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1 Thessalonians 5:23 – Sanctification and Preservation

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Will

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth to Learn

God is the one who makes us holy and keeps us to the end.

Behind the Words

“Completely” is from holotelēs, made up of holos, meaning “all, or the whole” and telos, meaning “the end point.” Thus, holotelēs means “completely to the very last part.”

“Spirit” is translated from pneuma, meaning “a breath of air.” It is that part of man which gives life to all animal life (see Genesis 2:7; 7:15, 22).

The word “soul” is translated from psuchē (or psyche). This word refers to the affections, desires, and emotions, which distinguish mankind from the rest of the animal world.

“Body” is from the Greek word soma, which refers to the physical part of man.

The word translated “kept” is from tēreō, which means “to guard and keep from loss or injury.”

Amemtōs is the Greek word translated “blameless.” It is made up of the negative particle a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of memphomai, meaning “to find fault.”

Meaning Explained

Having finished his teaching to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul now expresses a prayer for them (and us). He prays for complete sanctification for the saints. As we have noted a number of times, sanctification refers to the state of “being set apart from sin and its consequences.” This is not, as some churches teach, a condition in which we have so completely turned from sin in our life that we become completely sinless. Notice that we are not the ones who set ourselves apart; that is God’s doing alone. Also see that this complete sanctification occurs when our Lord comes for us.

Almost since the day Paul wrote this letter, there has been an ongoing debate among Christians as to whether man is made up of two parts (soul and body) or three parts (spirit, soul, and body). The main argument for the two-part theory is the fact that soul and body are contrasted a number of times in the Bible (Job 7:15; Psalms 31:9, 44:25; Isaiah 10:18; Micah 6:7; and Matthew 10:28), whereas this is the only verse where all three are listed. Notice, however, that in 1 Corinthians 15:44, Paul refers to our earthly body as a natural body (literally soul body) and our resurrected body as a spirit body. If the soul and the spirit are the same, then so will our heavenly body be the same as our earthly body. Also note that the writer of Hebrews indicates that the Word of God can divide the soul and spirit. Given these two facts alone, it is reasonable to conclude that man is made up of spirit, soul, and body.

Finally, notice that Paul tells us that it is God who preserves us blameless. He is the one who has declared us to be righteous (without sin), and He is the only one who can prevent the loss of that righteousness until the coming of the Lord.

Application

As we study who and what God is, and as we continue to submit ourselves to Him, we come to realize more fully how powerful and righteous He is and how weak and sinful we are. We also become more and more aware of how undeserving we are of the legal righteousness and the salvation that has been given to us.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:22 – Avoid All Evil

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Will

Abstain from every form of evil.

Truth to Learn

Live life in God’s presence and in obedience to Him.

Behind the Words

“Abstain” is translated from the Greek verb apechomai, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and a form of echō, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” Thus, this word literally means “to hold away from.” It is expressed in the middle voice (action done by the subject, to the subject), so it means “to hold oneself away from.” It is most often translated as “abstain from” or “refrain from.” In the current verse, this word is emphasized by the addition of the preposition apo, meaning “from” or “away from.” So, the sense is “keep yourselves far away from any form of evil.”

The word “form” is from a variation of the Greek word eidos, meaning “to see.” It specifically refers to “that which is seen” or “the appearance of something.” In most of the Greek writing of Paul’s time, however, this word is not used to mean “appearance as opposed to reality,” but to “any kind” or “any form” of something. This seems to be Paul’s intent here.

“Evil” is from ponēros, which specifically refers to “that which is inherently evil in a moral or spiritual sense.”

Meaning Explained

Grammatically, this verse is connected to the previous verse. These two verses should be translated as three commands separated by commas: “Test all things, hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil.”

There are two different interpretations of this verse among Biblical scholars. The first is that we are to keep ourselves from the appearance of evil. The problem with this interpretation is that it forces us to be more focused on what other people think about our actions than what God thinks about our actions. Yes, we are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are not to do anything that would cause a brother of sister to stumble. But, if we go through life worrying about what others think of what we are doing, then we are denying God’s lordship over us. For instance, if Abraham was concerned with the appearance of his actions, then he would never have offered Isaac on the altar. He was more focused on being obedient to God than on what others might think about his actions.

The other interpretation of this verse is that we are to keep ourselves from every kind of evil, or every form of evil. Doing this causes our focus to be on God and what He thinks about the things that we allow ourselves to do. Living in this manner is even more restrictive than being concerned about what others think of our actions. After all, in our sin-sick minds, we could conceive of things to do that don’t appear to others to be evil, but because of our motives they may, in fact, be evil. This is a form of evil. Let’s take Cain as our example here. He brought an offering to God from what he harvested from the ground, but God apparently had instructed both him and his brother, Able, to offer an animal sacrifice. Cain’s offering doesn’t appear to be evil, but because of his motives it was.

Application

As we walk our life-path, let this be our guiding principle: “Do what pleases God and don’t worry what others might think.” If we love God and are submitted and obedient to Him, we will be a testimony of His love for others.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:21 – Find Good and Hold On

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Will

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

Truth to Learn

We are to look for good and hold on to it when we find it.

Behind the Words

Dokimadzō is the Greek verb translated “test” in today’s verse. This Greek word means “to test something to determine its worth.” It is the word used of testing gold or other precious metals to determine its value. There is another Greek word often translated “test.” It is peiradzō, which is often translated “tempt.” It is distinguished from dokimadzō in that it is a test or a temptation to try to induce sinfulness.

The word translated “hold fast” is katechō, which is made up of kata, used as an intensifier and echō, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” Katechō means “to hold firmly” or “keep hold of.”

“Good” is from the Greek noun kalos, which refers to that which is good in quality or character. In other words, it refers to “something that is beautiful or that is morally or constitutionally good.” A different Greek noun, agathos refers to “some deed that is useful or beneficial to others.”

Meaning Explained

Paul is in the middle of a series of short statements about a fruitful Christian walk. He started off with three attitudes: rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. He follows these up with five actions that demonstrate a life submitted to God.

In both of the previous two verses Paul used a grammatical form that indicates that we are to stop doing certain things. It is common in Paul’s teaching to follow up negative commands (things we are not to do, or that we are to stop doing) with a positive replacement (what we are to do instead). In today’s verse he commands us to do two things to replace the actions we are to stop doing. The first thing is to test all things with the purpose of finding good. Instead of suppressing the working of the Holy Spirit and treating prophecies with scorn, we are to test all things. Since verses nineteen and twenty were focused on workings of the Spirit through spiritually gifted men, it is reasonable to assume that he is still talking about the use of spiritual gifts. Instead of taking a negative position against workings of the Spirit, we should test them to see if they are truly of the Spirit of God or simply manifestations of the will of man.

In 1 Corinthians 12:10 Paul talks about the use of the gifts in the church, and immediately after the gift of prophecy, he mentions the discerning of spirits, that is, a spiritual gift of determining whether the prophecy is truly from the Spirit of God. Also, immediately after mentioning the gift of tongues, he cites the interpretation of tongues. Discerning of spirits and interpreting tongues are both gifts that test the use of spiritual gifts.

Finally, in today’s verse Paul commands us to cling to whatever is inherently good. In order to do that, we have to be constantly on the look-out for good things. When we see good things or encounter good people, we are to emulate them and make such things part of our own Christian walk.

Application

Instead of being negative about everything that takes place in our churches, we need to be positive and look for the good things and good people who demonstrate actions born out of love for our Savior and other people.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:20 – Foretelling or Forth-telling?

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Will

Do not despise prophecies.

Truth to Learn

Christians should only believe a preacher or teacher if their message is completely supported by what the Bible says.

Behind the Words

The word “despise” is translated from the Greek verb exoutheneō. It is made up of ek, used as an intensifier and the verb outheneō, meaning “to treat as nothing.” In general usage exoutheneō means “to despise” or “to treat something as if it has no value.” As in the previous verse, in the Greek text the word mē (not) precedes the verb which is in the present tense and the imperative mood. Therefore, the text means “stop despising prophecies” or “stop treating prophecies as if they have no value.”

“Prophecies” is transliterated (brought straight over from Greek to English) from the noun prophēteia. It is made up of pro, meaning “before, in time or position” and a form of the verb phēmi, meaning “to tell.” The verb form of this word can refer either to foretelling (telling something before it happens) or forth-telling (declaring a message to others). In Hebrew, the word translated prophecy is based on the word stem nābā, which simply means “to speak by divine inspiration, either in prediction or simple discourse.” Likewise, the word transliterated “prophecy” in the New Testament means “to speak by divine inspiration.”

Meaning Explained

There is much confusion in the Church today regarding the gift of prophecy. Many people believe that prophecy only refers to telling something before it happens. However, even in the Old Testament, the messages of the prophets contained as much, if not more, about the present than they did about the future.

The Old Testament prophets were delivering messages that came from God to the people. Similarly, in the New Testament church the value of a prophetic message is that it is inspired by God. In the Old Testament, many of the messages of the prophets became part of the written word of God. Today, however, we have a completed Word of God (the Bible) and do not need any new revelation by prophets (such as predicting the future). For that reason, a New Testament prophet today is not a foreteller, only a forth-teller.

In the Old Testament, the messages of the prophets had to always be true. If their forth-telling was contrary to the written Word of God or if their foretelling was not 100% accurate 100% of the time, they were declared to be a false prophet and they were to be stoned to death. Likewise, in the church age, if the message of a prophet does not agree completely with the Bible, that prophet is a false prophet and none of his messages are to be believed.

In today’s verse Paul declares that we are to stop considering prophecies to be of no value. Certainly, if someone claiming to have the gift of prophecy contradicts the Bible, he is not to be believed. But someone who truly has the gift of prophecy today is declaring God’s word and should be listened to, not ignored.

Application

Whenever we are listening to a message from a preacher or learning something from a Bible teacher, we need to search the Scriptures to validate whether what they are saying is true or not. Don’t believe any message from a preacher or teacher unless it is fully supported by the Bible. Be like the Christians of Berea of whom it was said:

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:19 – Let The Spirit Breathe

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Will

Do not quench the Spirit.

Truth to Learn

It is wrong for Christians to suppress the working of the Spirit.

Behind the Words

The word “quench” is translated from sbennumi, which means “to extinguish” or “to quench.” When used metaphorically, it means “to suppress” or “to hinder.” The verb is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

“Spirit” is from the Greek noun pneuma, from which we get our English words pneumatic (meaning “air filled”). Pneuma is based on the verb pneō, meaning “to breath.” Thus, pneuma refers to “a breath of air” or “air in motion.” This is the word used to describe the vital spirit of life or the breath breathed by God into man which gives him life. It is also used to refer to that part of man which is independent of the body. When used of God, it is a reference to the third person of the godhead, the Holy Spirit.

Meaning Explained

As we mentioned earlier, Paul is in the midst of teaching how we are to conduct ourselves in our own personal lives. In the previous three verses, although he talked about actions, Paul was primarily referring to actions that spring from our inner attitudes. In this verse and the three that follow, he talks about actions that demonstrate our submission and commitment to God.

In today’s verse we are commanded not to quench the Spirit. In the Greek text the word mē (not) precedes the verb. As it is written here it means to stop quenching the Spirit or to break the habit of quenching the Spirit. Apparently, the Thessalonians were trying to suppress the manifestation of the Spirit of God and the use of spiritual gifts given to them.

If you compare this church and the church in Corinth, where there was an excessive display of spiritual gifts, you can see that they weren’t much different from churches today. There are some modern day churches that make a big display of the gifts of the spirit like the church in Corinth was doing. But, there are other churches where the gifts of the Spirit are suppressed and looked down upon. Paul does not approve of either of these extremes. Some churches today even teach that some of the spiritual gifts are no longer in effect today, but their basis for this claim is tenuous at best.

What we need to recognize is that God gave Christians these spiritual gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. This is what he told the Corinthians:

So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to build up the church that you may abound. (1 Corinthians 14:12)

Therefore, whether we would seek a particular spiritual gift for personal benefit, or suppress the manifestation of genuine gifts of the Spirit, we are not pleasing to God. However, if we are completely submitted to the will of God, we will use the gift or gifts He has given us to build up the body of Christ and in doing so bring glory to God and God alone.

Application

If you know what your spiritual gift is, then seek to use it to build up other members of the body of Christ. If you don’t know what your gift is, then submit yourself wholly to God and seek His face. If you do so, He will reveal to you what your gift is and how to use it for His glory and honor. However, like all prayers to God, do not expect an immediate answer. It may take years before your gift is revealed to you. In the meantime, be active in serving him. Try on different responsibilities within the body until you find the one that fits you and your gift.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – Thankful For Everything

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Will

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Truth to Learn

Christians are to be thankful for everything!

Behind the Words

The word translated “everything” is pas, meaning “all.” It includes the idea of plurality, meaning “all the parts” or “every.” In this verse it is expressed as a neuter adjective, so it could be translated as “all things” or “everything.”

“Give thanks” is from the Greek verb eucharisteō, which is composed of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of charidzomai, meaning “to grant” or “to give.” Thus, eucharisteō means “to express gratitude” or “to give thanks.”

Meaning Explained

In the past two verses, Paul has given us a couple of commands regarding Christian attitudes: always rejoicing and ceaseless prayer. He now adds a third attitude that we are to have: giving thanks for everything. This is not the only place in the New Testament where we are told to give thanks for everything. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul said:

giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father, (Ephesians 5:20)

And, in his letter to the Colossians, he said:

And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)

Also, in his letter to the Philippian Christians, Paul said:

Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (Philippians 4:6)

As with giving praise, however, it is difficult for us to be thankful for situations in which we feel physical or emotional pain. However, James has given us a similar command in the first chapter of his letter:

My brothers, consider it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the proving of your faith brings about patience. But let patience have its completing work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)

Yes, it’s hard to be filled with joy and to give thanks to God for trials and troubles, but it’s what God expects from Christians. Doing so will produce patience in us, as James told us. But we also know that God will use even these difficult times to produce good, as Paul told the Christians in Rome:

And we know that to those who love God all things work together for good, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Finally, the reason we should give thanks for everything that happens is because it’s God’s will for every Christian. In fact, the grammatical construction in the Greek text indicates that everything in this and the previous two verses (rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything) are part of God’s will for every Christian.

Application

Whether we’re healthy or sick, whether we’re rich or poor, whether life is easy or hard, whether we feel like it or not, it is our responsibility to give thanks to God. It is what God wants, it is what He expects, and it is what He deserves. Let’s get on our knees right now and thank God for everything in our lives!

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray Unceasingly

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Will

pray without ceasing,

Truth to Learn

Our prayer life is to be a continual part of our walk with God.

Behind the Words

“Pray” is translated from the Greek verb proseuchomai. This word is made up of pros, meaning “to or toward” and euchomai, which literally means “to speak out” or “to express a wish.” Therefore, proseuchomai means “to express a wish to someone” or “to speak out to someone.” In virtually every occurrence of this verb in the New Testament, the person being spoken to is God. The verb is expressed here in the imperative mood, expressing a command.

The words “without ceasing” are from the Greek adverb adialeiptōs, which is made up of a, meaning “without” and a form of the verb dialeipō, meaning “to interrupt” or “to leave a gap.” Thus, adialeiptōs literally means “without interruption.” In common usage, however, it means “constantly recurring” not “continuously occurring.” This word was used by Greeks to describe a cough that would not go away. They were not referring to a constant cough, but a persistent one.

Meaning Explained

Paul has switched his teaching from that of how we are to interact with others in the church to how we are to conduct our own personal Christian life. Verses sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen deal primarily with attitudes, while verses nineteen through twenty-two deal primarily with actions. In yesterday’s verse we learned that we are to have an attitude of rejoicing within our spirit at all times. Today, Paul focuses on our attitude of prayer.

As in yesterday’s verse, today’s verse is a command given to us by God. We are to pray unceasingly. There are two ways of interpreting this command. The first is a literal interpretation, in which we are to pray without interruption. This could be called our attitude of prayer. In other words, from the moment we wake in the morning until we fall asleep at night, we are to have an awareness of and communion with God. The other interpretation could be called our persistence in prayer. In other words, we are to be repeatedly communicating with God throughout each day.

Let’s look at Jesus as our example. As the second person of the Godhead, He was constantly aware of God the Father and God the Spirit. However, we find that there were times when He stopped praying. For instance, in Luke 11:1 it says of Jesus, “And it happened, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him …” Jesus stopped praying long enough to teach His disciples how to pray. Another aspect of praying persistently is given to us in Luke 18:1-5. In these verses Jesus is teaching the importance of repeatedly making our requests known to God, without giving up.

As a final note on prayer, keep in mind the advice a wise Christian gave me when I was a new believer. He said, “It is better to pray short in public and long in private.” Think about that!

Application

Prayer – talking with God – is a foundation stone of our walk with Him through our life on earth. We are to have a constant attitude of prayer and we are to be continually talking to Him. And, we need to listen while we are talking.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:16 – Rejoice Always

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Will

Rejoice always,

Truth to Learn

Christians should always be filled with joy.

Behind the Words

The Greek verb translated “rejoice,” is chairō, which literally means “to be calmly happy, to be glad, or to rejoice.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

“Always” is from pantote, which we saw in yesterday’s verse. It means “all the time.”

Meaning Explained

Here’s a little nugget for all you trivia buffs. In the Greek text, this is the shortest verse in the New Testament. It is made up of only two words. John 11:35, which has the reputation of being the shortest verse in the Bible (Jesus wept), contains three words in the Greek text. Now, back to our study —

Back in verses twelve and thirteen, Paul instructed us on how we are to regard and respect our hard working pastors. Then he challenged us regarding how we are to deal with people in the church who cause division and how we are to comfort and support the timid and weak members of our church. In yesterday’s verse, he informed us that getting retaliation for bad things done to us is not what God wants us to do. Instead, we are to always pursue the performance of good deeds.

Now, for the next few verses Paul focuses on the attitudes and actions we need to give attention to in our personal lives. The first attitude he wants us to develop is that of a joyous outlook on life. He commands us to be joyful at all times. But what if I’m going through tough times and bad things are happening to me? you may ask. It is especially important in the midst of difficult circumstances to have an attitude of joy. Yes, it’s easy to get depressed and discouraged when bad things are happening to you; however, Paul is not making a suggestion here, he is giving us a command from God.

The key is to recognize that Paul is talking about spiritual joy, not just a fleshly, emotional happiness. As Christians we need to be constantly focused on what God has done for us and the promise He has given us. God is a holy, righteous God. He is totally sinless and because of His righteousness, He must judge sinners. When we realize how sinful we are and that the penalty for our sinfulness is eternal death and damnation, we begin to recognize how undeserving we are of God’s grace.

Bad things happen to us for three reasons:

They are the consequences of our own sinfulness (God promises us forgiveness of our sin, not avoidance of its consequence).
God allows them to happen to us in order to help us grow spiritually and become more Christ-like.
They are a result of the sinful, ungodly world in which we live.

No matter what the source, however, we can be filled with joy because one day we will leave this sinful world and we will spend eternity in God’s presence. This is much better than the eternal fate that unbelievers face, whether they know it (or believe it) or not.

Application

In the midst of difficult circumstances we can be filled with joy, knowing that we are God’s children and we will spend eternity in His presence. Therefore, my friend, no matter what your circumstances are, learn to be filled with joy.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:15 – Do Good, Not Evil

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Will

See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for one another and for all.

Truth to Learn

Don’t retaliate when you experience evil. Do good instead.

Behind the Words

The word translated “renders” is apodidōmi, which is composed of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and didōmi, meaning “to give.” Literally, it means “to give from,” that is, to act in response to action done. Specifically, it refers to retaliation. Some translations have this as “return” or “repay.”

Kakos is the Greek word translated “evil.” This word refers to external actions that are “worthless, bad, or evil.” A different Greek word, ponēros, refers to wickedness or maliciousness as an internal motivation.

“For” is translated from anti, meaning “opposite” or “against.” Here it indicates action directed against someone else.

“Always” is from pantote, which is made up of a form of pas, meaning “all” and tote, meaning “then, in terms of time.” Thus, pantote means “all the time” or “always.”

The word “pursue” is from the verb diokō, which means “to pursue (in a good sense” or “to persecute (in a bad sense).”

Agathos is the word translated “good.” It refers to the quality or characteristic of goodness or usefulness.

Meaning Explained

In yesterday’s verse, Paul taught us how we are to respond to certain issues within the church. We need to caution those who are unruly or disruptive, reminding them of the need for peace and orderly conduct in the church. We also need to provide comfort and encouragement for those who are overcome with fear and doubt. And, we need to support those who are weak physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He also said that we are to do these things with an attitude of patience.

Now he tells us what not to do, and what to do instead. Each one of us at one time or another has been the recipient of malicious action, whether it was intentional or not. The normal response, driven by our sin nature, is to strike back – to get even. After all, the Old Testament teaches “an eye for an eye,” right? But that’s not what the New Testament teaches. Paul says, “Don’t repay evil for evil.” Instead of retaliating for something evil that was done to us, Paul says we need to go after what is good.

Jesus Christ is our perfect example of this. He claimed to be the Son of God (which He truly is), thus claiming to be equal with God. (Matthew 26:63, 64) Because of this, He was condemned to die. He was then ridiculed, beaten, and hung on a cross to die. Even those standing around him said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Matthew 27:40) Jesus did not deserve any of this kind of treatment, and He could have simply spoken the words and those mocking Him would have died. Instead, he chose to do what was ultimately the kindest, most loving thing anyone has ever done. He stayed on the cross and gave His life as payment for your sins and mine. He did what was good for all.

Application

The next time someone does something evil to you, remember what Jesus did for you. Remember what Paul teaches us: pursue what is good for all. This will glorify God.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:14 – Caution, Support, and Patience

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Will

And we exhort you, brothers, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all.

Truth to Learn

We all need to patiently work toward peace in the church.

Behind the Words

The word “exhort” is from parakaleō, meaning “to encourage, challenge, or comfort.”

“Warn” is translated from noutheteō, which was translated as “admonish” a couple of verses ago. It means “to put in mind,” “to caution,” or “to reprove.”

“Unruly” is from the Greek word ataktos. This is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and a form of the verb tassō, meaning “to arrange in an orderly manner.” Thus, ataktos literally means “disorderly.”

The word translated “comfort” is paramutheomai, which is made up of para, meaning “alongside” or “near” and the verb form of muthos (a myth or story), meaning “to relate a story.” Paramutheomai means “to speak kindly or soothingly.”

“Fainthearted” is translated from oligopsuchos. This word is made up of oligos, meaning “small or little” and phuchē, meaning “soul.”

Anthechō is the Greek word translated “support.” It is composed of anti, meaning “against” and echo, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” So, literally this word means “to hold close.”

“Be patient” is from makrothumeō, from makros, meaning “long” and thumos, meaning “anger.” It means “to be long-suffering or patient.”

Meaning Explained

At the end of yesterday’s verse Paul told us to be at peace with each other (referring to Christians); however, being at peace (or making peace) is an active process, not a passive one. Here, Paul gives us some ideas regarding how we can make peace. Notice, first of all, that he doesn’t say, “Just ignore problems that are in the church.” When we see problems in the church we are to take positive, loving action.

The first issue that Paul addresses is members who are unruly or disorderly. In 1 Corinthians 14:33, Paul contrasted confusion (or disorder) with peace. Those who are disorderly, cause confusion and strife. We need to caution such people and remind them of the need for order and peace within the church.

The second issue that Paul addresses is faintheartedness. These people lack courage or conviction to pursue what is right. They tend to just “give-in and give-up” when faced with opposition. We need to speak kindly to such people and remind them that doing things God’s way is always the right way.

The third issue involves those who are weak. This word is usually applied to those who are physically weak. We are to put effort into lending support to those who are weak, either physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

In each of these situations, however, we are to be patient with those who cause problems. That doesn’t mean ignoring the problem, rather giving loving support and guidance even when the problem recurs over and over again.

Application

Making peace within the church is a full time job and it is to be done in a kind, loving way just as our Lord would do.

In God's service, for His glory,