Ministry of Grace Church

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.

Truth to Learn

Reading God’s Word is essential for all Christians.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “charge” is horkidzō, which is based on horkos, meaning “a solemn oath.” The verb horkidzō means “to put someone to an oath” or “to ask someone to swear an oath.” In a more common English expression we might say, “Promise me that you will …”

“Epistle” is transliterated (a word of one language brought directly into another) from epistolē, which simply means “a written correspondence” or “a letter.”

The verb “read” is from anaginōskō, which is made up of ana, meaning “again” and ginōskō, meaning “to know.” The word anaginōskō originally meant “to know again” or “to perceive accurately.” Later, it came to mean “to recognize” and then “to read.” By the time of the New Testament anaginōskō always meant “to gain knowledge by reading” or simply “to read.”

Hagios is the word translated “holy.” It is based on hagos, meaning “that which inspires awe.” The meaning of hagios is “that which is set apart from common use to be used in the service of God.” All Christians have been set-apart from the world and set-apart to God. Therefore, all Christians are holy.

Meaning Explained

During the first century of the Christian church, the only Scripture (written teaching for mankind from God) that existed was what we today call the Old Testament. Originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, it was translated into Greek a little more than 200 years before the birth of Jesus. When the Messiah (Jesus) came, He brought new teaching, emphasizing the intent of the law rather than the letter of the law. This new way of living (by faith, not by sight) was taught by His apostles to those who believed that Jesus is the Son of God and that He gave His life on the cross to pay for their sins.

As we know, word of mouth teaching can get easily perverted, either intentionally or unintentionally; therefore, the apostles wrote letters to the established churches explaining the teachings of Christ, applying these teachings to problems that had begun to spring up in the churches. Many of these letters were addressed to a specific church, but they contained doctrinal teaching that applied to all Christians. For this reason, these letters were copied and carried to other churches so that all Christians could benefit from the teaching.

This practice of copying apostolic letters may have originated from today’s verse. Since 1 Thessalonians was one of the first of these letters written (the letter written by James was probably the first), this practice of reading the letter to all Christians became a common practice.

Since the invention of the printing press, the contents of the entire Bible have been made available to all people, and this admonition of the Apostle Paul applies equally to all Christians. But, it applies to the entire Bible, not just this letter.

Application

How often do you read your Bible? Is it a daily practice that has become an important part of your life? If not, it should be. Reading God’s Word is essential for all Christians. How can God speak to you if you aren’t reading His letters to you?