| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2026 | ESV (2016) | ESV Life Journal Plan – 2026 |
1 Thessalonians 4
Observation & Interpretation
Paul urged the brothers in the Thessalonian church in the Lord Jesus that they walk as they ought to walk and thereby please God, doing as they had been but all the more (v. 1). He acknowledged that they knew the instructions they had been given and that the will of God was their sanctification (v. 2-3). Paul expounds on God’s will for them that they were to abstain from sexual immorality and control their bodies in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles (v. 4-5). No one was to transgress or wrong his brother because the Lord is an avenger in these matters and they had been solemnly warned (v. 6). Thus, if they disregarded this instruction, they would be disregarding not man, but God who gave His Holy Spirit to them (v. 7-8).
Paul then spoke of how they needed no one to write to them concerning brotherly love because they had been taught by God to love one another (v. 9). He acknowledged that this was indeed what they were doing to all the brothers in Macedonia and exhorted them to do this more and more (v. 10). Continuing in this exhortation, Paul told the church to aspire to life quietly, minding their own affairs as they were instructed that they may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (v. 12).
Paul pivoted his focus to assure them regarding those who were asleep, that they were not to grieve over such individuals as those who have no hope (v. 13). Since they believe that Jesus died and rose again, so too, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who had fallen asleep (v. 14). He explained that those who are alive (those left until the coming of the Lord) will not precede those who had fallen asleep (v. 15). The Lord will descend from heaven with a cry of command with the voice of the archangel and the sound of the trumpet and the dead in Christ will rise first (v. 16). Then, those who alive at His coming will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so they will always be with the Lord (v. 17). For this reason, the church was to encourage one another with these words (v. 18).
Application
Paul’s words to the Thessalonian church underscore both God’s will for our sanctification as well as our active role in the process. We are not to sit idly by while God does all the work, but to faithfully respond to and engage with God and His intended outcome of our holiness. This means ardently putting to death the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life as they are not from the Father but from the world. Our walk with the Lord should reveal a stark contrast with unbelievers who do not know Him and the way in which we love our siblings in the faith should showcase our Lord’s gracious work of heart transformation. May we heed Paul’s warning of the church that the Lord is an avenger of transgression and wrongdoing, that it instill within us a reverent fear of the Lord and compel us to strive for holiness in order that He would be glorified.
Resources
- J. I. Packer et. al, The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016)
- Colin Hansen (Editor in Chief), TGC Bible Commentary (Columbia, MO: The Gospel Coalition, 2022)
- Iain M. Duguid (Series Editor), ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018-2025)
- Faithlife Study Bible (Lexham Press, 2016)
- Believer’s Bible Commentary (Thomas Nelson, 2016)
- CSB Study Bible Notes (Holman Bible Publishers, 2017)
- The New American Commentary (Brentwood, TN: Holman Reference)
- Lane T. Dennis and Wayne Grudem (Editors), ESV Study Bible, Crossway, 2008.
