Characteristic Features of True Christian Life (1 Thessalonians 5:16–22)

Having indicated the virtues on which rest the order, firmness, and well-being of Christian communities, the holy Paul now turns to the depiction of the characteristic marks of the Christian life in each Christian — 1 Thess. 5:16–22.

Here he first designates the highest manifestations of the spiritual life in Christ Jesus, namely: joy, unceasing prayer, and ever-present thanksgiving — 1 Thess. 5:16–18; then he defines (bb) the producers of this life, which are: α) divine grace, manifest in all through the burning of the spirit, and in some additionally through particular gifts such as the gift of prophecy (1 Thess. 5:19–20), and β) each person’s own efforts, shown in the discernment of what is good and what is evil, and in compelling oneself toward good and resistance to evil (1 Thess. 5:21–22). The course of the spiritual life in each person is as follows: having come to his senses and repented, the Christian makes a resolve to serve the Lord unswervingly and, having received grace through the sacraments, begins—burning with the spirit—to strive for pleasing God, turning away from every evil and doing every good. When, as a result of labors and efforts in this order, the soul begins to be purified from the passions, there comes to it a feeling of health and salvation, which fills the heart with joy—the joy of a sick person who is recovering. At the same time the heart more and more cleaves to the Lord and, keeping attention constant, gives birth to unceasing prayer, in which not petitions alone are expressed, but petitions together with thanksgiving—for all that has been received, is being received, and is yet to be received (Col. 4:2). All this the holy Paul designated in brief but all-embracing propositions; only in his presentation he moves not from below upward, but from above downward.

1 Thess. 5:16. Rejoice evermore.

— with joy “in the Lord” (Phil. 3:1; 4:4) and “in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17), which is established in the heart under the influence of living faith, warm love, and firm hope, and is so deep that no outward adversity can disturb it. In the Christian such joy is as natural as the joy of a son who has been received again into the embrace of a father’s love after having offended him, as the joy of a captive and prisoner who was awaiting execution and death and has received freedom, as the joy of an insolvent debtor from whom the bonds of debt have been removed, and in general as the joy of a man who was in the most extreme strait and has suddenly and unexpectedly received complete happiness. What happens outwardly in these cases is accomplished in the Christian in the spirit at a higher level. Man was created for joy—for life in paradise; he lost it through the fall; now in the Lord Jesus Christ, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, he is restored to his original state. Though outwardly he is not yet in paradise, inwardly he already receives a paradisaical constitution. This is why he rejoices. In everyday life people are in a glad frame of spirit when needs do not weigh upon them, relations with others are peaceful, affairs go smoothly, and no misfortune threatens ahead. For Christians, sins are forgiven, the moral powers are restored by grace, peace with God is established, the conscience is kept pure toward all and everything, the assurance that the Lord keeps and will preserve him to the end without reproach is unshaken, the hope of the blessedness of eternal life is deep. Living in such a gladdening atmosphere, he cannot but be in a constantly heartening state of spirit. But the essential foundation of the Christian’s joy is the renewal of fallen nature. In regeneration is planted the seed of new life, after the image of the risen Lord (Rom. 6:4). Having begun from this moment to walk in the renewed life, he more and more frees himself from the bonds of sinful corruption and is filled to the full with the feeling of spiritual health. This feeling is almost the same as the feeling of resurrection. Hence the ever-present joy of life in the Lord. From all that has been said it is clear that the Christian’s joy is a reflection of his spiritual state and is therefore not a voluntary feeling. How then is it prescribed? — It is prescribed to keep oneself in such a spiritual state as brings unceasing joy, to surround oneself with such convictions as breathe consolation into the soul, not to deprive oneself of the enjoyment of all the spiritual blessings offered in the Lord, which cannot but gladden the heart, never to shun labors and efforts which, though by a narrow way, lead to life. The Apostle does not want the Christian to cultivate joy in himself through fantasies, but through deed—by entering into the gladdening realm of light and life. And as the latter is inescapable for the true Christian, so joy is inseparable from true Christianity. This is why it is repeatedly prescribed in the Word of God (Phil. 3:1; 4:4; Rom. 12:12; 2 Cor. 6:10; Rom. 14:17; Jas. 1:2). When there is peace and joy within, outward adversities and sorrows do not affect the Christian, so that he may be regarded by others as sorrowful, while inwardly he always rejoices (2 Cor. 6:10).

1 Thess. 5:17. Pray without ceasing.

In other epistles the holy Paul commands to “continue” (Rom. 12:12) and to “continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2), to “pray with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit at every season” (Eph. 6:18). Constancy and perseverance in prayer are also taught by the Saviour Himself through the parable of the widow who by the persistence of her petition moved the unjust judge (Lk. 18:1 and following). It is evident that unceasing prayer is not an incidental prescription but an inalienable mark of the Christian spirit. The life of the Christian, according to the Apostle, is “hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). In God he must abide unceasingly in attention and feeling—and this is unceasing prayer. From another side, every Christian is a “temple of God” in whom “the Spirit of God dwells” (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Rom. 8:9). This “Spirit,” ever dwelling in him and interceding, always prays in him “with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26), teaching him himself unceasing prayer. The very first action of God’s grace in turning a sinner to God is manifested in the directing of his mind and heart toward God. When afterwards, following repentance and the consecration of his life to God, God’s grace—which had been acting from without—descends into him through the sacraments and abides in him, then that directing of mind and heart to God also becomes constant and ever-present in him—which is the very substance of prayer. It manifests itself in different degrees, and like every other gift must be stirred up (2 Tim. 1:6). It is stirred up according to its nature: through the labor of prayer, and especially through patient and purposeful attendance at the prayers of the Church. Pray without ceasing—labor in prayer—and you will acquire unceasing prayer, which will then perform itself in the heart without special effort. It is evident to everyone that the commandment of the holy Apostle is not fulfilled by performing the appointed prayers at set hours, but requires constant walking before God, the consecration of all deeds to God who sees all and is everywhere present, and the stirring up of a warm turning of the mind in the heart toward heaven. All of life in all its manifestations must be penetrated with prayer. Its secret lies in love for the Lord. As a bride who has loved her bridegroom does not part from him in memory and feeling, so the soul that has united with the Lord in love abides with Him uninterruptedly, directing warm conversations to Him from the heart. “He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with the Lord” (1 Cor. 6:17).

1 Thess. 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

For one who is gladdened by the reception of the inestimable blessings in the Lord Jesus and who stands unceasingly before God in prayer, it is natural to express grateful feelings toward the One who has bestowed these blessings upon him. Consequently, wherever there is joy and prayer in the heart, there is also thanksgiving. Nevertheless, just as joy and prayer, so also thanksgiving is prescribed to Christians in many places of Scripture as a reminder not to leave this natural movement of the spirit turned toward the Lord without attention. Thus, to the Ephesians the Apostle commands to stir up in their hearts spiritual songs, “giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20); the Philippians he teaches to “be anxious for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” to make their requests known to God (Phil. 4:6); the Colossians he urges: “be you thankful… And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:15, 17); and again: “continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (1 Thess. 4:2). When it is commanded to give thanks “for all things,” in view are either the blessings of which the Christian is made worthy in the gracious kingdom of Christ, or, beyond these, also the blessings that each one receives from the all-good Providence according to nature, such as existence and all that is needed for well-being. The Greek expression εν παντι — “in all things”—suggests that one ought to thank God in all circumstances of life, in joy and in grief, in fortune and in misfortune. For the all-good God through all things educates a person for eternity, intending to develop all his good sides. And a childlike surrender to the will of God is able to see in all circumstances of life the fatherly providence of God over oneself, and to be thankful not for pleasant things alone, but also for what is unpleasant. The holy Chrysostom writes: “To give thanks always is the property of a soul that loves wisdom. You have suffered some evil? But if you wish, it will be no evil at all. Thank God, and the evil will be turned to good. Say as Job did: ‘blessed be the name of the Lord for ever’ (Job 1:21).”

“For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” In what respect is this the will of God? Only in giving thanks, or also in rejoicing and praying without ceasing? — In all three of these manifestations of the spiritual life. For they are inseparable and constitute one constant disposition of the spirit in those who are being saved—a disposition of joyful, prayerful thanksgiving. Unceasing elevation of mind and heart to God, in joy of spirit with thanksgiving—these are the inalienable fruits of the Spirit in the hearts of true believers. When the Apostle says: such is the will of God, he wishes to say that this is not my counsel, but the direct will of God in Jesus Christ, revealed to you. By this he hints that even if such commandments had nowhere been directly expressed by the Lord, the very economy of our salvation which He accomplished is such that one who is made worthy of it, who enters into the order of life that brings salvation, and who is assured that the Lord Who has received him into His communion will not forsake him, and having begun His work in him will undoubtedly bring it to completion—such a one recognizes in his spirit the obligation resting upon him to abide with the Lord always in joy and in grateful prayer. The will of God is “in you”—not exclusively in you, but in you as Christians; consequently, in you alongside other Christians. Such is Christianity: one who has received it and tasted its fruits always rejoices, prays without ceasing, and gives thanks for all things.

1 Thess. 5:19. Quench not the Spirit.

From the heights of the spiritual life the Apostle now descends to its very source and spring. Ordinarily a person lives in carelessness and negligence regarding piety and salvation. The grace that calls to salvation awakens the sleeping sinner; he, having heeded that call in the feelings of repentance, rises to the resolve to devote the remainder of his life to deeds pleasing to God and thereby to work out his salvation; this resolve manifests itself in zeal, which becomes powerful when God’s grace is joined to it through the divine sacraments. From this moment the Christian begins to burn with the spirit—that is, to strive unswervingly to fulfill everything that his conscience indicates to him as the will of God. This burning of the spirit can be maintained and intensified; it can also be extinguished. It is kindled above all by deeds of love toward God and neighbor—love that constitutes the essence of this spirit—by fidelity in general to all God’s commandments with a peaceful conscience, by merciless efforts of soul and body, by prayer and contemplation of God. It is extinguished by turning attention away from God and the things of God, by excessive preoccupation with worldly affairs, by indulgence in sensual pleasures, by gratifying the flesh in its lusts, and by passions. Let this spirit be extinguished, and the Christian life will also be extinguished. The person again becomes as he was—negligent and careless—and begins to live as he pleases, not caring firmly whether he is falling into evil or into good. Warning against this ruinous step, the Apostle urges not to quench the spirit—that is, this spirit of zeal—by yielding to what is contrary to it, but on the contrary to kindle and nourish it with what is akin to it. What the holy Paul expressed here so briefly, he expounds in the Epistle to the Romans in three propositions: (be) “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” (Rom. 12:11). “Not only be diligent, but untiring; not only have spirit, but be aflame with spirit—that is, be earnest and zealous” (Chrysostom on this passage of the Epistle to the Romans). To burn with the spirit therefore means to strive with all earnestness to please the Lord, fulfilling His holy will without omission, as servants do in relation to their masters; and not to quench the spirit means not to quench this zeal. The holy Chrysostom discourses at length about this burning of the spirit. We cite his words briefly:

“A kind of thick fog and darkness and cloud is spread over all the earth. Pointing to this, the Apostle said: ‘you were sometimes darkness’ (Eph. 5:8). We are surrounded by night, so to speak, a moonless night, and in the midst of this night we walk. But God has given us a bright lamp, having kindled in our souls the grace of the Holy Spirit. But having received this light, some have made it brighter and clearer—such as Paul, such as Peter, such as all the saints; while others have quenched it—such as the five virgins, such as those who made shipwreck of the faith, such as the Corinthian fornicator, such as the apostate Galatians. Therefore Paul now says: ‘quench not the Spirit,’ that is, the gift; for he commonly calls the gift of the Holy Spirit by this name. A life of impurity quenches it. For just as when someone pours water or throws earth upon a lighted lamp, or even does nothing of the kind but simply pours out the oil from it, the light goes out—so too the gift of grace goes out. If you have introduced something earthly, if you have given yourself over to cares about worldly affairs, you have already quenched the spirit. The flame goes out also when oil is lacking—namely, when we do not perform works of mercy. Since it itself came to you through God’s mercy, when it does not find this fruit in you it departs from you. For it does not abide in a merciless soul. — Let us therefore not quench it. Every evil deed quenches this light: slander, offenses, and everything of the kind. As happens with fire—that everything foreign to it destroys it and everything akin to it intensifies it—so it is with this light.”

Such is the common Christian spirit of grace, which descends into the soul of each person upon repentance and faith in the sacrament of baptism, or is restored in the sacrament of repentance. The fire of zeal constitutes its essence. But it may take different directions depending on the persons. In one, it is wholly directed toward self-correction in rigorous efforts; in another, chiefly toward deeds of love; in another, toward the ordering of the Christian community; in another, toward the spreading of the Gospel’s teaching through preaching—as for example in Apollos, who “being fervent in the spirit, spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord” (Acts 18:25). In all these directions, not to quench the spirit means not to suppress its demands, promptings, and impulses, but to satisfy them prudently, turning all to the glory of God, to one’s own salvation and to that of one’s brothers in the Lord.

Some understand by “spirit” here a particular gift of receiving sudden illuminations of the mind, of entering into the contemplation of divinely revealed truths—whether already known or new—with an irresistible desire to communicate these illuminations and inspirations of the Spirit to others in powerful and animated speech. Not to quench such a spirit means not to hinder it from manifesting and acting in oneself and others, for the benefit of the Church. But in that case it would mean the same as: “despise not prophesyings.” Since the Apostle writes moral lessons in brief propositions such that each contains its own distinct rule, there is no occasion to see in these two sayings (1 Thess. 5:19–20) one and the same thought. It is more accurate to suppose that the holy Paul, having spoken of the preservation of the common Christian spirit of grace—the spirit of life in Christ Jesus—made mention also of the prophetic spirit, toward which at that time not everywhere was the proper attitude shown; he mentioned it as it were in passing, having no need to say much about this particular gift, or about other gifts of grace. This is the more readily accepted since immediately after “despise not prophesyings” follow lessons that define the proper use of the common spirit of grace—the spirit of life in the Lord—in compelling oneself toward every recognized good and in resisting every recognized evil.

1 Thess. 5:20. Despise not prophesyings.

In the primitive Church there was a particular gift of prophecy (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10), and those who possessed it were called prophets. The name this gift received derived from insight into the future and the foretelling of it, but its operations were not confined to this alone. “He that prophesies speaks to men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (1 Cor. 14:3)—thus the holy Paul defined it elsewhere. Consequently, prophecy encompassed divine truths of every kind and set them forth—but always as immediate divine revelation. The consciousness of immediate revelation is the distinguishing mark of the prophetic spirit; hence the one who has prophecy is credited with knowledge of all mysteries (1 Cor. 13:2), and prophesying is employed synonymously with the setting forth of revelation (1 Cor. 14:6, 30). It is evident that this gift was not always the exclusive possession of certain persons, but it could and did come upon any believer. The believer moved by this spirit was conscious that he had received a revelation and felt the impulsion and capacity to set forth animatedly to other believers the truth contemplated by him through revelation and to inspire them with it, as he himself was inspired. Whoever in a general assembly of believers, being conscious that his mind was seized by a new and important truth inwardly implanted from above—which therefore he considered it contrary to God’s will to conceal from others—rose and set it before the assembly, he was prophesying: whether it concerned the future, or the present and past, or whether something hidden of permanent value was being set forth, or whether it was something he had not previously recognized so clearly, or had not known at all. All this, however, was of such a character that believers could draw from it only edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3). In this state the speech also flowed in a more elevated tone, with greater vividness and energy, than in the usual, more calm manner of teaching.

It is evident that to despise this gift—that is, to count it for nothing and therefore to restrict or altogether remove its manifestation and operation in the assembly of Christians—means to deprive the Christian community of the always necessary influx of vivifying gifts of grace, not to mention that this is plain resistance to the Spirit of God and an offense against Him (Eph. 4:30). The holy Apostle therefore forbids this. — But on what occasion? Later in the Church at Corinth, improper relations toward this gift manifested themselves, and the holy Paul was compelled to give special directives and ordinances on this account (1 Cor. 14). Whether anything similar occurred in Thessalonica is not apparent. It may be that the holy Apostle was only forestalling what was possible, or had in view simply to attract more earnest attention to the manifestations of this spirit, so fruitful especially in the young Church, where much needed to be supplemented and clarified. The holy Chrysostom explains it thus: “In those times many prophesied—some truly, others falsely. The devil, being cunning, wished on the occasion of the gift of prophecy to overturn everything in the Church. As a result, both the one and the other foretold the future—both the demon and the Spirit, though the former prophesied falsely and the latter truly, and there was no sign to be found by which one could be distinguished from the other; for both sorts of prophets taught without giving account of their words, like Jeremiah or Ezekiel. Since at this time many among the Thessalonians were prophesying, he aptly added the following words, after saying ‘quench not the Spirit:’ ‘despise not prophesyings.’ He wishes to express the following thought here: for the reason that there are some false prophets among you, do not on their account oppose the true prophets or turn away from them.” The same thought in the blessed Theodoret, Oecumenius, and Theophylact.

1 Thess. 5:21–22. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” If these words are placed in connection with those immediately preceding—“despise not prophesyings”—that is, do not on account of false prophets despise the true ones—then they must be seen as apostolic guidance on how to deal with false prophets. He seems to resolve the difficulty: “What then? Surely we are not to receive false prophets too? — No. But prove all things—that is, examine both the false and the true with discernment, and then receive the prophecies that prove to be good—that is, consider them genuine and take heed of them” (Theophylact). When someone speaks as a prophet, “prove whether it is truly prophecy” (Chrysostom). “Discern what is from the Spirit of God and what is from the adversary; and, rejecting what comes from delusion, hold to what comes from truth” (Theodoret). For the discernment of whether what is spoken in the prophetic spirit is from God or whether it is the speaker’s own fantasy and the enemy’s delusion, the primitive Church had a special gift of discerning of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10). In our time, for discerning whether speech—however inspired and compelling—is from the truth, the positive teaching of the Church serves as the criterion. This is the touchstone of all teachings. What accords with it, receive; what does not accord, reject. And this can be done without lengthy deliberation. The gift of discerning spirits, living and operating in the Church, has definitively demarcated what is true and what is false. By following the indications of the Church, you will do the same as if you were following the gift of grace for the discernment of spirits.

But if these words are placed in connection with the words “quench not the Spirit,” then one must see in them a continuation of the depiction of the originating active principle of the truly Christian life. The spirit of life in Christ Jesus, generated by the union of grace with freedom, manifests itself in the heat of zeal for pleasing God and for salvation. What this spirit strives and seeks for, the Apostle elsewhere defines thus: “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). That one who is zealous in this spirit could consciously incline toward something directly evil—this is beyond suspicion. But in the inner movements and in the entanglements of outward circumstances there is much that appears good only in appearance while in the substance of the matter is not good, and by following which one can deviate from the path of truth and goodness. The Apostle therefore adds discernment to the spirit of zeal—discernment that must determine what in a given case one should hold to and what one should turn away from. In another epistle he depicts this more fully, saying: “be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:2). The object of consideration and examination is the will of God—what God wills of you in these or those circumstances. The general will of God is already expressed in the commandments and is known to all. There is no need to investigate it. But the application of the commandments may be various, and which application precisely should be chosen in the given combination of circumstances—this each person must determine for himself, on the spot, in the moment of acting. It is the mind renewed by grace that makes this determination. External, written revelation already enlightens the mind and purifies the conscience. Grace, however, having descended in the holy sacraments and united with the human spirit, forms a spiritual sense of the will of God, which silently but nonetheless surely determines what course of action will be pleasing to God. This is the same as what in the holy John is called the “anointing from the Holy One” (1 Jn. 2:20, 27), and what in the Epistle to the Hebrews is called “senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:14). To this perfection discernment arrives by “long use” (there), but its beginnings are given and opened from the very start. The experiences of life for one who is attentive to himself, with the help of the recorded experiences of the saints and the counsel of like-minded persons, under the invisible guidance of God’s grace—these are the school of training. The zealous spirit alone, by itself, can be blind. The eyes for it are discernment, indicating where it should direct itself and which side it should take.

When discernment has determined what is good and what is evil, the zealous spirit naturally already holds to the good and withdraws from the evil. Only one who is negligent and careless can still heed the suggestions of evil and deliberate whether to indulge the impulses of the passions this time. But one whose spirit burns with zeal, who therefore has the fear of God, whose conscience is alive, who is full of love for his Saviour—such a person may feel the assaults of evil passions, but indulge them—never. For this, the burning spirit must first be extinguished—that burning spirit which is the counterweight to the flame of the passions. Thus, “holding fast” to what is “good” and “abstaining from” every form of “evil”—or, what is the same thing, “turning away from evil” and “doing good” (1 Pet. 3:11)—are two operations of the single vital Christian principle, always inseparable, like two feet of one who walks in the footsteps of the Lord along the path of His holy commandments.

“Hold fast that which is good”—receive the good that has been recognized into your heart, embrace it with love, and hold to it not once, but throughout all your life, as the unchanging rule of your activity. “Abstain from all appearance of evil”—“not from this or that alone, but from every kind” (Chrysostom). From the Greek—from every form of evil: that is, from evil in words, deeds, thoughts, and feelings, or from every even shadow, every slight trace of evil. The will of God is the norm. What is contrary to it is not to be permitted on any account; and whenever a difficulty presents itself, it is better to omit an action than to do what is doubtful, so that the consciousness of fulfilling the precise will of God may always be clear before the face of the all-seeing God. The word “abstain” is notable. It causes one to picture the person who is walking the path of the Lord’s commandments as resembling one who walks through thorns or dense sticky grass which at every step hinders the free movement of his feet and compels him, before stepping from one foot to the other, to clear his way, shaking off the clinging grass or the thorny briers that have caught on him. This comparison suggests that in one who is zealous for pleasing God and for salvation, against every good undertaking an evil thought arises—and sometimes even a pull—emanating from the heart still not purified of its passions; and that in fulfilling the former one cannot avoid having to struggle with the latter. One must despise them, reject them, hate them, and thus shake free of them, in order to hold more freely to the good. — Here is an allusion to what the holy Paul writes in the Epistle to the Romans: “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Rom. 7:21–23). Thus, one burning with the spirit, strengthened by God’s grace, now turns himself away from evil, now inclines himself toward good. Resistance to evil and the compelling of oneself toward good—these are his two constant occupations, which become easier as the passions weaken and progress in the good advances. The aim of his striving is to reach the point where good alone reigns in the entire constitution of his nature.