus had no intention of showing Himself to the world (14:22). And yet in another sense (Carson, p. 307), “it is in Jerusalem where Jesus reveals himself most dramatically—not in the spectacular miracles the brothers want but in the ignominy of the cross, the very cross by which Jesus draws all men to Himself (12:32) and becomes the Savior of the world (4:42).” The cross is foolishness to the wise of this world, but to us who are called, it is God’s power and wisdom (1 Cor. 1:23-24).

One of the books that has most impacted my life is Shadow of the Almighty [Zondervan], by Elisabeth Elliot. It’s the story of her first husband, Jim Elliot, who was martyred at age 28 in Ecuador (along with four other young men) by the fierce Auca tribe that they were seeking to reach with the gospel. When he was a college student, Jim had written (p. 15), “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Recently the news featured the story of chemistry teacher Ronnie Smith, a young husband and father who was shot to death by Muslim radicals while he jogged in Benghazi, Libya. He was there to show Christ’s love to those lost and hopeless people. I saw an interview with his wife, who said that she loves and forgives those who murdered her husband. The world would say that to go to a fierce, primitive tribe or to a dangerous place like Benghazi to share the gospel, is not wise. But God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. In the epilogue to Shadow of the Almighty (p. 246), Elisabeth Elliot wrote,

W. Somerset Maugham, in Of Human Bondage, wrote, “These old folk had done nothing, and when they died it would be just as if they had never been.” Jim’s comment on this was, “God deliver me!”

May He deliver us all from living by man’s time, in worldly wisdom, rather than by God’s time, in His wisdom. To understand how to live by God’s time, we must look at how Jesus lived:

3. Jesus lived by God’s time: He submitted fully to God’s plan for His life.

Throughout John’s Gospel, there is the repeated theme of Jesus’ “hour,” which refers to the cross (2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 16:32; 17:1; see Luke 22:53). But here (7:6, 8) John uses the Greek word that refers to an opportune time. Jesus means that the God-appointed time for Him to go up to Jerusalem and reveal Himself was not yet at hand. In other words, in contrast to His brothers, who lived by the world’s agenda, Jesus lived by God’s agenda. This meant five things:

A. To live by God’s time, be directly accountable to Him for how you spend your time.

Jesus always had a sense of obeying the Father with regard to His use of time. He did not allow His own mother to determine when He should turn the water into wine, but He did it as the Father directed Him (2:4). Here, He does not allow His brothers’ advice to govern when He went up to the feast, but went in response to the Father’s timetable. He was accountable to the Father to do everything in His life and ministry as the Father directed.

I’ll grant that it’s not easy to determine God’s will for the specifics of our schedules, whether it concerns the major decisions in life or the daily and weekly schedules that we all must make. But we can determine our overall priorities and goals from the wisdom of God’s Word and prayerfully seek to use our time with the awareness that we will give an account to God for how we spent the time that He gave us. If I may be gently blunt, to spend countless hours watching TV or playing computer games is not a godly way to spend your life.

One New Year’s Day when I was in college, I spent the entire day watching all the college bowl games. By the end of the day, I felt rotten, as if I had stuffed myself on junk food all day. I realized that I had just wasted a precious day of my life. I swore off my TV addiction and have never gone back.

B. To live by God’s time, live with the purpose of glorifying God and accomplishing what He has given you to do.

Jesus came to do the Father’s will and to accomplish the Father’s work (4:34). He finished it in three years, as we have seen (17:4). Jesus’ purpose should be our purpose, namely, to glorify God on this earth and to accomplish whatever it is that He has given each of us to do.

Obviously, God does not call everyone to be a foreign missionary or to serve full time in ministry here at home. But He does call us all to live in such a way that we glorify Him in everything we do (1 Cor. 10:31). All behavior begins in our hearts or thoughts (Mark 7:21), so begin there, by ordering your thoughts in line with God’s Word (Phil. 4:8). All our behavior is to be governed by God’s love, which seeks the highest good for others (Rom. 12:9-10; 1 Cor. 13; 16:14). Also, God has uniquely gifted each one for service so that we might glorify Him (1 Cor. 12; 1 Pet. 4:10-11). So figure out what He has gifted you to do and structure your schedule so that you can do it.

C. To live by God’s time, develop a harvest mindset that views every situation in light of eternity.

As we saw in the story of Jesus with the woman at the well, the disciples had a temporal mindset. They were focused on getting Jesus to eat His lunch so that they could get on with their journey. But Jesus had a harvest mindset. He turned their focus toward what God was doing with His encounter with the woman and the Samaritans in that village (4:31-38). Jesus was aware of God’s perspective in every situation. He never acted out of selfish motives, but only for the purpose of furthering God’s kingdom. He told us that in contrast to seeking all the things that the world so eagerly seeks, (Matt. 6:33), “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

You’ve got to figure out how that verse applies to your sphere of influence. It may apply to rearing your children to know and follow Christ. It may apply to helping a family member, friend, co-worker, or stranger whom you meet come to know the Savior or to grow in Him. Ask the Lord to give you a harvest mindset.

D. To live by God’s time, use reasonable prudence, but do not put personal safety above doing the will of God.

Jesus stayed in Galilee because the Jews were trying to kill Him (7:1), but when it was God’s will for Him to go to the feast, He went. We see the same thing in John 10:39-11:15: Jesus was ministering out of the reach of the Pharisees who were seeking to kill Him, but when it was God’s time, He went to Bethany, just outside of Jerusalem, to raise Lazarus from the dead.

Jeremy Lundgren, our former youth pastor, is writing his master’s thesis on the theology of risk and safety: when is it right to protect yourself from possible harm versus expend yourself for the sake of the gospel? On some occasions, the apostle Paul escaped impending threats to his life (2 Cor. 11:32-33; Acts 17:10, 14; 22:18), but at other times, he was willing to walk into what almost certainly would result in either persecution or death (Acts 19:30-31; 21:11-13). I can’t give you a hard and fast rule for determining when to risk your life for the sake of the gospel and when to use caution and escape. But we all should have the mindset that our highest aim is to glorify God through the gospel. Sometimes that may entail exposing ourselves to substantial risks.

E. To live by God’s time, be willing to confront our godless culture.

Here, Jesus confronted His brothers’ worldly perspective. He never backed away from confronting the worldly or godless views of those He came into contact with, even though it inevitably led to His death. When He went to have lunch with a Pharisee, Jesus deliberately did not follow their custom for ceremonial washing before the meal and then He laid into the Pharisee for his hypocrisy in cleaning the outside of the cup, while inside he was full of wickedness. When one of the lawyers present heard Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees, he said (Luke 11:45), “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.” Did Jesus reply, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any offense”? No, rather He said (11:46), “Woe to you lawyers as well!” And He proceeded to expose their many sins. Jesus always confronted the godlessness around Him.

This doesn’t mean that we should be rude or insensitive. Paul tells us that our speech should be both gracious and seasoned with salt (Col. 4:6). He tells us not to be quarrelsome, but to be kind to all and to correct with gentleness (2 Tim. 2:24-25). But probably most of us need to be a bit bolder than we are to speak out against godlessness when we encounter it. I appreciated reading that Rick Warren recently told Piers Morgan on CNN with regard to Warren’s opposition to homosexual marriage, “I fear the disapproval of God more than I fear your disapproval or the disapproval of society.” (http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/2013/12/06)

Conclusion

To review and offer some specific action points, here are some steps to help you live by God’s time so that your life counts for eternity and isn’t wasted because you lived for man’s time:

(1) Make sure that you have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and that you are fully submitted to His lordship. Apart from that, anything that you do will be empty and vain at the judgment.

(2) Write out a one-sentence purpose statement for your life and two or three short-term goals that will help move you in that direction in the coming year. Granted, Jesus probably didn’t write out His life purpose in a single sentence, but He was clear enough about it that He knew when He had accomplished the Father’s work (John 17:4). The same could be said of the apostle Paul. He said (1 Cor. 9:23), “I do all things for the sake of the gospel.” He said that his aim was (Phil. 3:10), “That I may know Him.” He told Timothy (1 Tim. 4:7), “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” Those aims are all in line and show that Paul lived with God’s purpose in mind.

(3) Clear your life of clutter and busyness that do not relate to your overall purpose. Kevin DeYoung’s recent short book, Crazy Busy [Crossway] is helpful in this regard.

(4) Figure out what God has gifted you to do and begin serving Him now. Don’t wait until some “better time” in the future. You may never get to such a time. Start now. What is your “mission field”? Who are the 8-15 people with whom you have regular contact that you can influence for Christ? God wants all disciples of Jesus to help make disciples who make disciples.

(5) Don’t despise the mundane as the place where God wants you to serve. You don’t have to go to the mission field or go into full time ministry to serve the Lord. You can serve and glorify God daily in your present circumstances. As Peter puts it (1 Pet. 4:11), “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Application Questions

When we live under God’s time, how do we determine how much time to spend in leisure or recreation?
How can a Christian discover his/her spiritual gifts? (See my message on Romans 12:4-6.)
How does Matthew 6:33 apply to a believer who works in a “secular” job? How can he “seek first God’s kingdom”?
Prayerfully write a brief life purpose statement and 2-3 goals for the New Year.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

Was Paul a 'Babe’ among the Thessalonians? 1 Thes 2:7

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The following material is taken directly from Dr. Wallace’s class notes in his course on the Thessalonian letters at Dallas Seminary.

We turn now to one of the thorniest textual problems in the NT. In 1 Thess 2.7, the problem of h[pioi/nhvpioi occurs. The first word, h[pio", means ‘gentle.’ The meaning is quite satisfactory: ‘we became gentle among you, like a nursing mother…’ The variant is significantly harder; nhvpio" means ‘infant,’ ‘little child.’ Many have suggested that this reading is too hard: ‘we became infants among you, like a nursing mother…’ The shift in metaphor seems so violent that ‘infants’ is regarded as a scribal error. This might not be the case however. The external evidence is as follows:

hpioi:	²A C²D²K P Y^c0278 33 1739 1881 Byz et alii
nhpioi:	⁶⁵ * B C* D* F G I Y* it bo et alii.

The external evidence is especially strong for the ‘little children.’ It is not insignificant that the earliest Alexandrian and Western witnesses in support of hpioi are the second correctors. Such correctors generally follow a Byzantine Vorlage. Hence, apart from A, 33, and 1739, the variant hpioi finds its strongest support in the Byzantine text. However, this is not to say that the reading was developed late: it is found in Clement of Alexandria (c. 215) as well as in some of the Sahidic MSS.² In this text, there is thus the distinct possibility that the amanuensis heard Paul incorrectly. Since the preceding word ended in a n, the secretary could have dropped it or added it to the next word inadvertently. But since Paul always authenticated his letters—not only by taking the pen from the secretary and writing a personal note but also presumably by checking over the contents of each letter—if the secretary wrote the wrong word here, Paul would have corrected it before it was shipped out. If the secretary had written nhpioi and Paul had corrected it, then our earliest witnesses would almost surely attest to the hpioi reading.⁴ he would be most likely to follow his normal pattern here. Yet this could be countered by the ‘fact’ that when Paul uses nhvpio" it is always applied to his audience, and never to himself (so Metzger, Textual Commentary, 629). Even this is overstated, however: Paul does indeed seem to apply it to himself in at least half of his uses: in 1 Cor 13.11 the word is used five times. Paul uses the first person singular, though in a generic sense (“when I was a child…”). He also seems to include himself with his readers in Gal 4.3 and Eph 4.14. That is the most natural way to take the ‘we’ in each place.⁶); his usage always implies immaturity, childishness, etc.⁸ it destroys the metaphor (“we became babes, as a nursing mother cherishes her children”). The wJ" clause in this instance is meaningless. Further, not only does it destroy the metaphor, but the logic of Paul’s argument vanishes, for if Paul and Silas had become babes, they would have been burdensome (though not in terms of authority, certainly in terms of upkeep—the very point that Paul is arguing against!).

(3) It is possible to repunctuate vv 7-8 so that a full stop concludes ajllaV ejgenhvqhmen nhvpioi ejn mevsw/ uJmw'n (thus, “we became little children in your midst”). Then, wJ" ejaVn trofov" begins a new sentence in which a comparison is made between a nursing mother (7b) and “we… gave to you our very lives” (v 8). (See the note on v 8 for more discussion of the punctuation and sense problem related to it.) This possibility gains ground when we recognize that wJ"...ou{tw" form a correlative pair in the NT frequently enough: ‘as…so [also].’ The construction occurs 14 times, the largest group of which are correlatives.¹⁰

wJ" ejavn—very rare in NT;^{is found. Though true, the adverb hjpivw" is found in 1 Clement 23.1 of God giving grace, and the noun hjpiovth" is found often enough, especially of God and Christ, in early patristic writers (cf. Lampe, Patristic Greek Lexicon, for references). The point is that though h[pio" is a biblical hapax legomenon, in the patristic period its cognates occur more frequently; scribes living in that era would not be unfamiliar with the word and may well have altered the text of 1 Thess 2.7 to conform to this notion.}

^{⁶Cf. Louw-Nida 9.43: “the Greek expression didavskalon nhpivwn, literally ‘teacher of little children,’ may be better understood in a sense of ‘teacher of the ignorant’ or ‘teacher of the unlearned.’”}

^{⁸Though Crawford takes it to function as a vocative (or, more technically correct, a nominative for vocative), thus, “We became, little children, like a nursing mother…” (Charles Crawford, “The ‘Tiny’ Problem of 1 Thessalonians 2,7: The Case of the Curious Vocative,” Bib 54 (1973) 69-72. A number of difficulties are present with this view: (a) The fact that the word immediately follows a copula (ejgenhvqhmen) suggests that it should be taken as a predicate nominative; (b) Paul’s normal vocative is ajdelfoiv (he could, of course, have followed a different practice in his earlier writings, however); (c) calling them ‘little children’ before he gets to the metaphor seems to be putting the cart before the horse: they would not have understood his meaning until they had read further; (d) calling them ‘little children’ now suggests their immaturity—yet, throughout this letter Paul constantly reminds them of how much they have grown (cf. 1 Cor 3.1; Eph 4.14); and (e) we would not at all expect the subjunctive qavlph/ if nhvpioi were a vocative: this would seem to be a rather unGreek expression (as well as unPauline), for the sense required of the wJ" clause would be “like a nursing mother cherishing her own children.” Instead, we should expect the participle qalpou'sa as an adjectival participle to the predicate nominative trovfo". (It is this final argument that is the weightiest against the vocative view.)}

^{¹⁰The TNIV, released this week, also follows this reading.}

^{¹²This is rare enough in the NT, but especially rare when the participle functions like an indicative.}

¹³The first translation treats dunavmenoi far more naturally, but makes the ajllav awkward; the second translation retains the need for ajllav but makes dunavmenoi an independent participle. Of these two options, I prefer the first.

The Thessalonian Epistles

Article contributed by www.walvoord.com

2 Thessalonians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary

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Week 5 Lesson: Faithful (Committed)

A Precious Word from God

If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.

2 Timothy 2:13 (NET)

“You have my word on it” or “Let’s shake on it” used to be words that meant commitment and trust. When people agreed to a deal, a handshake or a promise sealed it. Today, even signing a legal contract doesn’t seem to bind the parties, who often look for ways to get around their promises.

A Precious Word from God

If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.

2 Timothy 2:13 (NET)

Faithfulness means being trustworthy, trustful, sure, and true.⁴ We may say we’ll do something and then change our minds and not follow through. But God is always true to his word to us; he is committed to do exactly what he has promised.

Day One Study

Today we will look at God’s faithfulness, knowing that we are to be like him.

1. What do these verses say about God and faithfulness?

a. 1 Cor. 1:9

b. 1 Cor. 10:13

c. 1 Thess. 5:23-24

d. 2 Thess. 3:3

e. 2 Tim. 2:13 (our memory verse)

2. Sharing question: Which verse in the previous question was most meaningful to you? Why?

Diamonds in the Word: Look up Old Testament references to God’s faithfulness. Memorize your favorite verse.

3. What do you learn about Jesus’ faithfulness in Heb. 3:1-6?

4. Read Heb. 11:17-19. How did Abraham’s belief in God’s faithfulness affect his actions?

5. Sharing question: Consider a situation with which you are dealing right now in your life. If you truly believed that God is faithful to his word and his promises, how would that affect your attitude or your actions? Write down your thoughts and be prepared to share them with your group. Consider making this your weekly prayer request, asking for enough faith to act on God’s faithfulness to you in the situation.

6. Responding to God: Pray your prayer request for yourself; begin with praising God for his faithfulness. You may want to pray back the verse in #1 that was most meaningful to you. Write down your prayer.

Day Two Study

This week’s example of faithfulness is Jonathan, who was a prince, the oldest son of Saul, the first King of Israel. Today we begin his story.

Read 1 Sam. 13:1-14, (The first biblical reference to Jonathan is in v. 2.)

7. Summarize the situation Saul and Jonathan faced and what happened. Write it as a newspaper story, highlighting the important points and maybe including quotes from first-hand witnesses. What most important point should be the headline in your estimation? To understand what happened, read 1 Sam. 10:8, realizing that several years have passed since this statement.

8. How do you understand the problem with what Saul did?

9. What would have been the ramifications to Jonathan from his father’s foolish sin?

Diamonds in the Word: Read 1 Sam. 15:1-23, and consider Saul’s sin here and God’s response. What do you find similar?

10. Sharing question: How would you have felt toward your father, toward Samuel, and toward God at this point if you had been Jonathan? Why? Have you ever borne the brunt of the sin of another person, perhaps a parent or grandparent? What was it, and how did you feel toward those involved?

11. Responding to God: Our families of origin greatly impact us, either for good or for bad. Spend time thanking God for the good that you gained from them or praying for those who hurt you, as Jesus told us to do. Claim the promise of Rom. 8:28-30 and believe it.

Day Three Study

After God rejected Saul as king and his family as heirs of the throne, he sent Samuel to anoint David to be the next king in 1 Sam. 16:1-13. If you have time, you may want to read this part of the story as well.

Read 1 Sam. 18:1-4 as we finally get to the crux of the story that reveals Jonathan’s faithfulness.

12. What happened between Jonathan and David?

The action of giving David his robe and fighting gear indicate that Jonathan made a covenant with David. These gifts were merely symbols of the pact between the two of them involving promises of peace and protection. They indicate that the parties are becoming “blood brothers” as many cultures called them, sealing the pact with blood.

Diamonds in the Word: Read about covenants and their symbols in your Bible resources. Note anything that applies to this story.

Skim 1 Sam. 18:5-30 in light of the next question.

13. What created a rift between Saul and David?

Read 1 Sam. 19:1-6.

14. What was Jonathan’s role in the situation between his father and his friend? How does it relate to their covenant?

Read Mt. 26:26-28.

15. Sharing question: When you become a believer in Jesus, you enter a covenant with him. What does it mean to you to be Jesus’ “blood brother” as you think of the promises that attach to that covenant?

16. Responding to God: Write a prayer or poem of thanks to Jesus for shedding his blood to become your blood brother.

Day Four Study

Read 1 Sam. 20:1-23.

17. Summarize the story.

18. How do you see Jonathan’s faithfulness through his actions?

19. What further promises did the new covenant between Jonathan and David involve (1 Sam. 20:14-16)? What did Jonathan say here that suggests that he knew that David was God’s choice as the new king?

Diamonds in the Word: Read the story of David’s faithfulness to his promises to Jonathan here in 2 Sam. 9:1-12.

20. How does Jonathan epitomize Ps. 15:2-4? (Read the entire psalm to get the context.)

21. Sharing question: Have you ever regretted a promise because fulfilling it was disadvantageous to you? Perhaps it was the promises you made when you entered the marriage covenant or simply a promise to do something for someone. Did you keep it or not? Why?

22. Responding to God: If you were not faithful to your word or promise in the past, is there any way to make amends, not simply through words but also through deeds? What should you do? Talk to God about this and ask for his forgiveness, knowing he wants you to commit to restoration or recompense if possible, asking for forgiveness without excuse. Write down your prayer and your commitment before God, and be faithful to these words.

Day Five Study

Read 1 Sam. 20:24-42.

23. Summarize how Jonathan was faithful to his words to David.

24. What did Saul say to Jonathan to remind him that it was to his advantage that David die (1 Sam. 20:31)?

25. Read these verses and record your insights concerning faithfulness:

a. Mt. 5:33-37

b. Ecc. 5:1-6

c. Prov. 25:19

d. Gal. 5:22-23

Diamonds in the Word: Use a topical Bible or other topical resource to find other verses on faithfulness.

26. Sharing question: It is very common in our culture to fail to follow through with obligations. We even back out of commitments we have made to the church and to God himself. How counter-culture would believers look if we backed up all of our words? What kind of statement would we make as believers if we worked to the best of our ability because that is what we were hired to do? What if we never lied about sick days? What if we followed through with a commitment even when it became inconvenient or to our disadvantage? Share your thoughts with your group.

27. Sharing question: Is your yes really a yes and your no a no? Do you follow through with what you say you will do? Think of both big promises and off-the-cuff words that you say. Consider your marriage vows or contracts that you have signed—big promises! Have you paid off the debts that you promised to pay or did you choose to go bankrupt without repayment? Have you backed out of commitments to your friends, co-workers, or church? Rate yourself from 1-5 in faithfulness. Share your rating and your reasoning with your group. What one practical step can you take so that you don’t agree to things that you later regret?

28. Responding to God: Confess your unfaithfulness to God; commit to show the world what he is like—faithful to his word and his promises!

Kay H’s Story

Shortly after my first daughter, Emily, was born I realized the need for more volunteers in Children’s Ministry. The truth is, I had always been aware of the ongoing need for volunteers in this area and had even responded once before as a young, single woman. That time God redirected me to High School Ministry in which I served for several years. Though that service was time consuming and very challenging, it also brought great rewards such as lifelong friendships, spiritual growth (mostly for me, but hopefully also for those I served), and a sense of joy and excitement in serving God well.

Now, as a new mom, I sensed not only the urgent need for workers in Children’s Ministry, but also the expectation (subtle and otherwise) that I would help to meet that need. Other moms would innocently ask, “Where do you serve in Children’s Ministry?” or “Do you help in the nursery or preschool area?” I felt guilty dropping off and picking up Emily knowing that others were giving their time to care for her and I was doing “nothing.” Finally, I caved in to all the pressure and agreed to work in the nursery. But it didn’t take long for me to figure out that was not the place for me. I dreaded going. I barely managed to get through my shift. I left discouraged and exhausted every time. I began to feel resentful. I talked to my husband about it and he tried to encourage me (but then he actually enjoys serving in Children’s Ministry, so it was difficult for him to relate to how I was feeling). I talked to God about it and basically He said, “What in the world are you doing in Children’s Ministry? Did I ask you to do that?” I realized I had made a mistake—being more concerned about other people’s needs and expectations than God’s. However, I had made a commitment and I knew God expected me to fulfill it. (He swears to his own hurt and does not change Psalm 15:4c.) So I did, to the best of my ability and totally dependent on the Lord. The when it came time to “reenlist,” my husband did and I didn’t, and I was OK with that.

I’d like to say I learned my lesson from that experience, but the truth is that I made the same mistake a few years later when Emily moved to the preschool area. Kevin and I signed up to teach her class on a regular basis. I thought I might enjoy it more. I let myself get talked into it. Then after a few weeks I deeply regretted my decision. Still, I finished out the year as best I could (with greater humility than enthusiasm).

Now, I think I get it. I’ve learned the importance of responding to God’s leading rather than others’ expectations (real or perceived). He’s been gracious in allowing me to serve Him in ways that, while still challenging, are fun and rewarding for me. And now I don’t ever just assume He wants me to do something just because I “can,” since the truth is that I can’t apart from Him. He keeps me from over committing time or energy and He gives me peace and permission to say “no.” Sometimes He even pushes me to say “yes” to things I’d rather not—like occasionally volunteering a few hours in Children’s Ministry.

Growing in Godliness for Moms - Faithful

In the lesson this week, we saw the faithful friendship between Jonathan and David. Jonathan was someone that David could count on. Jonathan demonstrated loyal love to his friend. How does this speak to us as moms?

Have you experienced unfaithfulness from a parent, a friend, or a spouse? How did it feel to know that you could not trust a person to keep his word? How secure did you feel in that relationship?

Our children need to know and experience a relationship with us in which we are faithful. Our love is constant. We keep our word. We are not shifting from day to day based on whims. Our faithfulness gives them security.

I have experienced this type of faithfulness from my husband. He is constant in his unconditional love for me and in keeping his word. I have thanked the Lord for allowing me to know what this kind of faithfulness and unconditional love feels like.

In a similar way, our children can have a foundation of security as we relate to them in faithfulness and unconditional love. The world may accept them conditionally and may not follow through on promises, but we can provide a place where they know that they are loved and accepted.

Even if you have not experienced faithfulness in earthly relationships, you can break the cycle and be the first in your family to be faithful. You can leave a legacy of faithfulness to your children that they would not have otherwise. Ask the Lord to help you be faithful in spite of the disappointments, hurts, and broken promises that you have experienced. Begin by reminding yourself of the faithfulness of God. We can always depend on His faithfulness.

In the turbulent and unstable world in which we live, our children need to know that they can depend on us as moms. It is difficult to break out of the mold of broken commitments and instability that characterizes so many families. However, God wants to demonstrate His love and His faithfulness to our children not only through His word but also through us as moms. Are you willing to let God use you to display His character to your children through your faithfulness?

Lord, we live in such a broken world. Families are torn apart by infidelity. Broken promises, ruined lives, and fractured families are the rule not the exception. Please help us as Christian moms to love our husbands and our children unconditionally and to live out faithfulness in all of our relationships.

Proverbs 20:6

Many people profess their loyalty,

but a faithful person – who can find?

Action Step: Write a note to each of your children affirming how much you love them and how thankful you are that God created them exactly as He did. Remind them of God’s love for them and let them know that you are always there for them.

⁴ Strong’s #4103 pistos

P46 as the Earliest Witness of 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

Related Media

Editor’s note: The following was a term paper that Mike Svigel did for a Th.M. course on 1-2 Thessalonians which I teach at Dallas Seminary. It is a creative, well-researched paper, that attempts to argue that, even though P46 is not extant in 1 Thess 2, judging by the number of lines per page and number of characters per line where it is extant, is most likely that this papyrus contained these four verses. Whether he has made his case is up for the reader to decide.

Daniel B. Wallace
August 24, 2004

Problem

Paul’s First Epistle to the Thessalonians is dated by nearly all NT scholars at around A.D. 50. However, the four verses from 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 have been regarded by several scholars as a post-A.D. 70 interpolation for historical, theological, or form-critical reasons,¹ contrary to all extant Greek MS evidence.² Even Pearson, who believes one should turn to theories of interpolation only as a final option, suggests that “the historical and theological difficulties in 1 Thessalonians 2 are such that one must begin again to entertain such a hypothesis.”³

On the face of it, such a hypothesis would seem possible, yet improbable. Given the sizable number of MSS available to the textual critic, it would be reasonable to expect some trace of an original and easier reading to survive among the Greek MS traditions, though it is of course a possibility that such a reading (without 2:13–16) could be entirely lost to a more difficult, problematic reading twenty years older. Yet taking into account the presumed reluctance of most copyists to tamper with their Vorlage and considering the possibility that even variants that developed in first generation copies of MSS may be preserved in separate textual traditions,⁴ it would seem the interpolation theory should be advanced with caution and adopted with reluctance.

Nevertheless, the doubts concerning 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 persist. With this article I will contribute to the discussion by demonstrating that P46—the earliest papyrus MS of 1 Thessalonians—included the passage. This MS, dated c. A.D. 200 and included in a codex of Pauline writings, suggests that at the time of its copying the text of 2:13–16 already enjoyed a stable position in the Pauline corpus. Although this does not prove that the text of 2:13–16 is original to Paul, it pushes back external evidence for the existence of the verses into the late second century while currently the earliest extant MSS that read for those disputed verses, Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, are from the fourth century.

Method

The first problem with P46 is that the only extant verses of 1 Thessalonians are on two non-sequential page fragments, the first containing the end of Colossians and 1 Thessalonians 1:1 on its front and traces of 1:9—2:3 on its back (fol. 94).⁵ The second fragment has 1 Thessalonians 5:5–9 on the front and 5:23–28 on the reverse (fol. 97).⁶ Since the two leaves that originally contained chapters 3 and 4 are lost, at first glance it appears impossible to determine if 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 was present in P46. However, due to the length of the debated passage and the condition of the fragments, a careful analysis reveals whether or not the verses were contained in one of the missing leaves. The method of this reconstruction and analysis is presented below.

First I selected a standard Greek text from which to reconstruct the missing text of P46. The only viable options were the Textus Receptus and the critical text of Nestle-Aland27. For the purpose of this study minor variants between these texts are of little consequence, since a difference of even a whole line of additions or omissions would not affect the final determination of whether the whole of 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 was present in the original P46. I have therefore decided to use the more commonly accepted NA27 as the standard, making the reasonable assumption that the original text of 1 Thessalonians in P46 was fairly similar to that edition.⁷

Second, I determined the average number of characters per line in this part of P46.⁸ By filling in gaps with NA27, I reconstructed the text of the missing portions of the first fragment (fol. 94r and 94v), modifying the text of NA27 to include nomina sacra regularly used in P46 as well as known spelling variations in the MS.⁹ I then counted the number of characters reconstructed between two letters that appear on opposite sides of the actual fragment.¹⁰ The letter ε in the partial word υμειν (1 Thess 1:1) at the bottom left corner of 94r is matched on the opposite side by the υ of the abbreviated θυ (1 Thess 2:2).¹¹ Between these two letters in the reconstructed text there are 1,063 characters.¹² Kenyon has pointed out that in P46 “the number of lines on a page varies between 25 and 32, but tends to increase as the MS. progresses.”¹³ My personal examination revealed that toward the end of the MS the average is actually between 29 and 32. Since I was working with close estimates anyway and since this study could accept a margin of error as great as a whole line of text, I safely estimated that fol. 94 had 30 lines of text per page. This renders an average of 35.4 characters per line of text.

Third, I estimated how many lines the text of 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 would have occupied had it been present in the missing leaves of P46. Using NA27 as the base text and contracting all nomina sacra regularly used by the scribe of P46, the debated text would have consisted of approximately 522 characters. Dividing 522 by the average number of characters per line (35.4), I concluded that 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 would have taken up 14.75 lines of text, virtually half a page in P46.

Fourth, I examined a full-sized facsimile of the actual fragments of P46 to ascertain where both 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 5:5 are positioned on the leaves. Due to the nature of the extant fragments, this is relatively easy to determine. By projecting the text of Colossians from the penultimate leaf to the final fragmentary leaf where that epistle ends and 1 Thessalonians begins, I determined within a one line margin of error upon which of the thirty lines of the leaf 1 Thessalonians began. The reconstruction of fol. 94 below demonstrates this:¹⁴

[top of fol. 93v]

[1]	ωνιναοθσανοιχηημινθυραντουλογουλα
2	λησαιτομυστηριοντουξρυδιοκαιδεδεμαι
3	ιναφανερωσωαυτοωσδειμελαλησαι
4	ενσοφιαπεριπατειτεπροστουσεχωτον
5	καιρονεχαγοραζομενοιολογοσυμων
6	παντοτεενξαριτιαλατιηρτυμενοσειδε
7	ναιπωσδειυμασενιεκαστωαποκρινεσ
8	θαιτακατεμεπανταγνωρισειυμιντυ
9	χικοσοαγαπητοσαδελφοσκαιπιστοσδιακονοσ
10	καισυνδουλοσενκωονεπεμψαπροσυμασ
11	εισαυτοτουτοιναγνωτεταπεριημωνκαιπα
12	ρακαλεσητασκαρδιασυμωνσυνονησιμω
13	τωπιστωκαιαγαπητωαδελφωοσεστιν
14	εχυμωνπανταυμινγνωρισουσινταωδε
15	ασπαζεταιυμασαπισταρξοσοσυναιξμαλω
16	τοσμουκαιμαρκοσοανεψιοσβαρναβαπε
17	ριουελαβετεεντολασεανελθηπροσυμασδε
18	ξασθεαυτονκαιιησουσολεγομενοσιουστο
19	σοιοντεσεκπεριτομησαυτοιμονοισυν
20	εργοιεισγηνβασιλειαντουθυοιτινεσεγε
21	νηθησανμοιπαρηγοριαασπαζεταιυμασ
22	επαφρασοεχυμωνδουλοσξρυιηυπαντοτε
23	αγωνιζομενοσυπερυμωνενταισπροσευξαισ
24	ινασταθητετελειοικαιπεπληροφορημενοιεν
[25]	παντιθεληματιτουθυμαρτυρωγαραυτωο
[26]	τιεξειπολυνπονονυπερυμωνκαιτωνενλ
[27]	αοδικειακαιτωνενιεραπολειασπαζετα
[28]	ιυμασλουκασοιατροσοαγαπητοσκαιδημ
[29]	ασασπασασθετουσενλαοδικειααδελφου
[30]	σκαινυμφανκαιτηνκατοικοναυτησεκκλ

[bottom of fol. 93v]

[top of fol. 94r]

1	ησιανκαιοταναναγνωσθηπαρυμινηεπισ
2	τοληποιησατεινακαιεντηλαοδικεωνεκ
3	κλησιααναγνωσθηκαιτηνεκλαοδικειασ
4	ινακαιυμεισαναγνωτεκαιειπατεαρξιπ
5	πωβλεπετηνδιακονιανηνπαρελαβεσενκ
6	υριωινααυτηνπληροισοασπασμοστηεμη
7	ξειριπαυλουμνημονευετεμουτωνδεσμω
8	νηξαρισμεθυυμων
9 ¹⁵
10
11
12
13	παυλοσκαισιλουανοσκαιτιμοθεοστηεκκλησιαθε
14	σσαλονικεωνενθωπρικαικωιηυξρυξαρισυμ
15	εινκαιειρηνηευξαριστουμεντωθωπαντοτ
16	επεριπαντωνυμωνμνειανποιουμενοιεπιτ
17	ωνπροσευξωνημωναδιαλειπτωσμνημονευο
18	ντεσυμωντουεργουτησπιστεωσκαιτουκοπ
19	ουτησαγαπησκαιτησυπομονηστησελπιδοσ
20	τουκυημωνιηυξρυεμπροσθεντουθυκαιπρσ
21	ημωνειδοτεσαδελφοιηγαπημενοιυποτουθ
22	υτηνεκλογηνυμωνοτιτοευαγγελιονημωνο
23	υκεγενηθηεισυμασενλογωμονοναλλακαιε
24	νδυναμεικαιενπνευματιαγιωκαιενπληρ
25	οφοριαπολληκαθωσοιδατεοιοιεγενηθημε
26	νυμινδιυμασκαιυμεισμιμηταιημωνεγενη
27	θητεκαιτουκυδεχαμενοιτονλογονενθλιψ
28	ειπολλημεταξαρασπνσαγιουωστεγενεσθα
29	ιυμαστυπονπασιντοισπιστευουσινεντημ
30	ακεδονιακαιεντηαξαιααφυμωνγαρεχηξητ

[bottom of fol. 94r]

According to this reconstruction, 1 Thessalonians begins on or about the thirteenth line of the page (fol. 94r).

Finally, I established upon which line of the page the words of the next extant fragment lie (fol. 97). A close examination of the fragment made this positioning certain, as one can easily discern that the first visible character in the fragment is at the top corner of the page.¹⁶ Therefore, 1 Thessalonians 1:1 begins on the thirteenth line of the recto side of leaf 94 and the beginning of 1 Thessalonians 5:5 (παν[τες]) falls on the first line of the recto side of leaf 97.

Having established this, I could then approximate the missing pages of P46 by projecting the standard NA27 outwards from the thirteenth line of the first page, dividing up the letters into lines consisting of 35.4 characters and onto pages of 30 lines each.¹⁷ The hypothetical reconstruction in the Appendix includes 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16. If the verses were actually included in the original missing leaves of P46, then 5:5 in the reconstruction would fall near the first line of the front of the leaf. If the verses were missing from the original pages of P46, then the addition of these lines in the reconstruction would cause a shift forward by approximately 14.75 lines, placing 5:5 not at the top of the leaf, but in the middle of the page.

The result of the reconstruction was revealing. In the hypothetical text of the missing leaves of P46, the first word of 1 Thessalonians 5:5 (παν) fell in the center of line 27 of fol. 96v, three and a half lines earlier than it does in the actual extant fragment (line 1 of fol. 96r). Therefore, it can be demonstrated that 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 was almost certainly part of the original P46, even though the leaf on which that text was originally written is lost today.

Implications And Conclusion

Establishing that 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 was included in the original complete P46 places the external evidence for the reading at least as early A.D. 200, the date of that MS. Although the text type in that papyrus has been characterized as “free,”¹⁸ and the scribe regarded as a “blunderer,”¹⁹ one can discern no pattern of variants in the text that would suggest the scribe of P46 was interested in anything other than preserving the MS tradition of the exemplar.²⁰ Nor does it appear that the tradition of his exemplar would be characterized as grossly unreliable. Therefore, while I can comfortably declare with relative certainty that 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 was among the MS tradition in A.D. 200, it seems reasonable to push this tradition back at least into the late second century, or even earlier.

Although this early testimony of P46does not prove the passage in question to be originally Pauline, Vaganay notes as a general principle: “It would be right to be wary of a variant which does not emerge until the fifteenth or sixteenth century, for example, and to pay more attention to a variant in a papyrus from around AD 200.”²¹ This principle of textual criticism speaks even louder against variants that have no Greek textual evidence, either early or late.

As it stands, the abiding theory of interpolation at 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 depends strictly on intrinsic evidence, “the most subjective element in the methodology of textual criticism.”²² The subjectivism of the evaluation of intrinsic evidence is highlighted when one encounters the variety of opinions regarding which of the verses in 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 are authentic and which are interpolations.²³ Of course, disagreement among scholars does not prove any or all of the hypotheses false, but the critic ought to tread even more cautiously when he realizes that the “most subjective” among the elements of evidence in a problem like 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 is the element upon which the entire argument depends.²⁴ In spite of the bold but tenuous assertions to the contrary,²⁵ the burden of proof still lies with the proponent of an interpolation hypothesis in 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16.

Nevertheless, the jury is admittedly still out. By this article I have briefly reopened the case to admit additional evidence from the testimony of P46—a witness heretofore silent. I remind interpolation advocates of the precariousness of a hypothesis that rests strictly on internal evidences against all other considerations. However, while the arguments from external evidence have been strengthened by this study, a final verdict on the authenticity of 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 patiently awaits the discovery of another even earlier MS of 1 Thessalonians, and hopefully one made out of stronger stuff than that crumbly P46!

Appendix:
A Reconstruction Of The Lost Leaves Of P46

This reconstruction of the lost leaves of P46 highlights the characters from the extant fragments of 1 Thessalonians in bold bracketed characters, beginning the reconstruction with line 13 of fol. 94r. Since I was only interested in the approximate amount of space the characters would have taken and not in the content itself, I did not re-organized the reconstruction to conform to the extant text as it appears in the fragments. Also, in order to maintain a consistent average of characters per line, I have had to divide words unnaturally.

The number on the left is the line number (1–30 lines per page). The number on the right indicates the number of characters in that particular line, averaging 35.4 characters per line. The first two lines (13 and 14) of fol. 94r are reconstructed as they would have appeared in the original MS and the hypothetical reproduction itself begins on line 15.

[middle of fol. 94r]

13	πα[υλοςκαισ]ιλουανοςκαιτιμοθεοςτηεκκλησια
14	θε[σσαλονεικε]ωνενθωπρικαικωιηυχρωχαρις
15	υ[μεινκαιειρ]ηνηευχαριστουμεντωθωπαντ	35
16	οτεπεριπαντωνυμωνμνειανποιουμενοιεπ	35
17	ιτωνπροσευχωνημωναδιαλειπτωςμνημονε	35
18	υοντεςυμωντουεργουτηςπιστεωςκαιτουκ	35
19	οπουτηςαγαπηςκαιτηςυπομονηςτηςελπιδος	37
20	τουκυημωνιηυχρυεμπροσθεντουθυκαιπρς	35
21	ημωνειδοτεςαδελφοιηγαπημενοιυποτουθ	35
22	υτηνεκλογηνυμωνοτιτοευαγγελιονημωνο	35
23	υκεγενηθηειςυμαςενλογωμονοναλλακαιε	35
24	νδυναμεικαιενπνιαγιωκαιενπληροφοριαπο	37
25	λληκαθωςοιδατεοιοιεγενηθημενενυμειν	35
26	διυμαςκαιυμειςμιμηταιημωνεγενηθητεκ	35
27	αιτουκυδεξαμενοιτονλογονενθλιψειπολ	35
28	λημεταχαραςπνςαγιουωστεγενεσθαιυμας	35
29	τυπονπασιντοιςπιστευουσινεντημακεδονι	37
30	ακαιεντηαχαιααφυμωνγαρεξηχηταιολογο	35

[bottom of fol. 94r]

[top of fol. 94v]

1	ςτουκυουμονονεντημακεδονιακαιεντηαχ	35
2	αιααλλενπαντιτοπωηπιστιςυμωνηπροςτο	35
3	νθνεξεληλυθενωστεμηχρειανεχεινημαςλ	35
4	αλειντιαυτοιγαρπεριημωναπαγγελλουσινο	37
5	ποιανεισοδονεσχομενπροςυμαςκαιπωςεπ	35
6	εστρεψατεπροςτονθναποτωνειδωλωνδουλ	35
7	ευεινθωζωντικαιαληθινωκαιαναμενειντ	35
8	ονυιναυτουεκτωνουρανωνονηγειρενεκτω	35
9	ννεκρωνιηντονρυομενονημαςεκτηςοργηςτη	37
10	ςερχομενηςαυτοιγαροιδατεαδελφοιτηνε	35
11	ισοδονημωντηνπροςυμαςοτιουκενηγεγον	35
12	εναλλαπροπαθοντεςκαιυβρισθεντεςκαθω	35
13	ςοιδατεενφιλιπποιςεπαρρησιασαμεθαεν	35
14	τωθωημωνλαλησαιπροςυμαςτοευαγγελιοντο	37
15	υθυενπολλωαγωνιηγαρπαρακλησιςημωνου	35
16	κεκπλανηςουδεεξακαθαρσιαςουδεενδολω	35
17	αλλακαθωςδεδοκιμασμεθαυποτουθυπιστε	35
18	υθηναιτοευαγγελιονουτωςλαλουμενουχω	35
19	ςανοιςαρεσκοντεςαλλαθωτωδοκιμαζοντιτα	37
20	ςκαρδιαςημωνουτεγαρποτεενλογωκολακε	35
21	ιαςεγενηθημενκαθωςοιδατεουτεενπροφα	35
22	σειπλεονεξιαςθςμαρτυςουτεζητουντεςε	35
23	ξανωνδοξανουτεαφυμωνουτεαπαλλωννυνα	35
24	μενοιενβαρειειναιωςχρυαποστολοιαλλαεγ	37
25	ενηθημεννηπιοιενμεσωυμωνωςεαντροφος	35
26	θαλπηταεαυτηςτεκναουτωςομειρομενοιυ	35
27	μωνευδοκουμενμεταδουναιυμεινουμονον	35
28	τοευαγγελιοντουθυαλλακαιταςεαυτωνψυ	35
29	χαςδιοτιαγαπητοιημινεγενηθητεμνημονευ	37
30	ετεγαραδελφοιτονκοπονημωνκαιτονμοχθ	35

[bottom of fol. 94v]

[top of fol. 95r]

1	οννυκτοςκαιημεραςεργαζομενοιπροςτομ	35
2	ηεπιβαρησαιτιναυμωνεκηρυξαμενειςυμα	35
3	ςτοευαγγελιοντουθυυμειςμαρτυρεςκαιο	35
4	θςωςοσιωςκαιδικαιωςκαιαμεμπτωςυμειντο	37
5	ιςπιστευουσινεγενηθημενκαθαπεροιδατ	35
6	εωςεναεκαστονυμωνωςπατηρτεκναεαυτου	35
7	παρακαλουντεςυμαςκαιπαραμυθουμενοικ	35
8	αιμαρτυρομενοιειςτοπεριπατεινυμαςαξ	35
9	ιωςτουθυτουκαλουντοςυμαςειςτηνεαυτουβ	37
10	ασιλειανκαιδοξανκαιδιατουτοκαιημεις	35
11	ευχαριστουμεντωθωαδιαλειπτωςοτιπαρα	35
12	λαβοντεςλογονακοηςπαρημωντουθυεδεξα	35
13	σθεουλογονανωναλλακαθωςεστιναληθωςλ	35
14	ογονθυοςκαιενεργειταιενυμειντοιςπιστε	37
15	υουσινυμειςγαρμιμηταιεγενηθητεαδελφ	35
16	οιτωνεκκλησιωντουθυτωνουσωνεντηιουδ	35
17	αιαενχρωιηυοτιτααυταεπαθετεκαιυμεις	35
18	υποτωνιδιωνσυμφυλετωνκαθωςκαιαυτοιυ	35
19	ποτωνιουδαιωντωνκαιτονκναποκτειναντων	37
20	ιηνκαιτουςπροφηταςκαιημαςεκδιωξαντω	35
21	νκαιθωμηαρεσκοντωνκαιπασινανοιςεναν	35
22	τιωνκωλυοντωνημαςτοιςεθνεσινλαλησαι	35
23	ινασωθωσινειςτοαναπληρωσαιαυτωνταςα	35
24	μαρτιαςπαντοτεεφθασενδεεπαυτουςηοργηε	37
25	ιςτελοςημειςδεαδελφοιαπορφανισθεντε	35
26	ςαφυμωνπροςκαιρονωραςπροσωπωουκαρδι	35
27	απερισσοτερωςεσπουδασαμεντοπροσωπον	35
28	υμωνιδεινενπολληεπιθυμιαδιοτιηθελησ	35
29	αμενελθεινπροςυμαςεγωμενπαυλοςκαιαπαξ	37
30	καιδιςκαιενεκοψενημαςοσαταναςτιςγαρ	35

[bottom of fol. 95r]

[top of fol. 95v]

1	ημωνελπιςηχαραηστεφανοςκαυχησεωςηου	35
2	χικαιυμειςεμπροσθεντουκυημωνιηυεντη	35
3	αυτουπαρουσιαυμειςγαρεστεηδοξαημωνκ	35
4	αιηχαραδιομηκετιστεγοντεςευδοκησαμενκ	37
5	αταλειφθηναιεναθηναιςμονοικαιεπεμψα	35
6	μεντιμοθεοντοναδελφονημωνκαισυνεργο	35
7	ντουθυεντωευαγγελιωτουχρυειςτοστηρι	35
8	ξαιυμαςκαιπαρακαλεσαιυπερτηςπιστεως	35
9	υμωντομηδενασαινεσθαιενταιςθλιψεσιντα	37
10	υταιςαυτοιγαροιδατεοτιειςτουτοκειμε	35
11	θακαιγαροτεπροςυμαςημενπροελεγομενυ	35
12	μινοτιμελλομενθλιβεσθαικαθωςκαιεγεν	35
13	ετοκαιοιδατεδιατουτοκαγωμηκετιστεγω	35
14	νεπεμψαειςτογνωναιτηνπιστινυμωνμηπωςε	37
15	πειρασενυμαςοπειραζωνκαιειςκενονγεν	35
16	ηταιοκοποςημωναρτιδεελθοντοςτιμοθεο	35
17	υπροςημαςαφυμωνκαιευαγγελισαμενουημ	35
18	ιντηνπιστινκαιτηναγαπηνυμωνκαιοτιεχ	35
19	ετεμνειανημωναγαθηνπαντοτεεπιποθουντε	37
20	ςημαςιδεινκαθαπερκαιημειςυμαςδιατου	35
21	τοπαρεκληθημεναδελφοιεφυμινεπιπασητ	35
22	ηαναγκηκαιθλιψειημωνδιατηςυμωνπιστε	35
23	ωςοτινυνζωμενεανυμειςστηκετεενκωτιν	35
24	αγαρευχαριστιανδυναμεθατωθωανταποδουν	37
25	αιπεριυμωνεπιπασητηχαραηχαιρομενδιυ	35
26	μαςεμπροσθεντουθυημωννυκτοςκαιημερα	35
27	ςυπερεκπερισσουδεομενοιειςτοιδεινυμ	35
28	ωντοπροσωπονκαικαταρτισαιταυστερημα	35
29	τατηςπιστεωςυμωναυτοςδεοθςκαιπρημωνκα	37
30	ιοκςημωνιηςκατευθυναιτηνοδονημωνπρο	35

[bottom of fol. 95v]

[top of fol. 96r]

1	ςυμαςυμαςδεοκςπλεονασαικαιπερισσευσ	35
2	αιτηαγαπηειςαλληλουςκαιειςπανταςκαθ	35
3	απερκαιημειςειςυμαςειςτοστηριξαιυμω	35
4	νταςκαρδιαςαμεμπτουςεναγιωσυνηεμπροσθ	37
5	εντουθυκαιπρςημωνεντηπαρουσιατουκυη	35
6	μωνιηυμεταπαντωντωναγιωναυτουαμηνλο	35
7	ιπονουναδελφοιερωτωμενυμαςκαιπαρακα	35
8	λουμενενκωιηυινακαθωςπαρελαβετεπαρη	35
9	μωντοπωςδειυμαςπεριπατεινκαιαρεσκεινθ	37
10	ωκαθωςκαιπεριπατειτειναπερισσευητεμ	35
11	αλλονοιδατεγαρτιναςπαραγγελιαςεδωκα	35
12	μενυμινδιατουκυιηυτουτογαρεστινθελη	35
13	ματουθυοαγιασμοςυμωναπεχεσθαιυμαςαπ	35
14	οτηςπορνειαςειδεναιεκαστονυμωντοεαυτο	37
15	υσκευοςκτασθαιεναγιασμωκαιτιμημηενπ	35
16	αθειεπιθυμιαςκαθαπερκαιταεθνηταμηει	35
17	δοτατονθντομηυπερβαινεινκαιπλεονεκτ	35
18	εινεντωπραγματιτοναδελφοναυτουδιοτι	35
19	εκδικοςκςπεριπαντωντουτωνκαθωςκαιπροε	37
20	ιπαμενυμινκαιδιεμαρτυραμεθαουγαρεκα	35
21	λεσενημαςοθςεπιακαθαρσιααλλεναγιασμ	35
22	ωτοιγαρουνοαθετωνουκανοναθετειαλλατ	35
23	ονθντονκαιδιδοντατοπνααυτουτοαγιονε	35
24	ιςυμαςπεριδετηςφιλαδελφιαςουχρειανεχε	37
25	τεγραφεινυμιναυτοιγαρυμειςθεοδιδακτ	35
26	οιεστεειςτοαγαπαναλληλουςκαιγαρποιε	35
27	ιτεαυτοειςπανταςτουςαδελφουςτουςενο	35
28	λητημακεδονιαπαρακαλουμενδευμαςαδελ	35
29	φοιπερισσευεινμαλλονκαιφιλοτιμεισθαιη	37
30	συχαζεινκαιπρασσεινταιδιακαιεργαζεσ	35

[bottom of fol. 96r]

[top of fol. 96v]

1	θαιταιςιδιαιςχερσινυμωνκαθωςυμινπαρ	35
2	ηγγειλαμενιναπεριπατητεευσχημονωςπρ	35
3	οςτουςεξωκαιμηδενοςχρειανεχητεουθελ	35
4	ομενδευμαςαγνοειναδελφοιπεριτωνκοιμωμ	37
5	ενωνιναμηλυπησθεκαθωςκαιοιλοιποιοιμ	35
6	ηεχοντεςελπιδαειγαρπιστευομενοτιιης	35
7	απεθανενκαιανεστηουτωςκαιοθςτουςκοι	35
8	μηθενταςδιατουιηυαξεισυναυτωτουτογα	35
9	ρυμινλεγομενενλογωκυοτιημειςοιζωντεςο	37
10	ιπεριλειπομενοιειςτηνπαρουσιαντουκυ	35
11	ουμηφθασωμεντουςκοιμηθενταςοτιαυτος	35
12	οκςενκελευσματιενφωνηαρχαγγελουκαιε	35
13	νσαλπιγγιθυκαταβησεταιαπουρανουκαιο	35
14	ινεκροιενχρωαναστησονταιπρωτονεπειταη	37
15	μειςοιζωντεςοιπεριλειπομενοιαμασυνα	35
16	υτοιςαρπαγησομεθαεννεφελαιςειςαπαντ	35
17	ησιντουκυειςαερακαιουτωςπαντοτεσυνκ	35
18	ωεσομεθαωστεπαρακαλειτεαλληλουςεντο	35
19	ιςλογοιςτουτοιςπεριδετωνχρονωνκαιτωνκ	37
20	αιρωναδελφοιουχρειανεχετευμινγραφεσ	35
21	θαιαυτοιγαρακριβωςοιδατεοτιημερακυω	35
22	ςκλεπτηςεννυκτιουτωςερχεταιοτανλεγω	35
23	σινειρηνηκαιασφαλειατοτεαιφνιδιοςαυ	35
24	τοιςεφισταταιολεθροςωσπερηωδιντηενγασ	37
25	τριεχουσηκαιουμηεκφυγωσινυμειςδεαδε	35
26	λφοιουκεστεενσκοτειιναηημεραυμαςωςκ	35
27	Λεπτηςκαταλαβη[παν]τεςγαρυμειςυιοιφωτ	35
28	οςεστεκαιυιοιημερας[ουκεσμεν]νυκτοςου	35
29	δεσκοτουςαραουνμηκαθευ[δωμενω]ςοιλοιποι	37
30	αλλαγρηγορωμενκαινη[φωμενο]ιγαρκαθευδ	35

[bottom of fol. 96v]

¹For some early scholars, the interpolation is limited to 1 Thessalonians 2:16c (James Moffatt, An Introduction to the Literature of the New Testament [New York: Charles Scribner, 1911], 74; Albrecht Ritschl, Die christliche Lehre von der Rechtfertigung und Versöhnung, 2d ed., 3 vols. [Bonn: Adolph Marcus, 1882], 2:142–144). Some thought the interpolation included 2:15–16 (Paul W. Schmiedel, Die Briefe an die Thessalonicher und an die Korinther, HKNT 2 [Freiburg: Mohr, 1891], 17). Others believed the addition extended from 2:14–16 (S. G. F. Brandon, The Fall of Jerusalem and the Christian Church: A Study of the Effects of the Jewish Overthrow of A.D. 70 on Christianity [London: SPCK, 1957], 92–93; Heinrich Holtzmann, Praktische Erklärung des I. Thessalonicherbriefes [Tübingen: Mohr, 1911], 74–79; Burton L. Mack, Who Wrote the New Testament? The Making of the Christian Myth [San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995], 113). Still others extend the interpolation to include the whole of 2:13–16 (Helmut Koester, Introduction to the New Testament, vol. 2, History and Literature of Early Christianity, 2d ed. [New York: De Gruyter, 2000], 119; Birger A. Pearson, “1 Thessalonians 2:13–16: A Deutero-Pauline Interpolation,” HTR 64 [1971]: 70-94; Daryl Schmidt, “1 Thess. 2:13–16: Linguistic Evidence for an Interpolation,” JBL 102 [1983]: 269–79). Also see Hendrikus Boers, “The Form-Critical Study of Paul’s Letters: I Thessalonians as a Case Study,” NTS 22 (1976): 140–58. One writer even regards all of 1 Thessalonians 2 as a post-Pauline addition (Alfred F. Loisy, Remarques sur la litérature épistolaire du Nouveau Testament [Paris: Nourry, 1935], 85–87).

² The most problematic phrase in 2:16c (ἔφθασεν δὲ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος) is found in all extant Greek MSS and missing only in a few individual Latin MSS (see n. in NA27). Yet even these latter Latin omissions may have themselves been critical emendations attempting to solve a problem in a text believed by copyists to have been written prior to the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, just as critical scholars today have deemed the phrase an interpolation for similar reasons.

³ Pearson, “1 Thessalonians 2:13–16,” 81.

⁴ Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (2d ed.; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994), 452. Metzger suggests the variant at Romans 5:1 could have actually originated at the pen of Tertius when he confused the like-sounding ἔχωμεν for ἔχομεν. This error would have been corrected by Paul or Tertius, but future copyists of the MS would not have known which version was original. The result would be a difficult variant in which the external evidence is strong for both. If this reconstruction seems possible, how much more ought we expect a hypothetical original version of 1 Thessalonians without 2:13–16 to survive in the MS tradition, notwithstanding the scribal tendency to prefer the fuller text.

⁵ This article will use standard abbreviations for citing pages and fragments of P46. The abbreviation fol. (folio, “leaf”) indicates the single leaf of a manuscript. Each leaf (front and back) is numbered, and folio numbers are assigned even to missing pages. Each leaf has a front, right-hand side (recto, abbreviated r) and a back, left-hand side (verso, abbreviated v). Thus, the citation “fol. 94v” refers to the back of folio 94.

⁶ Although I have thoroughly examined photograph reproductions of P46 throughout the course of this study, the reader is referred to Barbara Aland and Kurt Aland, The Text of the New Testament, 2d ed., trans. E. F. Rhodes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 99, for a general description of the MS and its contents.

⁷ Although the Textus Receptus may be helpful as a collating standard, it is more likely that P46, with its Alexandrian affinities, would have had a profile closer to NA27 than the Byzantine text represented in the TR (see J. H. Greenlee, Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism, rev. ed. [Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1995], 118; Bruce M. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, 3d enl. ed. [New York: Oxford University Press, 1992], 38).

⁸ It cannot, of course, be assumed that the scribe used the same size characters consistently in every part of the MS. In fact, an examination of P46 reveals the opposite). Kenyon noted, “The length of the line . . . tends to become greater in the latter part of the MS” (Frederic G. Kenyon, ed., The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri: Descriptions and Texts of Twelve Manuscripts on Papyrus of the Greek Bible; Fascicules III Supplement, Pauline Epistles: Text [London: Walker, 1936], ix). Therefore, an average number of characters per line obtained from 1 Thessalonians itself or the end of Colossians will be more accurate than an average from an earlier part of the MS.

⁹ Nomina sacra in P46 relevant to our examination of 1 Thessalonians include the standard abbreviations for θεός, κύριος, ᾿Ιησοῦ'ς, Χριστός, υἱός, πατήρ, and πνεῦμα (Kenyon, Chester Beatty Papyri, xiii–xiv; cf. Metzger, Text of the New Testament, 13–14).

¹⁰ Kenyon noted, “In general the odd-numbered pages (the lines of which run towards the inner margin) have shorter lines than the even-numbered pages, so as to keep clear of the binding center” (Kenyon, Chester Beatty Papyri, ix). This consideration need not be factored into our calculation of the average characters per line since our sampling consists of roughly half a page from the recto and half from the verso sides of the leaf fragment, thus automatically rendering an approximate average.

¹¹ My method in determining this was rather crude, but effective. I copied and pasted together the two sides of the MS from Kenyon’s plates then simply pushed a pin through the first whole letter on the bottom of the fragment to see through which letter on the opposite side the pin passed. (I would strongly discourage you from repeating this method on the real P46 or even a quality facsimile.)

¹² This is naturally an estimate since there is no way to estimate how many variants existed in the missing text of fol. 94. However, this seems to be the most objective standard for generating the closest possible numbers with which to work.

¹³ Kenyon, Chester Beatty Papyri, ix.

¹⁴ The bracketed line numbers indicate that the text is either partially or entirely corrupted in the actual MS.

¹⁵ There is a space of approximately 1.25 inches between the end of Colossians and the first line of 1 Thessalonians (not counting the title, which is not included here). This equals a space of four lines.

¹⁶ Ironically, had there been one more fraction of an inch missing from the top of this fragment, it would have been impossible to determine that the text began at the top of the leaf.

¹⁷ To achieve an average of 35.4 characters per line in the reconstruction, and to keep the reconstruction as precise as possible, I broke the characters into sets of four lines of 35 characters followed by one line of 37 characters. Since words are broken at unnatural places to achieve this average, I removed all spaces between words in the lines of text to avoid confusion.

¹⁸ Aland and Aland, Text of the New Testament, 99.

¹⁹ See Günther Zuntz, The Text of the Epistles: A Disquisition upon the Corpus Paulinum (London: British Academy, 1953), 212–13.

²⁰ The MS is not characterized by wild or creative variants and singular readings. Although it has a relatively high number of omissions, most of these are accidental (James R. Royse, “Scribal Tendencies in the Transmission of the Text of the New Testament,” in The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research: Essays on the Status Quaestionis, ed. Bart D. Ehrman and Michael W. Holmes, SD 46 [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995], 246).

²¹ Léon B. Vaganay, An Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism, 2d ed., trans. Jenny Read-Heimerdinger, rev. by Christian-Bernard Amphoux (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991), 63.

²² Gordon D. Fee, “Textual Criticism in the New Testament,” in Studies in the Theory and Method of New Testament Textual Criticism, ed. I. A. Sparks, SD 45 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 14.

²³ See n. 1, above.

²⁴ All other internal evidence considered, perhaps the most obvious problem which seems to be unconvincing to interpolation theorists is this: if 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 is a post-70 interpolation, the interpolator made an incredible blunder at 16c which neither he nor subsequent copyists challenged or corrected. In making the judgment of the Jews an event of the past (ἔφθασεν δὲ ἐπ ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος), the alleged editor revealed to both his contemporary and prospective readers that the passage was not, in fact, Pauline. It seems reasonable that editors who would like their readers to believe their new passages to be authentic would take the care needed to make such passages believable. To do this, the supposed editor of 1 Thessalonians 2 could have used a future form instead of an aorist, making it appear that the judgment on the Jews in 2:16 was prophecy from Paul’s perspective, not history.

²⁵ See William O. Walker, Jr., “The Burden of Proof in Identifying Interpolations in the Pauline Letters,” NTS 33 (1987): 610–618.

An Argument Of First Thessalonians

Related Media

Message Statement:

The Missionary Team Of Paul, Silvanus, And Timothy Urge The Thessalonians On The Basis Of Their Former Walk Of Faith, And God’s Faithfulness To Them To Endure Persecution With A Vital Love For One Another And For God

I. Introduction: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy open their letter to the Thessalonians affirming their position in God, and praying for God’s grace and peace in their lives 1:1

A. Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy are those who send the letter (“the team”, henceforth) 1:1a

B. The team has sent the letter to the Thessalonians who are in relationship with the Father and Son, praying for their experience of grace and peace 1:1b-d

1. The letter is sent to the Thessalonians 1:1b

2. The Thessalonians are in a relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ 1:1c

3. The team prays for the Thessalonians to experience grace and peace 1:1d

II. The Paste Work of Faith*Encouragement in their Faith: Paul reminds the Thessalonians of their walk of faith with God and his ministry with them in order to defend the Gospel he taught them and in order to encourage them to persevere despite persecution 1:2--3:13

A. Thanksgiving for the Effect of the Gospel: The missionary team constantly thank God for the Thessalonians through prayer as they remember the perseverance of the Thessalonians, and the evidences of their election 1:2-10

1. Thanks Through Prayer: The team constantly gives thanks to God for the Thessalonians by praying for them 1:2

2. Thanks Remembering Perseverance: The team gives thanksgiving to God as they remember the persevering nature of the believing Thessalonians 1:3

a. Work of Faith: In their thanksgiving the team constantly remembers the Thessalonians’ work of faith 1:3a

b. Labor of Love: In their thanksgiving the team constantly remembers the Thessalonians’ work of love 1:3b

c. Hope of Tomorrow: In their thanksgiving the team constantly remembers the Thessalonians’ steady hope in the Lord Jesus who is presently with the Father 1:3c

3. Thanks Because Of Evident Election: The team gives thanks to God for the Thessalonians because they know of God’s election of them through the divinely enabled presentation of the Gospel among them, and through their imitation of both the team and the Lord during persecution resulting in a witness to others throughout Macedonia, Achaia, and beyond 1:5-10

a. Election: The team gives thanks to God for the Thessalonians because they know of God’s election of them through the divinely enabled presentation of the Gospel among them 1:4-5

1) Chosen: The team gives thanks to God knowing that the Thessalonians are chosen of God 1:4

2) Power of Gospel: The reason the team knows of the election of the Thessalonians is because their Gospel came to the Thessalonians in more than empty words, but in power from God through them 1:5

b. Imitation: The team gives thanks to God for the Thessalonians because they know of God’s election of them through their imitation of both the team and the Lord during persecution resulting in a witness to others throughout Macedonia, Achaia, and beyond 1:6-10

1) Imitators of the Team: The Thessalonians became imitators of the team and of the Lord 1:6a

2) Imitators of the Lord: The Thessalonians imitated the team and the Lord by willfully, and under divine enablement experiencing persecution for receiving the word of the Gospel 1:6b

3) Examples: The result of being imitators of the suffering team and the Lord was that the Thessalonians became examples to other believers in Macedonia and Achaia 1:7

4) Thanks Because of the Spread of the Gospel: The team gives thanks to God for the Thessalonians because they know of God’s election of them through their spread of the gospel to other peoples 1:8-10

a) Missionary Church: The Thessalonians have been a missionary church not only to Macedonia and Achaia, but beyond so as to precede the team’s appearance 1:8

b) Reports from Others: The reason the team speaks of the missionary nature of the Thessalonians is because when they go to a new people, they hear back from this new people reports about God’s work in Thessalonica 1:9-10

(1) Team Hears of Ministry: The reason the team speaks of the missionary nature of the Thessalonians is because the team hears back about their ministry among the Thessalonians from those they go to 1:9a

(2) Repentance from Idolatry: The team specifically hears back about the Thessalonians' repentance from idolatry to serve the living and true God 1:9b

(3) Expectation of Christ's Return: The team specifically hears back about the Thessalonians' expectation of the return of the risen Christ to deliver them from the coming judgment of the wicked (the tribulation) 1:10

B. The Proclaimers of the Gospel: In view of what the Thessalonians are themselves proclaiming about the missionary team (1:9), they are reminded that the team spoke with a bold witness in spite of persecution, and that their motives in that presentation were good, as parents desiring the best for their children 2:1-12

1. Their Bold Witness: Picking up on what the Thessalonians proclaim about the team’s effect upon them (1:9, cf. 2:1 “γὰρ”), the missionary team reminds the Thessalonians of the effectiveness of their bold presentation of the gospel despite persecution 2:1-2

a. Not Without Result: The Thessalonians know that the coming of the missionary team was not without result 2:1

b. Bold Witness: The missionary team boldly witnessed to the Thessalonians in spite of past persecution in Philippi (Acts 16:19-40), and present resistance (by the Jews; cf. Acts 17:5) in Thessalonica 2:2

2. Their Pure Motives: The missionary team’s motives in appealing to the Thessalonians are not hurtful, but God pleasing just as their past conduct among the Thessalonians was to enable them, much like parents, toward a better walk with God 2:3-12

a. Not Covert Motives: The missionary team’s appeal to the Thessalonians does not come from covert motives of error, impurity, or trickery 2:3

b. Seeking to Please God: The missionary team appeals to the Thessalonians as those approved by God seeking to please God, rather than men 2:4

c. Support: Paul supports his affirmations about the missionary team’s good motives by their conduct among the Thessalonians as loving parents rather than self-serving tricksters 2:5-9

1) Negatively: As the Thessalonians and God both know, the missionary team did not come with speech which flattered men, or so that they might materially gain from them, or so that they might receive honor from anyone even though they had that right as sent ones of Christ 2:5-6

2) Positively: The Thessalonians know that the missionary team came to them as loving parents with the gospel and themselves so as to encourage them toward an appropriate walk with God 2:7-12

a) As a Gentile Mother: The missionary team was gentile among the Thessalonians as a mother who would care for her children 2:7

b) Giving of Lives: The missionary team’s affection for the Thessalonians was so great that they not only wished to give them the gospel, but they were willing to give of their innermost selves (ἐαυτῶν ψυζάς) for them 2:8-9

c) Integrity: The Thessalonians are witnesses that the missionary team acted in integrity before them only speaking to them so as to encourage them to walk in a more acceptable manner as of the God who called them 2:10-12

(1) Upright Behavior: The Thessalonians are witnesses of the missionary team's holy, upright, and unreproachable behavior towards them 2:10

(2) As a Father: The missionary team acted like a father toward children encouraging, comforting, and urging the Thessalonians 2:11

(3) Improve Their Walk: The purpose of the missionary team was to raise the Thessalonians' walk to a level which was worthy (ἀξίως) of God's high calling of the Thessalonians into the Kingdom and greatness 2:12

C. The Effect of the Gospel: The missionary team affirms the effect of the Gospel upon the Thessalonians in that they not only accepted it, but it has worked in them by enabling them to endure the persecution of the Jews 2:13-16

1. Thanks for Reception of Word: The missionary team thanks God for the way in which the Thessalonians received their gospel as God’s word which works within them 2:13

2. Endured Persecution: The reason Paul affirms that the Thessalonians received God’s word which works in them is because they, just like the Judean church, they have endured persecution from the Jews who are increasing their sin toward judgment 2:14-16

a. Endured Like Judean Church: The reason God’s word is seen to be working in the Thessalonians is because they have endured persecution like the churches of Judea 2:14a

b. Reason*Persecution from Jews: The reason Paul compares the Thessalonians with the churches of Judea is because they have endured persecution from the Jews just as they persecuted Jesus, the prophets, and the apostles being unpleasing to God as they heap sin upon sin for judgment 2:14b-16

1) Similar Persecution: The reason Paul compares the Thessalonians with the churches of Judea is because they have endured similar persecution from the Jews 2:14b

2) History of Persecution: The Jews not only persecuted the Judean churches but also killed Jesus and the prophets, and drove the apostles out of Jerusalem 2:15a

3) Sin towards Judgment: The persecuting Jews are not pleasing to God, but are increasing their sin toward judgment as they hinder the missionary team from speaking the gospel to the Gentiles 2:15b-16

D. The Concern and Confirmation of the Missionary Team: Being unable to come as a team to the Thessalonians because of Satan’s hindering of them, the missionary team sent Timothy to them to aid their thinking about the persecution, and were encouraged when he returned with good news about their spiritual state and about their love for them all 2:17--3:10

1. Their Concern: The missionary team wished to come to the Thessalonians more than once because they valued them so highly, but Satan held them, especially Paul, back 2:17-20

a. Eager to Come: The missionary team has missed the Thessalonians and was eager to come to them again 2:17

b. Held Back by Satan: The missionary team wanted to come, especially Paul more than once, but was held back by the working of Satan 2:18

c. Importance of Thessalonians: The reason the missionary team wanted to come to the Thessalonians was because they are the most important part of life to them for which God will one day honor them 2:19-20

2. Their Confirmation: Out of concern for the state of the Thessalonians after the persecution, Timothy was sent to them, and returned with a good report that greatly encouraged the missionary team about the continuance of their work in Thessalonica 3:1-10

a. The Sending of Timothy: Out of concern for the Thessalonians, Paul sent Timothy in order to encourage them about the persecution, and in order to learn about the state of their faith because of the persecution 3:1-5

1) Decision to Send Timothy: When the missionary team could endure their separation from the Thessalonians no longer, they decided to send Timothy from where they were in Athens in order to strengthen and encourage the Thessalonians in their faith 3:1-2

2) Purpose in Sending Timothy: The purpose behind the sending of Timothy was so that the Thessalonians would not loose their balance (go back and forth, τὸ σαίνεσθαι) due to the persecutions 3:3a

3) Design of Suffering: The reason the Thessalonians were not to loose their spiritual balance was because they understood that this was part of God’s design for the missionary team (Acts 9:15-16) just as they said it would come to pass 3:3-4

4) Risk of Satan: Because of the risk that Satan could have upset the faith of the Thessalonians through the persecutions, Paul sent Timothy to find out about their welfare 3:5

b. The Report from Timothy: When Timothy returned with a good report concerning the spiritual state of the Thessalonians, and about their love for the missionary team, the team was very encouraged, and could not thank God enough 3:6-10

1) Timothy’s Return with Good News: Timothy returned with good news about the spiritual state of the Thessalonians, and about their love for the missionary team 3:6

2) Comfort for Team: Because of the good report from Timothy about the Thessalonians, the missionary team was comforted in the midst of their continuing persecution because their work among the Thessalonians lives on 3:7-8

3) Thanks to God: The missionary team can hardly thank God enough for His good work among them when they were not able to return to complete their work 3:9-10

E. Prayer for the Thessalonians’ Endurance: The missionary team prays that God might grant them the ability to come to the Thessalonians, but also that God would increase their love for men so that they might not sin due to the persecution, but receive reward for holy living when Jesus returns 3:11-13

1. Enablement to Return: The missionary team prays that God the Father and Son may enable the missionary team to come to the Thessalonians 3:11

2. Increase in Love: The missionary team prays that the Thessalonians may increase to an overflowing state in their love for each other and all men just as the missionary team loves them 3:12

3. Reason for The Prayer*Reward: reason the missionary team prays that the Thessalonians would abound in love is so that they will be honored by the Lord at His coming for them (at the rapture with the dead saints to receive their bodies; cf. 4:14), rather than lose it (due to sinful responses to persecution) 3:13

III. The Present*Exhortations to Live Their Faith: The missionary team exhorts the Thessalonians to exceed in their sanctification, have a patient hope for the future, remain spiritually alert, honor their leaders, and to keep a vital walk with God knowing that God will enable them 4:1--5:24

A. With Respect to Love: Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to exceed in what he taught them in order that they might be sanctified in their relationship with God and love men 4:1-12

1. Concerning Their Love for God: Beginning the final section of the letter, the missionary team exhorts the Thessalonians to continue in their walk with God by abstaining from all sexual immorality by controlling their bodies because this is a sin against God 4:1-8

a. Introduction: Paul introduces the final, paraenetic division of this letter with the phrase, “Finally then” (Λοιπὸν οὖν); cf. Phil. 3:1) 4:1a

b. Excel Even More: The missionary team exhorts the Thessalonians to excel even more in their God-pleasing Christian life (walk) 4:1b

c. Reminder of Commandments: The missionary team reminds the Thessalonians of the commandments which they gave to them in accordance with God’s will for their sanctification (ἁγιασμὸς) unto God which include abstaining from all sexual immorality 4:2-6

1) Sanctification: The missionary team gave the Thessalonians commandments from the Lord for their sanctification 4:2-3a

2) Abstain from Sexual Immorality: The commandments which the missionary team gave to the Thessalonians were that they should abstain from sexual immorality with temple prostitutes, or through adultery by controlling their own bodies because God will avenge these things 4:3b-6

a) Generally: The Thessalonians are warned to abstain from sexual immorality (προνείας) 4:3b

b) Specifically (Love God): Each one of the Thessalonians should know how to gain control of (κτᾶσθαι) his own body (ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος, cf. 2 Cor. 4:7; 1 Pet. 3:7) in a way which is holy (ἁγιασμῷ; cf. 4:3), and honorable (Τιμῇ; cf. 1 Cor. 6:20; Rom. 1:24), rather than in lustful passions as the Gentiles do (perhaps through temple prostitution) 4:4-5

c) Specifically (Love Your Neighbor): The Thessalonians were instructed to abstain from sexual immorality through adultery with one’s neighbor because the Lord will avenge these things 4:6

d. Reason for God’s Calling: The reason the Thessalonians should abstain from sexual immorality is because God has not called them to be impure, but to be set apart (ἁγιασμῷ) to Him 4:7

e. Rejection of Teaching: Therefore (τοιγαροῦν, emphatic), the missionary team affirms that to reject this teaching about immorality is not to reject man, but to reject God who gives the Holy Spirit to you (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9; it is a sin against God!) 4:8

2. Concerning (περὶ δὲ) their Love for the Brethren: Even though the Thessalonians already know the instruction from the Lord and are practicing brotherly love toward all in Macedonia, the missionary team exhorts them to excel even more in their brotherly love 4:9-10

a. Love for the Brethren: The missionary team now writes concerning (περὶ δὲ) love for the brethren (φιλαδελφίας) 4:9a

b. Already Taught: The missionary team does not consider this topic of brotherly love as necessary to write about since God has already taught them (through he commandments of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) to love one another 4:9b

c. Increase in Love: The missionary team acknowledges that the Thessalonians are already loving those in Macedonia, but urges them to increase in their brotherly love 4:10

3. Concerning their Love for the Lost: The missionary team exhorts the Thessalonians to live in a moral and industrious way toward those outside of the community so that they might continue in their jobs 4:11-12

a. Live in a Peaceful Way: The missionary team exhorts the Thessalonians to be energetic about living in a morally, and ethically peaceful way ¹ 4:11a

b. Continue at Work: The missionary team exhorts the Thessalonians to continue at their work as they were commanded to 4:11b

c. Reason for Testimony: The reason the moral and industrial charges are given to the Thessalonians is so that they may conduct themselves well with those outside of the church and not be in need (because they had lost their jobs) 4:12

B. With Respect to the Future: Paul instructs the Thessalonians about the Future so that they might presently have a patient hope 4:13-18

1. The Resurrection of Sleeping Saints ²: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to not grieve over the dead as unbelievers do, but to be comforted by a revelation from the Lord that the dead in Christ will be raised first at the Lord’s return, and then the living church will be caught up together with them to meet and be with the Lord in the air 4:13-18

a. Resurrection of the Dead: The missionary team writes about the resurrection of sleeping (κοιμωμὲνων; cf. 1 Ki. 2:10) saints because they do not want the Thessalonians to be uninformed (ἀγνοωεῖν), and thus excessively grieving like unbelievers, about those believers who had died before the Lord returned 4:13

b. Assurance through Christ: The first reason Christians should not grieve as unbelievers is because Jesus’ death and resurrection is assurance that God will bring believing Christians who have died with Jesus when he returns 4:14

c. The second reason Christians should not grieve as unbelievers is because of a revelation which Paul (and the team?) received from the Lord about what will occur when the Lord returns 4:15-17

1) Word from the Lord: The missionary team has a word from the Lord about what will occur when the Lord returns 4:15a

2) Those Alive: Those who are alive and are on earth until the Lord comes (παρουσίαν) will not possibly (οὐ μὴ) precede those who have died 4:15b

3) First the Dead, Then the Living: The reason the living will not precede the dead in Christ is because (ὅτι) the Lord will descend with a significant life-quickening command, and the dead in Christ shall rise first (πρῶτον) and then (ἕπειτα) those who are alive and remain on earth will be caught up ³ together with the dead in Christ in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the air and to remain forever with the Lord 4:16-17

Reason: The reason the living will not precede the dead in Christ is because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a life-quickening command ⁴ 4:16

d. Exhortation To Comfort One Another: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to comfort one another about the dead with this immediately preceding revelation from the Lord Himself (cf. 4:15) 4:18

C. The Coming Day of the Lord: Knowing that the coming day of wrath is not designed for the Thessalonians, the missionary team urges them to be spiritually alert 5:1-11

1. There is a Coming Day of Wrath: Paul affirms that the Thessalonians already know that a future time of wrath will come in a hostile, unexpected way upon the sons of darkness, but the Thessalonians will not be included in that judgment because they are sons of light 5:1-5

a. New Topic: A new topic is addressed concerning (περὶ δὲ) the coming events (times and seasons) of which the Thessalonians have already been informed (cf. 4:9) 5:1

b. Wrath Like a Thief: The Thessalonians know well that the Day of the Lord (a time of judging wrath; cf. Acts 2:20; 2 Pet. 3:10; 2 Thess. 2:2) will come in a hostile, unexpected way (like a thief) 5:2

c. Support of Coming Wrath: Support that the coming wrath will be hostile and unexpected is given through the future image of people proclaiming a time of security (Dan. 9:27) when sudden, unavoidable destruction will inescapably come upon them (αὐτοῖς, not “you”) 5:3

d. Thessalonians Will Not Be Overtaken: In contrast to those who will be overtaken by the coming day of wrath, Paul affirms that the Thessalonians will not be overtaken by the day of wrath because they are sons of light rather than sons of night and darkness 5:4-5

1) Not in Darkness: In contrast (δέ) to “those” who will experience the coming Day of the Lord, Paul affirms that the Thessalonians are not in darkness to be overtaken by the Day 5:4

2) Sons of Day: The reason the Thessalonians will not be overtaken by the day is because they are sons of the day (God) rather than night and darkness 5:5

2. Application of the Day of the Lord to Readers: Paul now applies the doctrine of the Day of the Lord to the conduct his readers by urging them to encourage one another to be spiritually alert, unlike the children of darkness, because Jesus died to deliver them from wrath to salvation 5:6-11

a. Don’t Be Careless, Be Alert: In view of the above doctrine on the Day of the Lord Paul concludes (ἄρα οὗν) that the Thessalonians should not be careless about their lives (“sleep”) as those who are sons of the darkness do, but rather be alert and sober as those expecting the Lord’s coming 5:6

b. Reason for Being Alert*Christ’s Death: Paul urges the Thessalonians to be spiritually alert, unlike the unsuspecting sons of darkness, because Christ has died for them so that they might not be subject to wrath, but to salvation 5:7-10

1) Reason for Imagery of Sleep: The reason Paul used the imagery of sleeping is because those who are not of God (the sons of darkness) are not spiritually alert: they sleep, and are under the influence of alcohol at night 5:7

2) Be Sober: In contrast (δὲ) to those who are not spiritually alert, the Thessalonians are urged to be spiritually prepared (sober) by having their spiritual armor on: their faith in God who loves them, and their hope of future salvation from wrath 5:8

3) Not Destined for Wrath: The reason the Thessalonians should, and can be spiritually prepared is because of the fact that God has not destined Christians for wrath, but for Salvation through the death of Jesus Christ regardless of our spiritual preparedness 5:9-10

a) Reason: The reason (ὅτι) the Thessalonians should be spiritually prepared is because God has not destined Christians for wrath (εἰς ὀργὴν), but (ἀλλὰ) to obtain salvation 5:9a

b) Salvation through Christ: The salvation which God has destined Christians for it through (διὰ) the Lord Jesus Christ 5:9b

c) Death Is to Live: The death of the Lord Jesus Christ was in order that (ἵνα) all believers could live with Him whether they were spiritually alert or lethargic (“awake or asleep”, cf. 5:6-8) 5:10

c. Build Up One Another: As a consequence to the above discussion Paul urges the Thessalonians to build up (οἰκοδομεῖτε, encourage) one another 5:11

D. With Respect to the Church:⁵ The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to honor their leaders and keep their walk vital with God knowing that God will enable them in their sanctification 5:12-24

1. To the Congregation: The missionary team urges the congregation to not be a body in unrest, but to appreciate, highly esteem, and love their leaders because of their labor among them 5:12-13

a. Appreciate Church Leaders: The missionary team exhorts the Thessalonians to appreciate the church leaders who labor among them, have charge over them, and instruct them 5:12

b. Hold Leaders in High Regard: The missionary team exhorts the Thessalonians to hold the church leaders in the highest possible regard and to love them because of their work 5:13a-b

c. Be at Peace: The missionary team exhorts the congregation to be at peace among themselves (ἐν ἑαυτοῖς) [rather than anarchy] 5:13c

2. To the Congregation and It’s Leaders Concerning Personal Relationships: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians as brethren to relate to one another, and to all men in sensitive love 5:14-15

a. Correct: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians as brethren to correct (instruct) those who are loafing, and neglecting their daily duty (the disorderly) 5:14a

b. Encourage: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians as brethren to comfort (encourage) those who are easily discouraged (the fainthearted) 5:14b

c. Support: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians as brethren to help (support) the weak (in faith) 5:14c

d. Be Patient: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians as brethren to be patient with all men (implying that some are not as strong as others) 5:14d

e. Seek after What Is Good: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians as brethren to not seek retribution upon one another, but to seek after that which is good for one another and for all men 5:15

3. To the Congregation Concerning Personal Living: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to keep their walk with God vital 5:16-24

a. Rejoice: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to rejoice at all times 5:16

b. Pray Continually: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to pray continually (in perseverance) 5:17

c. Give Thanks: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to give thanksgiving to God in every situation because (γὰρ) this is God’s will 5:18

d. Do Not Quench the Spirit: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to not quench (σβέννυτε) the Spirit (who is working in you, or in others) 5:19

e. Do Not Despise Prophecies: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to not despise (depreciate) prophecies (this may be the area in which they were quenching the Spirit), but to examine everything (prophecy) carefully, and to hold fast to that which is good, while they abstain from that which is evil 5:20-22

4. To the Congregation Concerning God’s Enablement: The missionary team prays for God’s work of sanctification among the Thessalonians, and reminds them that He will be faithful to complete that work of sanctification 5:23-24

a. God May Sanctify the Thessalonians: The missionary team prays that the God who is characterized by peace may Himself set the Thessalonians entirely apart unto Himself in blamelessness until the Lord’s coming (cf. 3:11-13) 5:23

b. Trustworthiness of God: The missionary team reminds the Thessalonians that just as God’s calling of them was trustworthy, so will his completion of his call (their sanctification) be trustworthy 5:24

IV. Conclusion: The missionary team, and especially Paul, close their letter by requesting prayer, urging personal expressions of unity, exhorting the Thessalonians to read this letter to all the brethren, and praying that they would experience God’s grace 5:25-28

A. Pray for the Team: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to also pray for them, as they pray for the Thessalonians 5:25

B. Greet with Affection: The missionary team urges the Thessalonians to greet one another with personal affection demonstrating their unity (a holy kiss) 5:26

C. Have This Letter Read: Paul exhorts the Thessalonians in a responsible oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all of the brethren 5:27

D. Prayer for Grace: Paul closes the letter praying that they might have (enjoy, experience) the grace (1:1) of their Lord Jesus Christ with them 5:28

¹ The term is ἡσυχάξειν; cf. Louw and Nida, II:742,754.

² This unit may well be a response to concern among the Thessalonians that the dead would not be raised until the end of the Tribulation with Jewish saints and thus would not be present at the rapture of living saints (Dan. 12:1-2). Perhaps they thought the rapture would happen before anybody died. Now they wonder -- will the dead be left out? They knew about the rapture, but not how it related to the resurrection of dead Christians.

³ The term is ἁρπαγησόμεθα; “rapture” comes from the Latin, “rapere.”

⁴ This may not be three different commands but one with significance for different people because of the ascensive use of καὶ (even). A “shout” (ἐν κελεύσματι, command) may have reference to the church. The voice of an archangel (ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου) may have reference to Israel (cf. Jude 9; 1 Enoch 20:1-7). And the Trumpet of God may have reference to Old Testament Gentile saints (1 Cor. 15:52; Rev. 11:15).

⁵ The anticipation of the rapture seemd to lead people to live un-orderly lives.

Related Topics: Introductions, Arguments, Outlines

A Bibliography of Matthew

Related Media

Books on the Sermon on the Mount

Boice, James M. The Sermon on the Mount: An Exposition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1972.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship. Revised and unabridged edition. New York: 1937, 1959.

Carson, D. A. The Sermon on the Mount: An Evangelical Exposition of Matthew 5--7. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978.

Friel, Billie. Citizens of the Kingdom: Interpreting The Sermon on the Mount for Daily Living. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992.

Guelich, Robert A. The Sermon on the Mount: A Foundation for Understanding. Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1982.

Jeremiah, Joachim, The Sermon on the Mount. Translated by Norman Perrin. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1963.

Kissinger, Warren S. The Sermon on the Mount: A History of Interpretation and Bibliography. New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. and the American Theological Library Association, 1975.

Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. One volume edition. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1959-60, reprint, 1989.

MacArthur, John Jr. Matthew 1--7. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985.

Martin, John A. “Christ, the Fulfillment of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount.” In Dispensationalism, Israel and the Church: The Search for Definition. Edited by Craig A. Blaising and Darrell L. Bock. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.

________. “Dispensational Approaches to the Sermon on the Mount.” In Essays in Honor of J. Dwight Pentecost. Edited by Stanley Toussaint and Charles Dyer. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986.

Pentecost, J. Dwight. The Sermon on the Mount: Contemporary Insights for a Christian Lifestyle. 2nd ed. Portland: Multnomah Press, 1980.

Stott, John R. W. Christian Counter-Culture: The Message of the Sermon on the Mount. Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1978.

Periodicals and Unpublished Works on the Sermon on the Mount

Blomberg, Craig L. “On Wealth and Worry: Matthew 6:19-34--Meaning and Significance.” Criswell Theological Review 6 (Fall 1992): 73-90.

Campbell, Donald K. “Interpretation and Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount.” Th.D. dissertation. Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, 1965.

Brooks, James A. “The Unity and Structure of the Sermon on the Mount.” Criswell Theological Review 6 (Fall 1992): 15-28.

Charles, J. Daryl. “The Greatest or the Least in the Kingdom?: The disciple’s Relationship to the Law (Matt 5:17-20).” Trinity Journal 13 (1992): 139-162

Hullinger Jerry Michael. “Dispensational Problems in the Matthean Beatitudes.” Th.M. thesis. Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, 1988

Kingsbury, Jack Dean. “The Place, Structure, and Meaning of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel.” Interpretation 41 (1987): 131-143.

Lanier, David E. “The Lord’s Prayer: Matt 6:9-13--A Thematic and Semantic-Structural Analysis.” Criswell Theological Review 6 (Fall 1992): 57-72.

MacArthur, John. “The Sermon on the Mount: A New Standard for Living.” Spire 10 (1982): 4, 5, 10.

Richard, Remesh Paul. “Hermeneutical Prolegomena to Premillennial Social Ethics.” ThD dissertation. Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, 1982.

Turner, David L. “The Context, Structure, Purpose, and Exegesis of Matthew’s Beatitudes.” Criswell Theological Review 6 (Fall 1992): 29-42.

Books on Matthew

Barbieri, Louis A. Jr. “Matthew” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty: New Testament Edition. Edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983.

Bauer, David R. The Structure of Matthew’s Gospel: A Study in Literary Design. Sheffield: Almond Press, 1988.

Blomberg, Craig L. Matthew. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992.

Bruner, F. D. The Christbook: A Historical Theological Commentary: Matthew 1--12. Waco: Word Books, Publisher, 1987.

Carson, D.A. “Matthew” in The Expositors Bible Commentary. Volume 8. Edited by Frank Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.

Davies, W. D. and Allison, Dale C. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on The Gospel According to Saint Matthew. The International Critical Commentary. 2 vols. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark Limited, 1988, 1991.

Divorce and Remarriage: Four Christian Views. Edited by H. Wayne House. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1990.

Gundry, Robert H. Matthew: A Commentary on His Literary and Theological Art. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.

Heth, William A. and Wenham, Gordon J. Jesus and Divorce: The Problem with the Evangelical Consensus. Nashville, Camden, New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984.

Inrig, Gary. The Parables: Understanding What Jesus Meant. Grand Rapids: Discovery House Publishers, 1991.

Kingsbury, Jack Dean. Matthew as Story. Second edition, revised and enlarged. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986. 1988.

Luther’s Meditations on the Gospels. Translated and Arranged by Roland H. Bainton. Illustrated and Woodcuts by Virgil Solis. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1962.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992.

Pentecost, J. Dwight. The Parables of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1982.

Ryrie, Charles and Steele, Paul E. Meant to Last: A Christian View of Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983.

Schweizer, Eduard. The Good News According to Matthew. Translated by David E. Green. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975.

Tasker, R.V.G. The Gospel According to St. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. In Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1961.

Toussaint, Stanley D. Behold the King: A Study of Matthew. Portland: Multnomah Press, 1980.

Walvoord, John F. Matthew Thy Kingdom Come. Chicago: Moody Press, 1974.

Periodicals on Matthew

Kingsbury, Jack Dean. “The Place, Structure, and Meaning of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel.” Interpretation 41 (1987): 131-143.

Matera, Frank J. “The Plot of Matthew’s Gospel.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 49 (1987): 233-253.

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From the series: Ephesians: The Glory of God in the Church PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

19. Walking in the Light (Ephesians 5:7-14)

Introduction

Paul’s Argument

What Does It Mean To Live As Lights?

Conclusion

From the series: Ephesians: The Glory of God in the Church PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

Homosexuality and the Church

From the series: John PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

Lesson 40: God’s Time or Man’s Time? (John 7:1-13)

1. Life is short and eternity is forever.

2. Jesus’ brothers were living by man’s time: Their time was always opportune.

A. Those living by man’s time are not living under the lordship of Christ.

B. Those living by man’s time go along with their culture apart from Christ.

C. Those living by man’s time operate by worldly wisdom, not by God’s wisdom.

3. Jesus lived by God’s time: He submitted fully to God’s plan for His life.

A. To live by God’s time, be directly accountable to Him for how you spend your time.

B. To live by God’s time, live with the purpose of glorifying God and accomplishing what He has given you to do.

C. To live by God’s time, develop a harvest mindset that views every situation in light of eternity.

D. To live by God’s time, use reasonable prudence, but do not put personal safety above doing the will of God.

E. To live by God’s time, be willing to confront our godless culture.

Conclusion

Application Questions

From the series: John PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

Was Paul a 'Babe’ among the Thessalonians? 1 Thes 2:7

The Thessalonian Epistles

2 Thessalonians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary

From the series: Glimpses of Godliness for Today's Woman PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

Week 5 Lesson: Faithful (Committed)

A Precious Word from God

A Precious Word from God

Day One Study

Day Two Study

Day Three Study

Day Four Study

Day Five Study

Kay H’s Story

Growing in Godliness for Moms - Faithful

From the series: Glimpses of Godliness for Today's Woman PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

P46 as the Earliest Witness of 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

Problem

Method

Implications And Conclusion

Appendix: A Reconstruction Of The Lost Leaves Of P46

An Argument Of First Thessalonians

I. Introduction: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy open their letter to the Thessalonians affirming their position in God, and praying for God’s grace and peace in their lives 1:1

II. The Paste Work of Faith*Encouragement in their Faith: Paul reminds the Thessalonians of their walk of faith with God and his ministry with them in order to defend the Gospel he taught them and in order to encourage them to persevere despite persecution 1:2--3:13

III. The Present*Exhortations to Live Their Faith: The missionary team exhorts the Thessalonians to exceed in their sanctification, have a patient hope for the future, remain spiritually alert, honor their leaders, and to keep a vital walk with God knowing that God will enable them 4:1--5:24

IV. Conclusion: The missionary team, and especially Paul, close their letter by requesting prayer, urging personal expressions of unity, exhorting the Thessalonians to read this letter to all the brethren, and praying that they would experience God’s grace 5:25-28

A Bibliography of Matthew

Books on the Sermon on the Mount

Periodicals and Unpublished Works on the Sermon on the Mount

Books on Matthew

Periodicals on Matthew

Pages

Appendix:
A Reconstruction Of The Lost Leaves Of P46