5:1–2. This section (5:1–11) constitutes a response to the Thessalonian believers about the time of the day of the Lord and how to prepare for it. The apostles affirm that maintaining a life characterized by faith, love, and hope will give believers the assurance that the day of the Lord will not surprise them like a thief (5:4). As in 4:9, Paul begins the section by reminding the Thessalonians about what they already know (5:1). This day is not only the time when God will come to judge the inhabitants of the earth (Is 13:6, 9; Ezk 13:5; Jl 1:15; 2:1, 11; 3:14) but also when God will deliver his people (Jl 2:21–32; 3:18; Ob 15–21; Zch 14:1–21). That day will come like a thief in the night (5:2)—that is, suddenly and at a moment when it is not expected.
5:3–5. Paul graphically describes how that day will come (5:3). Once again, Paul draws from Jesus’s teaching (Lk 21:34–36). Paul describes how believers will face that day (5:4). While they do not know when the day of the Lord will come (5:2), they will be prepared for it since they are “not in the dark.” Christian salvation is a transition from the realm of moral darkness to light (Ac 26:18; Eph 5:8; Col 1:13; 1 Pt 2:9; and see Heb 6:4; 10:32). Paul’s point is that living the moral life in the light (5:5) assures the believers that the day of the Lord will not surprise them, since they will be ready for it. [Hell]
5:6–11. Paul exhorts them to act according to who they are (5:6). To be “awake” signifies being spiritually and morally alert and vigilant (Mt 24:42–44; 25:13) so that they do not enter into temptation (Mt 26:40–41). The believer does not embrace the night with its sin (5:7). Paul occasionally employs military metaphors when describing Christian conduct (5:8; cf. Rm 13:12; 2 Co 6:7; 10:3–5; Eph 6:11–17; Php 2:25; 2 Tm 2:3–4). Here he draws from Is 59:17, where God himself is compared to a soldier, as also in Eph 6:11–17 (although the symbolic references of the armament here are not the same as in Eph 6). The trilogy of faith, love, and hope (see 1:3; 3:6–8) is the vital element of the armor, which will ensure that the Christian is prepared for that day, whenever it comes. In 5:9 the focus changes to the ultimate destiny of believers and unbelievers. Believers are liberated from the coming wrath through the death of Jesus and his resurrection (5:10).
5:12–13. After responding to the Thessalonians’ questions (4:9–5:11), the apostles take up a variety of issues, starting with the church’s relationship with their emerging leadership (5:12a). What legitimized the Thessalonian leadership was not their status or social rank, as was common in Greek and Roman society, but the hard work they undertook on behalf of the congregation (5:12b–13a; see 1:3; 1 Co 3:8; 15:58; 2 Co 6:5; 11:23, 27). The Thessalonians should honor their leaders and live in harmony with one another (5:13b), a teaching given by Jesus (Mk 9:50).
5:14. Leaving the theme of community loyalty, the apostles now instruct the believers about their response to various groups within the church (5:14–22). This ministerial responsibility is placed not on the leadership alone but on all (4:18; 5:11). They should admonish (see 5:12) the “idle.” These are not “the lazy” but those who are out of line or undisciplined (see the CSB footnote). The “discouraged” are the disheartened, those in danger of giving up. There were likely many in this category due to the persecutions that the church endured (1:6; 2:14; 3:3–4) and the deaths of beloved believers (4:13–18). The “weak” who needed help may have been the physically weak, perhaps due to illness (1 Co 11:30), or those who had no social status or power, such as slaves, freedmen/freedwomen, or others who had no economic and social power (1 Co 1:26–29). Finally, they should exercise patience toward everyone, not being irritable due to others’ foibles. The diverse social mix in the church would provide innumerable opportunities to exercise this virtue.
5:15. Teaching about nonretaliation was part of the basic moral instruction for new Christians (Rm 12:17–21; 1 Pt 3:9), an important topic given the tensions with the surrounding community and the internal problems of the congregation. Paul, like Jesus, counsels the church to do good to the one who has caused the offense (see 3:12; Gl 6:10).
5:16–18. In this group of three exhortations, the apostles move on to the characteristic traits of believers, joy (5:16), prayer (5:17), and thanksgiving (5:18), which should mark their lives at all times and in every situation. This is God’s will. Though the Thessalonians already have joy in suffering (1:6), a fruit of the Spirit in their lives, they are called to a life of joy that is constant (5:16; cf. Php 4:4; 3:1). “Pray constantly” (5:17) is not an exhortation to pray at every moment (cf. 1:2) but is an entreaty to do so consistently and without fail (Lk 18:1; Rm 12:12; Eph 6:18; Col 4:2). The third exhortation of this trilogy (5:18a) is a call, not to give thanks for every situation, but rather to give thanks in every situation. The Christian affirms that God can use any situation for his or her own good (Rm 8:28) and that one can triumph in the midst of any circumstance, even adversity (Rm 8:31–39).
5:19–22. This last group of exhortations has to do with the use and control of prophecy in the church. Paul speaks of the Spirit as the agent in prophecy (Lk 1:67; Ac 2:17; 19:6; 28:25; Eph 3:5; Rv 22:6), and here he responds to attempts to curtail this gift (5:19). Some prophesied in the church, but others rejected and despised these prophetic oracles (5:20). While there were abuses of the gifts in the churches, the apostolic teaching was not to eliminate them but to use them under proper control (1 Co 12:10; 14:29; 1 Jn 4:1–3; cf. 1 Co 14:39).
A. Prayer for sanctification (5:23–25). The first part of the letter’s closing contains a blessing expressed in the form of a prayer (5:23), the assurance that God is faithful to complete the work of grace in the Thessalonians’ lives (5:24), and an appeal that they pray for the apostles (5:25).
B. Call to greet and read to one another (5:26–27). This letter would have been read aloud in a gathering of the church where all, even the illiterate, could hear the message (5:27; cf. Col 4:16; 1 Tm 4:13). After the reading, there would be time to greet each other “with a holy kiss” (5:26; cf. Rm 16:16; 1 Co 16:20; 2 Co 13:12). The kiss signified a variety of things, such as the love between members of a family, honor and respect, and friendship (Mk 14:44–45; Lk 7:36–45; 15:20; Ac 20:37).
C. Final blessing (5:28). As in all the Pauline Epistles, 1 Thessalonians ends with a blessing of grace. The apostles want them not simply to be strong but rather to have the grace that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. This desire, sounded in the opening prayer of the letter (1:1), summarizes the heart of the faith that the Thessalonians received.