I
Thessalonians 5:12-22
I.
I
Thessalonians 5: 12-15
a.
V.
12
§
“acknowledge”
is better translation “respect”, and “care for” is better translation than
“over”
§
Probably
refers more to a patron relationship than a formal leadership structure present
in the church
§
To
admonish usually means to correct, but without embittering those being
corrected
b.
V.
13
§
Respect
is given based on Christian work, not status, title, class, or position
·
The
love and esteem from the church for its patrons derives from their willingness
to take responsibility for the church and its members
§
They
are within the circle, not outside it or above it
§
The
pursuit of peace is instructed in Psalm 34:14, and the New Testament in Mark
9:50; Romans 12:18; II Corinthians 13:11
c.
V.
14
§
“brothers
and sisters” shows he is talking to everyone
§
Ataktoi refers not to the idle, but the
“unruly”, and is a military term for one who does not keep in rank
§
The
“disheartened” could be so because of their worries about death already
addressed
·
Oligopsychos means literally “small soul”, or
“little soul”
§
“The
weak” is ambiguous, possibly refers to the physically weak
§
Patience
is literally translated “having a long fuse”
·
The
instruction to “be patient toward everyone” frames the responsibilities Paul
has just given them
d.
V.
15
§
“Wrong
for wrong”, or “evil for evil” is also found in Romans 12:17 and I Peter 3:9,
and possibly comes from the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 5:38-44) or from the Old
Testament (Proverbs 25:21)
§
Christian
“payback” is doing good
II.
I
Thessalonians 5: 16-18
a.
V.
16
§
This
refers more to expression than experience of joy
§
Cf.
Philippians 4:4, where we see doing this in Christ Jesus empowers rejoicing
§
Joy
is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and thus not something that emanates from
Christians themselves (Galatians 5:22; Romans 14:17)
b.
V.
17
§
Paul
frequently instructs the churches to prayer regularly (cf. 5:25; II
Thessalonians 3:1; Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2-3)
§
“It is not in the moving of the lips, but in
the elevation of the heart to God, that the essence of prayer consists. Thus amidst the commonest of duties and
recreations of life it is still possible to be engaged in prayer. And in this sense the command to pray without
ceasing must receive its noblest and most real fulfillment…It is in the Spirit alone
that it is possible to ‘pray without ceasing.’” – Joseph Barber Lightfoot
c.
V.
18
§
“in
all circumstances”, not “for all circumstances”
§
See
Philippians 1:3-4 where Paul does these things in the context of imprisonment
§
God’s
ability and willingness to bring good from the bad gives us a basis to offer
thanksgiving (cf. Romans 8:28)
§
“No matter what the circumstances
(persecution, sickness, etc.) the Christian ought to be able to give thanks to
God, not of course for the difficult circumstances but for his salvation
through Christ, and when he is able to do this then he also is strengthened to
endure what is difficult.” – Ernest Best
III.
I
Thessalonians 5:19-22
a.
V.
19
§
Cf.
II Thessalonians 2:2 where Spirit refers to charismatic manifestation
§
The
word “quench”, or “put out”, is the word used to refer to extinguishing a fire
(cf. Mark 9:48), with a possible reference to Acts 2:3 and Matthew 3:11
§
Cf.
Ephesians 4:30
§
They
were impeding the Spirit’s role in their community, a role manifested by such
gifts as prophecy, speaking in tongues, etc.
·
Do
not correct abuse with disuse
§
Cf.
Jeremiah 20:9
b.
V.
20
§
Cf.
Joel 2:28-30
§
The
word used for test also refers to the testing of precious metals
c.
V.
21a
§
Cf.
Deuteronomy 18:21-22
§
Kalon, the word used here for good,
refers not to something with good effect, but something that is good in and of
itself
§
To
test something meant to compare it to the ethical norms and teaching already
accepted as God-given in the community
§
Cf.
II Thessalonians 2:13; I Corinthians 14:3, 31
§
The
results of such testing would lead to something either being embraced, or
rejected
d.
V.
21b-22
§
There
is a baseline of Christians tradition and doctrine that serves to test the
words of prophets, whether they be in Paul’s time or our own
§
Cf.
Romans 12:9
§
There
is only one good (v. 21), but multiple evils
No comments:
Post a Comment