1 Thessalonians 5

This is the final chapter of 1 Thessalonians. The end of the preceding chapter (4:13–18) dealt with believers who had already died and with the coming of the Lord. This chapter explains how believers should face "the times and the seasons," then closes the letter with exhortations on church life and final greetings.

Outline

• Verses 1–11: The day of the Lord (see Day of the Lord) comes as a thief in the night. Believers, however, are children of light and children of the day, and Paul urges them to watch and be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation. A detailed exposition appears in 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.
• Verses 12–15: Paul asks the readers to esteem those who labor among them, are over them in the Lord, and admonish them, and to be at peace among themselves. He urges them to warn the unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, and not render evil for evil.
• Verses 16–22: A series of brief commands follows: rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in every thing give thanks. The readers are told not to quench the Spirit, not to despise prophesyings, and to prove all things and hold fast that which is good.
• Verses 23–28: A benediction prays that the readers' whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless. It is followed by a request for prayer, a greeting with a holy kiss, and a charge that the letter be read to all the brethren. The letter ends with a blessing of grace.

Key Verses

• 1 Thessalonians 5:2, "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night": a representative New Testament expression of the unknowability of the time of the Second Coming.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks": widely memorized as a summary of the Christian life.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:23, "your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless": frequently cited in discussions of sanctification (the process of being made holy) and of the nature of the human person.

People and Places

• Paul: According to 1:1, he sent this letter together with Silvanus and Timothy. The "we" of the text refers to them.
• Thessalonica: A city in the region of Macedonia where the church that received the letter was located.

Points for Reflection

• "Wrath" in verse 9: Dispensationalist interpreters understand this as the wrath of the Great Tribulation and read it as support for a pretribulation rapture. Other eschatological traditions read it as the wrath of the final judgment.
• Spirit, soul, and body in verse 23: Some appeal to this verse in support of trichotomy, the view that the human being consists of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. The Reformed tradition generally takes it as an expression for the whole person and holds to dichotomy, the view that the human being consists of soul and body.
• Prophecy in verse 20: Proponents of continuationism see it as grounds for spiritual gifts continuing today. Cessationists regard it as reflecting the situation of the church in the apostolic age or apply it to the preaching of the Word.
• Connections with other New Testament passages: The expression "as a thief" also appears in Matthew 24, 2 Peter 3:10, and Revelation 3. The imagery of the breastplate and helmet also appears in Ephesians 6:10–18.

In the Korean Church

• Verses 16–18 are often used as Sunday school memory verses and as church mottoes. They are also commonly chosen as sermon texts for Thanksgiving and for New Year's Eve watch night services.
• In Korean churches, the holy kiss of verse 26 is usually expressed through a handshake or a spoken greeting. Some denominations, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, include the exchange of the Peace in the order of worship.