I Thessalonians 5:16-24 (NRSV)
In I Thessalonians 5:16-24, we have a section on various Christian duties in verses 16-22 and the closing prayer in verses 23-24.
I begin with a theological reflection on the text. The admonitions here can read to us like a healthy-minded way to live. If so, such qualities will take a lifetime to develop as we learn that in the circumstances of life it will be better to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and to give thinks. We can remain open to what God wants to teach us. We can learn anew what it means to belong totally to God. Such gnomic sayings are short, wise, pithy aphorisms. Such endings of letters were random notes, reminders, and encouragements. They were common in ancient letters. They are general exhortations that might be offered under almost any circumstance. They are the kinds of advice that Paul would have considered appropriate for anyone in almost any imaginable circumstance. An adverbial modifier accompanies each of these three imperatives, expressing the when and how, but even the latter having a temporal dimension. He reminds them, first, to be in a state of joy, happiness or well-being that reflects an attitude or state of mind that one can adopt continually. Such a positive state of mind internally will make it harder to adopt a negative posture in the circumstances we confront daily. Second, he reminds them to have a prayerful state of mind, an admonition that has had an enormous influence upon Christian spirituality, staying in touch with God regardless of the circumstances. Prayer is to become the underlying note and basis of all human activity. Therefore, it must become a theme of specific moments as well.[1] Third, Paul reminds them to remain thankful amid all circumstances. Such a thankful spirit is the general form of prayer. [2] Acceptance of the circumstances of life, which we will have many occasions to struggle, is a crucial step toward health of mind. Time is a healer of our wounds. It may well take some time to see the hand of God in and through everything.[3] If Paul is encouraging a grateful state of mind, then, regardless of circumstances, the underlying spirit we bring is one of gratitude, even if circumstances lead us to a different response. The contagious nature of a thankful attitude is one on which many authors comment today. Such an attitude can open our minds to see opportunities where others see only problems. To recognize that we have done what we could and leave the day behind is often the best advice. We may have committed an unbelievable blunder. Forgetting such matters quickly is wise. Tomorrow is a new day. We need to begin it well and with serenity. We need to begin the new day with high spirits and optimism, without the burden of the past. This day is what we have. This day is too dear, with its hope and invitations, to waste a moment on what happened yesterday.[4] He emphasizes that his admonitions are rooted in the will of God in Christ Jesus toward them. Paul continues with five imperatives. First, instead of quenching the Spirit, they are to let the Spirit fill and transform them. They are to have openness to the power of the Spirit of God. The Spirit will blow where it wills in its work of transformation. The Spirit “moves in mysterious ways,” which is to say that often we are not aware of how God is moving in a particular situation. Paul is referring to the gift of the Spirit and the discernment of its inspiration. One can inhibit the Spirit through either overly restrictive or overly receptive attitudes within the community. Second, the gift of prophets and their word to the congregation needs to be received with openness, even though, third, they must test everything, giving them responsibility to discern the movement of the Spirit and the words of the prophet. The admonition supports the notion of the priesthood of believers that arose out of the Reformation.[5] They are to hold fast to what is good, and refusing to be gullible, refrain from evil. The thought of the sum of human misery throughout the world at any given moment appalls any morally aware person. People spend their brief days on this earth in unprofitable ways. Verses 23-24 are. wish-prayer like 3:11-13. Paul ends with a prayer for their full sanctification, referring to the separation of the elect for the God who has elected them, who in doing so separate themselves from allegiance to other gods. [6] It suggests the separation of the chosen people of God from the world and for fellowship with God. It distinguishes the fellowship of the elect from the ways of the world.The difference of the way of life the early church had from its culture is what attracted people to it. The point is that fellowship with God has ramifications for the common life of believers that will find expression in the rules of a common life without raising the suspicion of a new legalism.[7] In praying for their preservation, Paul stresses that the God of peace may sanctify their spirit, soul, and body, the only reference to a tripartite division that touches upon the realm of philosophical anthropology. Paul is aware of the innermost depths of the human being that can be awake to the Spirit. In fact, spirit is the fundamental determination that makes humanity what it is.[8] The divine Spirit is the principle and power of life of the whole person. We can think of persons as ensouled bodies, and thus having an orientation toward the satisfaction of desire. If so, the human spirit becomes the working of the divine Spirit in humanity in such a way that humanity has an “eccentric” character. As individuals, in other words, we discover who we are by engaging our environment and especially engaging other human beings. Our orientation is toward the environment to find fulfillment.[9] When we confess Jesus as Christ, we are saying our life takes its meaning from him and becomes whole. As an isolated fragment, I am not whole, even if I long to be whole and have meaning. The present is the experience of unfilled destiny. We have not yet arrived at what we shall be. The present is broken and distorted. Death will always leave a question to human life.[10] Paul has already emphasized that the sanctification of which he writes is “entire,” but in referring to body, soul, and spirit, he is emphasizing the effects of sanctification. As conceived from every vantage point, God sanctifies the whole person. Such a focused Christian life involves trusting God to work through us. It requires leaning more on divine power than human power. If we give ourselves, we find our real self. If we lose our lives, we will save them. If we submit to the death of our ambitions and favorite wishes, we will find eternal life.[11] Thus, God watches over and guards by building up from within and protecting, actions that will extend from the present until the coming of Christ. There is plenty of faithful work to do between now and the eventual return of Christ, emphasizing that the one who called them is faithful and will sanctify them in this way. God is faithful to the divine purposes for which God had called them in the first place. God will constantly summon them to awaken again. [12] We must never lose sight of this striking notion of preservation to the final hope that still awaits Christians in the return of Christ. Our concern is with the continuity of Christian existence, a matter that has become even more pressing now that the last time has begun.[13] As C. S. Lewis put it, we have better things ahead of us than the things we leave behind.
I now share extended exegetical and homiletical reflections.
Today, we might think of these closing statements as simply a healthy-minded way to live. Yet, such qualities of life take time. We hate to wait for anything. The conveniences of the fax machine, microwave, federal express overnight delivery, express checkout lanes, testify to this reality. We are so busy that we think of any time spent waiting as hopelessly lost. Yet, every day is a place where we can experience and share the love and presence of God. While we complain about waiting, Jesus took the wanderings, homes, and parties as opportunities to share the love of God. Even in our circumstances, we can learn to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and to give thinks. We can remain open to what God wants to teach us. We can learn anew what it means to belong totally to God.
Fifth is an ethical exhortation in the form of a final instruction (5:12-22). He will mingle daily tasks with matters of profound spiritual significance. It becomes a short counsel on church order or cola, used for catechesis. Such gnomic sayings are short, wise, pithy aphorisms. Such endings of letters were random notes, reminders, and encouragements. They were common in ancient letters. The brevity is because these are reminders of what they already know. The advice would be suitable for anyone in many circumstances. He will expand on some of the themes in the letters to the Corinthians. One is they are to rejoice always (Lk 6:23; 10:20). Two is to pray without ceasing, an admonition that has had enormous influence on Christian spirituality. Three is to give thanks in all circumstances or amid everything (Eph 5:15-20). He then reminds them this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward them. Paul continues with five imperatives. First, instead of quenching the Spirit, they are to let the Spirit fill and transform them. They are to have openness to the power of the Spirit of God. Paul is referring to the gift of the Spirit and the discernment of its inspiration. One can inhibit the Spirit through either overly restrictive or overly receptive attitudes within the community. Second, the gift of prophets and their word to the congregation needs to be received with openness, even though they must test everything, and thus are not to be gullible, giving them responsibility to discern the movement of the Spirit and the words of the prophet. Three, they are to hold fast to what is good, and refusing to be gullible, refrain from evil. Four, they are to respect those who are leaders and esteem them highly in love. Their primary task is pastoral care. Five, they are to be at peace among themselves (Mk 9:50b). They are to admonish the idle (II Thess 3:6-13), encourage the fainthearted, help the weak. They are to be patient with all. Consistent with the sayings of Jesus on non-violence (Mt 5:39-42), they are to see that no one repays evil for evil but always seek to do good to each other and to all.
The final section (5:23-24) is a closing prayer and farewell. It begins with a wish-prayer like 3:11-13, as Paul prays for their full sanctification, praying that the God of peace sanctify them entirely. Here is a prayer for the separation of the elect for the God who has elected them. Such sanctification separates the people of God from the worship other gods. Paul also prays that God sanctify their spirit, soul, and body. Here is the only reference to a tripartite division in the realm of philosophical anthropology. God sanctifies the whole person. The preservation involved in God sanctifying the whole person means they will be kept sound or preserved and blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven to earth. The God who calls them is faithful and will do this.
[1] Barth, Church Dogmatics III.4 [53.1] 48, 89.
[2] Albrecht Ritschl, Justification and Reconciliation, II, 643-4.
[3] For more, Steve McSwain, "Give thanks in all things! All things? You're kidding, right?" huffingtonpost.com. November 26, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
[4] Inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
[5] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 128.
[6] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 399.
[7] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 492.
[8] Barth, Church Dogmatics III.2 [46.2] 363-4.
[9] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 185-7.
[10] Wolfhart Pannenberg, The Apostles' Creed (London: SCM, 1972), 58.
[11] Inspired by a thought in C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
[12] Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.3 [71.2] 512.
[13] Barth, Church Dogmatics III.3 [49.1] 83.
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