RSV ~ 1 Thessalonians 4 Notes

1 Thess 4:1-5 | ISB Notes

The second half of the letter turns from memories of the past to moral exhortations for the days ahead. Paul is pleased with the moral progress being made in Thessalonica and urges them to grow still more (4:1; 5:11).

1 Thess 4:3 | ISB Notes

sanctification: Holiness of life is willed by God. Growth in holiness, or progressive sanctification, is a process that begins with God’s work in Baptism (1 Cor 6:11) and continues when believers abound in love (1 Thess 3:12-13) and exert the moral effort needed to overcome sinful and selfish habits (Rom 6:19). Paul here demands the sanctification of the body through chastity, though the ultimate goal is a complete sanctification of the person (1 Thess 5:23). Holiness is not optional for believers but is a condition for salvation (Heb 12:14) (CCC 2348-50, 2813).

• Vatican II issued a universal call to holiness for clergy and laity alike that is expressed through the perfection of love (Lumen Gentium 39).

abstain from immorality: Specifically, from the various forms of sexual immorality widely accepted in pagan environments such as Thessalonica. The Greek expression used here is also found in the apostolic decree issued by the Jerusalem Council in A.D. 49 (Acts 15:20, 29). Paul, Silas, and Timothy (1 Thess 1:1) went about delivering this decree on the second missionary tour in Acts (Acts 16:4). See note on Acts 15:20.

1 Thess 4:4 | ISB Notes

his own body: Literally, “his own vessel”. Both ancient and modern interpreters are divided over the precise meaning of the term “vessel”, which could refer to one’s body (2 Cor 4:7) or one’s wife (1 Pet 3:7). If the former, Paul is advocating chastity and self-control in contrast to the lust of the pagans (Tertullian, St. John Chrysostom); if the latter, Paul is advocating the honorable pursuit of marriage, not as an outlet for lust, but as a pure and holy partnership in the Lord (St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas). Either way, Paul is urging readers to master the passions associated with human sexuality.

1 Thess 4:5 | ISB Notes

do not know God: Pagans live in darkness and ignorance until the gospel enlightens their way (Ps 78:6; Jer 10:25; Gal 4:8).

1 Thess 4:6 | ISB Notes

wrong his brother: The context suggests Paul is thinking of adultery, a form of bodily “uncleanness” (4:7). Not only are the involved partners defiled by this impurity, but they wrong their spouses and bring shame on their families as well (CCC 2380-81).

1 Thess 4:8 | ISB Notes

his Holy Spirit: Unchastity is an outrage against God, whose presence dwells in our bodies and makes them temples of holiness (1 Cor 6:18-20; CCC 2351-56).

1 Thess 4:9 | ISB Notes

love of the brethren: Fraternal love for brothers and sisters in the faith is the mark of a true disciple of Christ (Jn 13:35). The Thessalonians are learning this lesson well as their charity is spreading throughout the province of Macedonia (1 Thess 4:10). See note on 1 Thess 3:12.

1 Thess 4:11 | ISB Notes

mind your own affairs: A humble and quiet life is all the more necessary in Thessalonica, where disciples are living under clouds of suspicion and distrust (Acts 17:5-9).

work with your hands: Paul frowns upon idleness (5:14). Believers must be dependable and hard-working people who labor for the Lord and not just their employers (Col 3:23). This not only leads to personal sanctification, but it will earn the respect of coworkers and neighbors as well (CCC 2427).

1 Thess 4:13-18 | ISB Notes

Paul comforts the bereaved with the hope of resurrection. Apparently some were concerned that the faithful departed would be left behind when Jesus returns to bring the saints to heaven. Paul insists otherwise: the righteous dead will be raised in glory and gathered to Christ even before the generation of believers still living on the earth in the last days.

1 Thess 4:13 | ISB Notes

asleep: A metaphor for death. In Scripture, the expression hints that death is only a temporary state that will end when the righteous are awakened at the resurrection (Is 26:19; Dan 12:2). The gospel tells us that death is not extinction or the end of all things, but a step closer to eternal life (CCC 1010, 1016). For the state of the soul after bodily death, see note on 2 Cor 5:8.

may not grieve: It is human to mourn the death of a loved one; it is Christian to keep our sadness from sliding down to despair. Every sorrow in life can be softened by the joyful hope that the dead will live again when Jesus returns (CCC 1001).

1 Thess 4:14 | ISB Notes

Jesus died and rose again: The guarantee of our own bodily resurrection (Rom 8:11; CCC 989). .

• Christ is the pattern of our resurrection because he assumed flesh and rose again embodied in flesh. He is also the cause of our resurrection, for what was done by Christ’s humanity was done, not only by the power of his human nature, but also in virtue of his divinity. It was not merely his body that rose, but a body united to the Word of life (St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 4, 2).

1 Thess 4:15 | ISB Notes

we who are alive: In contrast to “those who are asleep” (4:13). The distinction is between living and deceased Christians and the order in which they will ascend to meet Christ at his coming. Some infer from Paul’s use of “we” that the apostle believed Christ would come again soon, perhaps within his own lifetime. If Paul cherished such a hope, the text does not assert this explicitly. Paul professes to know nothing precise about the timing of the Lord’s return beyond its suddenness (5:1-2). Other passages indicate that Paul envisioned death as a real possibility for himself (Phil 3:10-11; 2 Tim 4:6) and numbered himself among those who would be raised from the dead (1 Cor 6:14; 2 Cor 4:14). See note on 1 Cor 15:51.

1 Thess 4:16-17 | ISB Notes

Paul depicts the coming of Jesus with apocalyptic imagery that was widely used in Jewish literature from this period.

• Several dramatic scenes in the Bible also use this imagery and prepare the way for this final event of history. (1) During the Exodus, the Lord descended upon Sinai with a fiery cloud and a blaring trumpet, and all Israel went forth to meet him (Ex 19:16-20). (2) During the Conquest, Israel joined forces with the angels of the Lord to bring down the walls of Jericho with a blast of seven trumpets and a loud cry from the people (Josh 5:13-14; 6:15-20). (3) In the visions of Daniel, a court sits in judgment as it watches the Messiah riding the clouds into heaven and receiving from God an eternal kingdom that he shares with the saints (Dan 7:10-14, 18, 27).

1 Thess 4:16 | ISB Notes

the Lord himself: Christ will descend to earth “in the same way” that he ascended into heaven, i.e., enveloped in a glorious cloud (Acts 1:11). cry of command: The voice of the Son of man that calls forth the dead from their tombs and summons them to the judgment (Jn

5:28-29). archangel’s call: Possibly the voice of Michael, the guardian of the people of God (Dan 12:1) and the leader of the angelic army (Jude 9; R

ev 12:7). the trumpet: The final blast that inaugurates the resurrection and glorification of the saints. For its biblical background, see note on 1 Cor 15:52. the dead in Christ: The faithful departed, though temporarily deprived of their bodies, live on in spiritual union with the Lord as they await the resurrection (2 Cor 5:8).

1 Thess 4:17 | ISB Notes

caught up: Or, “raptured”. Believers living on the earth when Christ returns will be drawn up to join the saints of the ages as they ascend into glory. Paul seems to assert, not that the final generation will die and then be raised, but that their bodies will be instantly glorified and made immortal. This is how Paul was understood by the Greek Fathers of the Church, and this agrees with the prophetic outlook of 1 Cor 15:51-53.