Chapter Five

The unknownness and unexpectedness of the coming of Christ (1–3), the necessity of moral vigilance (4–7) in faith and love and with hope for salvation (8–10); mutual exhortations to this (11) with submission to their leaders, teachers and guides (12–14), with concern for the weak and mutual benevolence (15); the advancement of some in a joyful and prayerfully-grateful frame of mind (16–18) under the illumination of the Spirit and the sovereignty of prophecy (19–20); strict testing of all things with abstention from all manner of evil (21–22). The Apostle’s prayerful good wishes for his readers (23–24) with a request for their prayers for himself (25) and with an appeal for them to greet one another with a holy kiss (26), the command to read the epistle to all the brothers (27) and the bestowal upon them of the grace of Christ (28).

1 Thessalonians 5:1. Now concerning times and seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you, 1 Thessalonians 5:2. for you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 1 Thessalonians 5:3. For when they are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. Having cleared up the first difficulty of the Thessalonians, the Apostle turns to the second—the question of the time of the parousia. Doubting about the fate of those who die before the last day, and specifically about their participation in the blessedness of the second coming, the Thessalonians with doubled impatience regarded the delay of this event, justly fearing that they too might find themselves among those “fallen asleep.” The Apostle, having cleared up the first difficulty and having said that the Lord will come, nevertheless warns the Thessalonians that “the day of the Lord” (an expression from the Old Testament; see in Joel 2:31; Isa 2:12; Amos 5:18, where the day of the Lord is a day of judgment) will come “like a thief in the night.” Here the description of the day of the Lord reminds one strongly of the words of the Lord Christ Himself—Matt 24:43; Luke 12:39, and the expression “well,” it seems, indicates that the teaching of the Apostle “about times and seasons” was based on the actual words of the Lord Himself, and was taught with all possible thoroughness and detail (see 2 Thess 2:5). “Then sudden destruction will come upon them”—it is interesting here to note the agreement between the words of the Apostle Paul and the Gospel of Luke, which is generally observed between these two writers—compare 1 Thess 5:3 – Luke 21:34. Compare also: 1 Cor 11:23-26 – Luke 22:19-20; the appearance of the risen Lord to Peter 1 Cor 15:5 – Luke 24:34; “reward—sustenance” in 1 Tim 5:18 – Luke 10:7 and Matt 10:10.

1 Thessalonians 5:4. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief. But since the day of the Lord will come like a thief, it is necessary always to be vigilant, so as not to be caught off guard. In verse 4, the reading κλέπτης is better than κλέπτας (A and B), for the first best emphasizes the suddenness of the coming of the day of the Lord like an unforeseen coming of a thief. But the whole force of the verse lies in the words “you are not in darkness.” “You are not in moral darkness,” as the Apostle Paul says, “for the day of the Lord to find you unprepared. You are sons of light—you were once darkness, now you are light in Christ. You are not only enlightened, but you move at all times in the sphere of day. But if you live in the light, you must be vigilant and self-controlled, and not sleep spiritually, as the pagans and Jews do.” The figurative expression “light” in application to Christ is widely used by Saint John the Theologian (John 8:12). The first duty of a Christian is vigilance: but it must be accompanied by “self-control”—not only mental wakefulness, but also moral self-collectedness, which makes the one who watches ready for the great event—the parousia.

1 Thessalonians 5:5. For you are all children of light and children of day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:6. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us be awake and self-controlled. 1 Thessalonians 5:7. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. The Apostle Paul hints here at scenes of revelry, which he may have witnessed in Thessalonica and Corinth.

1 Thessalonians 5:8. But since we are of the day, let us be self-controlled, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation, A new comparison of a Christian to a soldier preparing for battle. This passage is interesting to compare with Eph 6:14-17. Here we read: the breastplate of “faith and love,” while in Ephesians it is “breastplate of righteousness”; here “helmet of the hope of salvation,” there “helmet of salvation.” Love is here mentioned in second place—compare 1 Cor 13:13; in Ephesians love is altogether omitted. “Hope”—in agreement with the general spirit of the epistle to the Thessalonians, is placed in the last place (see 1 Thess 1:3). The foundation for the entire verse could have been served by the following passages from Isa 59:17 and Wis 5:17-20.

1 Thessalonians 5:9. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thessalonians 5:10. who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live together with Him. “The hope of salvation” in 1 Thess 5:8 finds its definition in wrath. The Apostle tells the Thessalonians that God appointed them not to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through Christ. The obtaining of salvation is a future acquisition, for wrath too is a matter of the future. But the Thessalonians will find their salvation through Christ. Verse 10 is remarkable because it contains a proclamation of a great Christian dogma concerning redemption. This is the only place in our epistles where there is a hint at this dogma, although later, in the second group of epistles, the Apostle constantly touches on this chief point of his teaching. “This dogma is represented here as twofold in its content, first, as containing an indication of an act on the part of Christ—‘who died for us,’ and as including within itself the idea of the union of the believer with Christ (‘so that… we might live together with Him’). The mention of this dogma here is very important because it shows that the teaching on redemption was inherent in the mind of the Apostle in his earliest writings… it is, therefore, not a later product of his more mature reflections, as is sometimes asserted” (Lightfoot, Notes, 77). – “Whether we are awake or asleep”—whether we live or die, we all alike live with Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:11. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:12. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, These verses contain the Apostle Paul’s exhortations to the Thessalonians regarding their attitude toward the leaders (12–13) in the church, and regarding the necessity of conducting a peaceful way of life; the exhortations are addressed to the entire church in general. Having given the Thessalonians the counsel to encourage and build one another up (verse 11), the Apostle immediately turns to a new deficiency among the Christians of Thessalonica—the lack of proper respect toward the leaders of the church, to whom rightfully belong teaching and edification. The Apostle hastens to prevent the possibility of usurpations in this area. The Thessalonians ought to value and respect (είδέναι) those who labor among them, but whom specifically is explained by two epithets: those who lead and those who admonish. Here, undoubtedly, one class of persons is meant, for all three participles are connected by one article, namely, the presbyters, to whom properly belong two functions—leadership and teaching. The Apostle counsels not only to value them and respect them, but to do so in a spirit of love.

1 Thessalonians 5:13. and hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 1 Thessalonians 5:14. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all. “Admonish the unruly”—strictly speaking, “those who do not keep order”—an allusion to military discipline. Ellicott thinks that here there is probably a hint at the neglect of duties and professions that the Thessalonians were guilty of, thanks to their mistaken views on the time of the coming of Christ. This view is confirmed by passages such as 1 Thess 4:11. “Encourage the fainthearted”—those who have lost their emotional balance, perhaps from excessive grief over the dead, or from fear of persecutions. “Be patient with all”—do not give way to irritation toward those who are weak, but deal with all patiently, carefully, and lovingly.

1 Thessalonians 5:15. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Here the Apostle repeats the lesson given by Christ in Matt 5:43 and following. “Seek to do good”—“το αγαθόν” not in the sense of the absolutely good (το καλόν), but in the sense of what is beneficial (utile), opposite to all that can be called “the evil.” This “seeking” should extend not only to brothers in faith, but also to all people in general.

1 Thessalonians 5:16. Rejoice always. These verses contain a series of beautiful aphorisms concerning different aspects of the spiritual and moral life of a Christian. Compare Phil 3:1 and Phil 4:4. The source of this joy (Rom 14:17) is the Holy Spirit, poured out upon Christians. Having become a participant in the great councils of God concerning the salvation of the world, the Christian sees the saving hand of God everywhere in the world, even in suffering and persecution. This serves as an inexhaustible source of his joy.

1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray without ceasing. Here the Apostle gives counsel regarding ceaseless spiritual prayer, which is a natural result of the frame of mind spoken of in 1 Thess 5:16.

1 Thessalonians 5:18. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:19. Do not quench the Spirit. “Do not quench the Spirit.” The connection of this verse with 1 Thess 5:20 gives reason to think that the speech concerns a negative attitude that arose among the Thessalonians toward spiritual gifts, which the Apostle speaks about in 1 Cor 12 and 1 Cor 14. The reaction against them may have arisen because they introduced a certain amount of disorder into Christian assemblies.

1 Thessalonians 5:20. Do not despise prophecies. The same negative attitude apparently existed also regarding “prophecy.” The latter does not include the idea of predicting the future. In the New Testament this idea is in the background. “Prophesying is closely connected with prayer (1 Cor 11:4-5). Whoever prophesies speaks to people for building up, encouragement and comfort (1 Cor 14:3). Conviction of sin, disclosure of the secrets of the heart—are attributed to this spiritual gift as its work (ibid. XIV:24–25). In short—prophecy is passionate and inspired speech about the mysteries of God” (Lightfoot, op. cit. p. 63). The suppression of such a gift would be a great loss to the spiritual life of the Thessalonian community of Christians.

1 Thessalonians 5:21. Test all things; hold fast what is good. The continuation of the thought in 1 Thess 5:20. Spiritual gifts are a wonderful thing: they must be maintained; but it is necessary also to test them. Not all kinds of inspiration come from above. The thought here is partly the same as in 1 John 4:1. “The good” (το καλόν) in the moral sense is different from “what is beneficial” (το αγαθόν); the first means what is good in itself; the second—what is good by its consequences. The first here is very apt, for it points to what is good, accepted as a result of your “testing.” “Hold firmly to what you have accepted as a result of your ‘testing.’”

1 Thessalonians 5:22. Abstain from all appearance of evil. Here the Apostle’s thought is partly the same as in Rom 12:9. “Form” or “kind”—είδος—this translation finds confirmation in recently discovered papyri in Egypt from the 2nd century BC and 2nd century AD. In the common speech of this period the word είδος has precisely this above-mentioned meaning (see Milligan—op. cit. p. 76–77).

1 Thessalonians 5:23. And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entire without fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle’s thought turns once again to the parousia of Christ. He prays that God would not only make them perfect at the parousia of Christ, but also preserve them in this perfection (wholly and entirely). Here we encounter the so-called trichotomy, the threefold division of human nature into spirit, soul, and body. In the New Testament, human nature is usually divided into two parts, which sometimes bear different names, for instance σώμα and ψυχή (Matt 10:28), σώμα and πνεύμα (Rom 8:10), sometimes σαρξ and πνεύμα (Col 2:5), and finally σαρξ and νους (Rom 7:25). But sometimes a threefold division of human nature is recognized; thus in the epistle to Heb 4:12, a distinction is made between ψυχή and πνεύμα, and in 1 Cor 2:14 and following 1 Cor 15:44-46, a distinction is drawn between the soulish and the spiritual. This trichotomy is not merely a Christian teaching; it is found also among pagan philosophers—in Plato, the Neoplatonists, and the Stoics. The highest, spiritual principle of human nature is divided into two parts—the lower—ψυχή, which includes sensations, feelings and impulses, and the higher πνεύμα, through which we enter into communion with God. This threefold division is found very frequently in the earliest Church Fathers. For the Apostle Paul this division is hardly merely a rhetorical figure of speech. In principle—there are, strictly speaking, no grounds for denying the threefold division of our nature. Compare also N. N. Glubokovskii: “The Gospel of Holy Apostle Paul,” Vol. I, 368 and Vol. II, 1032 and 1123.

1 Thessalonians 5:24. Faithful is He who calls you, who will also accomplish this. 1 Thessalonians 5:25. Brothers, pray for us. 1 Thessalonians 5:26. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 1 Thessalonians 5:27. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this epistle read to all the holy brothers. To whom are these verses addressed—to the entire Thessalonian church, or only to the presbyters? The expression “the holy kiss” seems to point to personal meeting and personal interaction, and therefore may limit the expression “all brothers.” But still it is better to think that these verses are addressed to the entire church in general. The expression “holy kiss” here is hardly related to a liturgical rite of kissing. But in the epistles of the Apostle this kiss, with the addition of the epithet “holy,” is found frequently; see: Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12, as well as 1 Pet 5:14. The first mention of “kiss” in the sense of a liturgical rite is found in Saint Justin Martyr in his “Apology” (1 Apol. 65). – “I put you under oath”—ένορκίζω—here it is interesting to note the change from the 1st person plural, generally adopted in the epistle, to the 1st person singular (compare 1 Thess 2:18 and 1 Thess 3:5). The explanation for this change and the force of the expression connected with it (emphatic first person singular pronoun) should be sought not in any disagreements between the congregation and the presbyters or between Christians from Jews and Christians from Gentiles (an opinion of Harnack about which below), but rather in the Apostle Paul’s fear concerning the possible misuse of his name and authority. Hence his desire that the epistle be read aloud and publicly (άναγνωσθήναι), to avoid any misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

1 Thessalonians 5:28. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. The epistle closes with a greeting of blessing, which may have been written by the hand of the Apostle Paul himself. It contains the characteristic expression of the Apostle—grace. In form, these greetings of the Apostle Paul vary greatly. Some are distinguished by their length (2 Cor 13:13), while others, on the contrary, are brief (1 Tim 6:21). These greetings were adopted by the Christian writers of the Apostolic age (e.g., Saint Clement and the Apostle Barnabas), and then passed into the liturgical use of the church.