1Th 1 Thessalonians, chapter First Epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 4
Living to Please God
Finally, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, just as you learned from us how you ought to walk and to please 4:1 God, ¦ God, just as you are doing, that CTGod, you do so more and more. Php 1:27For you know the commands we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God's will that you be sanctified, that you abstain from fornication, Rom 6:22; Rom 12:2and that each of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor, 1Co 6:18not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God. In this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of his brother, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you before and solemnly warned you. 1Ti 6:10For God did not call us to be impure, but to live in holiness. 1Co 1:2; Eph 1:4Therefore whoever rejects this command does not reject man but God, who 4:8 has given ¦ gives NA SBL WHhas given his Holy Spirit to 4:8 you ¦ us TRyou.Luk 10:16; 1Co 2:10
Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. Jhn 13:34; Jhn 15:12; 1Jn 3:11And indeed you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. We urge you to aspire to lead a quiet life, to attend to your own affairs, and to work with your 4:11 own ¦ --- SBL TH WHown hands, just as we commanded you, Eph 4:28; 2Th 3:10so that you may walk properly toward outsiders and not be in need of anything.Rom 13:13
The Coming of the Lord
But 4:13 we ¦ I TRwe do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who 4:13 have fallen ¦ are CThave fallen asleep, so that you may not be grieved like others who do not have hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 1Co 15:20According to the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive, who are left behind until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 1Co 15:51For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Mat 24:31; 2Th 1:7Then we who are alive, who are left behind, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Jhn 14:3; Jhn 17:24Therefore encourage one another with these words.