In 1 Thessalonians 1-3 Paul gave a testimony of how God had worked and was working in the lives of these believers. They needed the encouragement, I am sure, as they were under significant persecution. In that sense, Paul is praying in 5:23-24 that God will complete His work in them. As we noted before, he is also praying that God will perform His will, which is that they be sanctified (4:3).
What does Paul mean by “wholeness?” Sometimes this passage gives rise to the
dichotomy/trichotomy argument. In other
words, is man fundamentally two parts or three parts? You might think this prayer proves we are “tri-part.” To be honest, I don’t think that is the point
of his description. Why is man not four
parts, as in Mark 12:30 (heart, soul, mind and strength). Or the three parts of Matt. 22:37 (heart, soul,
mind). None of these passages claim to
be giving us an understanding of the nature of man. Instead, each is telling us that something
must be done with all we are. Specifically,
in our passage and prayer, Paul is asking …
·
That God will sanctify them through and
through. It means to finish bringing us
to what He appointed for us when He called us, which is to be holy and
without blame (Eph. 1:4). The
emphasis is on quality.
·
That God will preserve us in “all our parts.” The emphasis is on quantity. You might wonder why Paul prays that God
would keep us; isn’t that a foregone conclusion? To this I suggest two answers. First, yes, it is promised; it is the will of
God that none can be taken from His hand.
Thus, we pray for God’s will, for these persecuted, young believers. It is a prayer that will reassure them of God’s
faithfulness. But second, remember 2
Pet. 1:10, where Peter speaks of making your call and election sure. God’s work takes place in the life of
faith. Thus, Paul is reminding them, and
us, that in affliction our faith can be strengthened. It serves God’s purpose.
What resources does Paul mention that make it possible for the need to be
met?
This is what v24 is about. As the God who calls you Paul is
encouraging the believers with the thought that God will not give up on
them. He is the One who called them to
Himself; therefore, he will be faithful to them to the end of their lives. In my view, this is all based on God’s love,
the love that sent Christ into the world, the love that reached out to us
first, the love that made His Son our propitiatory sacrifice. If He has loved us sufficiently to make a
relationship with Him possible, He will complete the work in us until the
coming of Christ.
This is a great prayer to pray, when praying
for brothers and sisters in Christ. It
is great to pray for our children.
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