Spiritual life
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
In the final part of chapter 4 Paul taught the Thessalonians about the “Rapture”, when the Lord comes for His people. In chapter 5 he speaks about the Day of the Lord. This refers to Jesus Christ coming as the “King of kings, and Lord of lords” to begin His millennial reign. Paul had already explained that this day would come “as a thief in the night”. The “Rapture” is an act of love. The Day of the Lord is an act of righteousness. This world has been administered by humankind for thousands of years. Today we see the spiritual, moral, physical, political, and economic damage unrighteousness has caused. You don’t have to be a Christian to understand how deeply human behaviour has hurt us, or recognise the overwhelming power of materialism and corruption. Paul writes in Romans 8:22 about the “groan” of creation. Here he writes about the day God intervenes in His creation, not in the lowly grace of Jesus, but in the power of the One whose name is above every name – the same Jesus. It is the day, at last, when righteousness will reign over the earth:
“The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2).
It is God’s business to deal with the world in its entirety. Our responsibility is to live as “sons of light and sons of the day” (v. 5). We are not to sleepwalk unaffected through the world but to live for God in the circumstances He has placed us. We are to watch out for ourselves and others. To be sober means to be sound in mind. We are to have the mind of Christ; this is displayed in the protection and power of faith, love and the hope of salvation (vv. 6-8). Paul connects again to their “work of faith and labour of love” in chapter 1. Then he reminds them of the glorious facts that Jesus Christ “died for us” and we will “live together with Him”, which links to their “patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3).
In the meantime, we are to live in the power of our great salvation. The people of God should recognise, support and love those who care for the Flock of God. Peace should govern our relationships. The people of God are to be cared for in a variety of circumstances. Some need to be warned of unspiritual behaviour, those who are despondent need encouragement, and we are to support the weak, however weakness manifests itself. One of the great features of the body of Christ is its inclusiveness. Our patience and longsuffering should be extended to all the Lord’s people. We should never seek revenge but always the good of all. Paul wanted joy, prayerfulness and thankfulness to be features which characterised the Thessalonians. For this to happen, we must not put out the fire of God’s Spirit in our hearts or in the hearts of others, but stimulate those things which cause “our heart burn within us”. The Spirit through the word of God brings Christ to our hearts (Luke 24:32). By the same Holy Spirit and word of God we are to test all things, uphold what is good and distance ourselves from evil. It is the God of peace who keeps us separate from evil whilst empowering us to do good in anticipation of the Day of the Lord, when the Lord Jesus Christ will reign, not only in our hearts, but in this world.
