post 56. The Gospel and Freedom (New Year’s Edition!)
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16Rejoice always, 17pray continually, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not treat prophecies with contempt21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
2011! Wow. Whenever a new year rolls around I’m always tempted to create a list of resolutions for the new year. It gives me something to think about and also places some type of goals to achieve. I usually end up failing most of my resolutions but hey.. if there’s any time to be ambitious and overestimate myself the time is now. When I was a little my mom would always make my sister and I memorize scripture. For some reason she made us memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 in korean.. but it always stuck. ”Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.” Not a bad lineup of things there. So when I started to think about what I wanted to resolute to this year.. this passage came to mind. As I began to read from verse 12 I was enamored by all the things Paul was saying. In my head I was saying.. “yea thats good I should do that” or “I’m pretty good at that” or “I need to work on that..” But what I enamored soon became.. a bunch of things I realized I couldn’t live up to.. at least not all of them.. or even partially some of them.. My mind started thinking about how I could do this or that better or even worse try to dress myself in a robe and say I was really good at that. I mean. Look at all those commands!
1. Acknowledge those who work hard among you, care, and admonish you. (That’s almost like 3 different things!)
2. Hold them in the highest regard IN love
3. Live in peace with each other
4. Warn those who are idle and disruptive
5. Encourage the disheartened
6. Help the weak
7. Be patient with everyone
8. Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong
9. Strive to do what is good for each other AND for everyone else
10. Rejoice always
11. Pray continually
12. Give thanks in all circumstances
13. Do NOT quench the spirit
14. Do NOT treat prophecies with contempt
15. Test them all
16. Hold on to what is good
17. Reject every kind of evil.
Seventeen. There are seventeen instructions made by Paul here. It’s like dang man. The ten commandments are difficult enough. I soon realized the legalist in me was once again at work, trying to create an itemized list of do’s and don’ts to replace my need for a savior.
Verse 23 and 24 were the deepest fresh air and reminder that I could’ve asked for. I literally jumped out of my seat when this reminder and realization about the beauty of redemptive scripture set in. Let’s read it again.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
My heart, soul, and mind literally feels like it goes from holding my roommates heavy guitar amps in both arms to holding absolutely nothing. My arms relax. My body rests. My mind rejoices. Freedom. First, Paul reminds that God himself sanctifies. Through hardship and through blessing God is always grooming and molding us more into his image. He also says that he is the God of peace. While the holy God was just in His anger and wrath because of sin, the reconciliation that He initiated with Christ for his people, allows him to be at peace, appeased. Our whole being (spirit, soul, and body, not mutually exclusive necessarily) will be kept blameless.. not because of us.. but because “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it”.
There is a great exchange that occurred on the hill of Calvary back 2000 years ago and it was between one man and his people. This man perfectly obeyed all commands. He lived the perfect life. He was actually blameless. He was the faithful one.
Jesus took part in the greatest exchange of history. Our guilt and failure for his innocence and success. This radically reshapes the way that we should look at the instruction of Paul. Instead of following them to be accepted and approved, we strive and follow hard after them because we are accepted and approved. Big BIG difference!
I hope that in this new year I will be able to do as Paul instructs. They’re all good things. But sometimes I know, being the wicked sinner that I am, I can distort the way they are meant to be fulfilled. I pray that the gospel may entrench itself deeper in my heart so that I my spirit, soul, and body can rest in the freedom of being a slave to Christ. Interesting paradox huh. An even more amazing gospel!
What does it mean not to quench the spirit?
whoa.. your blog is awesome!
that cupcake looks legit!
I think what “quenching the spirit” means is really just a matter of rejecting the guidance and calling of the holy spirit. Jesus describes the holy spirit as the “helper” of our sanctification process (or more simply, becoming more like our perfect God). Therefore, when are prideful, we are quenching the spirit. When we are selfish, we are quenching the spirit. When we are angry, impatient, unforgiving, jealous, dissatisfied, blameshifting, ungrateful, etc. A lot of times we quench the spirit because we want to make it on our own. We want to be our own helper. We reject the helper that God has provided for us. We want to do it on our own. The spirit is constantly showing and revealing to us the glory of Christ. It points us to Christ. (John 15:26). All things point to Christ. We quench the Spirit when we fight for His glory. We are constantly in a battle for His glory and we will always lose. It’s a battle that we cannot win (thankfully). The good news is that Jesus lived the life that we should have lived and died the death that we should have died. Jesus was alone on the hill of calvary. There was no helper to help him even when he cried out. No one to take the bitter cup reserved for him.
Thankfully the gospel is acceptance that leads to obedience rather than obedience leading to acceptance. Even in our constant disobedience and failure, the gospel counsels us gently, with patience, in goodness and hardship. Jesus obeyed and was rejected. We disobey and are accepted!
I think that specifically in the Thessalonians verse Paul is talking about how the people are too quick to reject the work of the spirit. He goes on challenging them to test everything. I think he’s targeting their unbelief of certain prophecies and things of that nature.
All in all, I think Paul is just teaching us to trust in the Spirit. To live by the Spirit through the word. Through growing in relation with Christ, realizing our lack of wisdom, truth, and understanding. We need all the help that we can get, and we need it bad.
Hope it helps.
man. you’re right. that’s a hefty resolution. =P