His Word Today

^“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13 (ESV)

Today’s text begins an extended section concerning the return of Jesus Christ. The return of Christ dominates interest and discussion among believers in Christ; regardless of denominational affiliation or theological persuasion.  

The extended biblical context has two subdivisions. First, Jesus will come with impartiality toward all believers. Therefore, those who are alive when Christ returns will have no advantage over those who have physically died (4:13–18). Second, Jesus’ arrival will be sudden, taking people by surprise (5:1–11).

I Thessalonians 4:13 begins Paul’s extended narrative about Christ’s future return by acknowledging a present condition among the believers to whom he was writing. They were grieving the death of loved ones. Certainly, we can relate and understand in the 21^st century what these believers were feeling in the 1^st century.

Paul, Silas and Timothy did not want the Thessalonian believers to be uninformed. To be uninformed (ἀγνοεῖν; agnoein) means to be presently, actively and infinitely ignorant or unaware of the importance of something.

What these believers were ignorant of was the future of their deceased loved ones. Paul referred to these dead Christians as those who were sleeping. The word asleep (κοιμωμένων; koimomenon) is a euphemism for death.  

“The introductory clause, ‘now we do not wish you to be in ignorance,’ has its analogies in many letters that have come down to us from the ancient world. Paul often uses this formula (Rom. 1:13; 11:25; 1 Cor. 10:1; 12:1; 2 Cor. 1:8; cf. Phil. 1:12; Col. 2:1),” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

“But in Paul’s epistles words are never mere empty forms. They are divinely inspired. There is a special reason for them. So also in the present case. Ignorance concerning spiritual realities is always bad for the believer. It leads to lack of comfort. That was particularly true in this case. The brothers (note affectionate form of address; see on 1:4) are worrying about those who fall (an inferior reading has had fallen) asleep.”

“The death of believers is often compared to sleep (Matt. 27:52; John 11:11–13; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 7:39; 15:6, 18; cf. “rest from their labors,” Rev. 14:13). The expression is based on Old Testament terminology with reference to death (Gen. 47:30; 2 Sam. 7:12),” continues Dr. Hendriksen.

“The comparison of death to sleep is particularly appropriate in implying not only rest from labor but also the glorious awakening which believers expect on the other side. This falling asleep does not indicate an intermediate state of unconscious repose (soul-sleep). Though the soul is asleep to the world which it has left (Job 7:9, 10; Is. 63:16; Eccl. 9:6), it is awake with respect to its own world (Luke 16:19–31; 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:21–23; Rev. 7:15–17; 20:4).”

The elimination of ignorance would assist the Thessalonians in their grief. To grieve (λυπῆσθε; lypesthe) is a present, passive condition of sorrow and sadness. It is a deep distress.

“People talk as if grief were just a feeling — as if it weren’t the continually renewed shock of setting out again and again on familiar roads and being brought up short by the grim frontier post that now blocks them. The pain now is part of the happiness then. That’s the deal.” —  C. S. Lewis

 “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.” — Washington Irving

“The darker the night, the brighter the stars, The deeper the grief, the closer is God!” — Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” — Dr. Seuss

Everyone grieves. Everyone experiences the pain in the death of a loved one. The question is whether the individual grieving does so either in despair or hope? As a pastor, I have witnessed families gather in a funeral home in despair when the deceased was not a believer. It is not pleasant. There is an overwhelming sense of the absence of the presence and joy of God.  

Contrast this previous scene with a funeral viewing room filled with believers in Christ who are present to remember a fellow deceased believer in Christ. While there will be tears, the is a sense of hope. Hope (ἐλπίδα; elpida) is the confident expectation of heaven based upon the promises of and from God. For the believer, hope is not a wish but rather a certainty.

“The Greek and Roman world of Paul’s day was, indeed, a hopeless world (Eph. 2:12). According to the Greek (and afterward also the Roman) conception, there was no future for the body, which came to be regarded as the soul’s “prison-house,” states Dr. Henriksen.

“In the second century A.D. a certain Irene, an Egyptian, writes a letter to a family in mourning. She writes that she is sorry and that she weeps over her friend’s departed one just as she had previously wept over the loss of her own dear one. She concludes her letter by saying:”

“But, nevertheless, against such things one can do nothing. Therefore, comfort one another. Farewell.”

“It is clear that such an expression “Comfort one another,” when every ground for comfort was lacking, is, to put it mildly, very insufficient!Indeed, apart from Christianity there was no solid basis for hope in connection with the after-life,” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.

Paul would write to the church at Colossae, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27 (ESV)

The only confidence anyone has for life after death is in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone, by grace alone through faith alone. Through Christ alone, Christians may grieve but they do so with confidence in the heavenly home God promised (John 14:1-6).

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease;
my Comforter, my All in All;
here in the love of Christ I stand.

No guilt in life, no fear in death;
this is the pow’r of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man
can ever pluck me from His hand;
’til He returns or calls me home,
here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand!

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed and hope filled day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“…and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.” (Colossians 4:9 (ESV)

“There’s a sickness in our society that has infiltrated and infected the church. I have in mind our modern obsession with superstars. Whether they be Hollywood actors, Wall Street moguls, or overpaid, egotistical athletes, they seem to fill our newspapers and dominate our headlines and have become, tragically in most cases, role models for our children,” states Christian author Sam Storms.

“The Church is by no means immune to this infatuation with celebrity. Mega-church pastors, health-and-wealth advocates, and best-selling authors are promoted and praised as if they are in better standing with the Lord than the faithful but unacknowledged housewife or the quiet pastor who tends a flock of less than a hundred folk in rural Alabama.”

At the end of the Apostle Paul’s New Testament Epistles, he included final greetings. These remarks usually mentioned fellow servants of Christ who ministered to him and alongside him. They may be identified as superstar-less servants. For the next several weeks, we’ll discover some insights from Paul about his many companions. Today, it is Onesimus. Who was this individual?

A significant resource of information regarding Onesimus is contained in the Apostle Paul’s New Testament letter to Philemon. Onesimus was a slave of Philemon. He robbed his master and run away to Rome. Paul became acquainted with him while imprisoned in the city. It was during this time Onesimus became a follower of Christ and also a close friend to Paul (Phlm 1:10).

“Paul wanted to keep Onesimus with him during his imprisonment because he had been helpful to him (in Greek, Onesimus means “useful”). However, Paul returned the slave to his master, confident that the runaway slave would be received by his former owner as a Christian brother and that Philemon would charge any wrong that Onesimus had done to Paul’s account,” explains commentator Dr. Walter Elwell in the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.

Onesimus was with Tychicus and delivered the Letter to the Colossians (Col 4:9), possibly indicating that he came from that region. There are several characteristics about Onesimus found in today’s text.

First, he was faithful (πιστῷ; pisto). Onesimus was trustworthy, committed, dependable and an honorable individual. He not only was a man of faith in Christ positionally, but also relationally with other believers. He was God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10).

Second, he was beloved (ἀγαπητῷ; agapeto). Paul and the other believers in Rome dearly loved and had deep affection for this young man. The existed a I John 4:7-8 relationship.

Third, the reason Onesimus was faithful and beloved was because he was a brother in Christ. He was just like the Colossians, and they like him. Paul explained Tychicus and Onesimus would explain everything occurring in Rome about the apostle’s imprisonment.

Faithful, beloved and a brother in Christ. This is a fitting testimony for Onesimus and all believers in Christ. Here was a man with no possessions, no rights, and no inheritance under Roman law. He was not wise, powerful or important to the vast majority of people in his day. However, Paul loved and described him as his spiritual son (Philemon 10). Onesimus was a man who diligently served Paul during his imprisonment and for whom Paul would reimburse any debts (Philemon 11, 17-19).

Many of us are so-called superstar-less believers in Christ. That is fine. We serve the morning star (2 Peter 1:19).

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹¹ …”and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, ¹² so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 (ESV)

The following message is by Pastor John Piper. He is founder and teacher of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Foundations for Lifelong Learning: Education in Serious Joy. His article is entitled Why God Wills Work. This is Part 2.

To Provide for Our Needs

The second reason God wills work is that by working we provide for our legitimate needs. When Adam and Eve sinned, God imposed on the human race a condition of hardship that continually reminds us: things are not all right while there is sin. The Lord said to Adam, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread till you return to the ground” (Genesis 3:17–19). Before the fall, man lived in a garden where God provided his food on trees. All Adam and Eve had to do was pick and eat. That’s why the essence of work is not sustenance of life—God gave himself as the sustainer. Adam and Eve were free to use their time in creative pursuits without the anxiety of providing food and clothing.

But when they chose to be self-reliant and rejected God’s fatherly guidance and provision, God subjected them to the very thing they chose: self-reliance. From now on, he says, if you eat, it will be because you toil and sweat. They are driven from the garden of ease to the ground of sweat. They exchange fruit trees for wheat fields where thorns and pests and drought and plowing and sowing and reaping and threshing consume their days. The curse under which we live today is not that we must work. The curse is that in our work we struggle with weariness and frustration and calamities. And all this is doubly burdensome because now by this very toil we must keep ourselves alive. “In toil you shall eat of the ground . . . In the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread.”

But hasn’t Christ come to lift the curse (Galatians 3:13)? Doesn’t he restore us to our original pre-fallen condition with God? The answer is: Yes, but not all at once. Christ delivered a mortal blow to all evil when he died for sin and rose again. But not every enemy is yet put under his feet. For example, death is part of the curse under which we live. Has Christ’s coming lifted the curse of death? Yes, but only partly now. We still die, but the “sting of death,” the hopelessness of death, is removed because our sins are forgiven in Christ and he is risen!

It is with the necessity that we work to provide for our needs. Christ says, “Don’t be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, or about your body, what you shall put on . . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom” (Matthew 6:25, 32f.). He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He says, “Know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). In other words, God does not want his children to be burdened with the frustration and futility and depressing weariness of work. That much he aims to lift even in this age.

But just as death will be a reality to the end of this age, so will the provision of our needs depend on our gainful employment. The coming of Christ does not mean that we can now return to paradise and pick fruit in someone else’s garden. That’s the mistake made at Thessalonica. So, Paul wrote them and said, “Even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If anyone will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living” (2 Thessalonians 3:10–12). Able-bodied people who choose to live in idleness and eat the fruit of another’s sweat are in rebellion against God. (See Luke 10:7.)

God has not completely removed the curse in this age. He has softened it with a promise. The curse says: If you want to eat, you must sweat (Genesis 3:19). The promise says: If you sweat, you shall eat (Proverbs 12:11).

So, the second reason God wills work is that by working we provide for our legitimate needs.

To Provide for the Needs of Others

The third reason God wills work is that by working we provide for the needs of those who can’t provide for their own. The promise that if you sweat, you shall eat is not absolute. The drought may strike your village in sub-Sahara Africa; thieves may steal what you’ve earned; disability may cut your earning power. All that is part of the curse which sin brought onto the world. But God in his mercy wills that the work of the able-bodied in prosperous times supply the needs of the helpless, especially in hard times.

Three passages of Scripture make this plain. In 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul speaks to children and grandchildren regarding the aged widows: “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” In Acts 20:35 Paul refers to his own manual labor and then says, “In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” Then in Ephesians 4:28 Paul doesn’t settle for saying: “Don’t steal, work!” He says, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.”

So, it’s plain: the third reason God wills work is that by working we provide for the needs of those who can’t provide for their own. Work is a way of love.

To Build Bridges for the Gospel

Finally, God wills work as a way of building bridges for the gospel. In our work we are usually in the world. We rub shoulders with unbelievers. If we do our work in reliance on God’s power, according to his pattern of excellence, and thus for his glory, we will build bridges for the gospel so that people can cross over and be saved. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11, 12, Paul exhorts the believers “to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands as we charged you; so that you may command the respect of outsiders, and be dependent on nobody.” There is a very close connection between the way we do our work and the attitude that unbelievers will have toward the gospel that makes us tick.

God’s will in this age is that his people be scattered like salt in all legitimate vocations. As long as we are mentally and physically able, we should work, in reliance on his power, according to his pattern of excellence, and for his glory. In this way God wills for us to provide for our own needs, and beyond this, for the needs of others who can’t provide for their own. When we enter our work in this spirit of humble trust in God and love for others, the truth of Christ will be adorned and bridges will be built for the gospel.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in whatever you do for the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31).

Soli deo Gloria!

¹¹ …”and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, ¹² so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 (ESV)

The following message is by Pastor John Piper. He is founder and teacher of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Foundations for Lifelong Learning: Education in Serious Joy. His article is entitled Why God Wills Work.

The most fruitful question that I asked in preparing for this message is: How does a human being differ from a beaver? I was trying to get at the essence of what work is. Because what I want to do this morning is to help us see our work from God’s perspective. If we can discover how God conceives of work and why he wills it, then that huge portion of our lives that may seem so separate from religion and faith can be just as God-focused as our more religious acts.

To be a Christian means to bring all your life, including your work, into sync with God’s revealed will in Scripture. So, to help us do that I want to show from Scripture four reasons why God wills work.

To Glorify God and Increase Our Joy

First, God wills work because when we work in reliance on his power and according to his pattern of excellence, his glory is made known and our joy is increased. In Genesis 1:27, 28, it says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.'” Since our being created in God’s image leads directly to our privilege and duty to subdue the earth, I take it that human vocation involves exercising a subordinate lordship over creation by which we shape and control it for good purposes.

God takes man on as his deputy and endows him with God-like rights and capacities to subdue the world—to use it and shape it for good purposes. So, if you go all the way back, before the fall of man into sin, there are no negative connotations about work. According to Genesis 2:2, God himself rested from his work of creation. And the capstone of that work was a creature in his own image to carry on the work of ruling and using creation. At the heart of the meaning of work is creativity. If you are God, your work is to create out of nothing. If you are human, your work is to take what God has made and shape it and use it for good purposes.

But here is where the beaver comes in. A beaver subdues his surroundings and shapes a dam for a good purpose—a house. He no doubt enjoys his work; and even the diligence and skill of the beaver reflect the glory of God’s wisdom.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

God is glorified in them all. What is the difference between a human being at work and a beaver at work? Or for that matter, a bee, or a hummingbird? They work hard; they subdue their surroundings and shape them into beautiful structures that serve good purposes. The difference is that humans are morally self-conscious and make choices about their work on the basis of motives which may or may not honor God.

No beaver or bee or hummingbird consciously relies on God. No beaver ponders the divine pattern of order and beauty and makes a moral choice to pursue excellence because God is excellent. No beaver reflects on the purpose of his existence and consciously chooses to glorify his Maker by relying on him. But humans have all these potentials because we are created in God’s image.

When God commissions us to subdue the earth—to shape it and use it—he doesn’t mean, do it like a beaver. He means, do it like a human, a morally self-conscious person who is responsible to choose his proper destiny. When he sends us forth to work in his image, to be sure, our ditches are to be dug straight, our pipefittings are not to leak, our cabinet corners should be flush, our surgical incisions should be clean, our typing sharp and accurate, our meals nutritious and attractive, because God is a God of order and beauty and competence.

But cats are clean, and ants are industrious, and spiders produce orderly and beautiful works. Therefore, the essence of our work as humans must be that it is done in conscious reliance on God’s power, as a conscious quest of God’s pattern of excellence, and in deliberate pursuit of God’s glory. When you work like this—no matter what your vocation is—you can have a sweet sense of peace at the end of the day. I don’t think God has created us to be idle. Therefore, those who abandon creative productivity lose the joy of purposeful work. 

Ecclesiastes 5:12 says, “Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the surfeit of the rich will not let him sleep.” People who spend their lives mainly in idleness or frivolous leisure are rarely as happy as those who work. Most of the retired people at Bethlehem know this, and so have sought creative, useful, God-honoring ways to stay active and productive in God’s kingdom.

We should help each other in this, and with the whole problem of unemployment. It is not first an economic problem. It is first a theological problem. Human beings are created in the image of God and are endowed with traits of their creator that fit them for creative, useful, joyful work. Therefore, extensive idleness (when you have the ability to work) brings down the oppression of guilt and futility.

So, the first reason God wills work is that when we work in reliance on his power and according to his pattern of excellence, his glory is made known and our joy is increased.

More to come. Have a blessed day at work, wherever and whatever it may be. May the Lord be glorified in all we do (I Cor. 10:31). 

Soli deo Gloria!

¹¹ …”and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, ¹² so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 (ESV)

In addition to brotherly love and biblical truth, believers in Christ are to be individuals of aspiration. What does this mean?

Aspiration is the hope or ambition of achieving something. It is a strong desire to attain and accomplish a high or great goal. This may be an education, a career, a family, political office, or a monetary goal and lifestyle. An individual once told me he aspired to become a millionaire. Consequently, he worked hard and ultimately achieved his goal.

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to aspire (φιλοτιμεῖσθαι; philotimeisthai) in a present, personal and infinite manner. He wanted them to be people with ambition who would love and seek honor. The question arises regarding what does the Lord think is honorable for the believer in Christ to aspire or pursue?

Paul said “to live quietly” ( ἡσυχάζειν; hesychaein) which means to presently, actively and infinitely remain silent and peaceful. God’s desire is for His children to not sow discord among the brethren (Prov. 16:19). It also means to maintain the unity of the Holy Spirit within the church body (Eph.  4:1-3).

The apostle then said for believers “and to mind your own affairs.” “To mind” (πράσσειν; prassein) means to presently, actively and infinitely engage or practice a particular behavior. The phrase “own affairs” (ἴδια; idia) refers to one’s own private and personal matters related to home, property, finances and perspectives. In other words, the LORD is encouraging people to mind their own business and to not be nosey.

“The guidance Paul gives in today’s passage also provides a way to love others inside and outside the church. We read that we are to “aspire to live quietly, and to mind [our] own affairs” (v. 11). The words in this verse are used elsewhere in Greek literature to commend not making trouble in society. Essentially, Paul tells us to be good neighbors, to mind our own business, and not to be nuisances in the community. Christians must not cause unnecessary social problems. We dare not look for trouble with others or with the culture’s institutions, though we must seek justice when necessary (Mic. 6:8),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

One way for believers to mind their own business is by working. The phrase “to work with your hands” (ἐργάζεσθαι; ergazesthai) means to presently, personally and infinitely do your own labor and work. If you focus on what God has called you to do, you will be less likely to focus on what someone else is doing, or not doing.

Two thoughts emerge with this admonition and directive. First, perhaps many within the Thessalonian church has ceased working because of the perspective of Jesus’ soon return. Second, there may have been some degradation towards manual labor.

“Paul also writes that Christians should work with their hands (1 Thess. 4:11). Let us note two things about this instruction. First, given that Paul addresses matters related to the return of Christ in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, many commentators believe that his emphasis on labor here and in 2 Thessalonians 3:6–12 means that many in the Thessalonian church had stopped working because they expected the world to end soon. If so, they reasoned that they did not need to waste time working when all was about to end anyway,” states Dr. Sproul.

“Second, the phrase “work with your hands” (1 Thess. 4:11) refers to manual labor, which recognizes the dignity of such work. The ancient Macedonians looked down on those who worked with their hands, but manual labor is a noble Christian calling. Of course, we can extend the Apostle’s instruction to all forms of lawful work.”

 John Calvin comments, “What [Paul] says as to hands is by way of synecdoche [using a part to represent the whole]; but there can be no doubt that he includes every useful employment of human life.” (See Colossians 3:23-24). Paul indicated this was not new teaching. He, along with Silas and Timothy, previously taught this to the Thessalonians.

Finally, in today’s text Paul wrote, “…so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” To walk properly (περιπατῆτε; peripatete) means to presently and actively pursue a decent and biblically ordered life and lifestyle before unbelievers. This is so the unconverted may see our good works and glorify God (Matt. 4:14-16). “To be dependent on no one” (χρείαν; chreian) refers to pursuing through one’s own labor and initiative personal needs and not depend upon a welfare state. Paul exemplified this directive (Acts 18:1-4).

“If we are able to work, we must seek to work. And we must seek to live quietly, not putting ourselves in situations where we do not belong. These things commend the Christian life to others, and God uses them to make the gospel more reasonable to those whom He has chosen. If we want to be good witnesses, let us work hard and be good neighbors. And when opportunity comes to share the gospel while doing so, let us share it,” concludes Dr. Sproul.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. May each of aspire to what God has called us to do before a watching world. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁹”Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, ¹⁰ for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more,” (1 Thessalonians 4:9–10 (ESV)

Along with a commitment to biblical truth, believers in Christ are to display biblical love. Accordingly, to the Apostle Paul, this was a characteristic the Thessalonians displayed well.

The word love (φιλαδελφίας; philadelphias) refers to brotherly love. It is affection for a fellow believer. The Thessalonians had learned their lessons from what the Lord taught them about the importance of this behavioral trait of God’s people. “Through Gods Word (Psalm 119:97-102) and by God Himself, they were loving believers (Rom. 5:5; I John 2:7-11; 3:14; 4:7-8, 12),” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

Paul affirmed this was what these believers in Christ were doing. Echoing his earlier remarks in this same letter, people throughout Macedonia knew their “work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3). They were an example “to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia,” (1:7).

“Paul’s commendations of the church at Thessalonica (1 Thess. 1–2) indicate that it was one of the healthiest churches of the Apostolic era. So, the Thessalonian church is an excellent model for us where Paul speaks of it most highly,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“And in today’s passage, the Apostle commends the church for its brotherly love (4:9–10). It is not surprising that Paul praises Christians’ love where it was evident, for love is an essential component of the Christian ethic. God commanded the members of the old covenant church to show love to one another (Lev. 19:18), and this carries right through to the new covenant era.”

“Jesus told His disciples that they must love one another as He has loved them—they are to love each other so much that they are willing to die for their brothers and sisters in Christ (John 13:34–35). Love, Paul says in Colossians 3:14, “binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Christians must love one another,” concludes Dr. Sproul.

Admittedly, this is not always easy. Admittedly, we may not make it easy. Our remaining sinful nature, while no longer in control, still rears its ugly head from time to time.

“To the industrial, political, and social connections between the people of the large city of Thessalonica and those of other places in Macedonia (for example, Philippi, Berea) the faith-in-Christ relationship had now been added. To all the brothers in Christ with whom the Thessalonians came into contact, throughout the whole of Macedonia, genuine “brotherly love” was being revealed. Cf. 1:7, 8. Hence, Paul can only add: But we urge (see on 2:11) you, brothers, to abound the more,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

“Perfection had not yet been reached. This admonition is always timely, for in this life no Christian ever reaches the ideal of ethical perfection. Besides, in this case there were special reasons why the admonition was necessary, as is clearly intimated in such passages as 3:10; 4:3–8, 11; 5:13–15.”

Perfection will not be reached in this life, but the instruction remains; to be brotherly loving to one another.

^3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3–8 (ESV)

Let us resolve to add to our faith the brotherly affection characteristic of the Lord. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!  

⁷ “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. ⁸ Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:7–8 (ESV)

The Scriptures place great importance on truth. This is because God is the God of all truth (Ps. 31:5; 108:4; 146:6). It is the LORD who speaks and judges truly (Ps. 57:3; 96:13). God is the real source and cause of the whole universe (Gen. 1:1; John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-20; Heb. 1:1-4)).

“Scripture also focuses on the revealed truth in the gospel of God’s redeeming grace through Christ. This is the truth Christ and the apostles proclaimed (Jn 8:44–46; 18:37; Rom 9:1; 2 Cor 4:2), which was foreshadowed in the OT (1 Pt 1:10–12), and witnessed to by the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:13). The OT teaching was never false, but it was shadowy and incomplete in comparison with the revealed truth of the NT. So, Christ brought spiritual reality (John 1:17), and the Holy Spirit leads believers into the experience of all that is real in Christ (John 16:13),” explains Dr. Walter A.; Elwell in the Tyndale Bible Commentary.

“Christ is the truth because, being God, his words carry divine authority. They are truth and life (Jn 6:63). In addition, the life of Christ epitomized truthfulness and utter reliability. When people live in obedience to the truth, they themselves are true and reliable. Scripture calls upon people to “do the truth” (Jn 3:21, kjv). Those who have experienced God’s reality in Christ know, by experience, that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6).”

Even this small sampling from the Gospel of John testifies to the importance of the Lord’s objective and revealed truth. God’s truth discloses who He is and what He has done.

John 4:24 ESV / God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 8:32 ESV / And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 14:6 ESV / Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 16:13 ESV / When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

John 17:17 ESV / Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

In a recent broadcast devotional, Dr. R. C. Sproul shared insights on the nature of objective and biblical truth. In his message entitled A World Without Truth Dr. Sproul stated, “We’re living in an era in the history of the world where we have witnessed an unprecedented denigration of the very concept of truth. Truth is reduced to the level and status of a personal preference, where truth may be bent and distorted and twisted to suit our own desires.”

Dr. Sproul’s observations of the current culture in general, certainly apply to the sexualized culture in particular. Sexuality is reduced to the level and status of an individual’s personal preferences, bent, distorted, and twisted to suit humankind’s own desires. This was recently illustrated in the May 23, 2025 issue of Christianity Today.

In an article entitled “Fuller Seminary Reaffirms Historic LGBTQ Stance” by Daniel Sillman, he reported that recently some at the evangelical institution wanted to allow same-sex relationships, but the seminary’s trustees voted to maintain its “historic theological understanding.”

Sillman wrote, “After several years discussing and debating the evangelical institution’s stance—and considering changing policies impacting LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff—trustees voted to reaffirm Fuller’s “historic theological understanding of marriage,” while noting the school’s position that “faithful Christians” can hold other views.”

“Fuller Seminary has historically shunned ideological polarities,” president David Goatley wrote in an email summarizing the May 18-19, 2025 board meeting. “We continue to seek another way—a Fuller way—that is a critical contribution to the church and the world.”

This settled, at least for the moment, an ongoing debate occurring at Fuller regarding its stance on the LGBTQ movement. Board chair Shirley Mullen said the decision, to affirm traditional and biblical heterosexual marriage, was made “after years of long, thoughtful discussions about issues dividing Christians and about Fuller’s core identity.”  

Sillman wrote, “An academic task force considered other “third way” solutions to the ongoing conflict over sexual ethics. One proposal, circulated widely in 2024, opened the possibly of allowing same-sex relationships at Fuller.”

“A draft of revised standards for sexual ethics said everyone at the multidenominational seminary would be asked to “live with integrity consistent with the Christian communities to which they belong.” Faculty and staff would be further required to support Fuller’s position and “contribute constructively to nurturing the seminary’s relationship of trust with global evangelical theological communities.”

Sillman stated, “If the school had decided to adopt that stance, members of the United Methodist Church, the Disciples of Christ, the Mennonite Church USA, the Metropolitan Community Church, American Baptist Churches, and mainline Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Episcopal denominations would have been allowed to work and study at the school while in LGBTQ relationships.”

“Fuller will assume that Fuller faculty and all those involved in mediating the educational experience will be committed to respecting and articulating the institution’s position on sexuality without feeling either morally or intellectually compromised,” Mullen said. “

Sillman concluded, “The decision is unlikely to satisfy Fuller’s critics on either side. Mullen said that’s to be expected and is part of Fuller’s calling and identity.”

Several quotes in Sillman’s article resonated with me. First, the seminary’s trustees and their statement “noting the school’s position that “faithful Christians” can hold other views.” regarding biblical sexual ethics. Scripture allows for no other views. The varied perspectives of people’s preferences cannot be the determiner of biblical truth. To be a faithful Christian is to be trusting in, depending upon, committing to and worshipping Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and obediently conforming our lives to the Word of God. This particularly applies to sexual relationships and gender identity.

Second, president Goatley’s statement, “We continue to seek another way—a Fuller way—that is a critical contribution to the church and the world,” concerning Fuller’s stance on sexuality. Shouldn’t any biblical institution, church or para-church organization, be first and foremost concerned with God’s way and not their own? It is the LORD who sovereignly assigns gender, who designed marriage between a binary husband and wife and the spiritual, relational, social and physical relationships within marriage. This should be continually taught and explained rather than constantly debated.

Finally, Sillman’s observation that Fuller sought to publish a draft of revised standards for sexual ethics wherein everyone at the multidenominational seminary would be asked to “live with integrity consistent with the Christian communities to which they belong.” Fuller’s faculty and staff would be required to support Fuller’s position and “contribute constructively to nurturing the seminary’s relationship of trust with global evangelical theological communities.” Shouldn’t Fuller’s mission be consistent with biblical truth, regardless what other theological communities think or say?

The battle for biblical truth in general, and biblical truth regarding sexuality in particular, rages on within colleges, seminaries, churches and homes. The goal at His Word Today, and for the church, is to know what the Bible says, what it means and how it may be applied in our lives. This is especially true concerning gender identity and sexual ethics.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (ESV) says, “³ For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. ⁵ We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!  

⁷ “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. ⁸ Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:7–8 (ESV)

“Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.” — Oswald Chambers

“Happiness comes from holiness. You can’t truly be happy unless you’re hungry for Jesus Christ.” — David Jeremiah

“We are 100 percent responsible for the pursuit of holiness, but at the same time we are 100 percent dependent upon the Holy Spirit to enable us in that pursuit. The pursuit of holiness is not a pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps approach to the Christian life.” —Jerry Bridges

The Scripture’s call to holiness in general, and sexual holiness in particular, is clear and consistent. Holiness is a defining characteristic of God’s people; whether it was Israel in the Old Testament or the church in the New Testament. The identity and pursuit are the same; holiness.

Holiness, in the absolute and highest sense, belongs solely to God (Isa. 6:1-3; Rev. 4:1-8; 15:1-4). God’s holiness is reflected by believers consecrated to God’s service, as the Lord conforms them in all things to the will of God (Rom. 6:19, 22; Eph. 1:4; Titus 1:8; 1 Pet. 1:13-16). Personal holiness is a work of gradual development as the believer cooperates with the Holy Spirit (Phil.  2:12-13). It is accomplished by many circumstances, hence the frequent admonitions to watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 4:23-24).

“The Christian sexual ethic was no invention of human beings. As Paul makes clear in today’s passage, to disregard the Apostolic and prophetic teaching on sexual immorality is to disregard God Himself. True, the Scriptures were written by human beings, as its teachings on ethics, theology, and other matters come through the Apostles and prophets. However, what they wrote and taught was not the words of men but was and is the words of God (1 Thess. 4:8). Anyone who rejects the teaching of Paul and the other Apostles on human sexuality is rejecting God Himself,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Thus, one cannot be a Christian and believe the world’s false narratives about human sexuality or embrace a sexual ethic that approves of homosexuality, heterosexual fornication, bestiality, pornography, incest, adultery, pedophilia, premarital cohabitation, polygamy, or anything else forbidden by the Lord in His Word (Lev. 18; 1 Cor. 5; 6:9–11; 1 Thess. 4:3–7).”

The Apostle Paul, Silas and Timothy informed the Thessalonians God had called all of them. Called (ἐκάλεσεν; ekalsen) means to summon, appoint and invite. It also means God inviting sinners to partake of the blessings of the kingdom of God. This involves both a negative and a positive side. God’s call to sinners into a covenant relationship points to not what the believer forsakes but also pursues.

“Whenever the epistles refer to the “call” of God, it is always a reference to his effectual, saving call, never to a general plea. It is linked to justification (cf. Rom. 8:30),” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

“That God calls us to holiness, he proves by contraries, because he rescues us, and calls us back, from unchastity. From this he concludes, that all that reject this doctrine reject not men, but God, the Author of this calling, which altogether falls to the ground so soon as this principle as to newness of life is overthrown,” states John Calvin.

“Now, the reason why he rouses himself so vehemently is, because there are always wanton persons who, while they fearlessly despise God, treat with ridicule all threatening’s of his judgment, and at the same time hold in derision all injunctions as to a holy and pious life.”

Therefore, the believer in Christ forsakes impurity. Impurity (ἀκαθαρσίᾳ; akatharsia) refers to all moral uncleanliness. The converted sinner becomes a new person. Therefore, while forsaking what is unclean, God also calls the believer simultaneously to holiness. Carnal Christianity is not in the sovereign plan of God for salvation.

“He (Paul) reminds them that they had been endowed with the Spirit of God: first, in order that they may distinguish what proceeds from God; secondly, that they make such a difference as is befitting between holiness and impurity; and thirdly, that, with heavenly authority, they may pronounce judgment against all manner of unchastity — such as will fall upon their own heads, unless they keep aloof from contagion (contamination),” explains Calvin.

“Hence, however wicked men may treat with ridicule all instructions that are given as to a holy life and the fear of God, those that are endowed with the Spirit of God have a very different testimony sealed upon their hearts. We must therefore take heed, lest we should extinguish or obliterate it.”  

Paul then says whoever disregards (ἀθετῶν; aatheton), rejects or revolts against this instruction rejects and revolts against God. It is He who gave the Holy Spirit to each believer (Rom. 8:1-9). All believers must take this instruction seriously.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a day filled with holiness.

Soli deo Gloria!  

⁷”Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. ⁸ I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts,” (Colossians 4:7–8 (ESV)

At the end of the Apostle Paul’s letters, he included final greetings. These concluding remarks usually included his mention of fellow servants of Christ who ministered to him and alongside him. For the next several weeks, we’ll discover some insights from Paul about his many companions. Today, it is Tychicus. Wo exactly was this individual?

Tychicus was one of many believers in Christ accompaning Paul when he collected and delivered offeringings for the Jerusalem church (Acts 20:4). He is often mentioned with Trophimus of Ephesus, Tychicus was perhaps a native of that city. Tychicus served as the courier for Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (Eph 6:21) along with Paul’s letters to Philemon and the Colossians (Col 4:7).

Commentator Walter Elwell says, “Most believe that he was also one of the two Christians (with Trophimus) who accompanied Titus in the delivery of 2 Corinthians (2 Cor. 8:16–24). Paul mentioned Tychicus twice in his later letters, first sending him to Crete to be with Titus (Titus 3:12), and later mentioning to Timothy that he had sent Tychicus to Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:12). Evidently, Tychicus and Paul were close friends as well as coworkers, since Paul frequently referred to Tychicus as a “beloved brother.”

Paul not referred to Tychicus as a beloved brother but also a faithful minister. This meant Tychicus was trustworthy, dependable, committed and honorable unto the LORD and also to Paul. The word minister (διάκονος; diakonos) means one who serves the needs of believers.

Tychicus was also a fellow servant (σύνδουλος; syndoulos). This meant Paul and Tychicus were fellow slaves belonging to Christ. In a day and culture in which ministers elevate themselves to semi-divine status, these two men identified themselves as slaves serving their LORD and Master; Jesus Christ.

Paul sent his fellow servant and faithful minister to the Colossians for two reasons. First, to let them know how Paul and his companions were while he was in a Roman prison (Acts 28). Second, to encourage their hearts in the things of God.

“The reasons for recommending Tychicus so highly are also similar to those given in the case of Epaphras. It stands to reason that Tychicus, having just now spent some time with Paul and being a man of sound judgment, would be the right person to supply all the necessary information about Paul and his companions and fellow-Christians in Rome,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

In our living for the Lord this week, may we emulate the example of Tychicus. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

4 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1–6 (ESV)

The following article is by Dr. John Piper. Dr. Piper is a pastor, theologian, author and Bible conference speaker. This continuing excerpted message is from 2002 and is entitled This Is the Will of God for You; That You Abstain from Sexual Immorality. The featured text is I Thessalonians 4:4-6.

How Do We Fight for and Enjoy Sexual Purity in Our Lives?

If we had more time, I would love to go into great detail in the nitty-gritty tactical moves you can make in the power of Christ to fight sexual impurity. But what I want to do here is focus on one thing that the text focuses on, not only for the immediate rescue, but mainly for the long-term triumph over the next ten, twenty, thirty, sixty years of your life.

This central, long-term how is found in verse 5. Start reading with me at verse 4: “That each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God.” There it is: “like the Gentiles who do not know God.” When you give way to lustful passion, you act like people “who do not know God.” This means: knowing God is the path to sexual purity. If you are struggling with sexual impurity in mind or body, the immediate and long-term strategy is to know God. Know God! “Knowing God is the path to sexual purity.”

Be careful here! Don’t nullify 1 Thessalonians 4:5 by saying with a cynical tone: “Good grief, there are world-class theologians who are in bondage to lust and who leave their wives. So what good is all this knowledge about God?” Indeed, there are. And I say with tremendous confidence: they don’t know God. To know ten thousand facts about God is not to know God.

Knowing God is the path to sexual purity. And if you are in bondage to pornography and fantasies or fornication or adultery the immediate and long-term strategy of this war is: Know God! Know God! Lustful passion is the mark of the Gentiles who do not know God. (See 1 Peter 1:14; Ephesians 4:22; Romans 1:23–28.)

Why would this be? Why would God ordain that the path to sexual purity is knowing God? The answer is given in 1 Corinthians 6:18–20:” Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.”

Or verse 13: “The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.” We have bodies so that God might be glorified in them. That is why God gave you a body — whether it’s tall or short, pretty or plain, brawny or feeble. This is what Paul said in Philippians 1:20: “It is my eager expectation and hope that Christ will . . . be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Our bodies are given to us so that in the way we use them Christ is made to look more valuable to us than anything.

Now we can see why it is that Paul would say that knowing God is so crucial in the war on lust and pornography and fornication and adultery. If, by some means, you get rid of lustful thoughts and slavery to pornography and fornication and adultery — without any reference to the knowledge of God, he won’t get any glory for your new behavior. In other words, God is not just interested in what you do with your body, he is interested in — he is passionately concerned with — why you do it. If there is no connection between your knowing God, and your sexual purity, God gets no glory and you are in the grip of another idol.

Knowing God is the path to sexual purity because the purpose of sex and the purpose of the body is to magnify the supreme worth of God and the infinite value of Jesus Christ. He will not be seen as supremely worthy and infinitely valuable if knowing him is not the key and the path of our liberation. “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). And Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Knowing God, knowing Christ, is the path to sexual purity.

But we should ask in closing: Knowing what about him? Knowing him in what way? Let me mention three things about God that he may use to set you free and keep you free.

Know the Patience of God

Look at verse 1: “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” Do you see what this says about God? It says these Christians have room for improvement — “excel still more and more.” And it says that they are pleasing God — “just as your actually do walk.” In Christ, God is not an all or nothing God. He knows our frame. He covers our sin. He is pleased with our successes through faith, and patient with our failures. So, know him in his patience, all you struggling saints. Let this knowledge encourage you: you are walking in the way that pleases him — do so still more and more.

Know the Power of God

In the previous chapter, 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13, we read Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”

We defeat the deceitful pleasures of lust with the superior pleasures of knowing God.”

Notice: he asked Christ to establish them blameless in holiness at his coming. In other words, holiness is the work of Christ. Yes, we must pray for it, and yes, we must fight for it. But in the end, be encouraged! You are not left to yourself to win this war. Know God’s power on your behalf through Jesus Christ.

Know the Preciousness of God and the Pleasure He Is to Us

I say this because that is simply what it means to know God in Christ. God is the most valuable person in the universe. He is the sum and source of all true pleasure (Psalm 16:11; 37:4). And knowing this in our experience is what triumphs over temptation. Knowing the preciousness of God and the pleasures of his fellowship will strip pornography of its power. We defeat the deceitful pleasures of lust with the superior pleasures of knowing God. Paul said it like this: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

So, let us be a people who seek sexual purity with all our might, by knowing the patience, the power, and the pleasures of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord, give us one pure and holy passion. Give us one magnificent obsession. Give us one glorious ambition for our lives: to know and follow hard after you.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a God honoring day in the Lord. Dear Lord, continue to establish our hearts blameless in holiness.

Soli deo Gloria!