1 Thessalonians

Chapter 4

vs 1

I personally find it annoying when you're doing something as best you can, and someone tells you "That's great - now do it better, and do it more". But that's the message here. And when you're living to please God, there is always room for improvement I guess.

vs 2

You know what instructions we gave you - and here they are again!

vs 3

Ok, I'm not going to pretend to be a greek scholar here, but in trying to work out if this whole section (3-8) is about sex or not, I've been looking at the wording, and this is what it looks like it says to me, "For God's will is your sanctification, to obstain you from sexual immorality". Which puts it far more in God's court than ours. This doesn't change the message of the verse, as the next verse is explicit in our responsibility to control our own body, and the verses before are explicit in our responsibility to live a life pleasing to God.

I guess you can err on the side of caution and say "verse about responsibility on the left, verse on the right, the one in the middle is about your actions too". But I like the mix of responsibilities between us and God. And it is Biblical, just whether it is expressed here or not I'm not 100% sure. Certainly the NIV translation doesn't make it crystal clear. But perhaps it's got something to do with how we read the term "God's will". I mean, is this verse saying (as surely some people read it) "God wants you to be sanctified, so pretty please avoid sexual immorality" (God's will becoming what he would like), or is it saying "God has decreed by his will that you will be sanctified, that you will avoid sexual immorality. Oh yes, you will" (which makes it far more explicit that God isn't just wishing it would happen, but that he's going to make it happen).

Hmm, God's will - it's not just for ignoring anymore.

vs 4

If it makes you feel better, the word for "control" isn't in the greek - it literally says "that each one of you know (that is, be able) to possess the vessel of himself in sanctification and honour". So it's not telling you in the footnote to control your wife, but it is espousing self-control, so it's a good translation. Instead, it's saying you should own your wife in a God-honouring way :D

vs 5

So now we're trying to work out if PS&T are talking about general passion and lust, or specific passion and lust regarding other people's wives. I mean, we're talking about a society that had orgies. Orgies, people! If that's not treating your wife with a lack of respect and honour, I don't know what is. In any case, take it both ways, and don't put yourself or your spouse in such positions. You're one flesh anyway.

vs 6

And you certainly shouldn't be dragging your siblings in Christ into this whole mess. Because if you trick them or take advantage of them, God ("God The Avenger" in the greek) will be after you. Obviously PS&T did a little fire&brimstone preaching when they were in Thessalonica, because they told them this already.

vs 7

God's call to us is for a holy life. And as we read above, that is also his will. So an impure life is actually an uphill battle. I mean, you think sometimes that it's sooo hard to live a holy life, because of peer pressure and advertising and your selfish nature etc. Well, an impure life is going directly against God's will - who's going to make your life more miserable? Which one's harder to push?

vs 8

Why do PS&T mention God's giving of the Holy Spirit here? Is it to again highlight that God's will is being done in your life through this Spirit, which you will have trouble fighting? Or is he referring to the fact that God gave you his Holy Spirit, and if you're rejecting these instructions, you're rejective the Holy Spirit - the unpardonable sin?

vs 9-10

I've been trying to use the word "siblings" instead of "brothers" or "brothers and sisters" or "sons and daughters" of God. But the translation doesn't help. It's really stupid, because the word is 'philadelphia' - that is literally love for the womb. So it means love for those who come out of the same womb (although it does actually refer to people who have the same father but different mothers too - having the same ancestor). So why did the buggers translate it "brotherly love"? I'll tell you why - it's the maleocentric maleocracy! It should really mean "sibling love" or, because that sounds stupid, "family love"! Hell, it could even say "patriotic love" (meaning love for your own people) because it also has that sense of "countrymen" (countrypersons?). It's when you see things like this that you are forced to go out and buy a TNIV.

Anyway, the Thessalonians had no problem with this concept - they knew what it meant, and spread it out not just among themselves, but all over Macedonia. And PS&T still want them to do it more. There's always more loving to be done.