1Th 4:9-10 | KingComments | STEP | . Here the second section of this chapter starts. After love in marriage you now hear about love among brethren. It is love for the family, a love that goes out to all members of the family. This love is aroused in the soul of a believer as soon as he becomes a child of God and in that way gets to belong to the family of God. Members of a family quarrel every now and then, but they love one another that much that they make up with one another as soon as possible. Family members defend one another, they stand up for one another; you can call on one another. That is naturally all engrained. You do not have to tell people that they should love their brother or sister. To love a family member lies in the character of nature. In the natural life sin is an enormous hindrance to express or experience love. Family members can do much evil to one another. Though, that is at the same time something that goes against nature. A disturbed relationship in a family hurts much more than when it regards another person. They are both uncomfortable situations, but the family bond always makes itself felt. The brotherly love was all right with the Thessalonians. With them it was clear that they were born of God and that they had the nature of God. The nature of God is love. That was to be seen naturally with them. Paul does not need to write to them about that. Because they have the nature of God, they are “taught by God”. They have opened up themselves for the teaching of God. Their conversion is radical. There is no room for the old anymore. In that way God gets the opportunity to work in them, so that His love for others who have the same nature, can be shown without any hindrance. That’s also how it works for you, right? Brotherly love is one of the two proofs of a real conversion. The first proof is that you loved the world before your conversion and now you hate the world. The second proof is that you hated believers in the past and now you love them. It can happen that you may not get along well with a certain fellow believer. That however doesn’t change the fact that you love him or her. You may have difficulties with something that a person says or does. Just also consider the other way around, that they may have difficulties with something you say or do. But the point is that you see the other person as a child loved by God, just as you are loved by Him! . In other churches in Macedonia like Philippi and Berea, they knew the warmth of the love of the Thessalonians. In a hard, cold world you and I need the warmth of the brotherly love, something that we are exhorted to give to one another ( ). We are given to one another for that reason and by allowing one another to feel it, we can make one another happy. To love is not something you do with your mouth, but with deeds ( ). Love cannot remain hidden. If there is brotherly love and it is being experienced, then problems among believers will not quickly get the chance to disturb the relationships among them. Brotherly love keeps the difficulties at a distance or even eliminates them. Just as the warmth of the sun makes an icicle melt, brotherly love brings a change in cold relationships among believers. Love for the truth, which is important, may however lead to such cold relationships if with the wrong thing also the individual is being rejected. Therefore it is important to practice the truth of brotherly love. The brotherly love of the Thessalonians was not on a selective basis, it was not limited to their own church and even less to a small group of like-minded people within the church. They loved “all brethren who are in all Macedonia”. Sectarianism was strange to them. Nobody escaped from their love. An unbelieving historian who saw the mutual love among the first Christians, wrote the following about that at the end of the second century: ‘It is unbelievable to see the fire with which these people of this religion help each other in their needs. They spare nothing. Their first legislator [which is the Lord Jesus] has imprinted on them that they are all brethren.’ Would the people around us also testify of us like that? However much the Thessalonians might have been examples in brotherly love, they apparently can still increase therein. Brotherly love is not a matter of which you can say that you practice it perfectly. You can always become better in practicing it. Paul doesn’t say that to discourage them, but to stimulate them and to keep them from self- complacency. . It may also be the case that they were a little bit overzealous in their brotherly love, that it started to look more like meddling. That could be the reason why he in this verse switches from brotherly love to life in society. Taking care for one another includes the danger that we may want to control one another and dictate how the other person should act. We should not spend time on that. Every Christian ought to have a full daily schedule, without becoming restless about the course of affairs of other fellow believers. (Of course this doesn’t apply in a case where you clearly observe sinful practices with a fellow believer.) Paul had given them clear commands on this. It appeared to be necessary to remind them of that. It is also good for you to know that you do the work that the Lord has commanded you to do ( ). It occurs often that young believers in their first enthusiasm only want to do Bible study and preach the gospel. I can recognize that, but that is not God’s will. He wants you to work with your own hands. It is a misunderstanding to think that people who fully commit their time to the work of the Lord, are holier or find themselves on a higher spiritual level. This thought is a purely pagan thought. You find such people in India for instance. There must be clear and by other people spiritually assessable reasons to be judged spiritually by others before giving up your job in the society, in order to be fully engaged in spiritual work. Paul shows here that holy people simply work with their hands. He is the example himself here to them ( ). Some believers in Thessalonica did not work anymore. They might have used pious motives for that, for example that they were looking forward to the coming of the Lord. He could after all come any time, couldn’t He? Why would one then be occupied with earthly things? But the result is that they started to get occupied with other people’s business. It is spiritually not sound to passively look forward to the coming of the Lord. It is a good thing to look forward to the coming of the Lord, but at the same time we should do our work, otherwise we will do things that may spiritually harm other people. . You must also consider that those who are “outsiders”, the unbelievers around you, are watching you. They see how you live your life. It would be a downright disgrace for the Name of the Lord Jesus if they would see that you are sitting with your arms folded, doing nothing, and in the meantime only expecting that others will take care that you have no lack of food and drink. That’s totally wrong of course. Especially in a work environment you have the opportunity to show for Whom you live and to Whom you are looking forward. The Lord Jesus will consider you to be blessed and say: “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes” ( ). In your daily activities you may find a great opportunity to adorn the doctrine of God your Savior in all things ( ). Brotherly love is only to be found within the family of God. All unbelievers find themselves outside of it. You do not need anything from them. I don’t mean that arrogantly, but you will give them a wrong idea about what a Christian is if you would live at the expense of others, the society. God has determined that you should work for your food. He gave that command already to Adam. He had to work, in order to be able to enjoy the blessing that God had for him ( ). After the fall of man, God gave that as a commandment ( ). Now read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 again. Reflection: How are you doing, concerning brotherly love and how do ‘those who are outside’ consider you?

‏ 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

Brotherly Love and Works

1Thes 4:9. Here the second section of this chapter starts. After love in marriage you now hear about love among brethren. It is love for the family, a love that goes out to all members of the family. This love is aroused in the soul of a believer as soon as he becomes a child of God and in that way gets to belong to the family of God. Members of a family quarrel every now and then, but they love one another that much that they make up with one another as soon as possible. Family members defend one another, they stand up for one another; you can call on one another. That is naturally all engrained.

You do not have to tell people that they should love their brother or sister. To love a family member lies in the character of nature. In the natural life sin is an enormous hindrance to express or experience love. Family members can do much evil to one another. Though, that is at the same time something that goes against nature. A disturbed relationship in a family hurts much more than when it regards another person. They are both uncomfortable situations, but the family bond always makes itself felt.

The brotherly love was all right with the Thessalonians. With them it was clear that they were born of God and that they had the nature of God. The nature of God is love. That was to be seen naturally with them. Paul does not need to write to them about that. Because they have the nature of God, they are “taught by God”. They have opened up themselves for the teaching of God. Their conversion is radical. There is no room for the old anymore. In that way God gets the opportunity to work in them, so that His love for others who have the same nature, can be shown without any hindrance.

That’s also how it works for you, right? Brotherly love is one of the two proofs of a real conversion. The first proof is that you loved the world before your conversion and now you hate the world. The second proof is that you hated believers in the past and now you love them. It can happen that you may not get along well with a certain fellow believer. That however doesn’t change the fact that you love him or her. You may have difficulties with something that a person says or does. Just also consider the other way around, that they may have difficulties with something you say or do. But the point is that you see the other person as a child loved by God, just as you are loved by Him!

1Thes 4:10. In other churches in Macedonia like Philippi and Berea, they knew the warmth of the love of the Thessalonians. In a hard, cold world you and I need the warmth of the brotherly love, something that we are exhorted to give to one another (1Pet 1:22). We are given to one another for that reason and by allowing one another to feel it, we can make one another happy. To love is not something you do with your mouth, but with deeds (1Jn 3:18). Love cannot remain hidden.

If there is brotherly love and it is being experienced, then problems among believers will not quickly get the chance to disturb the relationships among them. Brotherly love keeps the difficulties at a distance or even eliminates them. Just as the warmth of the sun makes an icicle melt, brotherly love brings a change in cold relationships among believers. Love for the truth, which is important, may however lead to such cold relationships if with the wrong thing also the individual is being rejected. Therefore it is important to practice the truth of brotherly love.

The brotherly love of the Thessalonians was not on a selective basis, it was not limited to their own church and even less to a small group of like-minded people within the church. They loved “all brethren who are in all Macedonia”. Sectarianism was strange to them. Nobody escaped from their love. An unbelieving historian who saw the mutual love among the first Christians, wrote the following about that at the end of the second century: ‘It is unbelievable to see the fire with which these people of this religion help each other in their needs. They spare nothing. Their first legislator [which is the Lord Jesus] has imprinted on them that they are all brethren.’ Would the people around us also testify of us like that?

However much the Thessalonians might have been examples in brotherly love, they apparently can still increase therein. Brotherly love is not a matter of which you can say that you practice it perfectly. You can always become better in practicing it. Paul doesn’t say that to discourage them, but to stimulate them and to keep them from self- complacency.

1Thes 4:11. It may also be the case that they were a little bit overzealous in their brotherly love, that it started to look more like meddling. That could be the reason why he in this verse switches from brotherly love to life in society. Taking care for one another includes the danger that we may want to control one another and dictate how the other person should act. We should not spend time on that. Every Christian ought to have a full daily schedule, without becoming restless about the course of affairs of other fellow believers. (Of course this doesn’t apply in a case where you clearly observe sinful practices with a fellow believer.)

Paul had given them clear commands on this. It appeared to be necessary to remind them of that. It is also good for you to know that you do the work that the Lord has commanded you to do (Mk 13:34). It occurs often that young believers in their first enthusiasm only want to do Bible study and preach the gospel. I can recognize that, but that is not God’s will. He wants you to work with your own hands.

It is a misunderstanding to think that people who fully commit their time to the work of the Lord, are holier or find themselves on a higher spiritual level. This thought is a purely pagan thought. You find such people in India for instance. There must be clear and by other people spiritually assessable reasons to be judged spiritually by others before giving up your job in the society, in order to be fully engaged in spiritual work. Paul shows here that holy people simply work with their hands. He is the example himself here to them (1Thes 2:9).

Some believers in Thessalonica did not work anymore. They might have used pious motives for that, for example that they were looking forward to the coming of the Lord. He could after all come any time, couldn’t He? Why would one then be occupied with earthly things? But the result is that they started to get occupied with other people’s business. It is spiritually not sound to passively look forward to the coming of the Lord. It is a good thing to look forward to the coming of the Lord, but at the same time we should do our work, otherwise we will do things that may spiritually harm other people.

1Thes 4:12. You must also consider that those who are “outsiders”, the unbelievers around you, are watching you. They see how you live your life. It would be a downright disgrace for the Name of the Lord Jesus if they would see that you are sitting with your arms folded, doing nothing, and in the meantime only expecting that others will take care that you have no lack of food and drink. That’s totally wrong of course.

Especially in a work environment you have the opportunity to show for Whom you live and to Whom you are looking forward. The Lord Jesus will consider you to be blessed and say: “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes” (Lk 12:43). In your daily activities you may find a great opportunity to adorn the doctrine of God your Savior in all things (Tit 2:10).

Brotherly love is only to be found within the family of God. All unbelievers find themselves outside of it. You do not need anything from them. I don’t mean that arrogantly, but you will give them a wrong idea about what a Christian is if you would live at the expense of others, the society.

God has determined that you should work for your food. He gave that command already to Adam. He had to work, in order to be able to enjoy the blessing that God had for him (Gen 2:15). After the fall of man, God gave that as a commandment (Gen 3:17).

Now read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 again.

Reflection: How are you doing, concerning brotherly love and how do ‘those who are outside’ consider you?