1 Thessalonians 5:24-God’s Faithfulness in Relation to the Thessalonians’ Sanctification
First Thessalonians Chapter Five • Sermon • Submitted • 1:07:04
0 ratings
· 829 views1 Thessalonians 5:24-God’s Faithfulness in Relation to the Thessalonians’ Sanctification
Files
Notes
Transcript
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now 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. 5:24 He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this. (NET)
We noted that 1 Thessalonians 5:23 contained two requests which Paul, Silvanus and Timothy presented to the Father on behalf of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community while interceding in prayer for them.
The first request asked the one and only God Himself, who produces a peace which is divine in quality and character, to cause each and every member of the Thessalonian Christian community to be sanctified completely.
The second corresponds to the first and asked the Father that the entire spirit, soul and body of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community be kept blameless at the Lord Jesus Christ’s arrival at the rapture.
Now, here in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, the apostle Paul issues two statements.
The first solemnly asserts that the one who does as eternal spiritual truth effectually call each member of the Thessalonian Christian community is faithful.
The second advances upon this in that it identifies for the reader how the one who does as an eternal spiritual truth effectually call them manifests the fact that He is faithful and asserts that God will in fact certainly accomplish all that is mentioned in the two assertions in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
Therefore, the second statement in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 is emphatically asserting that the one and only God will in fact certainly cause each member of the Thessalonian Christian community to be sanctified completely.
It is also emphatically asserting that He will keep the entire spirit, soul and body of each member of this community blameless at the Lord Jesus Christ’s arrival at the rapture.
Paul is emphasizing with the Thessalonians here in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 that God the Father who does effectually call them is faithful and which faithfulness is manifested by the Father completing their salvation and keeping them blameless at the rapture.
It emphasizes with the Thessalonians that their experiential sanctification which is mentioned in the second assertion in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is totally dependent upon the Father’s faithfulness to His promises and not them.
It also emphasizes with the Thessalonians that their perfective sanctification which is mentioned in the first assertion in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is totally dependent upon the Father’s faithfulness to His promises and not them.
Now, as was the case in 1 Thessalonians 2:12 and 4:7, the verb kaleō here in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 refers to the “effective evocation” of faith through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit who united the believer to Christ according to the Father’s electing him to privilege and His gracious eternal purpose and predetermined plan.
The verb refers to not only the Father’s invitation to salvation for the Christian through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit, but it also refers to their acceptance of this invitation by faith and which invitation originates from eternity past.
It does not refer to the “call of God,” which is related to “common grace” meaning grace given to all sinners by God in the form of being exposed to the gospel or in other words, it does not refer to the “invitation” to receive the gift of salvation by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior.
Rather, it refers to those sinners who have responded to the divine invitation or call of God when they were presented the gospel and have exercised faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
It refers to not only the Father’s invitation to salvation for the Christian through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit, but it also refers to their acceptance of this invitation by faith and which invitation originates from eternity past.
This effectual call is a reference to the Thessalonians conversion to Christianity or in other words, the moment of justification.
The word “effectual” is used of that which produces the effect desired or intended or a decisive result.
Thus, the Father’s calling of the Thessalonians produced the effect He desired, intended from them and the decisive result, namely, to deliver them from sin, Satan, condemnation from the Law, spiritual and physical death as well as eternal condemnation.
So in this first assertion in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Paul asserts that the Father does possess the characteristic of being faithful or in other words, He is characterized by faithfulness.
This adjective “trustworthy” describes the Father as firmly adhering to His promise to completely sanctify each member of the Thessalonian Christian community by giving them a resurrection body at the rapture.
It also describes the Father as firmly adhering to His promise to keep their entire spirit, soul and body blameless at the Lord Jesus Christ’s arrival at the rapture.
It means that the Father will completely sanctify the Thessalonians or in other words, complete their sanctification at the rapture by giving them a resurrection body because He is true to His promise to give them a resurrection body.
Secondly, it means that the Father will completely sanctify the Thessalonians or in other words, complete their sanctification at the rapture by giving them a resurrection body because He is steady in allegiance to His promise to give them a resurrection body at the rapture of the church.
Furthermore, we could say that the Father will keep the Thessalonians blameless at the Lord Jesus Christ’s arrival at the rapture because He is true to His promise to enable them to experience their sanctification when the Lord’s arrives at the rapture.
Secondly, we could say that the Father will keep the Thessalonians blameless at the Lord Jesus Christ’s arrival at the rapture because He is steady in allegiance to His promise to enable them to experience their sanctification when the Lord’s arrives at the rapture.
Faithfulness is one of the attributes of the Father as related to moral beings (Deut. 7:9; 32:4; Lam. 3:23; Isa. 49:7; Hos. 11:12; Ps. 25:10; 33:4; 89:1-8; 91:4; 96:13; 98:3; 100:5; 119:75; 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:18; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 2 Tim. 2:13; Jn. 1:9; Heb. 10:23; 1 Pet. 4:19; Rev. 19:11).
This first statement in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, which emphatically asserts that God the Father will in fact certainly cause each member of the Thessalonian Christian community to be sanctified completely is echoed in Philippians 1:6.
Also, this first statement in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, which emphatically asserts that God the Father will in fact certainly cause each member of the Thessalonian Christian community to be sanctified completely is echoed in Romans 8:30.
Now, as we noted the second statement in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 advances upon the first in that it identifies for the reader how the one and only God, i.e. the Father manifests the fact that He is faithful and asserts that God will in fact certainly accomplish all that is asserted in the two assertions in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
Therefore, the second statement in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 is emphatically asserting that God will in fact certainly cause each member of the Thessalonian Christian community to be sanctified completely and that He will keep the entire spirit, soul and body of each member of this community blameless at the Lord Jesus Christ’s arrival at the rapture.
Therefore, there are three assurances being communicated to the Thessalonians by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy here in 1 Thessalonians 5:24.
The first is that the Father is faithful and the second is connected to the first since it explains the latter and asserts that the Father will in fact certainly cause the Thessalonians to be sanctified completely.
The third asserts that the Father will keep the entire spirit, soul and body of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community blameless at the Lord Jesus Christ’s arrival at the rapture.
Now, the second assurance does not involve the volition of the Thessalonians since through both His Son and the Spirit, the Father will bring about the completion of their salvation without any cooperation from the Thessalonians.
This is indicated by the fact that the Scriptures teach that the exercise of the Father’s sovereign will bring about the rapture without any cooperation from the church age believer.
The only volitional decision that the Thessalonians made for the Father to bring about the completion of their salvation without any cooperation from them was at the moment of justification when they trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior, however, the third assurance does involve the volition of the Thessalonians.
This is indicated by the fact that the Scriptures teach that the church age believer must appropriate by faith their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father if they are to experience their sanctification (1 Thess. 4:1-8).
They are to do this by considering themselves as dead to sin, and Satan’s cosmic system and alive to God (Rom. 6; Col. 3).
The Scriptures also teach that the church age believer is to obey the Lord Jesus Christ’s command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He loves them if they are to experience their sanctification (cf. 1 Thess. 3:11-13; 1 John 3:11-18; 4:7-21).
Therefore, God demonstrates His faithfulness to the believer in regard to experiential sanctification by enabling them to experience their sanctification when they operate in faith and obedience to Him since faith appropriates the power of God.
Thus, the third assurance in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 can only become a reality if the church age believer exercises their volition through faith in and obedience to God’s Word, which the Spirit uses to communicate what God has done for them through both His Son and the Spirit.
All these assurances in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 of God’s faithfulness are designed to encourage the Thessalonians to continue remaining faithful despite the persecution and underserved suffering they were enduring when this epistle was penned.