I
Thessalonians 4:1-12
I.
I Thessalonians 4:1-2
a. V.
1
i.
Often translated “finally”,
“furthermore” is a better translation
ii.
Paul commends the majority, while
reminding the disobedient minority of their duty as Christians.
iii.
“More and more” again implies Christian
perfection, or the idea of perfection being the Christian goal, even if it is
unattainable
b. V.
2
i.
A reminder that the instructions they
were given ultimately came from, and have the authority of, Jesus Christ
c. For
Paul, theology and ethics go hand in hand, as we see in this section
d. There
is no reward such as heaven dangled in front of them like a carrot on a
stick. Paul sees pleasing God as its own
reward, with heaven of course being God’s dwelling place
II.
I Thessalonians 4:3-8
a. V.
3
i.
Cf. Leviticus 19:2
1. The
vocation of God’s people, whether Israel of the Old Testament, or the church of
the New Testament, is holiness
ii.
“There are thus two aspects of sanctification,
divine initiative and human endeavor.” – Abraham J. Malherbe
b. V.
4-5
i.
What does vessel mean? Body?
Wife?
ii.
“vessel” could be a reference to the
body, specifically male sexual organ
1. Cf.
I Samuel 21:56
iii.
This is one of those instances where
Paul’s ambiguity would have been interpreted best by those who knew his
teaching already
iv.
“Not
in passionate lust”, to learn sexual restraint would be counter-cultural, as
the Roman world of the Thessalonians did not see fornication or adultery as
moral issues.
v.
Immorality is associated with a pagan
lacking in terms of knowledge of God
vi.
Knowledge of the God in whose image we are
created gives us a greater understanding of the necessity of restraint
c. V.
6
i.
How does this relate to taking advantage
of, or wronging ones brother or sister?
Quite possible this is in reference to an adulterous situation involving
another’s wife
ii.
“To each man God has assigned a
wife. He has set boundaries on nature
and limits sexual intercourse to one person only. Therefore, intercourse with another is
transgression, and taking more than belongs to one, and robbery. Or rather it is more cruel than any robbery;
for we grieve less when robbed of our riches than when our marriage is
invaded…” – John Chrysostom
d. V.
7
i.
Sexual ethics, all ethics, is as much
about what we do, as what we don’t do
ii.
A reminder that walking with God entails
purity and holiness
e. V.
8
i.
Paul often simply refers to “the
Spirit”, but referring here to the Holy Spirit is a means of emphasizing both
the Spirit’s identity, as well as its nature, holy
ii.
Cf. Ezekiel 37:6, 14
III.
I Thessalonians 4:9-12
a. V.
9-10a
i.
Mutual love=Philadelphia
ii.
The Christians took a word like Philadelphia, which meant the love of
biological siblings, and redefined it to include ones Christian brothers and
sisters
iii.
Cf. Leviticus 19:18, and Luke 10:27
where Jesus refers to this teaching
iv.
The could be providing lodging for
Christians traveling through Thessalonica, or sending financial support to
neighboring towns in need of help
b. V.
10b-11
i.
“Mind your own business” is a tidy way
of summarizing Paul’s instruction, for if they tend to their own work, they
will not need to rely on others
c. V.
12
i.
How we live our lives and relate to one
another, provides an example to others, especially outsiders
d. The
ethics Paul teaches us centers on creating, and then sustaining community
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