1 Thessalonians — Chapter 5
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1But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
12And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
14Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
15See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
16Rejoice evermore.
17Pray without ceasing.
18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19Quench not the Spirit.
20Despise not prophesyings.
21Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
22Abstain from all appearance of evil.
23And 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.
24Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
25Brethren, pray for us.
26Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.
27I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
1But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you.
2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.
4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief:
5for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness;
6so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober.
7For they that sleep sleep in the night: and they that are drunken are drunken in the night.
8But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
9For God appointed us not into wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11Wherefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do.
12But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work`s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
14And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.
15See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all.
16Rejoice always;
17pray without ceasing;
18in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.
19Quench not the Spirit;
20despise not prophesyings;
21prove all things; hold fast that which is good;
22abstain from every form of evil.
23And 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.
24Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.
25Brethren, pray for us.
26Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss.
27I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the brethren.
28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
1Now on the topic of times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you.
2For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come in the same way as a thief in the night.
3Now when they are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape.
4But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would.
5For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness.
6So then we must not sleep as the rest, but must stay alert and sober.
7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
8But since we are of the day, we must stay sober by putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet our hope for salvation.
9For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
10He died for us so that whether we are alert or asleep, we will come to life together with him.
11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing.
12Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who labor among you and preside over you in the Lord and admonish you,
13and to esteem them most highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
14And we urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the undisciplined, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all.
15See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
16Always rejoice,
17constantly pray,
18in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19Do not extinguish the Spirit.
20Do not treat prophecies with contempt.
21But examine all things; hold fast to what is good.
22Stay away from every form of evil.
23Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this.
25Brothers and sisters, pray for us too.
26Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.
27I call on you solemnly in the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
1But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you.
2For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.
3For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape.
4But you, brothers, aren’t in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief.
5You are all children of light, and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night, nor to darkness,
6so then let’s not sleep, as the rest do, but let’s watch and be sober.
7For those who sleep, sleep in the night; and those who are drunk are drunk in the night.
8But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
9For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.
12But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you,
13and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
14We exhort you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient toward all.
15See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all.
16Rejoice always.
17Pray without ceasing.
18In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.
19Don’t quench the Spirit.
20Don’t despise prophesies.
21Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.
22Abstain from every form of evil.
23May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.
25Brothers, pray for us.
26Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
27I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the holy brothers.
28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Summary
The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, but believers are children of light who should stay sober and watchful — Paul closes with rapid-fire commands: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the Day of the Lord, children of light, the rapid-fire commands, and the final prayer for complete sanctification.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Pray Without Ceasing" on v.17 (MTP Vol. 18, No. 1039) "Pray without ceasing. Not that you are always on your knees — but that you are always in the spirit of prayer. The posture may change; the attitude never does. You breathe without ceasing — prayer is the breath of the soul. You don't stop breathing to do other things; you breathe WHILE doing other things. So with prayer — it is the atmosphere of the Christian life, not an interruption of it." Sermon: "Faithful Is He That Calleth You" on v.24 (MTP Vol. 34, No. 2031) "Faithful is He — not 'faithful are you.' Your faithfulness wavers; His never does. He that calleth you — the same God who called you will keep you. Who also will DO it — sanctification is ultimately God's work. You cooperate, but He accomplishes. Rest in His faithfulness, not your own."
Videos
The Bible Project — 1 Thessalonians Overview
Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)
Reflection
- 1. "Ye are all the children of light" (v.5). You belong to the day, not the night. Are you living like it — alert, sober, ready? Or are you spiritually asleep?
- 2. "Warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak" (v.14). Different people need different ministry. Are you discerning enough to know who needs warning, who needs comfort, and who needs support? Do you give the right medicine to the right person?
- 3. "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks" (vv.16-18). These three commands summarize the Christian life. Which one is hardest for you? What would change if you practiced all three today?
- 4. "Quench not the Spirit" (v.19). How might you be quenching the Spirit — through disobedience, resistance, busyness, or indifference? What would it look like to give the Spirit full freedom in your life?
- 5. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (v.21). Do you test what you hear — sermons, books, podcasts, cultural messages — against Scripture? Or do you accept everything uncritically?
- 6. "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (v.24). Your sanctification ultimately depends on God's faithfulness, not yours. Does this give you rest? How do you balance resting in God's faithfulness with actively pursuing holiness?