1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Various Exhortations
12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
Blessing and Admonition
23 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. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
25 Brethren, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
We see the entreaty to continue to follow Christ as we have been called to do as the summation of this letter to the Thessalonians and to all who have come after them that we may also experience the blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle spoke with God’s authority to move the congregation to support all who labor in the word of God and prayer for them (1 Timothy 5:17, Philippians 2:29, Hebrews 13:7, 17) with honor and esteem in love for all they do and sacrifice for the flock. The entreat also includes correction (2 Timothy 3:16-17) using the word of God for those straying from holiness and godliness according to that word given all of us for order and honor to God and our fellow man. We are to warn those who act contrary to the scriptures as well as to comfort those who are timid or have doubts and patiently hold up those struggling in their sanctification. We are called to do all for the good of others and ourselves as we watch over each others souls in true fellowship. The commandment of God’s will over all these things is to find joy and express it as we continue steadfastly in prayer (Ephesians 6:18-19, Colossians 1:23) with never-ending thankfulness for all the Lord has done for us all. We are not to stop God’s work by letting sin get in the way of our sanctification as we are conforming to the image of Christ by working our our salvation (Philippians 2:12-13) in awe and reverence of our Sovereign Savior. We allow God to speak through others and listen to them as they align with scripture as we test what we hear (Acts 17:11) and hold onto the true and good while not giving heed or support to what is wrong and evil in the sight of God. This is loving fellowship that cares for each other enough to help to keep on the path set before us with the goal of our heavenward calling (Philippians 3:14) in Christ. The blessings we bestow are those bestowed on us by the Lord; we pray that He would continue to make others holy in body and soul to be as blameless as possible when our Lord returns to reward our faithfulness and bring us to live with Him and the Father forever. We understand that it is God working in us to make this possible as Philippians 1:6 reminds us. We also ask for pr as much as we pray for one another that our ministry be effective in Christ to this end. May we greet one another in this same spirit as is called for here at the end of the letter of love and eternal assurance of Christ’s return as we have peace in these latter days. We should therefore read these words of entreaty and blessing whole we teach them with conversation, teaching, and preaching (Matthew 28:20) as we all experience the grace of God and His wonderful salvation that answers the bad news of judgment with the good news of deliverance from the penalty of sin!
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