1 Thessalonians 5:23

Text (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

23 And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Translation and Paraphrase

23.

But (now) may the God (who is the creator and giver) of peace (may he) his own self consecrate you in every respect (even unto the end of the age). And may your entire spirit, and soul, and body be (kept from sin and found) blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus, the anointed one.

Notes (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

1.

Just as Part One of I Thessalonians closed with a prayer (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13), so also Part Two closes with this prayer in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Paul's prayer in this verse is that the God of peace may do two things for the Thessalonians:

(1)

Sanctify them wholly.

(2)

Preserve their entire nature blameless unto the coming of Christ.

2.

This closing prayer of Part Two reflects both the greatness of the heart of Paul and the greatness of the power of God. Meditate a minute about how great the requests in this prayer are.

3.

The title, God of peace, means the peaceful God. Also it carries the idea that God is the creator and author of peace.

This title, God of peace, is also found in Romans 15:33; Romans 16:20; Philippians 4:9; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Hebrews 13:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:16.

How thankful we should be that the true God is the God of peace, and not of hate and war.

4.

To sanctify means to render sacred, declare holy, consecrate, separate from things profane, dedicate to God, purify. To sanctify is to separate something from God, and consecrate it to holy uses.

The entire nature of Christians is being sanctified. For a discussion of sanctification, see the notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

5.

We are to be sanctified wholly. The word wholly (Gr., holoteles) means perfect, complete in all respects, and through all time. It is a combination of two words, one meaning whole and the other meaning end. We have tried to bring out this double significance in our translation and paraphrase by rendering it in every respect (even unto the end of the age). (The word holoteles is used as a predicate adjective, almost as an adverb.)

It is comforting to think that we shall be wholly sanctified. We shall no longer be in. danger of temptation. We shall not lose anything that is dear to us on earth. If we have lost a mother whose saintly disposition has made her memory dear, we can be comforted to know that God is not permitting any of her precious nature to escape His preservation and sanctification. The best that is on earth will become better and none of it will be lost. 6.

The words, I pray God, in this verse are written in italics because they are added to the text. They should not be included, because all three menPaul, Silvanus, and Timothyjoined in sending this letter. The Amer. Stan. Vers. correctly omits the I here, as also in 1 Thessalonians 4:9.

7.

This verse indicates that man has a three-fold nature:

(1)

He has a spirit.

(2)

He has (and is) a soul.

(3)

He has a body.

(For a full study and analysis of the Scriptural uses of the words, spirit and soul, see Special Study VI, Questions About -Spirit-' and -Soul-'.)

8.

Concerning the difference between spirit, soul, and body, we shall only make the following observations here:

(1)

Spirit (Gr., pneuma) is the life-principle in man. It is the divine breath that gives him life. It is the inward man (2 Corinthians 4:16) that feels, things, wills, decides, and lives.

(2)

Soul (psuche) refers to our personal identity. It includes all those things that make us a particular personour life, our mind, our affections, our emotions, our whole self.

(3)

Body (soma) is almost a self-explanatory term. It is the outward man (2 Corinthians 4:16), the fleshly, material part of our being, to which life is given by the spirit, and which with the spirit becomes a living soul, YOU!

9.

All three parts of man's naturespirit, soul, and bodyhave presently been corrupted by sin. But they will all be sanctified wholly at the coming of Christ.

Our bodies will be sanctified when they are transformed at the resurrection of the dead. Until that time we must keep cleansing ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit. 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.

10.

While we ourselves need to do all we can to make ourselves ready for the coming of the Lord, it is GOD who actually preserves us and delivers us from sin.

Jude 1:24: Unto him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Compare 1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:10.

11.

As Paul draws this first epistle to the Thessalonians to a close, he points once again to the pole-star of our home, the coming (parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Concerning the meaning of parousia, see notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:19, par. 7.)

It would be profitable for you at this time to go back to Introductory Section III and review what Paul said about the Lord's coming in the Thessalonian epistles.