1 THESSALONIANS 4:1-12 The Goal of a Christian Life: The 2 nd Coming of Christ is a Purifying Hope
IN this chapter the Apostle Paul continues his dialog concerning traits of a Christian life. Namely, a genuine Christian life will be characterized by “holiness”—a life set-apart and dedicated in worship and service for the LORD. This is summarized in verse 4:12 : “…….that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” Starting in this chapter with “ Finally then …..”, Paul transitions his letter to some very practical exhortation. Knowing God is supposed to make a dramatic difference in the sexual behavior of a person as compared with a non-believer.
v. 1-2 CHRISTIAN IMPERATIVE : LIFE BY FAITH TO PLEASE GOD [1 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.]
Thessalonica was a seaport town which meant it had a history of promoting and nurturing immoral practices as a way of ‘entertainment’ and financial gain. Paul now addresses that issue in regards to their moral behavior as Christians.
Paul begins this section of his letter with the phrase “ Finally then …..”. In the first three chapters he commends the Thessalonians on their faithfulness and identifies with their suffering. He reminds them of the care and concern he had for them and the pride he had in them as fine examples of Christian love and service. But now he will exhort them in some very practical matters. The Christian life is a growing process .
The words urge ( ask ) and exhort ( encourage ) are in the active present tense, that is, we keep on urging and exhorting you to excel more and more—don’t remain static and grow ‘stale’ in one’s Christian walk. The word exhort also entails the idea of ‘ coming alongside of ” in the sense of identifying personally with believers. Paul is not reprimanding here but is showing the love and concern he has for the believer’s welfare.
As genuine followers of Jesus Christ, we are to live our lives in a manner that pleases God. In effect, we are to continually live a live of faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without Faith it is impossible to please God: “ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is , and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him .”
We do that by living out the commandments that the LORD Jesus Christ gave us. One of these is to love your brother as yourself—by that all men will know that we are true disciples of Jesus Christ. But more than that, we are to live our lives separated from the corrupting attitudes and behaviors that characterize an unbelieving world. This is what “sanctification” means in its essence.
DISCUSSION QUESTION : How frequently do you think about the Biblical truth that your behavior either pleases God of it doesn’t? How can a Christian know what pleases God?