1 Thessalonians 4
The Call to Sanctification
1 Finally then, ▼▼brother(s): The Greek word adelphoi can be used as a reference to males only or to groups that include males and females. It is the context of each usage that determines the proper meaning.
brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must ▼▼walk: A term often used in a figurative way to mean "way of life" or "behavior"
walk and please God – as you are doing ▼▼Lit walking
– do so even more. 2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is God’s will, d your ▼▼saint(s)/sanctification/sanctify/sanctified: The work of the Holy Spirit that separates believers in Jesus from the world; at the time of saving faith in Jesus, the believer is made a saint; therefore, all believers are saints. The believer participates with the Spirit in a process of transformation that continues until glorification. The goal of sanctification is progressive conformity to the image of Jesus Christ.
sanctification: f that you abstain g from sexual immorality, 4so that each of you knows how to control his own body ▼▼Or to acquire his own wife; lit to possess his own vessel
in sanctification and honor, 5 not with lustful desires, i like the Gentiles who don’t know God. 6This means one must not transgress against and defraud j his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, ▼▼Lit things
as we also previously told and warned you. 7 For God has not called us to impurity l but to sanctification. 8 Therefore, the person who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who also gives you His Holy Spirit. m Loving and Working
9 About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God n to love one another. o 10In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers in the entire region of Macedonia. p But we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more, 11to seek to lead a quiet life, q to mind your own business, ▼▼Lit to practice one’s own things
and to work s with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12so that you may walk properly ▼▼Or may live respectably
,
u in the presence of outsiders ▼▼Non-Christians
and not be dependent on anyone. ▼▼Or not need anything, or not be in need
,
x The Comfort of Christ’s Coming
13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are ▼▼asleep: A term used in reference to those who have died
asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. z 14 Since we believe that Jesus died and rose aa again, ab in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through ▼▼Or in
Jesus. ad 15 For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: ▼▼Or a word of the Lord
,
af We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming ag will certainly have no advantage over ▼▼Or certainly not precede
those who have fallen asleep. ai 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, ▼▼Or command
,
ak with the archangel’s al voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ am will rise first. 17 Then an we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds ao to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage ▼▼Or comfort
one another with these words.
Copyright information for
HCSB