1 Thessalonians 4

 



1 Thessalonians 4

“Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1

Our daily walk must please God. The psalmist say that we must mark the perfect man like Paul in this letter and behold his upright walk with God, for the end of man like Paul is peace. (Psalm 37:37) We must do it more and more purposefully because it is the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Verse 2)

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:” 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

It is the will of God, even our sanctification. John Murray says in this book, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, that sanctification is a work of God in us that leads to regeneration and the effects of regeneration is our consciousness in the exercise of faith, repentance, love, and obedience. He furthers expresses that the regeneration is wrought by the Holy Spirit and by this act alone the people of God become dwelt by the Holy Spirit and in the terms of the New Testament, ‘Spiritual’. God’s transforming grace through the Holy Spirit is His will for us to keep us Holy and presentable for the coming of our Lord, Parousia.

“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8

Our God alone is the avenger of the world. (Verse 6) He is the judge of all things. His judgment is perfect and righteous. The righteous Judge call us unto holiness and has given us his Holy Spirit as a seal and pledge for our salvation in the Person of His son and finished work on the cross by His son, our lord Christ Jesus.

This is the reason why we must ask ourselves daily are we walking worthy for God? As underserving sinners, we are given grace and sealed with a pledge for everlasting life in heaven all because of the work of Christ on the cross for us. And through this propitiation we are called unto holiness through Christ. Do we study to be quiet? Do our own business? Pursue honesty? All of which is commanded by God to live our lives in obedience to him.

Why the urgency to remain holy? Why is it the will of God to keep us sanctified?

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18

Our hope is on the resurrection of Christ. Without that Hope our faith is in vain. All those who are asleep are perished. Our Sunday observance of Sabbath in Church will have no meaning.(1 Corinthians 15:12-22) The other glorious hope we have is waiting for the risen lord, conqueror of death to come in glory, descending from heaven with a shout. At the coming of our Lord, He gathers his church in rapture. The parable of the ten virgins is reason why Paul says that it is commanded to us. Jesus taught to be ready and watchful for his second coming. And the door was shut for those who were not ready for His coming. (Matthew 25:1-10) But Paul says that the parable is not a warning but a comfort. Christ second coming is a comfort to all of God’ elect. It is God’s will to sanctify us for his glory and gather all His people in his glorious second coming for the Glory of God the Father in Heaven. The will of God gives us comfort and not despair in waiting for his second coming. God perseveres us to the end for his glory. This perseverance of saints is our hope. 

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