WRAPPING UP
1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 ESV
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
As Paul is concluding his letter to the church, he has a group of unrelated thoughts that he expressed. In this last chapter we find the subjects of how to treat spiritual leadership. Helping diverse groups of people. Things that the individual believers are responsible for and working with the Holy Spirit.
In our verses for today Paul gives instructions for dealing with different groups within the church. I like the NLT for the way it describes the three groups. “Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.” The ESV groups these as a the idle, fainthearted and weak. The NASB for the word idle notes the word is rendered undisciplined. But we are getting the picture of the ones who are not doing anything productive. The scripture is not clear if this lack of activity means in the church itself or on the outside, but the overarching message is that we are to be patient with all three groups.
Then Paul gives the church a reminder that is too easy to overlook. But this reminder shows up in some of Paul’s other letters as well as the letter from Peter. It’s a basic principle of Christianity. Don’t repay evil for evil. This is where reading different translations can be helpful. The NLT goes a bit weak on this verse when it says “See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.” I don’t know about you but the always try doesn’t fly. Every other translation is much more definitive. The NKJV says always pursue what is good. The NASB says always seek after that which is good. I just don’t see the Lord saying try. I think it was Yoda in the Star Wars movie who said “do or do not there is no try.” I admit I agree with the silly little character in the movie.
Paul moves on to the three vital things for all of us as believers. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. These are simple instructions. The challenge is in the implementation. Rejoice always. I looked for a try to rejoice but all the translations don’t leave any wiggle room here. So, we are always rejoicing. We are always praying. Obviously, this is not every moment but the idea is that we are praying consistently. And we are giving thanks in all circumstances. Not for all circumstances but in the circumstances we are thankful. Thankful for God’s help. Thankful for His wisdom. Thankful for His deliverance and protection. We are looking for ways to connect God to our circumstances and being thankful is a great start.
Paul covers some ground in this last chapter. There are some great instructions for Christian living contained in these few verses. And remember no try do!