Having arrived in the final section of Paul’s message to the Thessalonians before his benediction, we are prompted to ask a question: What is the purpose of the church? This question is closely linked to Paul’s exhortations, since from the beginning of this letter he has identified the Thessalonian congregation as a good church. Paul has not written to correct a major doctrinal error, as in Galatians, or to rebuke major moral lapses, as he will later do in 1 Corinthians. Instead, Paul has written to express his joy over the Thessalonians’ faith, love, and hope, to address questions about Christ’s second coming, and to deal with minor concerns. As he concludes his letter, he gives his general pastoral encouragement for them to press on and fulfill their calling together.

So, what is the primary calling of the church? Some people say that the main purpose of the church is evangelism (Matt. 28:19). Those who think this way look on the church as an army conquering the world through its witness. Others answer that the church’s purpose is to do ministry in the world (Matt. 25:35). On this view, the church is mainly a social-service agency. Still others think of the church as a safe place where we can escape the damage occurring in our world. Those who think this way look on the church as a fortress and a refuge.

According to Paul, none of these is the primary calling of the church. Certainly, the church must evangelize, minister, and protect, but these are not God’s main purposes for the church. According to Paul, the purpose of the church is that we, God’s people, should grow spiritually so that we increasingly attain to Christlike holiness and maturity. This principle is perhaps most clearly expressed in the fourth chapter of Ephesians, a letter that is widely regarded as the most fully developed expression of Paul’s pastoral philosophy. There, he writes that we are to attain “to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph. 4:13-15).

This definition challenges the kind of Christianity that is common today. For many church members, Christian faith resides in the background of their lives. They think little about the Bible or God or their own spiritual condition, and they draw from very little of the power for godliness that is available to them in Christ. For many, Christianity is mainly the comfort that we can dial 911 to heaven and make an emergency call when needed.

If this describes your Christianity, then you should realize that it is very far from the conception not only of Paul but also of Jesus Christ. “And this is eternal life,” Jesus prayed, “that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). The essence of salvation is knowing God in a personal relationship that grows continually in this life until, in eternity to come, we are “filled with all the fulness of God” (Eph. 3:19).

As Paul concludes his first letter to the Thessalonians, he is concerned to direct the new believers to a spiritual maturity in which their relationship to God has grown and been strengthened. Here, as elsewhere, Paul conceives of our relationship to God in terms of the doctrine of the Trinity. There is only one God, but God is known in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Paul’s concluding exhortations clearly follow this biblical pattern: through our relationship with God the Son, believers are brought into communion with God the Father, through the power provided by God the Spirit (Eph. 2:18).

Paul’s exhortations in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 open up further dimensions of the Trinity by teaching us how to relate to the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches that while the Son accomplishes our salvation, the Father plays the role of ordaining His saving will for us. Paul describes in verses 16-18 “the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” in terms of living consciously in the Father’s love. Moreover, the Holy Spirit has the role of applying God’s saving work in our lives. Therefore, in verses 19-22, Paul urges us to walk intentionally in step with the Holy Spirit.

Since our study of verses 5:14-15 considered Paul’s charge to imitate the servant ministry of God’s Son, we progress in verse 16 to living consciously in the presence of the Father’s love. Paul expresses this principle in terms of a threefold exhortation: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (vv. 5:16-18). All three of these responses – joy, prayer, and thanksgiving – are by-products of a life consciously opened to the Father’s love.

When speaking of Christian joy, we must first differentiate between true spiritual joy and the giddy emotionalism of the world. Unbelievers are happy when their circumstances are good. Christian joy, in contrast does not depend on how well things are going, but is able to flourish even amid great afflictions. This was the setting in Thessalonica: “Rejoice always.”

So, if pleasant circumstances are not the cause of a Christian’s happiness, then what are the sources of our rejoicing? First, Christians rejoice in the Father’s gift of His Son to be our Savior. A second source of Christian joy is the relationship with the Father that Jesus has secured by His saving work – what Paul described in Romans 5:1 as “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” A third source of the believer’s joy is the Bible’s testimony of God’s saving promises. God’s Word assures us that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

In addition to joy, Christians are to live in an attitude of continual prayer. Pray without ceasing,” Paul says (v. 17). He is not suggesting that Christians stop all our other activities so as only to pray, but urges a heart that is always open to God. Paul advocates prayer not merely as an action but also an attitude. The prayerful attitude that Paul seeks was lived by Enoch and Noah, who according to the Bible “walked with God” (Gen. 5:24; 6:9).

The third leg of Paul’s call to live in God’s presence is to “give thanks in all circumstances” (v. 18). How are Christians to be thankful for trials and tribulations? The answer is that our faith turns us away from ourselves and unto God. Just as David faced giant Goliath without fear by his faith in God, Christians face all threats and dangers with gratitude to the God who they know is sovereignly ruling for His glory and our salvation.

Paul notes that these gracious responses to God’s loving presence are “the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (v. 18). God does not necessarily will that we should have good health or earthly riches, faithful friends or successful careers. God does something better than these for us: He gives us His Son to be our Savior, and in His Word He promises us eternal life in glory. It is His will that we should grow into the maturity of joy, prayer, and thanksgiving, because of and “in Christ Jesus.”

Paul’s final exhortations concern the believer’s cooperation with the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. Just as Christians are to enter sacrificially into the servant ministry of the Son and live consciously in the Father’s love, we are also to fuel the flame of the Holy Spirit. Along these lines, Paul urges his readers, “Do not quench the Spirit” (v. 19).

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is sometimes compared to a fire (Matt. 3:11; Acts 2:3), so resisting the Spirit’s ministry is similar to dousing a fire with water or ashes. Presumably, this quenching takes place when believers crowd out God’s Word, prayer, and corporate worship with earthly pursuits or sinful pleasures. The result is that the effects of the Spirit’s work are diminished, like the flickering flames of a fire that has been deprived of oxygen.

Paul’s particular concern focuses on neglecting or rejecting God’s revealed Word. “Do not despise prophecies,” he writes (v. 20). Paul occasionally mentions the New Testament prophets (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph 3:5; 4:11). We need to remember that these early churches did not yet possess the written New Testament, so God provided prophets to declare God’s Word concerning salvation in Jesus Christ. These prophets might also foretell future events, but their main job was to “forth-tell” the gospel: they were preachers of the New Testament message before that message was recorded in writing. These gifted men belonged to the foundation-laying era of the apostles, and once the canon of the Bible was completed, their foretelling function ceased in the church (see also Eph 2:20).

Today, the analogy to prophecy is the preaching of God’s Word. This means that to fuel the flame of God’s Spirit, we must devote ourselves to the ministry of the Bible, in personal reading and especially in the preaching ministry of the church. Either the Word of God will shape our thinking or the message of the world will drown out God’s voice and quench the ministry of God’s Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 Study Questions:

What are the sources of our rejoicing?

What does “pray without ceasing” mean to you?

What does it mean to “give thanks in all circumstances?”

What is God’s will for us?

A dispute that arises from time to time among Christians has to do with the relationship between the law and the gospel, or, to put it differently, between justification and sanctification. Sound Christians note the distinction between these doctrinal matters. The law is what God commands us to do, and the gospel is what God promises in order to save us. Justification is God’s declaring sinners forgiven and righteous through faith in Jesus. Sanctification is the process by which justified believers become holy in practical ways.

In our studies of 1 Thessalonians, we have had several occasions to note that while these doctrines are distinct, they must never be separated. Throughout this letter, Paul celebrates the faith of the Thessalonians, through which we are justified (1 Thess. 1:3, 8). This emphasis on faith does not deter Paul, however, from also urging good works. In believing, they had “turns…from idols to serve the living and true God” (v. 1:9). Having been justified through faith, the believers are reminded by Paul that “this is the will of God, your sanctification.

Seeing that the law and the gospel, faith and works, and justification and sanctification are always intended to go together, Christians should not be surprised to receive not only promises but also exhortations in the Bible. Thus, when Paul issues commands to believers, he has not descended into legalism. Rather, he is reminding us that faith in Jesus involves getting up from the place of our sin and following him, just as Jesus Himself so often commanded, “Come, follow me.”

In the concluding section of 1Thessalonians, Paul exhorts the believers in the church in their shared discipleship to Christ, charging them with three categories of attitude and action. The first of these categories deals with their relationships, involving respect for their leaders, mutual ministry among believers, and good deeds for even their enemies (vv. 5:12-15). Second, the Thessalonians are exhorted with respect to their piety, which should be filled with joy and thanksgiving (vv. 16-18). Third, they are charged to be receptive to God’s revealed Word (vv. 19-22). In all these matters, Christians are to respond to Christ’s grace not only by trusting Him but also by following His example of ministry, godliness, and zeal.

The first set of Paul’s exhortations pertains to the believers’ duty to minister to one another. This is an important point of emphasis, especially since in the previous verses Paul has given prominence to the authority of church leaders. It is vital that the church have a balanced relationship between its official ministers and the rank-and-file members, or, as it is sometimes put, between the clergy and the laity. Errors in this matter have often crippled the church and brought needless strife.

The first error is called clericalism. This is the view that all ministry is performed by the ordained ministers, who are paid to do it, while the members are merely to follow in a docile manner. Historically, this approach is represented by the priests of the Roman Catholic Church, although it is found among Protestants as well. Many ministers promote this view by wanting to be in charge of everything and sometimes by holding their church in actual tyranny.

A second error, anticlericalism, runs to the other extreme. Here, the church strips ministers of their authority or even does away with them, ignoring the fact that Christ has appointed pastors and teachers to lead and serve His flock. The true model for ministry is neither clericalism nor anticlericalism, but is the dual approach to ministry explained in Ephesians 4:11-12. He pointed out that Christ appointed pastors and teachers for the church. Their role is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Ministry therefore starts with the teaching of God’s Word by faithful and gifted pastors. This does not replace but inspires other ministries in the church and provides the biblical understanding and motivation that the people need.

If Ephesians 4:12 calls for all Christians to engage in ministry, 1 Thessalonians 5:14 works out some of the details: “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” These charges are not given to the leaders, but to the rank-and-file Christians, who are commanded to care for one another. Paul cites three groups that need attention from fellow Christians: the idle, the fainthearted, and the weak.

First, Paul identifies church members who are “idle.” The Greek word used, ataktos, has a broader meaning along the lines of “unruly” or “apathetic.” This is a word used in the military for a soldier who has stepped out of rank. In this sense, Paul is describing a wide variety of unruly Christians who are not living up to their responsibility as church members.

A second kind of person who needs attention is the “fainthearted. In contrast to the slacker, Paul here addresses the needs of those who are easily discouraged. While some Christians boldly embrace the dangers and challenges of following Jesus in this world, others are easily made to tremble, especially in a situation like that at Thessalonica, in which the church faced serious and painful persecution. Some Christians merit this description nearly all the time, but virtually all of us will fall into this condition at least some of the time. The proper ministry response from Christian friends is encouragement: “encourage the fainthearted.” This ministry may include reminders of biblical promises, support in prayer, and examples of others who struggled but continued in salvation.

Third, Paul urges Christians to “help the weak.” This term probably applies to those who find it difficult to abandon sin and resist worldly pressures. Paul’s letters reveal how uncompromising the apostle was in demanding that Christians never abandon believers who are weak, yet still trying to do better. The word for help literally means “to lay hold of,” with the idea of not letting them go. This should be our response to Christians who fall prey to substance abuse or are entangled in ungodly relationships, and who thus require close accountability and constant support.

Verses 5:12-15 forms a unit focusing on the Christian attitude in a variety of relationships. Christians are to treat church leaders with respect and “esteem them very highly in love” (v. 13). Among their fellow believers, Christians are to minister to the needs around them with a balanced response of truth and love. Finally, Paul offers a word of exhortation concerning even the believers’ enemies, which includes those violent persons who were persecuting fledgling church. In this case Paul charges them: “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone” (v. 15).

Paul’s point in this matter is that Christians must not retaliate for wrongs as to seek to harm others. People outside the church – and sometimes within it – may deal out evil, but it should never be returned to them (see Matt. 5:44-45). This precept does not preclude Christians from seeking lawful redress from the civil authorities who are appointed by God to this very end (see Rom. 13:3-4). Nor does it mean that we should not act in defense of others. Yet when it comes to merely personal injuries against ourselves, Christians are privileged to honor Jesus by “turning the cheek” and giving our cloak as well to the one who asks for our tunic (Matt. 5:39-40).

In one of his greatest summaries of the Christian life, Paul wrote to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). If Christ lives in and through those who trust Him, then we should expect to see their lives bear and increasing resemblance to the ministry of Christ. This resemblance is exactly what Paul has in mind as he sets forth the Christian calling to relationships of love and grace. In considering Paul’s charge to the early converts, we see a reflection of the very actions by which Christ brought salvation to our souls.

1 Thessalonians 5:13-15 Study Questions:

What role does the whole community play in bringing believers to a point of fluency in their behavior (vv. 14-15)?

Describe a time when your Christian community affected an aspect of your behavior, causing you to live more as a child of light.

As we draw near to the end of 1 Thessalonians, which by all accounts is one of Paul’s earliest letters, it becomes evident that the church was not some latter addition to the original Christian movement but was integral to it from the very beginning. As Paul concludes this letter, he gives instructions strongly suggesting that he had established the converts in that city as an organized church. He begins: “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (vv. 12-13).

This statement shows that Paul recognized official leaders among the believers in Thessalonica. Acts 14:23 shows that from the very beginning, Paul “appointed elders” in the churches he founded and invested them with authority by “committing them to the Lord.” It is clear from later letters that Paul and the other apostles institutionalized this practice. Apostolic churches such as the one in Thessalonica were organized under the spiritual leadership of a group of elders working together. Acts 20:4 mentions two Thessalonican men who likely were elders (“Aristarchus and Secundus”), and there were probably more.

Verse 12 identifies the work to which church leaders are called. Paul’s description applies to all elders, but especially to ministers in their full-time calling to the church: they “labor among you,” “are over you in the Lord,” and “admonish you.” First, Paul says that church leaders “labor among you.” Primarily, this statement notes the costly effort – even to the point of exhaustion – involved in providing spiritual leadership to the church. This description makes the point that pastors should be expected to work hard in service of the church. Whether it is study and the preparation of sermons, or visiting the sick and counseling the disturbed, or instructing people for baptism and marriage, or being diligent in intercession – these things demand that we “toil, striving with all energy which [Christ] mightily inspires within” us (Col. 1:29).

Second, Paul emphasizes that church leaders “are over in the Lord” (v. 12). Here, the Greek word proistemi conveys the idea of presiding over or having charge. In 1 Timothy 3:4, the same word has the idea of “manage,” and in 1 Timothy 5:17 of “rule.” Paul expressed a similar notion when he identified the eldership as “the office of overseer” (1 Tim. 3:1). Therefore, elders and pastors are authority figures in and over the church. It makes all the difference that Paul specifies the elders’ rule as being “in the Lord” (v. 12). Their pastoral authority comes from Christ and must be wielded on His behalf and in His name. It is essential that Christian leaders demonstrate that their authority is “in the Lord” by always explaining the biblical basis or logic behind actions that are taken.

Third, Paul says that church leaders are called to “admonish” (v. 12). Here, the Greek word noutheteo means to “rebuke” or “correct.” This not a harsh exercise of judgment, but a loving admonition of believers who are going astray in either doctrine or life. We gain a flavor for the style of reproof required of elders when we see in Paul’s letters both a forthright boldness and a tender mildness in dealing with the wayward.

One of the most important applications that we can make from Paul’s teaching on church leaders is to realize that it entails a mandate for church membership. If the Lord has placed leaders over the church and called them to the triple function of laboring, ruling, and admonishing, then it follows that the Lord’s people are to be organized in churches under this very kind of spiritual leadership.

Some people ask the question, “Why should I join the church?” There are a number of good answers. One is that God has organized human society in covenantal relationships, and Christians are to bond together as a covenant people in the Lord. This points to the analogy of the church as a family, with its associations of affection, loyalty, and commitment. Another reason why church membership is essential is our calling together to the work of the Lord. Jesus’ Great Commission charges us not merely to make casual believers or fickle spiritual consumers. Instead, Jesus gave His followers a commission that can be fulfilled only in the context of a faithful church (Matt. 28:19-20).

In verse 5:13, Paul adds a word about the importance of Christians’ support and encouragement of pastors and elders. This charge has three components, the first of which is to appreciate and respect church leaders. Paul began verse 121 this way: “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you.” The word respect is the Greek word know and involves the ideas of both personal acquaintance and acknowledgment.

In verse 13 Paul adds a charge for Christians “to esteem them very highly,” the idea being that a special honor due to the holy office of the minister and elder. It is this biblical mandate that has prompted ordained ministers to receive the title Reverend, in keeping with Paul’s emphasis in 1 Timothy 5:17: “Let the elders rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” The issue is not the granting of social prestige, still less of celebrity status, but rather the spiritual submission to biblical authority that will enable the pastor to fulfill his God-given role in the lives of Christ’s people.

In addition to respect, Paul would have Christians grant loving affection to their spiritual leaders: “Esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (v. 13). A faithful pastor labors intensely and prayerfully for the spiritual well-being of his flock; one of the chief blessings that compensates for the trials is the loving appreciation and affection of the people. This loving esteem includes providing generously for their material needs and praying for God to protect and bless their ministry.

Finally, church members support their pastors and elders by placing a priority on the peace and unity of the church: “Be at peace among yourselves” (v. 13). Few things distract and discourage a pastor more greatly than when church members level needless complaints against fellow believers or disturb the church with quarrels and strife. Being peaceable also implies a willing support of decisions made by church leaders.

Everything that Paul has taught about church leadership and membership must be applied in careful biblical balance. Leaders are to oversee, not dominate or stifle. Authority is to be “in the Lord” and not in the flesh. Church members are to respect but not to worship their pastors. Christians are to obey and follow their leaders, but leaders are to teach and make decisions in keeping with Scripture. Members are to love church leaders not so much for their gifts – which may result in division or favoritism – but for their work on Christ’s behalf. This need for balance and the difficulty or achieving it ought to persuade every Christian of the great need that we have for prayer, both for ourselves and for the church to which we belong.

Yet no matter how poorly we may succeed in achieving the biblical standard of church leadership and membership, we should never hate but always love the church. In response to our relationship through faith with Jesus Himself, Christians should treasure the church, pray for the church, and bind together in the church for the worship and work that is designed by God to bring glory to Christ and the gospel of salvation to the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 Study Questions:

As with learning a new language, the grammar is the starting point, but the ideal is to reach a point where one does not even need to think about the grammar or the construction of sentences. This is the point of fluency, and it is the same as learning the new language of Christian behavior. The ideal is that believers should have the new language of Christian behavior written on their hearts. How are we to relate to Christian leaders as we learn fluency in the new language of behavior for believers (vv. 12-13)?

Paul urges Christians to put on the hope of salvation like a helmet to crown and protect the head (v. 8). But what is the true ground of assurance of salvation? Paul points his struggling friends to the gospel truths that he had preached to them: salvation from sin, salvation to new life, and salvation by God’s sovereign grace. He writes, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him” (vv. 9-10).

According to Paul, his readers should look with confidence to the return of Christ because they had been saved from sin: “For God has not destined us for wrath” (v. 9). In saying this, the apostle makes the important assumption that punishment for sin is the chief threat to our eternal well-being. The gospel that Paul preached, therefore, and that we should believe and preach today, is a gospel of salvation from the ruinous effects of sin.

In particular, Paul considers salvation from sin in terms of deliverance from the wrath of God. Our problem, he indicates, is not merely that sin harms us but that God will punish us in anger for our sins against His law. This being the problem, Paul’s good news to believers in Jesus is that “God has not destined us for wrath.” The question may be raised as to how a holy God delivers sinners from His wrath. Paul answers that believers “obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us” (vv. 9-10). Christians are saved from God’s wrath because Jesus “died for us.”

In these words, we hear the heart of Paul’s gospel: “Jesus…died for us.” The us that Paul refers to is believers in Christ, who have confessed the guilt of their sin and sought forgiveness by trusting Christ’s death. Paul speaks of Christ’s death in a way that implies penal substitutionary atonement – the evangelical doctrine that Jesus died in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. The apostle teaches that Jesus’ death had the effect of saving us from God’s wrath. We are not saved simply by having our hearts warmed by a demonstration of God’s love or by receiving an inspiring example to follow. Jesus died to save us from God’s wrath, substituting Himself as a sacrifice in our place.

Paul’s point in the context of our passage is that his readers should not fear the return of Jesus and the final judgment He will bring, since Christians have been saved from God’s wrath by Jesus’ sin-atoning death on the cross. Christ’s people, for whom He died, will not be destroyed in His coming but will be saved to the uttermost. Christ’s second coming will consummate the salvation He purchased in His first coming at such great cost to Himself. As Paul sees it, therefore, joyful Christians – those who are most assured of salvation and who most eagerly await Christ’s return – are those most willing to see the truth of their sin so as to be most fervently reliant on the finished work of Christ’s death.

Looking away from ourselves to Jesus does not mean, however, that Christ does nothing within us in salvation. According to Paul, the same gospel that delivers us from the wrath also saves us to a new life: He “died for us so that…we might live with him” (v. 10). The words so that express a purpose clause: Jesus’ death had a purpose not only to delivering us from wrath but also enabling us to live for and with Him. Paul expanded the same idea in 2 Corinthians 5:15: “He died…, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

According to the Bible, the Christian’s new life begins at the moment of faith and salvation. Paul said that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). As reborn believers, we are to pursue godliness and good works in keeping with our discipleship to Christ. Having been saved by grace and through faith, apart from works, we realize that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

Paul has emphasized dual aspects of salvation in 1 Thessalonians. In 5:9, he highlighted our salvation from God’s wrath – this is justification. In 4:3, he stated that “this is the will of God, your sanctification.” Therefore, to be saved is both to be justified – forgiven and accounted righteous in God’s sight for Jesus’ sake – and to be sanctified – increasingly transformed by God’s grace – through our union with Christ in faith. This is Paul’s point: Jesus “died for us” so that “we might live with him” (v. 5:10). These two connections – “for us” and “with him” – make up Christian salvation, through union with Christ in faith.

In encouraging his readers about their hope in Christ, Paul further appeals to the sovereignty of God. Believers can be sure of their salvation because “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 9). The believer’s salvation ultimately rests not in time but in eternity, when God has destined – elsewhere, he will specify “predestined” (Rom. 8:29-30; Eph. 1:5) – His people to be saved.

The Bible teaches that the whole of our salvation rests on the saving decree of God in eternity past. According to Scripture, God did not simply ordain that those who believe will be saved, but selected persons for Himself, sending His Son to die for their sins and then sovereignly bringing them to faith so that they receive eternal life. Paul proclaimed in Ephesians 1:4 that God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” God chose not merely the way of salvation in principle but actual people to be saved: “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Eph. 1:5).

The sovereignty of God is not limited to the predestination of His people to come to faith for salvation. God is also sovereign in the perseverance of believers, so that we continue in faith until death or the return of Christ. Here is the concern pressing on the Thessalonians’ minds: would life or death find them ready of Jesus’ coming? Paul answers that since they believe in Jesus, they can trust that “God has not destined” them “for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 9).

Paul acknowledges here the necessity of trusting in Christ for salvation. We “obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,” that is, through faith in Him. Yet this requirement for faith does not throw us back onto our own resources and strength, so that, we would nervously sweat the return of Jesus, wondering whether we will measure up. Rather, the God who was sovereign in ordaining our salvation through faith is also sovereign in maintaining our salvation through faith. Peter wrote that “by God’s power [we] are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). Yes, perseverance is “through faith,” so that Christians must continue believing in Jesus. Yet through faith we “are being guarded” by a sovereign God who has committed Himself to our salvation in the return of Christ.

In his brief by potent application, Paul tells us that God’s purpose should become the basis of our ministry in the church: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (v. 11). We see in Paul’s exhortation a threefold agenda in response to the saving message of God’s salvation in Christ. First, we must receive the gospel in personal faith. This is clear in verse 9, where Paul says that we are destined “to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Second, having received salvation, we continue to serve God’s purpose by encouraging one another with words of gospel truth. The idea is coming alongside those in weakness, difficulty, or doubt so as to help one another to continue in faith. Third, when Paul speaks of exhorting others so as to build them up, this implies that Christians are to be growing spiritually. We are not to be like the tribes of Israel when they settled into the Promised Land of Canaan. When Paul uses the phrase “just as you are doing” (v. 11), he acknowledges that his readers had started well in encouraging one another to Christian growth.

When we work Paul’s approach to being joyfully ready for Christ’s return, we cultivate a joyful assurance and hope by looking in faith to the cross, by responding to faith with good works and obedience, and then by taking part in the body of God’s people, in the family, the church and the world, building up one another with God’s Word of truth, the same gospel message by which we received salvation “through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 9).

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 Study Questions:

The Thessalonians were already children of the day, children of light. God’s new world had broken in upon the sad, sleepy, drunken and deadly world. In verse 11 Paul encourages the Thessalonians to continue to “strengthen one another, and build each other up.” In what practical ways can the community of believers you are part of encourage each other to live out verses 8-11?

What is the true ground of assurance of salvation?

What are the dual aspects of salvation?

At the end of chapter 4, Paul gave a clear teaching about Christ’s second coming and urged, “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (4:18). In chapter 5, Paul addressed concerns about the timing of Christ’s return, concluding with a similar charge: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (5:11).

According to Paul, the Christian strategy for enduring in faith through trials is to strengthen one another with biblical truth. This is Christian teamwork in the church and home. How is the Christian family to endure against cultural attacks? By the husband’s encouraging his wife and the parents’ encouraging their children with biblical truths. How are Christians to minister to those faltering or discouraged? With the encouragement of biblical truth. We are to take the team approach in the Christian life, not tearing each other down but building each other up with the truths of God’s Word.

The truth that Paul wants to impress on the minds of his Thessalonian readers concerns their relationship with Christ. The way to be prepared for Jesus’ coming, he says, is to have our heads clear about what it means to be joined to Christ in salvation. Paul writes: “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness” (vv. 4-5).

To describe the Christian’s situation, Paul employs the familiar biblical image of light. Believing in Jesus, the Christian no longer lives in the darkness but belongs to the realm of the light of Christ. Paul’s point is that Christians should not be unprepared for Christ’s coming, since we now belong to the light. By calling us “children of light,” he means that the blessings of God’s light have come to distinguish us and characterize our lives. Christians have gained knowledge of truth, have been warmed to God’s ways, have received spiritual life, and are guided by the light of God’s Word. Therefore, the day of the Lord should never come upon us as a “surprise,” like “a thief” (v. 4), since we have been looking forward to and preparing for that bright day.

Verses 4 and 5 present one of the Bible’s main principles for Christian living and sanctification, namely, that Christian living arises out of Christian thinking. We have seen earlier that Christians are persevere in faith by encouraging one another in biblical truth. Paul now explains how this works: God’s Word is taught to us, we begin thinking in light of God’s Word, and by God’s grace this new thinking yields a new and godly lifestyle. Jesus mandated this process of transformation by illumination when He prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

Having expressed his principle of reckoning who and what are we in Christ – children of light – Paul makes the application in terms of how we should therefore live in anticipation of Christ’s return. He focuses on three aspects of Christian readiness that will enable us to persevere in faith until the coming of Jesus to save us.

Paul’s first application is that since believers no longer belong to the darkness but are children of light, we should stay awake and not slumber: “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake” (v. 6). Being children of light, Christians should not engage in the nighttime activities of darkness. Those in the dark are asleep to God, unaware of what is happening in the world, and unresponsive to the call of the gospel. The children of light, in contrast, are to be awake to God’s plan and alive to God’s calling. Jesus warned, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41).

A second biblical example of a sleeping believer was Samson, who lost his strength as his hair was cut in the night. Samson took his rest and made his peace with the world around him, settling into the arms of a Philistine named Delilah, who betrayed him. Samson’s slumber cannot be blamed of Delilah, however: Samson put himself to sleep spiritually by violating his covenant with the Lord. Once asleep, he awoke to his danger too late, realizing only then what he had lost through his alliance with the world. How many Christians today are asleep to the influences of popular culture, as that like Samson we become prisoners of worldly thinking and acting and so lose our usefulness to the cause of Christ?

A third example was given by Jesus in His parable of the tares and the wheat. A man sowed good seed in his field, “but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away” (Matt.13:24-25). Likewise, in the tolerant spirit that grips the church today, there is little doctrinal vigilance over our churches and ministries. Christians are asleep to the threat of an active enemy who seeks to undermine and infiltrate the work of Christ’s kingdom so that we squander the gains given to us by God and lack the spiritual power to prevail in dangerous times.

In addition to staying awake, Christians maintain their readiness for Christ’s return by staying sober: “For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober” (vv. 7-8). This application is a companion to the previous one: since Christians belong to the day, they should not be characterized by practices that take place during the night. Among these nighttime practices is a lifestyle that is inebriated with earthly pleasures and sin.

We should understand Paul’s call to sober living to involve more than drunkenness on alcohol or drugs. Today, this calling extends to the whole realm of entertainments of which Christians may imbibe, including movies and music that promote a sensual, self-absorbed lifestyle and glorify values that are contrary to God’s Word. In the workplace, Christians can become drunk with academic prestige, political power, or financial success. Paul’s emphasis on sober living, repeated twice in these verses, could indicate that this was a problem among the Thessalonian new believers. Given our similarly intoxicated culture today, many young believers and new converts will likewise need to seek God’s power to start living a sober life that no longer indulges in the kinds of worldly recreations that deaden us to the things of God.

Paul’s first two applications were negative in principle: “Let us not sleep…[or] get drunk” (vv. 6-7). The third application is active and positive, calling for Christians to arm themselves with biblical virtues: “having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (v. 8). Paul presents here for the first time in his writings an analogy that he will continue to develop in his later epistles, especially in Ephesians 6. He imagines Christians as preparing themselves for life in the same way that a soldier puts on his armor before heading into battle. It is not enough for Christians merely to say No to sin and worldliness; we must also actively cultivate faith, love, and hope in order to be guarded from threats that would endanger our salvation.

The two pieces of armor that Paul cites here are those that protect the vital areas of the heart and the head. The soldier’s chest was protected in battle by a breastplate, and Paul urges Christians to “put on the breastplate of faith and love” (v. 8). In Ephesians 6:14, Paul speaks of putting on “the breastplate of righteousness.” These descriptions go together – “faith and love” on the one hand and “righteousness” on the other – because faith and love are the means by which righteousness is received and then practiced. We are forgiven our sins and justified before God through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:16). Having believed, we then pursue a practical righteousness by leading a life of love – love for God and love for one another as outlined in God’s holy law.

Added to the breastplate that guards the vital organs is the helmet that protects the head: “and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (v. 8). According to Paul, the Christian who possesses a biblical hope for salvation is able to think clearly and resist blows that would daze him or her into unbelief or folly. We ground our hope in God’s sovereignty over history – a history that is defined by Christ’s saving death for our sins and that will conclude in Christ’s saving return.

The helmet of salvation will deliver us not only from worldly threats but also from a misguided dread of Christ’s second coming, as many Christians have sadly been led to do. For Paul and the early believers, Christ’s return was the hope for which they fervently longed. We are to live in readiness for that day, not suspending our lives and gazing at the sky in trepidation, but awake, sober, and armed with faith, love, and Christian hope.

If we trust in the work that Christ has done for our salvation, dying on the cross for our sins; if we cultivate a love for God and for one another according to God’s Word; and if we look in hope for Christ’s coming to bring us with Him into glory, we will be guarded for salvation and crowned with grace to stand without fear before a dark and wicked world that can be awakened to the gospel only by the witness that we are emboldened to give.

Paul makes it clear that Christians should expect struggle and difficulty as we await the return of our Lord. Some may wonder whether it is worth all the effort of staying awake, keeping sober, and arming ourselves with faith, love, and hope. Can we expect to prevail? Jesus answers, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Paul urges believers to remind each other of such truths: “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18).

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 Study Questions:

In verses 1-11, what are all the pictures or images that Paul uses to try to explain the relationship between believers and the world and the coming of the Lord?

How does Paul contrast the people of the day and the people of the night?

Paul’s point about staying awake belongs not so much with the danger of burglars but with the all-important difference between the old world (of darkness, sin and death) and the new world (of light, life and hope). What aspects of living as children of light or children of the day are challenging?