1Th 5:23-28 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 23. And the very God of peace . The God who gives peace or happiness. Comp. . Sanctify you . . Wholly . ολοτελεις In every part; completely. It is always proper to pray that God would make his people entirely holy. A prayer for perfect sanctification, however, should not be adduced as a proof that it is in fact attained in the present life. Your whole spirit and soul and body . There is an allusion here, doubtless, to the popular opinion in regard to what constitutes man. We have a body; we have animal life and instincts in common with the inferior creation; and we have also a rational and immortal soul. This distinction is one that appears to the mass of men to be true, and the apostle speaks of it in the language commonly employed by mankind. At the same time, no one can demonstrate that it is not founded in truth. The body we see, and there can be no difference of opinion in regard to its existence. The soul (ηψυχη psyche ) the vital principle, the animal life, or the seat of the senses, desires, affections, appetites, we have in common with other animals. It appertains to the nature of the animal creation, though more perfect in some animals than in others, but is in all distinct from the soul as the seat of conscience, and as capable of moral agency. See the use of the word in , et al . In the Pythagorean and Platonic philosophy this was distinguished from the higher rational nature, (ονουςτοπνευμα,) as this last belonged to man alone. This psyche (Γρεεκ) "soul," or life, it is commonly supposed, becomes extinct at death. It is so connected with the bodily organization, that when the tissues of the animal frame cease their functions, this ceases also. This was not, however, the opinion of the ancient Greeks. Homer uses the term to denote that which leaves the body with the breath, as escaping from the ερκοςοδοντων-- the fence or sept of the teeth --and as also passing out through a wound. This ψυχη-- psyche --continued to exist in Hades, and was supposed to have a definite form there, but could not be seized by the hands. Ody. ii. 207. See Passow , 2. Comp. Prof. Bush, Anastasis, pp. 72, 73. Though this word, however, denotes the vital principle, or the animal life, in man it may be connected with morals--just as the body may be--for it is a part of himself in his present organization, and whatever may be true in regard to the inferior creation, it is his duty to bring his whole nature under law, or so to control it that it may not be an occasion of sin. Hence the apostle prays that the "whole body and soul"--or animal nature--may be made holy. This distinction between the animal life and the mind of man (the anima and animus , the ψυχη and the πνευμα,) was often made by the ancient philosophers. See Plato, Timse. p. 1048, A. Nemesius, de Nat. Hom. i Cit. Glyca, p. 70. Lucretius, iii. 94. 116. 131. Juvenal, xv. 146. Cicer,), de Divinat. 129, as quoted by Wetstein in loc . A similar view prevailed also among the Jews. Rabbi Isaac (Zohar in Lev. tbl. 29. 2,) says, "Worthy are the righteous in this world and the world to come, for lo, they are all holy; their body is holy, their soul is holy, their spirit, and their breath is holy." Whether the apostle meant to sanction this view, or merely to speak in common and popular language, may indeed be questioned; but there seems to be a foundation for the language in the nature of man. The word here rendered spirit (πνευμα) refers to the intellectual or higher nature of man; that which is the seat of reason, of conscience, and of responsibility. This is immortal. It has no necessary connection with the body, as animal life or the psyche (ψυχη) has, and consequently will be unaffected by death. It is this which distinguishes man from the brute creation; this which allies him with higher intelligences around the throne of God. Be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ . The apostle does not intimate here that either the body or the vital principle will be admitted to heaven, or will be found in a future state of being, whatever may be the truth on that subject. The prayer is, that they might be entirely holy, and be kept from transgression, until the Lord Jesus should come; that is, until he should come either to remove them by death, or to wind up the affairs of this lower world. . By his praying that the "body and the soul"--meaning here the animal nature, the seat of the affections and passions--might be kept holy, there is reference to the fact that, connected as they are with a rational and accountable soul, they may be the occasion of sin. The same natural propensities; the same excitability of passion; the same affection, which in a brute would involve no responsibility, and have nothing moral in their character, may be a very different thing in man , who is placed under a moral law, and who is bound to restrain and given all his passions by a reference to that law, and to his higher nature. For a cur to snarl and growl; for a lion to roar and rage; for a hyena to be fierce and untameable; for a serpent to hiss and bite; and for the ostrich to leave her eggs without concern, ( ,) involves no blame, no guilt for them, for they are not accountable; but for man to evince the same temper, and the same want of affection, does involve guilt, for he has a higher nature, and it these things should be subject to the law which God has imposed on him as a moral and accountable being. As these things may, therefore, in man be the occasion of sin, and ought to be subdued, there was a fitness in praying that they might be "preserved blameless" to the coming of the Saviour. Comp. . (b) "blameless"

1 Thessalonians 5:23-28

Verse 23. And the very God of peace. The God who gives peace or happiness. Comp. Rom 1:7.

Sanctify you. Jn 17:17.

Wholly. ολοτελεις In every part; completely. It is always proper to pray that God would make his people entirely holy. A prayer for perfect sanctification, however, should not be adduced as a proof that it is in fact attained in the present life.

Your whole spirit and soul and body. There is an allusion here, doubtless, to the popular opinion in regard to what constitutes man. We have a body; we have animal life and instincts in common with the inferior creation; and we have also a rational and immortal soul. This distinction is one that appears to the mass of men to be true, and the apostle speaks of it in the language commonly employed by mankind. At the same time, no one can demonstrate that it is not founded in truth. The body we see, and there can be no difference of opinion in regard to its existence. The soul (ηψυχη psyche) the vital principle, the animal life, or the seat of the senses, desires, affections, appetites, we have in common with other animals. It appertains to the nature of the animal creation, though more perfect in some animals than in others, but is in all distinct from the soul as the seat of conscience, and as capable of moral agency. See the use of the word in Mt 22:37, Mk 12:30, Lk 10:27, 12:20, Acts 20:10, Heb 4:12, Rev 8:9, et al. In the Pythagorean and Platonic philosophy this was distinguished from the higher rational nature, (ονουςτοπνευμα,) as this last belonged to man alone. This psyche (Γρεεκ) "soul," or life, it is commonly supposed, becomes extinct at death. It is so connected with the bodily organization, that when the tissues of the animal frame cease their functions, this ceases also. This was not, however, the opinion of the ancient Greeks. Homer uses the term to denote that which leaves the body with the breath, as escaping from the ερκοςοδοντων-- the fence or sept of the teeth--and as also passing out through a wound. This ψυχη-- psyche--continued to exist in Hades, and was supposed to have a definite form there, but could not be seized by the hands. Ody. ii. 207. See Passow, 2. Comp. Prof. Bush, Anastasis, pp. 72, 73. Though this word, however, denotes the vital principle, or the animal life, in man it may be connected with morals--just as the body may be--for it is a part of himself in his present organization, and whatever may be true in regard to the inferior creation, it is his duty to bring his whole nature under law, or so to control it that it may not be an occasion of sin. Hence the apostle prays that the "whole body and soul"--or animal nature--may be made holy. This distinction between the animal life and the mind of man (the anima and animus, the ψυχη and the πνευμα,) was often made by the ancient philosophers. See Plato, Timse. p. 1048, A. Nemesius, de Nat. Hom. i Cit. Glyca, p. 70. Lucretius, iii. 94. 116. 131. Juvenal, xv. 146. Cicer,), de Divinat. 129, as quoted by Wetstein in loc. A similar view prevailed also among the Jews. Rabbi Isaac (Zohar in Lev. tbl. 29. 2,) says, "Worthy are the righteous in this world and the world to come, for lo, they are all holy; their body is holy, their soul is holy, their spirit, and their breath is holy." Whether the apostle meant to sanction this view, or merely to speak in common and popular language, may indeed be questioned; but there seems to be a foundation for the language in the nature of man. The word here rendered spirit (πνευμα) refers to the intellectual or higher nature of man; that which is the seat of reason, of conscience, and of responsibility. This is immortal. It has no necessary connection with the body, as animal life or the psyche (ψυχη) has, and consequently will be unaffected by death. It is this which distinguishes man from the brute creation; this which allies him with higher intelligences around the throne of God.

Be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle does not intimate here that either the body or the vital principle will be admitted to heaven, or will be found in a future state of being, whatever may be the truth on that subject. The prayer is, that they might be entirely holy, and be kept from transgression, until the Lord Jesus should come; that is, until he should come either to remove them by death, or to wind up the affairs of this lower world. 1Thes 1:10. By his praying that the "body and the soul"--meaning here the animal nature, the seat of the affections and passions--might be kept holy, there is reference to the fact that, connected as they are with a rational and accountable soul, they may be the occasion of sin. The same natural propensities; the same excitability of passion; the same affection, which in a brute would involve no responsibility, and have nothing moral in their character, may be a very different thing in man, who is placed under a moral law, and who is bound to restrain and given all his passions by a reference to that law, and to his higher nature. For a cur to snarl and growl; for a lion to roar and rage; for a hyena to be fierce and untameable; for a serpent to hiss and bite; and for the ostrich to leave her eggs without concern, (Job 39:14,) involves no blame, no guilt for them, for they are not accountable; but for man to evince the same temper, and the same want of affection, does involve guilt, for he has a higher nature, and it these things should be subject to the law which God has imposed on him as a moral and accountable being. As these things may, therefore, in man be the occasion of sin, and ought to be subdued, there was a fitness in praying that they might be "preserved blameless" to the coming of the Saviour. Comp. 1Cor 9:27.

(b) "blameless" 1Cor 1:8,9 Verse 24. Faithful is he that calleth you. That is, your sanctification after all depends on him, and as he has begun a work of grace in your hearts, you may depend on his faithfulness to complete it. 1Thes 4:3; Php 1:6; 1Cor 1:9. Verse 25. Brethren pray for us. A request which the apostle often makes. Heb 13:18. He was a man of like passions as others; liable to the same temptations; engaged in an arduous work; often called to meet with opposition, and exposed to peril and want, and he peculiarly needed the prayers of the people of God. A minister, surrounded as he is by temptations, is in great danger if he has not the prayers of his people. Without those prayers, he will be likely to accomplish little in the cause of his Master. His own devotions in the sanctuary will be formal and frigid, and the word which he preaches will be likely to come from a cold and heavy heart, and to fall also on cold and heavy hearts. There is no way in which a people can better advance the cause of piety in their own hearts, than by praying much for their minister. Verse 26. Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

Rom 16:16.

(*) "Greet" "Salute" Verse 27. I charge you by the Lord. Marg., adjure. Gr., "I put you under oath by the Lord" ορκιζωυμαςτονκυριον. It is equivalent to binding persons by an oath. Mt 26:63. Comp. Gen 21:23,24; Gen 24:3,37, 1:25.

That this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. To all the church. Comp. Col 4:16. The meaning is, that the epistle was to be read to the whole church on some occasion on which it was assembled together. It was not merely designed for the individual or individual into whose hands it might happen to fall; but as it contained of common interest, and was designed for the whole body of believers at Thessalonica, the apostle gives a solemn charge that it should not be suppressed or kept from them. Injunctions of this kind, occurring in the epistles, look as if the apostles regarded themselves as under the influence of inspiration, and as having authority to give infallible instructions to the churches.

(1) "charge" "adjure" Verse 28. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Rom 16:20. In regard to the subscription at the close of the epistle, purporting that it was written from Athens, see the Intro. paragraph 3. These subscriptions are of no authority; and the one here, like several others, is probably wrong.

From the solemn charge in 1Thes 5:27, of this chapter, that "this epistle should be read to all the holy brethren," that is, to the church at large, we may infer that it is in accordance with the will of God that all Christians should have free access to the Holy Scriptures. What was the particular reason for this injunction in Thessalonica, is not known; but it is possible that an opinion had begun to prevail, even then, that the Scriptures were designed to be kept in the hands of the ministers of religion, and that their common perusal was to be prohibited. At all events, whether this opinion prevailed then or not, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the Holy Spirit, by whom this epistle was dictated, foresaw that the time would come when this doctrine would be defended by cardinals, and popes, and councils; and that it would be one of the means by which the monstrous fabric of the Papacy would be sustained and perpetuated. It is worthy of remark, also, that the apostle Paul, in his epistles to the Thessalonians, has dwelt more fully on the fact that the great apostasy would occur under the Papacy, and on the characteristics of that grand usurpation over the rights of men, than he has anywhere else in his epistles. See 2Thes 2:11. It is no improbable supposition that with reference to that, and to counteract one of its leading dogmas, his mind was supernaturally directed to give this solemn injunction, that the contents of the epistle which he had written should be communicated without reserve to all the Christian brethren in Thessalonica. In view of this injunction, therefore, at the close of this epistle, we may remark,

(1.) that it is a subject of express Divine command that the people should have access to the Holy Scriptures. So important was this considered, that it was deemed necessary to enjoin those who should receive the word of God, under the solemnities of an oath, and by all the force of apostolic authority, to communicate what they had received to others.--

(2.) This injunction had reference to all the members of the church, for they were all to be made acquainted with the word of God. The command is, indeed, that it be "read" to them, but by parity of reasoning it would follow that it was to be in their hands; that it was to be accessible to them; that it was in no manner to be withheld from them. Probably many of them could not read, but in some way the contents of revelation were to be made known to them; and not by preaching only, but by reading the words of inspiration. No part was to be kept back: nor were they to be denied such access that they could fully understand it; nor was it to be insisted on that there should be an authorized expounder of it. It was presumed that all the members of the church were qualified to understand what had been written to them, and to profit by it. It follows, therefore,

(3.) that there is great iniquity in all those decisions and laws which are designed to keep the Scriptures from the common people. This is true

(a.) in reference to the Papal communion, and to all the ordinances there which prohibit the free circulation of the sacred volume among the people;

(b.) it is true of all those laws in slave-holding communities which prohibit slaves from being taught to read the Scriptures; and

(c.) it is true of all the opinions and dogmas which prevail in any community where the right of "private judgment" is denied, and where free access to the volume of inspiration is forbidden. The richest blessing of heaven to mankind is the Bible; and there is no book ever written so admirably adapted to the common mind, and so fitted to elevate the sunken, the ignorant, and the degraded. There is no more decided enemy of the progress of the human race in intelligence, purity, and freedom, than he who prevents the free circulation of this holy volume; and there is no sincerer friend of the species, than he who "causes it to be read by all," and who contribute to make it accessible to all the families and all the inhabitants of the world.