1 Thessalonians Chapter 4 (Pdf) Download

1 Thessalonians Chapter 4

Jesus is Coming!

Paul shifts gears starting in chapter 4 from personal comments about longing to see them to content having to do with sanctification and the promise of Jesus’ return

Vv. 1-2—A walk that God approves - Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. o …in the Lord Jesus…—that is, under the authority of Jesus or on behalf of Jesus ▪ Paul periodically reminds his readers that what he is writing is not his own opinions, but the word of God ▪ By doing so, he continually emphasizes the importance of following the instructions in his letters o …that you should abound more and more… ▪ “Paul was thankful for the growth he saw in the Thessalonians, but still looked for them to abound more and more in a walk that would please God…Christian maturity is never finished on this side of eternity. No matter how far a Christian has come in love Studies in the Book of 1 Thessalonians P a g e | 2 © Copyright 2018 Joel B. Curry

and holiness, he or she can still abound more and more.”1 Vv. 3-8— - He opens this section with a discussion that it is God’s will for the believer to be sanctified o Sanctification ▪ “The will of God for His people determines, among other things (‘will’ has no article), that they should be separated to Him and therefore holy. And here we learn that this especially applies to the avoidance of wrong sexual practices…sanctification is the process of being made truly holy and Christ-like.”2 ▪ “…refers to a state of being set apart from sin to holiness. In this context, it means being set apart from sexual impurity in particular…”3 - V. 3— o …you should abstain from sexual immorality… ▪ The word here is πορνεία (any sexual relationship outside of marriage4) • All sexual activity outside marriage is sin, but it was not regarded so in

1 Enduring Word Bible Commentary, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/1-thessalonians-4/ 2 Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/1-thessalonians- 4.html 3 MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV, 1847 4 Enduring Word Bible Commentary, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/1-thessalonians-4/ Studies in the Book of 1 Thessalonians P a g e | 3 © Copyright 2018 Joel B. Curry

Roman society & is less & less regarded so in western culture today o “It may seem strange (to us today) that Paul should go to such lengths to (discuss) sexual purity in a Christian congregation; but two things have to be remembered. First, the Thessalonians had only newly come into the Christian faith and they had come from a society in which chastity was an unknown virtue; they were still in the midst of such a society and the infection of it was playing upon them all the time. It would be…difficult for them to unlearn what they had for all their lives accepted as natural. Second, there never was an age in history when marriage vows were so disregarded and divorce so disastrously easy.”5 o “The ancient writer Demosthenes expressed the generally amoral view of sex in the ancient Roman Empire: ‘We keep prostitutes for pleasure; we keep mistresses for the day to day needs of the body; we keep wives for the faithful guardianship of our homes.’”6 - Vv. 4-6— o …each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification an honor… ▪ Vessel=body

5 William Barklay’s Daily Study Bible, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/1-thessalonians-4.html 6 Enduring Word Bible Commentary, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/1-thessalonians-4/ Studies in the Book of 1 Thessalonians P a g e | 4 © Copyright 2018 Joel B. Curry

o …that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter… ▪ The reference here likely refers to the seduction or corruption of any woman…a man’s wife or daughter; to compromise fidelity to spouse or parents ▪ Also may be referring to mere coveting the illicit relationship with another man’s wife or daughter - V. 7—For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness. o “Sexual purity is part of the call of God. There are two options, being involved in uncleanness or being in sanctification. God’s call is from the one to the other. If we are those who are called by God then we do not have an option, for our behavior and attitude will reveal the genuineness of our calling. Again this sanctification is to be practical and not imputed, although resulting from having been first sanctified by God (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2).”7 - V. 8—Therefore, he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. o V. 8 is the conclusion of Paul’s statement v. 7 ▪ God called us to holiness not sin when He saved us; therefore, continuing in sin is a

rejection of God, not a rejection of Paul or any other authority ▪ The demands of Christian morality & holiness are uncompromising8 Vv. 9-12— - Vv. 10-11— o For Paul, a word about loving each other naturally follows his brief discussion about morality o Love for another Christian will cause us not to compromise the relationship by enticing another Christian to sin ▪ Paul has already labeled immorality as unclean, the opposite of holiness to which God has called us ▪ He also refers to immorality as defrauding another • The act of propositioning or even coveting is the desire to take away the innocence or holiness of another o There just is no room for compromise at all for the Christian when it comes to sin versus holiness - Vv. 11-12—

o In v. 11, Paul segues from the impact of holiness on other Christians to its importance as a witness to unbelievers o V. 11—…aspire to lead a quiet life… ▪ The meaning is “…one who does not present social problems or generate conflict among those people in his or her life, but whose soul rests easy even in the midst of difficulty.”9 ▪ …lead a quiet life…—ἡ συχαζειν, “hold your peace” ▪ Paul brings this up to the Thessalonians for a specific reason, as he explains in 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12— • 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. o Some in the Thessalonian church were idle, not supporting themselves as they waited on the Lord’s return, engaging in speculation about His return & when it would happen, perhaps even chastising those who continued to work

▪ Paul tells them to hold their peace, mind their own business, and get back to work

Vv. 13-18—

- V. 13— - The Thessalonians believed “…in and hope for…their Savior’s return. They were living in expectation of that coming, eagerly awaiting Chris. V. 13 indicates they were even agitated about some things that were happening to them that might affect their participation in it. They know Christ’s return was the climactic event in redemptive history and didn’t want to miss it. The major question they had as ‘What happens to the Christians who die before He comes? Do they miss His return?’ …they had an imminent view of Christ’s return, and Paul had left the impression it could happen in their lifetime. Their confusion came as they were being persecuted, an experience they thought they were to be delivered from by the Lord’s return.”10 - In addition, the Thessalonians believed “…that their dead fellow Christians might not participate in the Rapture with them… They apparently thought that one had to be alive to participate in the Rapture.”11 o …those who have fallen asleep…

10 Ibid. 11 Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/1-thessalonians- 4.html Studies in the Book of 1 Thessalonians P a g e | 8 © Copyright 2018 Joel B. Curry

• Κοιμάομαι, from Κοιμάο, “to fall asleep” o Root for English “cemetery”— ”place of sleep” - V. 14— o In v. 14, “Paul lays down a great principle. The (person) who has lived and died in Christ is still in Christ even in death and will rise in him. Between Christ and the (person) who loves him there is a relationship which nothing can break, a relationship which overpasses death. Because Christ died and rose again, so the (person) who is one with Christ will rise again.”12 - V. 15— o “Paul wanted the Thessalonians to know that those who are asleep—Christians who have died before Jesus returns—will by no means be at a disadvantage. Those who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede them. God will allow those who are asleep to share in the glory of the coming of the Lord.”13 o …we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord… • “Since Paul didn’t know God’s timing, he lived and spoke as if it could

12 William Barklay’s Daily Study Bible, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/1-thessalonians-4.html 13 Enduring Word Bible Commentary, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/1-thessalonians-4/ Studies in the Book of 1 Thessalonians P a g e | 9 © Copyright 2018 Joel B. Curry

happen in his lifetime. As with all early Christians, he believed the event was near. Those alive at the rapture will follow those dead who rise first.”14 - Vv. 16-17— o For the 3rd time since v. 13, Paul reminds them of the resurrection of those who have died before the return of Christ • This added emphasis perhaps indicates the extent to which the Thessalonian Christians were agitated about the fate of those Christians who had died o In vv. 16-17, Paul gives his readers an overview of the return of Christ, including the picture of his return in the air among the clouds, the fact that the dead in Christ will return with Him at that time, & that Christians who are alive at the time of his return will be caught up, or taken up, to be with Him o …caught up together… • ἁρπαγησόμεθα, taken away or caught up together o From ἁρπάζω, seize suddenly or decisively

• Commonly called the rapture in English o The term “rapture” does not appear in the English Bible. o Its origin is in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The Greek word is translated to English here as “caught up together.” o The origin of the English word “rapture” comes from Latin translation of this verse in the Latin Vulgate, a translation produced in the 4th century A.D. and in use for more than 1,000 years prior to the translation of the Bible into common languages. o The term “rapture” is a transliteration of raptura, the noun form of the Latin verb raptus in v. 17, meaning to “catch up” or “take away.” o The manner of His return for the dead in Christ & the church will be • His descent from heaven • A shout from an archangel • The sound of a trumpet heralding His return Studies in the Book of 1 Thessalonians P a g e | 11 © Copyright 2018 Joel B. Curry

• The dead in Christ rise to meet him in the air • The church are caught up together to join them in the clouds - These verses “…form the biblical basis for the ‘rapture’ of the church. The time of the rapture cannot be determined from this passage alone. However, when other texts such as Revelation 3:10 and John 14:3 are consulted and compared the texts about Christ’s coming in judgment (Matthew 13:34-50; 24:29-44; Revelation 19:11- 21) at the end of a 7-year tribulation, it has to be noted that there is a clear difference between the character of the ‘rapture’ in that there is no mention of any judgment, while the other texts feature judgment. So, then, it is best to understand that the rapture occurs at a time different from the coming of Christ in judgment. Thus, the rapture has been described as pretribulational (before the wrath of God unfolded in Revelation 6-19). This event includes complete transformation and union with the Lord Jesus Christ that never ends.”15 - V. 18—Therefore comfort one another with these words. o “The hope of being reunited with saints who have died and, what is more important, with Christ, gives believers a hope that we can and should use to comfort one another when loved ones die.

‘Paul’s central point (in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) is that Christians who have died are in no way behind those who are alive at the Lord’s coming, since the dead will actually rise first; then, we will all go together to meet the Lord in the air.’ (Note: Thomas R. Edgar, "An Exegesis of Rapture Passages," in Issues in Dispensationalism, p. 204.) Note that it is not the Lord’s return by itself that Paul offered as encourage- ment here (cf. Titus 2:13) but the reunion of dead and living saints and their shared glory in His presence.”16

16 Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/1-thessalonians- 4.html