1 Thessalonians 4

Paul tells the people of Thessalonica, “Here’s what God wants for you: holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Holiness is a word that’s hard to picture. We can picture words such as kindness, hate, and joy. We can roll stories in our head about those words. Holiness, not so much. What do you think Paul had in mind when he talked about holiness?

Paul offers some advice that might not translate particularly well today: “Instead of living loud and large, keep it quiet, mind your own business, and work hard” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). There are plenty of Christians today who live loud and large—as celebrities, politicians, and CEOs. Why do you think Paul told the people of Thessalonica to “live a quiet life” (New Living Translation)?

Paul seemed to change his mind about whether or not he would live to see the second coming of Jesus. In this letter, perhaps the first he ever wrote that has been preserved in the Bible, he counts himself among those who will live to see Jesus come back: “Those of us who are still alive will get lifted up into the clouds” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). But by a few years later, he figured he wouldn’t live that long: “We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us” (2 Corinthians 4:14, New Living Translation). Why shouldn’t that flipflop give us reason to question other things Paul wrote in his letters?

LIFE APPLICATION. In the context of this chapter, when Paul talks about holiness he seems to be concentrating in the area of sex, which is perhaps one of the strongest sources of temptation. But when someone uses the word holy to describe another person, what comes to mind for you? What do you think it means to live a holy life?

LIFE APPLICATION. Christians in Thessalonica seem to be worried about the eternal destiny of believers who died before Jesus comes back. It seems that Paul as well as the people of Thessalonica expected Jesus to come back at any second. Paul assures the people that those who died as believers will join all believers with Jesus in the afterlife. He said, “We don’t want you mourning them the way other people mourn their dead—without hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). In fact, a Greek writer named Theocritus (200s BC) wrote, “Hopes are for the living; the dead are without hope.” Christians today are counting on the hope of an afterlife. Why do you think they believe something as extraordinary as this—something that to people outside the faith sounds like a fairy tale?