Tag Archives: 1 Thessalonians 1-5

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2023 Bible Study — Living Lives of Pure Love for One Another

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Thessalonians 1-5.

Paul writes that it is God’s will that we be sanctified.  Paul’s next phrase suggests that part of being sanctified means avoiding sexual immorality by controlling our bodies in ways which are holy and honorable.  Paul writes that when we allow passionate lusts to control our bodies we end up wronging or taking advantage of our fellow humans, instead we should live holy, pure lives, with love for each other.   We should seek to love the people of God in ever increasing degree.

Paul goes on to reiterate that those who have already died in Christ will rise when Christ returns, while those of us still alive will join them to meet Christ in the air. I am unsure if Paul meant that literally or merely as a metaphor, but I am sure that those who died in their faith will meet the Lord first on the day of His return.  He further tells us not to concern ourselves with the date and time of Christ’s return.  However, we should live our lives prepared for His return so that we are not surprised when that day arrives.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2022 Bible Study — Those Who Follow Christ Should Not Fear Death

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Thessalonians 1-5.

In his letter to the Thessalonian Believers, Paul repeats his warning against sexual immorality, and contrasts it with living a holy and honorable life.  He, also, connects it once again with taking advantage of others.  As he transitions to other topics Paul contrasts sex outside of marriage with loving others.  Paul directly contradicts the idea in our society that having sex with someone other than your spouse is an act of love.  Paul emphasizes that one aspect of loving others is minding your own business and having a productive job.  We should live our daily lives in a way which generates respect from those who are not Believers and avoid, as much as possible, being dependent on others.

Paul then goes on to what I believe is the main point of his letter.  He encourages his readers not to grieve over the death of their loved ones who are Believers.  We need not grieve because we know that God will raise those who have died in Christ, just as He raised Christ.  We have God’s promise that He will do this when Christ returns.  Further, those of us who have not yet died will be transformed into heavenly beings and live with Christ for eternity.  Aware that his reference to Christ’s return will cause some to attempt to determine when that will occur, Paul tells us that the time will come like a thief in the night, echoing Jesus’ statement that no one knows the day or the hour.  Nevertheless, those of us who are Believers should be prepared for it when it comes.  We should live our lives as if Jesus will return at any moment, because He indeed might.  As my father used to say, we should live our lives as if this day will be our last, but prepare for the future as if we will live indefinitely.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2021 Bible Study — Sexual Immorality As A Counterfeit For Love

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Thessalonians 1-5.

First I want to note that Paul writes about praying night and day.  I know I say this repeatedly, but every time I read what Paul writes about praying I feel called out.  By that, I mean that I am made aware of my shortcomings when it comes to prayer.  I do not pray nearly enough, and when I do pray, my prayers are not what they should be.  I continue to seek a tool which will do for my prayer life what writing this blog has done for my study of Scripture.  Pray that God shows me how to pray in the way in which He has made it clear to me that He desires.

There was a time when I wondered why Christians spent so much time condemning sexual immorality and not more time condemning greed and the oppression of the poor.  However, as I have been reading through the Bible each year in order to write these blog entries I have come to realize that sexual immorality is probably the thing which Paul writes about, in various ways, more than any other thing, except perhaps the need to love one another.  In fact, Paul’s teaching against sexual immorality often transitions to his teaching that we should love one another.  Paul seems to be telling us that sexual immorality and other forms of impurity function as a kind of counterfeit for true love of others.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2020 Bible Study

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5

I am not sure I realized how much Paul emphasized that we should stay away from sexual sins until I started reading through the Bible every year to do this blog.  I knew it was something he wrote about, but my recollection was that I thought Paul mentioned it almost in passing.  However, that is not the case.  In each of his letters which I have read so far this year, Paul makes a strong point on the importance of staying away from sexual sins.  In fact, he contrasts living a holy life with living a life filled with lust.  Further, Paul writes that, contrary to what our society teaches today, sexual sin violates God’s command to love each other.  Paul is telling us that polyamory is not love.

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2019 Bible Study — Praying and Living to Please God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5

As I read this passage my mind went, I will write on this, no I will write on that.  The first thing that hit me once again was the conviction that I need to pray more.  I believe in the power of prayer.  Here Paul writes again about praying continuously for the believers to whom this letter is addressed.  I have written previously about how I am trying to increase the amount, and quality, of my prayer.  I realized the other night that the Holy Spirit has aided me in this although I am no where close to where I should be.  With the Holy Spirit’s help I will strive to pray more.  The next thing both scares and encourages me.  Paul speaks of being faithful in the face of trouble and persecution.  He warns that we should constantly be prepared for suffering and persecution.  This scares me because it suggests that suffering and persecution are in my future.  It encourages me because of the joy which Paul clearly had during his suffering.

Paul goes on the the meat of his message.  He writes that we should live in a way that pleases God.  In order to live such lives we must control our bodies, which means avoiding lustful passion.  Avoiding sexual sin is just the first step in living a life which pleases God.  In fact, God desires that we love others.  Paul reminds us to avoid sexual sin because our society often confuses sex for love, but sexual sin perverts love into a form of idolatry.

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2018 Bible Study — Loving Our fellow believers while facing persecution

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5.

Paul commends the believers in Thessalonica for continuing in their faith in the face of persecution. He commends them for showing their love and concern for their fellow believers living elsewhere and for following the teachings of the Gospel. He reminds them that he had warned them about the coming persecution when he first preached the Gospel to them. In a way, this letter is passing the same warning on to us. If we are faithful to the Gospel, those who do not believe will seek to persecute us.

Paul instructs the believers of Thessalonica to live in a way which pleases God by staying away from sexual sins. Immediately after telling them to stay away from sexual sins he writes, “But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other,…” Which clearly shows that if we truly love those around us, we will not commit sexual sins. Sexual sins bring harm both to ourselves and to those around us.

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2017 Bible Study — Christ’s Return Will Be Unexpected, So Let Us Always Be Prepared

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5.

    Once again Paul indirectly reminds us of the importance of prayer when he greets the believers in Thessalonica by telling them that he prays for them constantly. I seek the discipline to pray a fraction of the amount which Paul obviously did. Paul goes on to write about how the believers in Thessalonica embraced the Gospel message even though doing so immediately subjected them to persecution. The way in which they joyfully followed the Gospel in the face of persecution served as a beacon to draw people in other areas to the Gospel as well. Further Paul writes that rather than wear down their faith the ongoing persecution strengthened it.

    Paul writes that the believers should live in a way that pleases God, something he is confident that they already know. It is worth noting that, despite many in our society to downplay its importance Paul once again emphasizes that living a holy life means staying away from all sexual sin. In this letter Paul focuses on adultery, but it is clear from his other letters that adultery was not the only sexual sin he was warning us to stay away from. Paul even links staying away from sexual sin to loving one another, which is once again contrary to the way our society looks at things. If we love those around us we will be sexually pure, which means reserving our sexual desire for our spouse (and because our society has changed the meaning of words, that means an individual of the opposite sex to whom we are faithful as long as we both live), or restraining it entirely if we do not have a spouse.

    Paul goes on to discuss the resurrection of the dead and Christ’s return. He reminds us that if we believe that Christ was raised from the dead then we should also believe that God will raise from the dead the believers who have died. As a result of this belief we do not need to grieve for our fellow believers who have died, because we know that we will see them again. This resurrection will occur when Christ returns. Paul then makes an important point, Christ’s return will be unexpected. We do not know when He will return, so we must remain alert and ready for His return at all times. Part of being ready for Christ’s return is building each other up and encouraging each other when we begin to lose heart because of the evil in this world.

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2016 Bible Study — Do Not Be Surprised By Jesus’ Return

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5.

    Paul starts off his letter to the Thessalonian believers by reminding them of his first visit to them and praising them for their faith. He describes how he first preached the Good News to them. When he taught them he taught them with words and with power from the Holy Spirit. They came to believe what he preached in part because of the example he gave them in the way he lived. He did not use any deceit, or trickery. Paul, and those with him, were honest, devout, and caring towards those to whom they preached. They did not just pretend to care in order to get money, or goods, from the new believers. They demonstrated their caring through their actions and hard work. This is the model we should follow when we preach the Gospel to unbelievers.

    After spending much of this letter writing words of praise and encouragement Paul writes a few words of teaching. He reminds the Thessalonian believers to live holy lives, something he acknowledges that they are already doing. Nevertheless he thinks that it is important to reinforce that teaching. In particular that sexual sin is contradictory to living a holy life. Again and again in his writings Paul reminds us that sexual sin is the most pervasive, and debilitating, type of sin. It is the sin which most people will have the greatest difficulty overcoming.
    Paul goes on to speak about the resurrection of the dead. It appears that there were some who preached about Jesus who were denying that the dead would be raised. Paul makes it clear that the resurrection of the dead is an integral part of the Gospel, without the resurrection of the dead, the Good News is not good news. We should encourage each other in the face of the difficulties of this life with the knowledge that we will spend eternity with Christ. Paul tells us that the day of Jesus’ return, the day of resurrection for all believers, will be unexpected. No one will know what day that will be in advance. However, if we follow Paul’s advice to live a holy life, it will not come as a surprise.