1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

This being the first New Testament letter, the church had not yet enjoyed extensive teaching concerning last things. The ancient world had a fairly hopeless expectation of what happened after death. At best the Greek expectation was to go to the underworld of Hades or the grave. Not so much damnation but rather a hopeless, dull, shadowy world, completely devoid of vitality, joy, or hope. It was barely a real existence at all. The other most likely opinion the Greeks held was extermination and non-existence. The Thessalonian Christians came out of that understanding, and it was their default setting. At times of sorrow or distress, it might be easy to return to that view of life after death.

Paul comforts and urges them to comfort each other with the realization that the Resurrection Life of Jesus, which had already begun, will come to fruition when Christ returns. Some have used this passage to attempt to outline in great detail the order and timeline of the second coming. In doing this, we miss the main point of the text: being comforted by the fact of the Resurrection. Those who die before the return of Christ are not going to miss out. They are not in the dull gloom of Hades or annihilated but are currently with the Lord and are doing quite wonderfully. But their disembodied state is not the end state; they too await the resurrection. Those alive at the occasion of the Return of Christ will enjoy the transformation from the current life and body into resurrected life and body without their intermediate state of bodily decay.

Consider this wonder. The Christian who died long ago and whose body has completely decayed so that it is nothing but earth, perhaps consumed by the roots of a tree, and then consumed by a caterpillar, and in turn consumed by a bird, etc. This cycle goes on, but when Christ returns, their body will come back together and be translated or transfigured. Don't forget the Resurrection Life, or Heaven is not some spiritually disembodied existence but is a vivid reality. That life is more vivid than the life we now live, just as the gray life of Hades, imagined by the Greeks, is less than this life. This inspires two reactions: first, to hope and be comforted for those who are now with the Lord. And second, to live now preparing for that Resurrection Life. That means learning now the customs, culture, language, and interactions of the Life to Come.

“Lord Jesus come. AMEN”

I Thessalonians 4:9-12

I Thessalonians 4:9-12

In a moment Paul will address the second coming.  Before that he will give some very practical advice.  This church was excellent in the practices of love, generosity and graciousness.  God’s prompting taught them both the conviction of love and its practice.  But there was a misunderstanding.  There were apparently some who rather than work relied on the charity of the brethren.  Almost certainly they anticipate that Christ would return soon.  So they had stopped secular work to be religiously busy.  If Jesus was coming soon they wanted to be, or at least appear to be busy.

It is easy for wealthy Christians to be abused and treated as little more than ‘giving units’.  One of the worst things that can happen to a community of faith is a benefactor giving the kind of gift that creates the illusion that there is no need for ongoing generosity.  Paul will address this in his second letter more directly, specifically and sternly.  There is a message here for those who would be professional clergy.  While ‘ministry’ can be a career of conscientious hard work it is also an opportunity for the caricature of the lazy, undisciplined, slacker who without accountability and daily supervision, does nothing meaningful.  

In contrast to the religious busy bodies Paul offers a foundation for a work ethic that will make the most of opportunities and more importantly honor God.  Every Christian ought to be engaged in honest work, honestly done.  Whether they are titans of industry or a slave owned by a godless master the principle found in verse 11 can guide our work and will testify our faith.  On the one hand a Christian is precluded from some jobs, there are no Christian drug dealers or Christian strippers.  On the other hand our honest work must be honestly done.  The Christian salesman who misleads or deceives a customer is no more ethical than a “Christian prostitute”.  

The world has a right to look at the life of a believer and see that there is a standard and practice of holiness that goes beyond the morals rules and prohibitions.  There is no better place to practice a positive holiness of love than in the workplace.  

“Lord, help me to do honest work, honestly done, that is a springboard for ministry. AMEN”

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Paul moves to address three areas of a Christian’s Life: sexual purity, brotherly love, and daily living. The first to be covered, in verses 1-8, is the place where the Christian ethic is most radically contrasted to the pagan or sinful world. Every form of sexual vice and misbehavior was common practice in the ancient world. Thessalonica, being a seaport, was no different and in some cases may have been worse. Women and children having little legal standing, education, or options were generally the victims of sexual exploitation. In the ancient world immorality was the norm and it was expected to remain that way.  Anything else would have seemed abnormal.

But not so among believers! In verse 2 there is a commandment for purity. The word “commandment” is a military term. Purity is not a suggestion or an option for believers, it is the absolute authoritative command of God, which must be obeyed! Verses 4 and 5 are absolutely fascinating. Paul here addresses courtship, marriage, and purity for those who are in positions of power. In the ancient world it was common for men, especially powerful men, to exploit women for their own satisfaction; sadly, many still do. Paul said something very different was to be the norm for the Christian. The word “vessel” may refer to a man's own body or it may refer to that of his fiancé or wife. Our sexuality is about sanctification and honor, or holiness and respect, not sexual passionate satisfaction for ourselves.  A man is a sexual being so that he can honor and respect his wife and vice versa. Do not miss the point; the reason we are sexual beings is so that we can confer honor. Our sexuality is not primarily about ourselves but about bringing honor and respect to our spouse or fiancé. Any act that dishonors is strictly forbidden. This is more than “do not have sex outside of marriage”, although that is certainly a part; this is the whole of human sexuality. This pure sex life is more than just what happens in a sexual encounter; it is part and parcel of our whole life before God and the watching world. In a world that is completely given over to sexual license God wants, expects and commands His people to be radically different.

Sexual license in the life of a believer is no longer about flaunting societal norms or conventions or expressing individuality. We must always remember that sexual license is defiance of God. This is not the message to the lost world, but that message to the Christian community. When the believer is sexually promiscuous, they are exposing themselves to God's judgment. That may be in this life, or in the life to come. The question is not, “Will we be judged and punished for our sexual license?” The question is when will we have to pay the price? 

“Lord, help me to honor You and my loved ones in my sexuality. AMEN”