I Thessalonians 5:15

FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:15

In the last half of First Thessalonians chapter five we are given a tremendous list of important admonitions. If we could only put these things into practice, we would win a great Christian victory in life. The Bible says in First Thessalonians 5:15 “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.” This is a very important commandment. It comes from the teachings of Jesus that makes true Christianity stand out above all other religions and all other philosophies of life. Jesus said that “to love” was the greatest of all commandments: to love God and to love our fellow man. How little we know about love. Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, mind, soul, and strength. And the second commandment is like to it: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, that ye have love one to another.” Anyone can strike out against their enemies. Most humans do that very thing. It seems natural to hate one’s enemies and to teach them a lesson. But Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 “Love you enemies.”

First Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Rejoice evermore.” We will rejoice evermore in heaven. So let heaven start right now. Get some good practice in for what you will be doing in heaven. We certainly have very much to rejoice about. God loves us in spite of our faults and weaknesses. Jesus died for us, and we are forgiven, and made pure through Him. Life is short and temporary, and we will be with Him forever. Even the bad things will work out for good because He is so powerful, and will always keep His promises. Rejoice and be exceeding glad because your names are written in heaven.

First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” To pray is to be in contact with Jesus Christ by faith. He is risen. He is alive. We can always bow down to Him and speak to Him. Concerning what Jesus taught about prayer the Bible says in Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” “You have not because you ask not.”

But when you pray, you are not obligated to always ask for things. You can have an entire prayer made up of nothing but thanksgiving for what God has already done or what He will do. First Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Sometimes we are a very unthankful people, when we stop and think of all that He has done for us and all that He is. That is the theme of the old song, “Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessing, and see what God has done.” But notice that that this Bible verse says, “in everything give thanks.” If you have learned to follow this Bible verse then you have learned to thank God even when something happens that appears to be bad. You can always say, “Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, that your power can be shown forth in this difficult situation, and thank you that you allowed it to happen for some good reason.” If you can give thanks in everything, it shows that you have a strong faith in the love of God through Christ. It shows that you believe that God knows best. It shows that you believe that He is involved in all things, and that He will make something good to come out of it all.

The Bible says in First Thessalonians 5:19 “Quench not the Spirit.” The word that is translated “quench” means literally to “extinguish a fire.” The Holy Spirit is the fire and the power in the life of a believer. The same Spirit who directed you to come to Christ is the Spirit who will direct the rest of your life also. But He will only do that if you allow Him to. Some Christians limit what could have been because they did not understand the law of the Spirit or because they violated it. An unbeliever can resist the Spirit and turn from Christ. A believer can resist the Spirit and turn from the way that the Spirit would have led him. The problem is the selfish will of man. Jesus said, “Not my will, but thine be done,” and Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done.”

The Bible says in First Thessalonians 5:20, “Despise not prophesyings.” A prophesy refers to words that are spoken by a man, and that were given to that man from God. This is divine revelation. It took place in the first century as God was giving forth the New Testament. In our day we have divine illumination. The Word of God has been given, but it needs to be opened up and taught. A teacher of the Word who is given a message from the Word and from God should be respected.

But this does not mean that every speaker should be received just because he claims to have a message from God. First Thessalonians 5:21 says “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” To prove means to put something to the test. It means to use discernment regarding the things that you hear. There are many false prophets who have gone out into the world. Some believers have fallen under the spell of the false ones simply because this verse was not followed.

It says in First Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” This Bible verse speaks directly to Christian liberty. It is not just a question of my right to do something. I might have every right to do something, but it may be something that I ought not to do. This verse says to abstain from all “appearance” of evil. We want to have a testimony for Christ in the community, so how others view things is important to us. Paul wrote in First Corinthians 8:9, “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of your’s become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.” And then he wrote in First Corinthians 8:13, “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” The word “offend” means “cause to fall.”

As we review these commandments that are given in First Thessalonians chapter five, it is always good to remember that we rely upon the Lord and what He does for us. Without Him, we can do nothing. It says in First Thessalonians 5:23-24, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” There are three things in these two verses that emphasize that God must do the work. If you are going to become sanctified from a practical standpoint, then God must “sanctify you wholly.” To sanctify means to set apart. It means to be kept from evil and from sin. There is no way that you will be kept from such things without God’s direct involvement to that regard. That is why Jesus said that we must pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Every Christian should have a desire to be “preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” To be preserved means that someone else does the preserving. If you are going to be preserved blameless, then God must do it.

Notice that First Thessalonians 5:23 speaks of “spirit and soul and body.” We know that the body speaks of the physical part of us: that which is material and that which will eventually return to the dust from which it came. The body is the vessel in which our soul lives. The soul is the eternal part of us: our identity. All human beings have a soul. We are created with a soul. Genesis 2:7 says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” The fact that the soul is eternal can be seen in the statement made by Jesus in Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Because a soul refers to a person’s real identity and inner being, the word “soul” can be used to mean “individual.” This can be seen in Acts 7:14 that says “Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.”

The spirit refers to that part of you that communicates with God. Jesus spoke of the need to have a spiritual birth in order to know God and in order to be a part of God’s kingdom. Jesus said in John 3:5-6, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” If you are a human being on this earth, you are made up of body and soul. If you have been born again through faith in Christ, then you are made up of body and soul and spirit. The Bible says concerning Jesus in First Corinthians 15:45, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”

Paul wrote in First Thessalonians 5:25, “Brethren, pray for us.” Paul had just written about things that we all depend upon God doing on our behalf. Unless God does them, they will not get done. “Unless God builds the house, they labor in vain that build it.” There are some things that God is going to do regardless of what man does, but there are other things that He does because we pray about those things. Paul did not rely upon his own discipline, and dedication, and determination. Obviously, he relied upon what prayer could do. “It is no secret what God can do. What He has done for others He will do for you.” But some of those things God only does when we pray about them.

The Bible says in First Thessalonians 5:26, “Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.” This talks about the affection and the love that Christians should have for each other. First find out if someone is a true Christian, and if he is, then love him like a brother. If you do not love other Christians, you are not serving Christ. Some Christian groups have turned away from the doctrine of love because they think that if they love all Christians, then they must join in the activities of all other groups. But this doctrine of love does not mean that one must join groups that have failed from a doctrinal or a practical standpoint. But on an individual basis, the doctrine of love does mean that you must love every Christian. Love him like a brother. It says, “Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.” We should put the emphasis on “all” and on “holy.” “Let love be without dissimulation.” In other words love all Christians equally. Do not have favorites or create cliques or find reasons to shun certain believers. Also, make sure that your affection to other believers is “holy.” In other words make sure that you observe all propriety in any communication with those in the congregation.

Paul wrote in First Thessalonians 5:27, “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.” In the first century when the apostles and prophets wrote their epistles, they knew that something important was taking place. They knew then the same thing that we know now: that these writings came by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” It says in Second Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” The wise person values the Bible as the Word of God, and makes it a part of his or her daily life.

The last verse of the book of First Thessalonians says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” If you had one last thing to say to a group of Christians, it would always be a great thing to remind them of the “grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He went to the cross of Calvary to make His grace available to the human race. If you are one of the forgiven ones who has been given a home in heaven, it was given to you by the grace of Christ. If you are born again, the day that you first bowed before Jesus was the day that you experienced His saving grace. He did for you what you could not do for yourself: He saved your soul. But He has an endless supply of grace that you need to rely upon. Child of weakness and child of woe, there are still things that you cannot do for yourself. You are still dependent upon His grace. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

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