1 Thessalonians 4:1-18
It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
Love all the brothers more and more.
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders.
Three things are confirmed:
1.We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
2.For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel(天使) and with the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will raise first.
3.We who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
V1-8: sexual life. Pagan standards of sexual behavior fell far short of Jewish and Christian ones. The pull of the old ways was strong for the young converts. But they must exercise self-control. Christian must not wrong Christian in sexual affairs.
V 11-12: work. Patrician Greeks looked down on those who worked with their hands. And there were idlers in the church quite happy to sponge on the generosity of fellow-Christians. Paul himself worked with his hands. He was prepared to step down the social ladder and identify with the labourers. And he encourages the Thessalonians to do the same.
The prospect of Jesus' return was a great temptation to opt(選擇) out of humdrum(單調) daily work
Why?
No gossip, be quiet and mind your own business.
Some had died in the months between Paul's departure and the writing of this letter. So will Christians who die before Christ comes lose out? Far from it, says Paul. They will be raised first when Christ comes. And dead and living together will join in the Lord's trumpet and enjoy his presence.
God is Holy, so all his follower should live a holy life.
More and more: love other should do more and more as I can.
How?
Be sanctified and I should avoid sexual immorality. The prospect of Jesus' return was a great temptation to opt out of humdrum daily work.
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