1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

1 Thess. 4:1-8 General conduct and sexual conduct

Earlier, we saw that, in Paul’s time, the general form for a letter was to begin with who the letter was from and to, offer a greeting that might include an expression of thanks, and then move to the main points of the letter.  In a sense, the first 3 chapters of this letter have been an extended thanksgiving.  Paul now turns to some specific issues he wants to address.

What is the general rule of conduct that Paul sets forth in verse 1?

Paul says: Conduct yourselves (literally, “walk”)  the way we taught you to, to please God.

If Paul’s basic principle is that your conduct should “please God,” what would that kind of conduct look like?

Paul tells them that they are doing what they were taught and should do it even more.  In what ways is that an appropriate exhortation to all of us at all times in our lives?

What is something you are doing, for which it might be good to encourage yourself to do it even more?

In verse 3, Paul says that the will of God is “your holiness” (NABRE) or “your sanctification” (NRSV).  The two translations evoke different aspects of the same point: the goal is both a process and a result.  What is “holiness” or “sanctification”?

To what extent do you want to be “holy” or “sanctified”?

Paul elaborates by focusing on the issue of sexual morality.  This was appropriate to his time (and our time today) because sexual morals were extraordinarily loose in his time (as in ours).  Sexual promiscuity was considered normal.  Divorce was common.  Paul is speaking to men in this passage.  Men often had a wife and a mistress and also spent time with prostitutes.  We can extrapolate from what he says to find principles that apply to women as well as men.

Verse 3 ends with the general principle for sexual morality, stated in the negative.  What are they to refrain from, and what does it mean?

How might you apply this verse to your own situation or to the sexual attitudes among your friends and colleagues?

Verse 4 is unclear.  Paul says that each man should know how to (verb) his (noun).  The verb used in the Greek can mean control or possess or acquire.  Different translations make different choices from among those options.  The noun is literally “vessel.”  What does that vague word mean?  Theologians and scholars down through the centuries have disagreed about whether Paul is talking about the man’s “body” or his “wife” or the male sex organ.  Most modern translations interpret it as referring to the man’s “body” or his “wife.”

If in verses 4-5, Paul is talking about obtaining a wife, what is his point as he talks about doing so in “holiness and honor” and not with “lustful passion”?  What is he telling them to do?

If in verses 4-5, Paul is talking about controlling one’s body, what is Paul’s point as he talks about doing so in “holiness and honor” and not with “lustful passion”?  What is he telling them to do?

In verse 6, Paul directs them not to exploit their brother (and this could apply to women as well as men).  How does sexual immortality mistreat other people besides the people involved in the sexual relationship?

Paul tells them not to be like the Gentiles who do not know God.  In what ways do Christians have a better understanding than nonbelievers of what God seeks in our sexual relationships?

In verse 6, Paul says that the Lord is an avenger in these things.  Is his point that there is judgment on those who do not follow God’s teaching on sexual morality?  Or is his point that if you suffered because someone else did wrong, you need to leave it to God to avenge the wrong?

Paul restates his point in a different way in verse 7.  What does he say?

In verse 8, Paul brings the Holy Spirit into this consideration of sexual immorality.  What is the connection between what we do with our bodies and the fact that God is giving his Holy Spirit to us?

Paul elaborates on this connection to the Holy Spirit a few years later in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 6:16-20), where he describes our body as a temple of the Holy Spirit that should not be profaned by sexual immorality.

Paul began in verse 1 by saying that he was speaking “in the Lord.”  Now he ends in verse 8 by saying that anyone who disregards this teaching is not disregarding a human being (Paul), but God.  The Church throughout its existence has taken a similarly strong stand with regard to sexual sin.  Why does God take sexual morality so seriously?

How would you explain to a new Christian why sexual behavior matters?

1 Thess. 4:9-12 Brotherly love

The Greek word in verse 9 translated as “mutual charity” (NABRE) or “love of the brothers and sisters” (NRSV) is the word philadelphias, which means brotherly love.  The word comes from two Greek words: phileō, which was the word used for the kind of love one might have for members of one’s family, and adelphoi, the word for brothers.  From early on, the Christian church referred to the members of the Christian community as “brothers” (adelphoi); so philadelphias meant love for one’s fellow Christians – for those who are brothers and sisters in Christ.

In verse 9, what does Paul say about their love for one another?

In verse 9, Paul says they have already been “taught by God” to love one another.  What does God teach us about love?  And how might they already have learned and been showing that kind of love?

When Paul says that they have been taught by God to love one another, he uses the word agape instead of the word phileō.  The word agape was rarely used in ancient Greece.  Jesus and Christians used it for the kind of selfless, unconditional love that God has for us.  Christians believe that God empowers us to have that kind of love for each other.  In what ways might God be calling us and our community to show greater unconditional love?

In verses 11-12, Paul identifies other characteristics that he would like to see in the Thessalonian church community.  Consider what each one means and how it might manifest itself in your life and the life of your community:

• What does it mean to “aspire to live a tranquil life” (NABRE)?  How might you or your community do this?

• What does it mean to “mind your own affairs” (NABRE)?  How might you or your community do this?

• What does it mean to “work with your hands” (NABRE)?  How might you or your community do this?

• What does it mean to “conduct yourself properly toward outsiders” (NABRE)?  How might you or your community do this?

• Where the NABRE says Paul would like them to “not depend on anyone,” a more literal translation might be “not have any need.”  What does it mean to live in such a way that you do not have any need, and how might you or your community do this?

Note: Verse 12 should not be used as a hammer to attack people who are in need.  We do not always have a choice as to whether we are “in need” – health, societal, and economic factors can interfere with that goal.  And Paul has called us just 3 verses earlier to love one another (4:9).  It would be a misuse of Paul’s letter to apply verse 12 in a way that violates verse 9.

Looking over this list of characteristics Paul would like to see in the local church, how would you describe Paul’s ideal vision of a Christian community?

What could your church do to more fully foster these traits?

What actions could you take to apply one or more of these traits more fully in your life?

Looking back over the entire section from 4:1 through 4:12, which verse stands out to you as something where God might be speaking to your heart right now?  What might God be calling you to do?

Take a step back and consider this:

If we were to try to summarize verses 1-12, we might say that God is calling us to a life of sexual purity, godly love for others, and an orderly lifestyle.

God does not give us rules because of some domineering obsession with having rules for the sake of rules.  He gives us rules so that we can be free to be all he is calling us to be as people made in his own image.  How do these instructions calling for sexual purity, godly love for others, and an orderly lifestyle allow us to live like Christ?

Which of these is currently easiest for you?  Which is hardest?  Why is that one hard, and what can you do to grow in it?

When God tells us to love others, who are the people you find hardest to love?  How can you take a step this week toward loving them more?