‏ 1 Thessalonians 4

Summary for 1Thess 4:1-5:22: 4:1–5:22  ^a The second part of the body of the letter concerns Timothy’s news about the church and the questions the believers had for Paul. Paul addresses the problem of sexual immorality (4:3-8  ^b) before responding to the Thessalonians’ questions about love for other Christians (4:9-12  ^c), the destiny of believers who have died (4:13-18  ^d), and the timing of the day of the Lord (5:1-11  ^e). Paul takes up a variety of exhortations on topics such as leadership and community relations (5:12-15  ^f), relationship with the Lord (5:16-18  ^g), and prophecy (5:19-22  ^h).
Summary for 1Thess 4:1-2: 4:1-2  ⁱ we urge you: Paul’s exhortation in the name of the Lord Jesus emphasizes the authority of his teaching.

• you remember what we taught: Ancient letters frequently included reminders of what the recipients already knew. Paul reminds the Thessalonians of matters that required their obedience (4:11  ^j; 2 Thes 3:4  ^k, 6  ^l, 10  ^m, 12  ⁿ).
4:3  ^o God’s will is for you to be holy: The foundation of Christian ethics is not philosophical speculation about virtue but doing God’s will (Rom 12:1-2  ^p; Eph 6:6  ^q; Heb 10:36  ^r; 13:20-21  ^s). Holiness (1 Thes 4:4  ^t, 7  ^u) embraces all of a person’s life (5:23  ^v); here it involves staying away from sexual sin (Greek porneia, any sexual union outside marriage).
4:4  ^w will control his own body: Self-control brings honor from others (Rom 12:10  ^x) and from God (Rom 2:7  ^y; 1 Pet 5:4  ^z, 6  ^aa).
4:5  ^ab Willful ignorance of God and his ways is the root of moral corruption (Rom 1:18-32  ^ac; Eph 4:17-18  ^ad).

• lustful passion: Sexual immorality was often tolerated in the Mediterranean world. Prostitution was allowed, but sexual relations with another man’s wife were prohibited. Roman marriage customs barred women, but not men, from extramarital affairs. By contrast, Jewish and Christian authors alike prohibited all sexual involvement outside of marriage (Acts 15:20  ^ae; 1 Cor 6:12-20  ^af; Col 3:5-6  ^ag).
4:7  ^ah holy ... not impure: Cp. 1:4  ^ai; 2:12  ^aj; 5:23-24  ^ak; 2 Thes 2:13-14  ^al; 1 Pet 1:15-16  ^am.
4:8  ^an Rejecting Paul’s teaching on these matters was the same as rejecting God.

• The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to live in accord with God’s will (Ezek 36:27  ^ao; Rom 8:1-4  ^ap; Gal 5:16  ^aq; 1 Jn 3:24  ^ar).
Summary for 1Thess 4:9-5:11: 4:9–5:11  ^as Paul responds to a series of questions from the Thessalonians (cp. 1 Cor 7:1  ^at) concerning love for one another (1 Thes 4:9-12  ^au), the destiny of deceased believers (4:13-18  ^av), and when the day of the Lord would come (5:1-11  ^aw). 4:9  ^ax God himself has taught you to love one another (cp. Isa 54:13  ^ay) through the teaching of Jesus (John 13:34-35  ^az), the cross (Rom 5:8  ^ba; Eph 5:1-2  ^bb), and the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5  ^bc; Gal 5:22  ^bd).
4:10  ^be The Thessalonian believers demonstrated love toward all the believers in the province of Macedonia (Philippi and Berea; see also 1:7-8  ^bf) through economic aid (cp. 2 Cor 8:1-5  ^bg).
4:11  ^bh To live a quiet life is to be respectable and not cause problems in the community.

• working with your hands: Paul had previously instructed through his teaching (see 2 Thes 3:10  ^bi) and personal example (2 Thes 3:7-9  ^bj) that they should earn their own living.
4:12  ^bk Self-sufficiency and decorum would win the recognition and respect of people who are not believers (see Rom 13:13  ^bl; 1 Cor 5:12-13  ^bm; Col 4:5  ^bn).
4:13  ^bo the believers who have died (literally those who have fallen asleep; also in 4:14  ^bp): Sleep was a common euphemism for death in Greek, Jewish, and Christian literature (Dan 12:2  ^bq; Matt 27:52  ^br). Personal existence continues after death (Luke 23:40-43  ^bs; Acts 7:55-60  ^bt; 2 Cor 5:6-10  ^bu; Phil 1:20-24  ^bv; Rev 6:9-11  ^bw); those who have died await the resurrection (1 Cor 15:23  ^bx).

• grieve like people who have no hope: Ancient letters of comfort exhorted mourners not to be overcome with grief because they could do nothing to avert death. Paul does not prohibit grief (cp. John 16:6  ^by, 20  ^bz; Phil 2:27  ^ca) but calls Christian mourners to abandon the kind of grief typical of those who have no hope in God.
4:14  ^cb The central Christian creed, that Jesus died and was raised to life again, is the foundation for hope in the face of death, guaranteed by the resurrection of Christ (1 Cor 15  ^cc).

• God will bring back refers to the resurrection of believers (1 Thes 4:16  ^cd).
4:15  ^ce directly from the Lord: Jesus’ own teaching provided the source of Paul’s assurance for the Thessalonians (see Matt 24:29-31  ^cf, 40-41  ^cg)

• not ... ahead: Paul wants the Thessalonians to know that, when the Lord returns, the dead will not be at a disadvantage but will participate equally in the resurrection.

• In referring to Jesus’ coming, Paul uses a Greek term (parousia) commonly used to describe the coming of the emperor to a city with great pomp and celebration (see 1 Thes 4:17  ^ch).
4:16  ^ci with the trumpet call of God: God’s trumpet will herald the resurrection, just as it previously announced the rescue of Israel (Zeph 1:16  ^cj; Zech 9:14  ^ck). In the future it will announce the gathering of God’s chosen people from the “farthest ends of the earth and heaven” (Matt 24:31  ^cl; cp. 1 Cor 15:52  ^cm).
4:17  ^cn to meet: This alludes to the custom of sending an official delegation to greet a visiting dignitary and accompany him as he enters the city (Matt 25:6  ^co, 10  ^cp; Acts 28:15-16  ^cq).
4:18  ^cr The purpose of Paul’s teaching about the end is so believers will encourage each other in the face of death. He is not promoting speculation about the end times.

‏ 1 Thessalonians 5:1-22

5:1  ^cs Questions such as how and when all this will happen occupied the thoughts of both Jewish and Christian people (Dan 12:6  ^ct; Matt 24:3  ^cu; Luke 17:20  ^cv; Acts 1:6  ^cw; 1 Pet 1:10-11  ^cx).
5:2  ^cy For you know quite well: Paul reminds them of the teaching they had already received (3:3-4  ^cz).

• The day of the Lord’s return is the time when God will come to judge humanity (Isa 13:6  ^da, 9  ^db; Ezek 30:3  ^dc) and save his people (Joel 2:21-32  ^dd; 3:18  ^de; Zech 14  ^df).

• like a thief in the night: Cp. Matt 24:43-44  ^dg; Luke 12:39-40  ^dh; 2 Pet 3:10  ^di; Rev 3:3  ^dj; 16:15  ^dk.
5:3  ^dl “Everything is peaceful and secure”: The expression “peace and safety” was common during the era of the pax Romana (Roman peace). Amid such presumed security, God’s ultimate judgment comes without warning and is inescapable.
5:4  ^dm The day of the Lord will not surprise believers—not because they know the date of his coming, but because they are spiritually prepared.
5:5  ^dn As children of the light, the Thessalonian believers were saved from darkness (John 12:36  ^do; Acts 26:18  ^dp; Eph 5:8  ^dq; 1 Pet 2:9  ^dr).

• of the day: They belong to God’s new order (Rom 13:12  ^ds).

• darkness and night: These refer to an immoral life (see 1 Thes 5:6-8  ^dt).
5:6  ^du Stay alert and be clearheaded echoes Jesus’ call to be morally prepared because the disciples will not know the day of his return (Matt 24:42  ^dv, 44  ^dw; 25:13  ^dx; cp. 1 Pet 1:13  ^dy).
5:7  ^dz Sleep refers to moral indifference (5:6  ^ea), and drunk is a metaphor for those who do not exercise self-control; they will be surprised by the day of the Lord (5:4  ^eb; Matt 24:48-51  ^ec).
5:8  ^ed Armor ... helmet (Isa 59:17  ^ee; Eph 6:11-17  ^ef): The armament is the moral life (Rom 13:12  ^eg; 2 Cor 6:7  ^eh; 10:3-5  ^ei; 2 Tim 2:3-4  ^ej). The Christian soldier is equipped with the virtues of faith, love, and confidence (see 1 Thes 1:3  ^ek; 3:6  ^el; 1 Cor 13:13  ^em; 2 Thes 1:3-4  ^en).
5:9  ^eo God’s anger (1:10  ^ep; 2:16  ^eq; Rom 5:9  ^er; cp. 2 Thes 1:6-10  ^es; 2:8  ^et) represents the carrying out of his judgment against evil. However, God destined believers for salvation, not wrath (2 Thes 2:13-14  ^eu), and they will escape the terrors of the day of the Lord (1 Thes 5:1-3  ^ev).
5:10  ^ew The promise that believers will live with him forever is based on Christ’s resurrection (4:14  ^ex).

• dead or alive: A reference to living and deceased believers (4:13-15  ^ey) rather than people’s moral condition (as in 5:6-7  ^ez).
5:11  ^fa Paul wants the Thessalonians to use the instruction about the end to encourage and build each other up (see 4:18  ^fb), not to fuel speculation about the timing of the Lord’s return.
5:12  ^fc honor (or know): This may be a call either to honor church leaders or to recognize the emerging leaders in the church (1 Cor 16:15-16  ^fd). True leaders ... work hard (1 Tim 4:10  ^fe; 5:17  ^ff) and govern to serve (Matt 20:25-28  ^fg). They preside over, as well as help and protect, the church (Rom 16:1-2  ^fh; 1 Tim 3:4-5  ^fi, 12  ^fj).

• give you spiritual guidance: Leaders correct both moral and doctrinal errors (Acts 20:31  ^fk; 1 Cor 4:14  ^fl; Col 1:28  ^fm).
5:13  ^fn Leaders were to receive honor and love not because of their high position but because of their work.

• live peacefully: Teaching about community peace and harmony was a standard topic in ancient moral instruction. Harmony between believers and leaders was especially important because of the persecution the church suffered (2:14  ^fo).
5:14  ^fp The responsibility for the moral progress of the congregation does not rest solely with the leaders (4:18  ^fq; 5:11  ^fr). Paul urged the church to warn those who are lazy, that is, those who were “disorderly,” and who did not live by the apostles’ instructions (see 2 Thes 3:6-15  ^fs).

• Take tender care of those who are weak, or those who have no economic or social power. Greek society denigrated the weak.

• Instead of being irritable, believers should be patient in their relationships (Gal 5:23  ^ft; Eph 4:2  ^fu).
5:15  ^fv Jesus and the apostles warned against retaliation (Matt 5:38-48  ^fw; Luke 6:27-36  ^fx; Rom 12:17-21  ^fy; 1 Pet 3:9  ^fz). The Roman author Seneca, by contrast, considered revenge legitimate and necessary as a way of restoring social honor lost because of ill treatment from others. Paul calls Christians to do good—both to members of the church (each other) and to those outside the Christian community (to all people), including their persecutors (1 Thes 2:14  ^ga; see 3:12  ^gb; Gal 6:10  ^gc).
5:17  ^gd Never stop praying means not giving up (1:2  ^ge; Luke 18:1  ^gf; Rom 12:12  ^gg; Eph 6:18  ^gh); it does not mean praying at every moment.
5:18  ^gi Be thankful: God is sovereign and can redeem any situation (Rom 8:28  ^gj).
5:19  ^gk Do not stifle the Holy Spirit: Paul exhorts the Thessalonian believers not to put out the Spirit’s fire (Matt 3:11  ^gl; Acts 2:3  ^gm; 2 Tim 1:6  ^gn) by prohibiting prophecy in the church (Jer 20:9  ^go; 1 Jn 4:1-2  ^gp).
Summary for 1Thess 5:20-21: 5:20-21  ^gq Prophecy, meant to build up the church (1 Cor 14:1-4  ^gr), should not be rejected. Instead, the Thessalonians should test the prophecies (1 Cor 12:10  ^gs; 14:29  ^gt) to discern their origin, to check their agreement with the teaching of the apostles (2 Thes 2:2  ^gu; 1 Jn 4:1-3  ^gv), and to gauge the character of those who utter them (Matt 7:15-20  ^gw). Early Christian teaching said, “Not everyone who speaks about spiritual things is a prophet, but only if the person’s conduct is like the Lord” (Didache 11:8). They should hold on to what is good—namely, prophecies that have been tested and found to be genuine.
5:22  ^gx They should reject every kind of evil, especially false prophecies (5:19-21  ^gy).