No. 783
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. . . . Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thess. 5:18, 21)
St. Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians contains an important lesson on the proper attitude for the Lord’s people to maintain in order to grow in grace and become conquerors through their Redeemer. (1 Thess. 5:14-28) Although addressed to the saints at Thessalonica, these noble words have been a source of strength, encouragement, and discipline to all the faithful in Christ Jesus from the time they were written until the present. No child of God can afford to ignore or neglect these words of divine counsel, and to the degree each of us gives heed to them, our lives will surely be more Christ-like, and we will thus be more pleasing to the Lord.
The Apostle began the lesson with an exhortation: “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded [faint-hearted], support the weak, be patient toward all men.” (1 Thess. 5:14) It was not the elders alone who were exhorted by the Apostle – he addressed the entire Church, the “brethren.” This does not signify that the counsel would not have special application to the elders, because they were selected as the most advanced in Christian doctrine and practice to be the representatives of the Church, to look after the interests of the Lord’s flock. These apostolic words apply to all members of the flock to the extent of their capacity and ability, but naturally apply with special force to the elders who under God’s providence have had oversight of His Church, “to feed the flock.” (Acts 20:28) While all the brethren are to strive to carry out the Apostle’s injunctions, the elders should feel a special responsibility because of the position they occupy as standard-bearers of the Church.
The Apostle contrasted the “unruly” with the faint-hearted and the weak. While the divine arrangement is full of order as well as liberty, liberty can best be maintained by order, and order can best be maintained through a reasonable recognition of personal liberty. The mistake frequently made, not only by earthly law-givers and disciplinarians, but also by the Lord’s people, is one of extremes in one direction or the other. Some misunderstand liberty to allow lawlessness, disorder, and unruliness. Others are disposed to carry order and obedience to rules to the extreme, dwarfing the individual liberties of the flock. Much grace is required in these matters to prevent friction among the Lord’s people, preserving unity of the spirit in the bonds of love and peace.
We are not to have false ideas of personal liberty that would ignore rules, laws, and order in the assemblies of the Lord’s people. Those disposed to be unruly, elevating themselves without the request of the brethren, need to be “warned” – to be shown that their course is contrary to the spirit of the Lord and all the arrangements instituted by the Apostles, His representatives. They need to be warned that their course would mean injury to the flock instead of blessing, peace, joy, and development. Their course would injure themselves also, developing in them an exaggerated sense of self-worth and a combativeness that would only hinder the cause and hinder themselves from attaining the character-likeness of our Redeemer. Conversely, others who are faint-hearted and weak need aid, support, and encouragement. Those naturally lacking in self-confidence need to be pushed in order to bring out their talents, for their own benefit and for the blessing also of the entire household of faith.
To “be patient toward all” seems to imply that the remainder of the Lord’s people should be sympathetic and tolerant toward all those mentioned above – toward both the weak and timid and toward those who are too assertive and self-promoting. As the Apostle elsewhere admonished, “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Heb. 10:36) Day by day the advanced children of the Lord realize the truthfulness of this, and come to appreciate patience as one of the chief Christian graces.
We can grow in this grace of patience by growing in knowledge, for as we appreciate more and more the heavenly Father’s patience with us, it helps us to apply the same principle toward others. Our sympathy and patience is also enlarged by the realization of how the fallen condition of the human race has affected our fellow creatures. Some are chiefly affected mentally, some chiefly physically, and some chiefly morally. This is particularly true with respect to the household of faith. Among those whom God has graciously called, some are more blemished in some ways than we are ourselves, while we may be more blemished in other ways. We should have special patience with the brethren and be as helpful as possible to all those who are seeking to walk with us in the footsteps of our Lord. (Rom. 14:15; 1 Cor. 8:11)
The Apostle then warned against retaliation: “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.” (1 Thess. 5:15) Much evil treatment was heaped upon our Lord’s followers of that time. St. Paul, as well as those he addressed, suffered much as a result of their faithfulness in dispensing the Word of the Lord, the good tidings. The Apostle exhorted the Lord’s followers not to retaliate by doing evil to their enemies in any manner. We are to seek to render good in return for the evil we receive, in our language as well as our conduct. We are not to return accusation for accusation or slander for slander any more than we are to return blow for blow. This includes also our very thoughts and emotions, for we are not even to render anger for anger, malice for malice, envy for envy. Two evils can never make a good – two wrongs will never make a right. We are to have sympathy for our blinded enemies, cultivating patience and forbearance toward them in thought, word and deed. (1 Pet. 2:21-23)
Each of the Lord’s people is to pursue righteousness to the extent of his ability – pursuing every good and noble sentiment, and seeking to live up to the high standard of righteousness and perfection exemplified by our Lord as nearly as possible. This pursuit of goodness is to be maintained not only among the brethren, where all are professing the same pursuit, but also toward others in our dealings with the world. Some of the world can learn more of the gospel by witnessing our avoidance of evil and our constant pursuit of righteousness, than they can by anything we say to them. As they discern the new life in us, they may gradually come to have “an ear to hear” the message of good tidings.
REJOICE EVERMORE
The lesson continues with an entreaty: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1Thess. 5:16-18) The Christian’s rejoicing is founded on the established principles, promises, and comforting assurances of the divine Word, which stand firm amid all the storms and trials of life. This exhortation to prayer can only be understood by those who are somewhat advanced in the school of Christ. Having surrendered their wills and earthly interests to the Lord, they do not pray without ceasing for earthly things, but for heavenly things. They pray for the leadings of divine providence and the assistance of divine grace that will enable them to rejoice always in whatever experiences the Lord deems best for their spiritual development. They more and more find their prayers to consist of giving thanks for blessings already received, as well as for those yet to come, which they can see with the eye of faith.
If they have the condition of heart that is in fellowship with the Lord, and fully devoted to the doing of His will, their prayers will be truly without ceasing. They will not only implore His blessing at the beginning of each day, and give their thanks at the close of each day, but in all of life’s affairs they will seek to remember that they have consecrated their all to the Lord. By faith, they will realize the association of God’s providence with all the interests of life and give thanks accordingly. This is the will of God concerning us: He wills that we live in an attitude of constant regard for His will and for His blessing, because this is the condition most favorable to our progress in walking in the footsteps of the Master.
QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT
Having stated the Church’s proper attitude of rejoicing, prayer and thanksgiving, the Apostle admonished them to maintain the Holy Spirit: “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of [every form of] evil.” (1 Thess. 5:19-22) The spirit of the Lord in His people has been described as “a flame of sacred love” for the Lord and all connected with His cause. The more this flame burns among His people, individually and collectively, the greater will be their progress in all good things. We must not allow this spirit of love to be quenched by false doctrines, rules, or ceremonies, or by the spirit of the world and the cares of this life.
The Apostle’s admonition to not despise prophesying does not refer to the prophecies of the “holy men of God” of the Old Testament. They spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21), and it would be unnecessary to caution the Church on that subject. He instead implored them not to despise prophesying being done in their midst. The gift of prophecy, the foretelling of coming events, was to some extent present in the Church in the Apostle’s day. It was one of the gifts of the spirit that marked out the Lord’s people and helped to establish them at a time when the inspired messages of the Lord were unavailable. Beyond this, however, we find that the Apostle frequently used the word “prophecy” to simply mean public speech or preaching.
The early Church might have been in danger of valuing the gifts of miracles and tongues more than reasoned and logical discourse about the Truth. While the other gifts of the spirit need not be discarded, the Apostle pointed out that this gift of preaching or prophesying should not be despised. Our Lord and His Apostles were preachers, and the Lord has since raised up instructors among His people. Hence, such service should not be despised or ignored.
We live in a time when the very reverse of this is true. The danger now is that too much reliance is placed upon a leader and too much time and attention given to preaching, while insufficient time is given to the other methods of “building up” and encouraging the Lord’s flock (Jude 20), hence the Apostle’s admonition to “prove all things” and to hold fast to the good. However much they come to respect public preaching, the Lord’s people must not accept what they hear without thoroughly examining it. They should exercise a discriminating mind and prove all things that they hear, determining what is logically and scripturally supported and what is mere conjecture and possibly sophistry. Proving what they hear, they should hold fast to everything that is in accordance with the divine Word and with the Holy Spirit. They should promptly and thoroughly reject whatever will not stand these tests.
Unfortunately, the Lord’s people of today greatly need to give attention to this exhortation. Much of what is presented as the teaching of God’s Word is neither logical nor scriptural; it is supported by neither the letter nor the spirit of the Word and should be rejected. If the Lord’s consecrated people practiced such discrimination, much of the chaff of nominal “orthodoxy” would be rejected, and there would be a search for the true Word of God that would pass these tests.
The Apostle’s thought is that every form of evil is to be resisted (see the RSV, ASV and many other translations). Some evils are of an obviously hideous form, while some cloak their form by hypocrisy. Some openly and boldly admit their depraved nature and endeavor to entice the Lord’s people into sin. Others disguise themselves as angels of light and seek to mislead and to deceive. The Apostle’s exhortation is that everything that is evil is to be resisted and opposed, whether it have a good form or a bad form. We are not to say as some do, “Let us do evil that good may follow.” The Lord’s people must be loyal to the principles of righteousness, under any and all circumstances. To do otherwise would surely undermine their efforts to attain the Master’s character likeness.
To abstain from every “appearance” of evil is a different thought from what the Apostle’s words in the original convey; nevertheless, it is a sound principle. We should abstain not only from evil things in whatever form, but we should also abstain as far as possible from things we know to be good which others might misunderstand and consider to be evil, so that our influence for the Lord and the Truth will not be diminished.
THE APOSTLE’S BENEDICTION
The Apostle closed the lesson with an invocation expressing his heart’s desire for the Lord’s people: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23) He thus emphasized the fact that God is not a God of confusion, anarchy, and turmoil but a God of peace. To the extent we learn from Him in the School of Christ, we become lovers of peace and the peace of God will abound in us more and more. It will cause us to be fruitful in developing holy characters, and it will make us advocates of peace in our words and deeds.
The Master said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9) Peace in the heart, manifesting itself in words and conduct, is evidence of sanctification, or complete setting apart for the Lord’s service. It is evidence that God’s spirit has come into the sanctified heart and is filling it with His peace: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7)
When the Apostle prayed for the Church to be preserved until the coming of Christ, he could only have meant it with respect to the Church as a whole, and not with respect to the individual members. He certainly did not expect all the Christians at Thessalonica to live until the presence of the Lord, just as he did not himself expect to live until that time. (2 Tim. 4:7-8; 2 Pet. 1:12-15) Speaking of the spirit, soul, and body of the Church as a whole, his desire was that the Church at Thessalonica might continue to the full end of the Gospel Age as a noble and faithful congregation of the Lord’s body, full of His spirit and courageous in His work.
We know that the Apostle’s wish or prayer did not come true. This congregation, like the others he planted, died out because it was not as a whole sufficiently careful in heeding his admonitions. It did not prove all things, did not hold fast to the good, did not abstain from evil, and was not sanctified wholly. Although the light blessed some individuals among it, as a congregation it died, or ceased to be because the spirit of the Lord in its midst was quenched. The light passed on to other quarters, seeking those “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Col. 1:12)
The fact that the Thessalonica Church was not kept in accordance with the Apostle’s prayer was not due to unfaithfulness on God’s part: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:24) Rather, it was due to neglect and unfaithfulness on the part of those the Apostle addressed or by their successors in that congregation. It is the same with everyone who has been called of the Lord. It has been up to them to hear and heed the Lord’s message through His servants in order to make their calling and election sure. If anyone has not been disposed to hear His message in the way He has sent it, the fault lies with them. They who are faithful would rejoice to do abundantly better things than anyone could ask or think, if they accept His provisions in faith and follow the directions of His Word.
The Apostle then entreated, “Brethren, pray for us.” (1 Thess. 5:25) The Apostle was not like a pope or a lord – he had no feeling of superiority to others of the Lord’s flock. He needed their prayers just as they needed his. All who are in the proper relationship with the Lord have a spirit of humility and appreciation for all the household of faith, realizing that the humblest of the Lord’s people have access to the throne of heavenly grace, and may there obtain mercy and find strength to help in every time of need. He further entreated, “Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.” (1 Thess. 5:26) He thus indicated there should be thorough cordiality among all who claim to be the Lord’s people, and this fellowship should be manifested by the accustomed form of greeting of the day.
The Apostle then insisted that this epistle was not to be considered as a private message or letter to the congregation in Thessalonica: “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.” (1 Thess. 5:27) The Apostle seemed to fear that the leading brethren in whose care the letter was sent would only give out such parts of it as their judgment deemed prudent. Such a spirit on the part of the elders in any Church would be reprehensible. God’s Word is for God’s people, and whoever would hinder its flow would surely offend the Master Himself. Although the elders at Thessalonica were apparently faithful and the epistle was delivered to the Church, some today need to take heed along this line.
Many preachers and teachers have discerned the Truth presented in The Divine Plan of the Ages, but instead of proclaiming it to others they have sought to hide it from the Lord’s people so that they might use it to illuminate themselves before their flocks. They consider this “wise and prudent” but forget the Lord declared that He hides His deep things from the wise and prudent and reveals them unto babes. (Luke 10:21) True to our Lord’s words, this class rarely makes much progress. The Truth passes by them and before long they are in comparative darkness, because they did not receive the Truth in the love of it, but in the love of self. (2 Thess. 2:10) Loyalty to the Lord and His flock and to the Truth, through whatever channel it comes, demands that each of us speedily proclaim it in its purity to the extent of our ability. Shepherds who feed themselves and not the flock are warned by the Lord of His displeasure, and cannot be expected to thrive spiritually. (Ezek. 34:2, 7-10)
The Apostle then invoked the Lord’s blessing upon the Church: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” (1 Thess. 5:28)
(Based on Reprint 3135)
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WHY MEN FEAR THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Heb. 4:1)
All people realize they come short of perfection, and nearly all realize that their lives have included transgressions of a more or less serious nature. Fear is instinctive in the majority of minds, and under proper limitations that is a healthy condition. “The fear [reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psa. 111:10)
Unfortunately, the Adversary has taken advantage of this proper fear through what the Apostle terms “doctrines of devils.” (1 Tim. 4:1) Regardless of the outward forms of godliness displayed by some, nearly every mind is filled from an early age with an abnormal, irrational fear. As the Lord said through the Prophet, “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” (Isa. 29:13) These human traditions or precepts have grossly misrepresented God and His Word. Even some Bible students are seriously handicapped by these devilish theories, which claim to be based on the divine Word but which were actually established in a period of ignorance and superstition.
Among other false theories respecting the second coming of Christ, the Adventists hold the view that the moment of the Lord’s coming spells doom for the world and its inhabitants, marking the end of hope for all not previously brought into relationship with God through Christ – all who are not saints. Adventists are not alone in this theory. Practically all denominations hold to the same thought, which is the very reverse of what the Scriptures teach.
The Second Advent will bring “times of refreshing” according to St. Peter’s description of it: “And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21)
The Scriptures teach that Christ Jesus and His glorified Church will together “judge the world.” (Acts 17:31; 1 Cor. 6:2) That judgment is commonly supposed to mean the world’s condemnation or damnation, but the Scriptures show that the entire race was already condemned through Adam’s disobedience, and that God has arranged for the entire race to have a fair and individual trial for life as a result of the redemption accomplished by our Lord Jesus. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22)
If God had shown no mercy, there would have been no redemption and no future judgment, but having provided the Redeemer, God will soon establish the Messianic Kingdom for the very purpose of giving to all of humanity a special, personal opportunity for reformation and the attainment of everlasting life.
THE GREAT PLAN
Only the preliminary steps of this great plan have yet taken place:
(1) The Redeemer died, “the just for the unjust.” (1 Pet. 3:18)
(2) He appeared in the presence of God for the Church, making it possible for them to become His Bride – members of His body. (Heb. 9:24; 2 Cor. 11:2; 1 Cor. 12:12)
(3) All accepting this High Calling have been separated from the world, becoming spirit-begotten children of God and prospective joint-heirs with Christ. By sacrificing their earthly life, they will, if they have been faithful, be granted a share with Him in the glorious work of His Kingdom in blessing the world. (Rom. 8:17)
However, there is another feature to this plan. The Scriptures teach that at His Second Advent only the Lord’s consecrated people will be ready to receive the Master with joy. The masses of mankind will still be so associated with sin and injustice that they will not be worthy of His approval, and their lives will be subject to reprobation and stripes. Hence, it is written, “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” (Jas. 5:1) “Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:25)
Many who now have positions of wealth, power, influence, etc. will lose those positions. Their realization of their losses is figuratively represented in the Scriptures as wailing, howling, and misery, as they suffer the loss of practically everything they now value. While the poor are not necessarily more righteous than the rich, they are more numerous. Those who have little of this world’s advantages and who are used to struggles will probably feel less of the effects of the great time of trouble than some who have been accustomed to living in the lap of luxury.
Babylon the Great will fall and the great institutions of civilization, although partly good but mainly bad, will not be found worthy of the new King’s government. The Bible symbolically pictures this day of trouble as a whirlwind, a fire, a tempest, and a flood. It will be a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1) That this great day is near and “hasteth greatly” is evident from the events of our times. (Zeph. 1:14) The world has been given a glimpse of the fires of passion, anger, and resentment smoldering beneath the surface which will shortly envelop the world in a fiery trial such as has never been known.
The apprehensions of mankind are well founded. The Great King disapproves of much that the world does in the name of civilization and even in the name of the Master Himself. But let us not dwell too much upon this aspect because, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matt. 6:34) Let us focus instead on the glorious silver lining to that dark cloud – let us point to the glorious blessings of Messiah’s Kingdom, and teach all to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.” Let us strive to understand, appreciate, and teach to others the principles that will govern that Kingdom so that perhaps they may pass through the time of trouble with less injury.
Consider the words of the Prophet: “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” (Zeph. 2:3) These words do not refer at all to the Lord’s Elect, who are already accounted worthy to escape the things coming upon the world. They are spoken instead as an exhortation to the better elements among mankind in general, that those who are humbler and more righteous may be better prepared for the shock and distress of that day of trouble, which will prepare the hearts of mankind to receive the divine message of truth and grace.
(Based on Reprint 4996)
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