1 Thessalonians 4
June Memory Verse: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)
Read: 1 Thessalonians 4
As I said in the video from 1 Thessalonians 1, two of the main themes in the book of 1 Thessalonians is personal holiness in light of the second coming of Christ. Chapter 4 is a great snapshot of both of these themes.
Paul bookends verses 1-12 by telling the church to “walk” (v. 1, 12) with God, an image of Christian maturity that Paul uses in Philippians, Colossians, among other places. How does Paul define and describe sanctification in these verses? (The “+” refers to something to put on, and the “-” describes something to put off. See Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:5-17)
In advancing in sanctification, there are things that we must both stop doing and start doing; sinful thoughts and habits that must be put to death, and holy thoughts and habits that we must give life to. There are different ways holiness is talked about in the New Testament, but at least in this chapter, it centers around being sexually pure and loving others well. Praise God, that Jesus has been sent so that the heaviness and curse of sin has been defeated! Because of Christ, we now have the option to choose holiness; we are no longer slaves to sin!
Verses 13-18 talk about the second coming of Jesus. In theology circles, the study of the second coming of Christ is often called “eschatology”. There are many different ways that people approach this subject, but what people can agree on is that Jesus is going to come back and establish the new heavens and the new earth. If you want to go a little deeper into how some people who all love the Bible and Jesus think about these things a little differently, check out the video below that offers a round table discussion about how these different views are expressed.
By: Graham Withers
Read: 1 Thessalonians 4
As I said in the video from 1 Thessalonians 1, two of the main themes in the book of 1 Thessalonians is personal holiness in light of the second coming of Christ. Chapter 4 is a great snapshot of both of these themes.
Paul bookends verses 1-12 by telling the church to “walk” (v. 1, 12) with God, an image of Christian maturity that Paul uses in Philippians, Colossians, among other places. How does Paul define and describe sanctification in these verses? (The “+” refers to something to put on, and the “-” describes something to put off. See Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:5-17)
- Abstain from sexual immorality (-)
- Control his own body in holiness and honor (+)
- Do not lust (-)
- Keep loving people (+)
- Live quietly, mind your own affairs, work with your hands (+)
In advancing in sanctification, there are things that we must both stop doing and start doing; sinful thoughts and habits that must be put to death, and holy thoughts and habits that we must give life to. There are different ways holiness is talked about in the New Testament, but at least in this chapter, it centers around being sexually pure and loving others well. Praise God, that Jesus has been sent so that the heaviness and curse of sin has been defeated! Because of Christ, we now have the option to choose holiness; we are no longer slaves to sin!
Verses 13-18 talk about the second coming of Jesus. In theology circles, the study of the second coming of Christ is often called “eschatology”. There are many different ways that people approach this subject, but what people can agree on is that Jesus is going to come back and establish the new heavens and the new earth. If you want to go a little deeper into how some people who all love the Bible and Jesus think about these things a little differently, check out the video below that offers a round table discussion about how these different views are expressed.
By: Graham Withers
3 Comments
"Even More"
These two words at the end of verses one and ten caught my attention today. If you're reading the NIV translation, as I am, it is "more and more". So why does Paul say this to the believers in Thessalonica? First Paul compliments them for living in the way he had instructed them to live in order to please God. Now he is cheering them on to continue living "by the authority of the Lord Jesus" (NIV). In verse ten Paul recognizes them for showing brotherly love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Once again Paul is like the coach on the sideline encouraging them to do this even more.
I am grateful for the people in my life who, like Paul, encourage me to keep on keepin' on until the Lord returns or calls me home. Thanks Graham and all the CPC staff who do such a good job encouraging everyone in our church to love Jesus & people even more.
Thanks Graham for the resource and a good recap of the chapter.
Verse 7 stood out to me: "For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness"
It's a sobering reminder that when God called us to Himself there was a call to personal holiness directly attached to it. This has came up a lot in my reading and studying recently and has changed how I approach the Bible some. So often I get caught in just searching for knowledge and don't put enough emphasis on obeying what that text is telling me. So, I try to think of a single principle form the text to obey for the day as I aim to experience more of God as I stumble towards holiness.
I love that Jordan! " ..stumble towards holiness." Such an accurate description! I'm grateful that we're all stumbling together!