The Spoken and Written Word of God in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and 5:27

1 Thessalonians provides us with two verses (2:13 and 5:27) that help us explore the word of God, whether spoken or written. 

The Spoken Word of God (1 Thess 2:13)

In this verse, Paul twice calls the content of his verbal witness to the Thessalonians “the word of God.” Though Paul spoke verbally, he spoke the word of God—this word’s origin was divine.

As to the verbal and unwritten nature of his witness to “the word of God,” it was “heard” by the Thessalonians. Luke variously

...
read more

Is Man One, Two, or Three?

Paul prays in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that God would “sanctify” his readers “completely,” including their “whole spirit and soul and body.” Does this verse indicate that man consists of three separate components—spirit, soul, and body? And if so, what is the spirit in distinction from the soul?

Paul uses these terms to stress the wholeness of sanctification, one that reaches every part of man. Paul prays, first, that God would sanctify all of them “completely” and, second, tha

...
read more

Job: An Example of Moral Integrity Part 2

Continued from last week…

Second, do not lie in order to act upon your lust (Job 31:5–8). 

These verses refer to falsehood and deceit in general, sins stemming from an inordinate desire in the heart to take wrongfully from another what can be seen with the eyes (Job 31:5, 7; cf. Prov 27:20b; 1 John 2:16). Job repeats the notion that God knew his integrity and would judge him for this matter as well (Job 31:6, 8). 

Applying Job 31:5–8 to sexual sin, we must remember that what

...
read more

Job: An Example of Moral Integrity Part 1

“The best of men are conscious above all others that they are men at the best.” This quote by Charles Spurgeon reflected upon Psalm 51:1, David’s cry for mercy after his sin with Bathsheba (cf. 2 Sam 11).

“The Book of Job” by Sir John Gilbert (1817–1897)

 

Job was a godly man who avoided this kind of sin. He was the godliest man of his time (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3; cf. Ezek 14:14, 20). He was conscious of what Spurgeon implied—even the godliest of men can fall into sexual sin and ne...
read more

Three Ministries of Pastors and Three Corresponding Obligations of the Church

In 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13, Paul identifies pastors not with a title but according to three of their primary functions.

Pastors work among God’s people. First, they “labor among you.” The verb “labor” can refer to fishing, walking, farming, tent-making, or any type of honest work with one’s hands (Luke 5:5; John 4:6, 38; Acts 20:35; 1 Cor 4:12; 2 Tim 2:6; Eph 4:28; 1 Thess 2:9; 2 Thess 3:8). Paul uses it elsewhere to describe the ministry of Christians (Rom 16:6, 12; 1 Cor

...
read more

Joy to the World: The King Will Come!

“To us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). This promise was fulfilled when Mary gave birth to Jesus, fully God and fully man. He came and conquered sin and death, and we look for Him to come again. When He does, He will fulfill the rest of Isaiah’s promise: “The government shall be upon his shoulder… [He will] uphold [His kingdom] with justice and righteous from this time forth and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:6–7). Lest we wonder if Christ will really come agai

...
read more

A Dream Come True: The Birth of Jesus Through the Eyes of Joseph

Matthew 1:18–25 tells how “the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way,” and Joseph’s dream is a significant part of this passage. He had just discovered that Mary was pregnant and made a natural but incorrect conclusion that Mary had become pregnant through another man (Matthew 1:18–19).

Joseph was probably heartbroken. Mary seemed to have been unfaithful, shattering their future plans together. As Joseph slept, however, an angel delivered a message from God that comp

...
read more

On Seeking the Best Hymnody for Our Church cont...

Continued from last week… 

Some hymns can rise beyond questionable origins to become timeless staples for us today. New hymns can encourage us for a season but may not stand the test of time. Perhaps chapels, colleges, and camps can have simpler songs as long as churches do not replace their liturgy with lighter things. “For everything there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). When the local assembly gathers to let the word of Christ dwell richly in song, however, we must sing

...
read more

On Seeking the Best Hymnody for Our Church

In this rough guide of just a few paragraphs, I list various kinds of hymnody that we do not want and then what (I hope) we do—what is biblical and best.

We do not want a hymnody based on Praise & Worship. As a formal system of thought, Praise & Worship believes that, as the cloud descended on the temple in the Old Testament, so also we can praise God until He “comes down” to inhabit the assembly’s praises today (cf. Hebrews 11:15 with Psalm 22:3b), a descent manifested thr

...
read more

Wholehearted Thanks to the Lord

David wrote Psalm 138 to thank the Lord for His help to him as Israel’s king. The following is a section-by-section summary of David’s thoughts, applied to us today. We learn from him that we must…

First, give thanks to the Lord (Psalm 138:1–3). David begins by giving thanks to the Lord from his whole heart (Psalm 138:1). Similarly, he declared his praise to the Lord “before the gods” (Psalm 138:2). David’s meaning for “the gods” could have been the false gods of Israel’s e

...
read more

Allegiance to Jesus Christ Alone

Paul dealt with sinful division in the church at Corinth. In writing the Corinthians, he began with an imperative: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Cor 1:10). Factions of people jockeyed to follow one leader over another (cf. 1 Cor 1:11–13), so Paul more narrowly commanded, “Let no one boast in men” (1 Cor 3:21)

...
read more

The Premillennial, Pretribulational Rapture of the Saints

The rapture is the event in which “the dead in Christ will rise first” and “then we who are alive, who are left” are “caught up together… in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). We can never know when exactly the rapture will take place, but Scripture at least indicates that it precedes a coming 1,000 years, as well as another seven.

We describe the rapture as premillennial because it takes place before the Millennium, the thousand-year rule of

...
read more

Our Blessed Hope

The passages below speak of the appearing, revelation, and coming of Christ. We could also speak of Christ’s epiphany (appearing), apocalypse(revelation), and parousia (coming). A quick study of these terms encourages us as we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:7).

We should not question “the promise of his coming,” as do false teachers who do not recognize that Christ’s de

...
read more

Moral Purity: God’s Will for Your Life

God washes, sanctifies, and justifies everyone that trusts in Christ, and they will inherit the kingdom of God. The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals—“such were some of you,” says Paul, but a change came “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). 

These titles above characterize people who were given over to sexual sin. Even after faith in Christ, people can continue to struggle with these sins. So, just af

...
read more

Why Holy Ones Refers to God’s Holy People in 1 Thessalonians 3:13

1 Thessalonians 3:13 refers to “the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His holy ones” (literal translation). Are these holy ones angels, God’s people, or both?

Though some hold holy ones to be angels or both angels and holy people (see my website for a survey of these positions), I hold that holy onesrefers only to God’s people for multiple reasons.

First, when Paul uses the Greek word for holy ones (hagios) to refer to beings, he always refers to holy people. Of Paul’s 76 us

...
read more