1-2 Thessalonians (The Ivp New Testament Commentary Series) by Beale G. K

Author:Beale, G. K. [Beale, G. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Intervarsity Press - A
Published: 2010-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

God as the Ultimate Source of Peace Leading to the Church's Blamelessness (5: 23-24) Based on all he has said thus far, Paul reaches the conclusion and main point of 5: 12-22, which functions also as the conclusion to all of chapters 4—5 and, indeed, to the whole epistle. Verse 23 is a prayer. The word de ("now") with the reflexive pronoun himself followed by the optative mood (the mood of wishing or praying) introduces Paul's prayers elsewhere (see 3: 11; 2 Thess 2: 16; 3: 16; Rom 15: 5, 13). Further, in each case the prayer shows how the preceding instructions, exhortations or warnings are to be carded out: by God's gracious activity (see, e. g., Rom 15: 1-6).

Similarly, Paul's prayer here demonstrates how the readers will be able to fulfill the multiple precepts of the preceding verses that generate peace. Paul first prays that God himself the God of peace, sanctify them through and through. God is referred to as the God of peace because he is the only one who perfectly possesses peace and he is the ultimate origin of peace for others. In contrast to the "Gentiles who do not know God" and are unable to obey and be at peace with him, the saints of Thessalonica will be able to obey the commandments in 5: 12-22 and achieve peace because God enables them to do so. Specifically, they will obey to the degree that God sanctifies them (makes them holy), a connection already stated in 3: 12-13 and implied in 4: 7-8. Therefore, the title the God of peace is chosen to underscore that God's sanctifying work is the instrumentation by which God gives peace.

Paul continues his prayer in the second part of 5: 23 and asks that the final outcome of God's sanctifying work be that their whole spirit, soul and body he kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God keeps or preserves his people by progressively sanctifying them. One goal of sanctification is peace, and the goal of both sanctification and peace is that God's people be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This, together with the preceding petition to sanctify, is almost a replica of the prayer in 3: 13, with some variants in wording: "May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes. " Just as this summarized the main point of chapters 1—3, so its repetition in 5: 23 is the main point not only of 5: 12-24 but of chapters 4—5 and hence of the entire book.

The goal of being kept blameless at Christ's coming is that of being able to stand blameless at the final judgment and to pass through it unharmed. This may mean either that we are perfected immediately before the final judgment and have nothing for which to be judged or that our prior good works are a badge of our true faith and justified condition, which enables us to weather the end-time test.

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