1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 - The Sanctification of God
Notes
Transcript
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
Target Date: Sunday, 16 July 2023
Target Date: Sunday, 16 July 2023
Word Study/ Translation Notes:
Word Study/ Translation Notes:
Sanctify – ἁγιάζω hagiazō – set apart and purify
Past Action:
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, - 1 Corinthians 1:2
Continuing Action:
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. – 2 Timothy 2:21
This use is much more an Eschatological Action; that is, in the context of the verse a prayer that God would continue to set them apart, continuing to cleanse them, toward the Day of the Parousia of Jesus Christ.
You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? – Matthew 23:19
Completely – ὁλοτελής hŏlŏtĕlēs – complete to the end
This word is unique in the New Testament.
It means more than complete, but complete to the end.
So every grain offering of the priest shall be burned entirely. It shall not be eaten.” – Leviticus 6:23
This sacrificial picture is the prayer of Paul and Silas to have all the fleshly, unworthy, unholy things in the believers to be burned completely away, leaving only the things of the Spirit.
I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. – Romans 12:1
Whole - ὁλόκληρος hŏlŏklērŏs – including every part, nothing left out
This is the key word in the “spirit, soul, and body phrase – the point is the entirety of each, not simply a single part to be worked on.
It also puts to flight the idea that God only “saves your soul” – He saves ALL OF YOU.
Now he prays that God will sanctify (separate to himself) the readers of the Epistle “through and through.” Holoteleis (“through and through”) speaks of the ultimate maturity of Christian character.
Kept – τηρέω tērĕō – watched or guarded from loss
The sanctified believers were valuable BECAUSE of their sanctification, made holy to the Lord. This, they pray, would be continued until the day they stand before God in judgment.
Paul also prayed that the Thessalonian Christians might “be kept blameless.” To “be kept” renders a word (tēreō) with military connotations. It implies the guarding of something to keep it safe.
There is the implication here of the precious nature of those God has called – something that DESERVES to be guarded because of its great worth.
This is not merely the idea of an animal that must be “kept” in a pen for its own good; that would be the function of the Law, to provide guardrails to keep us on safe ground. This is much more active, a guard placed in watch lest anything come along to try to rob the Master of his property.
Blameless – ἀμέμπτως amĕmptōs – unblamably.
a contract of apprenticeship to a shorthand writer, where provision is made that the pupil shall be taught not only to write fluently, but to read what he has written ἀμέμπτως.
so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, - Philippians 2:15
Coming – παρουσία parŏusia – Appearing
The preposition “at” (ev) implies that it was the day of the parousia itself that Paul had in mind.
Calls – καλέω kalĕō
Calls by name, as a shepherd calling His sheep. Calling them in to Himself.
The present tense participle “who calls” highlights the ongoing work of God among his people
Faithful – πιστός pistŏs – trust-worthy
For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. – 2 Timothy 2:11-13
Surely – not in the Greek, but implied by poieo.
Do - ποιέω pŏiĕō – to make or produce, often translated “do” for clarity.
[John the Baptizer] - Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance - Matthew 3:8
Thoughts on the Passage:
Thoughts on the Passage:
The God of peace Himself – this is emphatic, meaning not simply that God would accomplish this through intermediaries and second-causes, but is active HIMSELF in the sanctification, the setting apart, of His people.
Spirit, soul, and body – not a “biblical” division of a person, but descriptive.
Since the tripartite division of man is particular in Greek philosophy, although bearing little resemblance to the soul-body unity that the physical resurrection presupposes, it can be understood to be the native understanding of the Thessalonian Greeks. It is not inconceivable that Paul used this allusion simply because it was the easiest for this church to understand the truth of his statement. This would be analogous to his sermon regarding “the Unknown God” in Athens.
Since the point of the passage is the wholeness (ὁλόκληρος hŏlŏklērŏs) of God’s salvation and sanctification, the use of the already defined and understood terms of the Greeks would have made much more sense. Had Paul simply said “spirit and body”, for example, it would have left a “loophole” for some to think that their soul or mind could be contaminated and still have their spirit and body sanctified. If he had summed with “heart”, the body would have been noticeably absent from the sanctification, playing back into the error of Greek philosophy.
E. Schweizer (TDNT VI, 435) suggests that Paul is merely reflecting popular Hellenistic anthropology in the trichotomy of spirit, soul, and body and, given the liturgical setting of the statement, agrees with Dibelius (24) that this should not be taken as a precise description of the constitutive parts of human nature
Paul’s intention was not to offer an anthropological definition. Rather he sought to emphasize his desire that God would preserve his readers as complete human beings, blameless in the impending judgment of the day of the Lord or parousia (cf. 3:13).
It is precarious to try to construct a tripartite doctrine of human nature on the juxtaposition of the three nouns, πνεῦμα, ψυχή and σῶμα. The three together give further emphasis to the completeness of sanctification for which the writers pray, but the three together add but little to the sense of ὑμῶν τὰς καρδίας (“your hearts”) in 3:13. The distinction between the bodily and spiritual aspects of human nature is easily made, but to make a comparable distinction between “spirit” and “soul” is forced. Few would care to distinguish sharply among the four elements “heart” (καρδία), “soul” (ψυχή), “mind” (διάνοια) and “strength” (ἱσχύς) of Mark 12:30 (amplifying the threefold “heart, … soul, and … might” of Deut 6:5).
Perhaps the most important point to observe in the much debated reference to “spirit and soul and body” is the inclusion of the body in God’s saving and sanctifying purpose. This may have been difficult for Greeks to accept, in view of the depreciation of the body in several of their philosophical schools of thought, but Paul insists on it.
Paul’s point here in noting our “whole spirit and soul and body” is to show that in addition to being finished, our sanctification is to be comprehensive. We see this in the word whole that he applies to our inner and outer selves (Greek holokleros), meaning “in all the parts.” No part of us will be left unsanctified: we are intended to be holy through and through. Note that Paul thus sees our holiness not only in terms of our inner spirits but also in terms of our bodies: in our thoughts, desires, and actions, we are to be holy.
Paul was not describing the human person as a three-part conglomerate but as a being with material and nonmaterial existence who may or may not be spiritually enlivened in relation to God. The three terms used in v. 23, “spirit, soul and body,” occur in a context stressing wholeness. Paul was not emphasizing the threefold nature of humanity but the deliverance of the “whole” (holoklēron) person
This is sometimes used as an argument for a trichotomous view of man (e.g. Thomas), as against a dichotomous view, but this is probably unjustified (cf. Mark 12:30 for a fourfold division and 1 Cor. 7:34 for a twofold one). Paul is not analysing the nature of man, but uttering a fervent prayer that the entire man be preserved
Joseph Carlyl writes: “Perfect holiness is the aim of the saints on earth, and it is the reward of the saints in heaven
At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Here we see the completion of our sanctification, when in the resurrection our glorified souls will be reunited with our then-glorified bodies. It is after this that the final judgment takes place, in which all of Christ’s people will stand “blameless” and justified. G. K. Beale writes that “we are perfected immediately before the final judgment and have nothing for which to be judged
While the idea above may be technically true, it can be ingested in a most insidious way. The problem for most professing Christ is not their eventual completed sanctification but their present effort toward it.
We cannot allow ourselves to simply live for the promise of a final sanctification without our whole spirit, soul, and body straining toward sanctification here and now. If we do, we can easily find we are self-deceived, not attaining the hope of sanctification because we never longed for sanctification in Christ in the first place.
Sermon Text:
Sermon Text:
It is my conviction that there is no wasted word of Scripture.
The Holy Spirit, who inspired every last word of Scripture, did so with perfect economy.
That is, there is no unnecessary discussion, story, or, for that matter, phrase in the whole of the Bible.
Now certainly, some parts have a greater relevance for us at various times, and some parts may maintain deeper spiritual meaning, but none is unnecessary.
Some are more easily understood, while others confound scholars and make for great debates, both brotherly and angry.
I would remind those who were here at the time that I believe this so strongly that my first sermon in this Alex City congregation was from the list of the returnees in the book of Ezra.
Even there we find example and truth, even if by analogy or types.
This is also why we explore the Scriptures methodically on Sundays and Wednesdays when I teach, moving from one section to the next in a particular book.
But many, as we get to the end of one book in the Scriptures, begin to look forward to the next, skipping over those last thoughts.
Even commentators are not immune from this impatience.
But for those who will savor the beauty and majesty of every word of the Scripture will find in these skipped passages great things.
And a great reward of this discipline is when we come to verses like the ones we will consider today.
I invite you to be awed by the beauty of the prayer these apostles make for the beloved Christians of Thessalonica.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
Let’s take a look at each part of this passage as we unfold the riches to be found in this passage that, frankly, is often overlooked by readers and commentators alike.
Now may the God of peace himself…
As we begin to look at this great phrase, let’s look at the very first word: Now.
This is a conjunction, joining what was talked about before with what will now be talked about.
And what came before?
But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil. – vv.21-22
In the preceding verses, Paul and Silas were discussing the conduct of the believers in Thessalonica, giving them instructions about examining, testing all the teachings they were receiving.
And then we come to this word: Now.
It is what is called an adversative conjunction.
That simply means that there is a contrast between what came before and what comes now.
That is why this word is most commonly translated “But”.
Sometimes this contrast, though, is zooming in on a subject, like getting a clearer and clearer picture of the subject.
But other times the scene changes all together, as it does here.
In the verses before, they have been talking about what the believers in the church must be doing.
But now, they are moving to see what the God of peace Himself will be doing.
They have left off for a moment talking about what the believers should be doing,
Now turning their attention to what they are praying that God will do IN the believers.
That is why this section ends with this declaration: HE will surely do it.
Everything we will see in these two verses will be describing the work of God Himself.
Then notice how God is addressed – not simply May God Himself, but the God of peace.
It is reasonable to ask “peace with whom?”
Although we know the answer is most likely “with God and man”, we can see each referenced by this passage.
Look back up to verse 13 of this chapter, and you see the command Live in peace with one another.
So in one sense, God, who is the God of peace, will enable you to do that.
But then look at the next part of the prayer in verse 23:
…God of peace himself sanctify you completely…
This is nothing less than peace with God Himself, initiated by God Himself, and guaranteed by God Himself.
One final word I want you to notice in this first phrase: Himself.
There are some, even many, prayers that God answers through other people.
You pray because you have a need, and someone supplies that need.
They may not have even known of your prayer or your need: they were just urged by the Spirit to deliver kindness to you.
And they obeyed.
Free point of the day: it is always the best practice to proceed with generosity, especially when you have no more motive than love or the belief the Spirit is leading you to be generous.
But in this prayer, they pray that God HIMSELF will sanctify the believers completely.
Not that they would eventually BE sanctified, or that they would progress in their sanctification.
These might be okay as prayers, but the apostles were more direct: that God HIMSELF would do it.
There are a lot of people that don’t think God works in the world today, particularly not directly.
But this entire letter to the Thessalonians has been centered on God’s works in their lives and in the world around them.
And so we see in the first part of this marvelous verse that they are praying for God Himself, the God of peace, to sanctify the church completely.
Sanctify you completely…
Several months ago, we looked at the fourth chapter where the apostles told this church:
For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality - 1 Thessalonians 4:3
And at that time, and in studies since, we have defined sanctification as the process of being set apart for God.
This includes obedience to God and the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Walking in the Spirit,
Practicing love for one another.
But please listen very closely to the distinction I make now:
Sanctification is the joint work of God and His follower,
But only God sanctifies.
Perhaps that sounds like gibberish to you, so let me put it another way:
“Sanctification”, the noun, has a slightly different meaning than “sanctify”, the verb.
Most of the time we speak of sanctification, we speak of it in relation to the steps of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ:
In a simplified form, they are Regeneration, Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification.
It is in that Sanctification stage where we spend most of our Christian life on earth, practicing the good works God has prepared beforehand for us.
We see that very idea in Romans 6:19:
For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
And Hebrews 12:14:
Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
So sanctification is something we can “pursue”.
But in almost every time we see the verb Sanctify used in the New Testament, we see it describe what God has done.
Only one verse, in the very last chapter of the Bible, is the command for a believer to “sanctify himself”:
Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” – Revelation 22:11
Keep himself holy is literally Sanctify.
But I would argue from the context of this that the person was ALREADY HOLY, so the one who sanctified him is still God.
Why go into all this?
Because there are a lot of questions as to past, present, and future salvation.
Specifically, there is the question in our verse today how we can pray that God sanctify someone completely, particularly since the believer has some part in the state we call sanctification.
One way to look at the distinction between these ideas is this: I have invited everyone here to a big dinner.
But a few minutes before we are all supposed to sit down and eat, you called and told me you would be late.
So, being a kind host, I dipped you out a plate and set it to the side, reserving your portion for you.
The act of separating the portion is sanctifying, setting something apart.
But from the plate’s point of view, it is in the state of being set apart, sanctification.
It has been sanctified, but it did not sanctify itself.
It didn’t separate itself – I separated it.
You have been sanctified by the body and blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:10).
You have been, as we see in verse 24 in our passage today, sanctified by the call of God.
Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. – Ephesians 5:25-27
So sanctifying is entirely the work of God Himself, while sanctification is the state of those who have been sanctified, set apart, made holy by God.
And that is why they pray that God would sanctify them completely.
Sanctify them entirely.
Sanctify them to the very end.
Guarding them to keep them holy and blameless to the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And when he says completely, he illustrates this by praying that their complete spirit and soul and body be guarded, kept blameless, toward that Day.
Now just a quick word on this division of a person into three pieces: spirit, soul, and body.
I have seen a lot of explanations based on this verse ALONE as to how Paul saw the makeup of a person, and they are all wrong.
This is the only place in the entire Bible that describes a man this way, and the divisions are NOT the important thing here.
The most important words are “completely” and “whole”. They tell us what the apostles are talking about.
We saw earlier in Thessalonians, where they were talking about the Parousia, the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our bodily resurrection.
We are not made to be only a spirit or soul, but we are created as a body and spirit person.
A single creation with physical and non-physical parts.
That is why, you may recall, the resurrection of our bodies is so important – we will once again be in the state we were created to be in.
Frankly, I believe the apostles used this three-part description because that is a description rooted in Greek philosophy, and it was a description the Thessalonians would have been taught all their lives.
They weren’t trying to teach them the different divisions of a man – even Paul uses different divisions depending on his purposes in writing other epistles.
But when the apostles were trying to get across the great truth that they were praying that God would sanctify completely EVERY PART of them, to leave any of those parts out, as understood by those Greeks, would leave the possibility of misunderstanding.
If they had left out the part, whether spirit or soul, that the Thessalonians ascribed their thoughts to, the believers might have assumed it didn’t matter what they thought – only what they did.
And many Greeks, prior to the teachings of the apostles, assumed that what was done in the body made no difference at all so long as their heart was pure.
And so the apostles made sure the church knew that God’s sanctifying was effective for EVERY part of a person, spirit, soul, and body.
Every part made holy, set apart for His use.
So if God has done all that, what are we believers to do?
And this is where I think we may have sanctification, our part, a little wrong.
Or at least I have in the past.
I saw sanctification as a progressive journey, learning at each step what I should choose, and doing the right thing.
Kind of like we are working our way INTO worthiness or holiness.
Always looking forward to sanctification, but not having it yet.
But I am not so sure that is the right picture.
There are certainly good things about that: growth in grace and knowledge, and obedience.
But 2 Timothy 2:19-21 says this:
The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” 20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work
Imagine you are, right now, a beautiful vessel, useful in the Lord’s service.
He has SANCTIFIED you completely – soul, spirit, body.
You are entirely set apart for His works.
What then is YOUR part in sanctification: DON’T GET POLLUTED.
Don’t allow yourself to be dirtied by sin, spoiled for use until you are cleansed.
We so often think we should live our lives “doing our best” to follow God,
But He has already set us apart, cleansed us, made us useful.
What compromises our usefulness is when we practice wickedness, sin.
That is when we allow ourselves, our holy selves, to be polluted by the drives of our flesh.
That is why so many Christians live defeated lives: they are working only one ONE BIG SIN in their life rather than simply maintaining their holy purity.
Instead of focusing on living a pure life in all areas and constantly practicing holiness in all things,
They judge their obedience and devotion to God by their record against one or two sins.
And they lose a lot.
Now just because you are living in the holiness you have been given doesn’t mean you won’t mess up.
Sometimes we will make mistakes and sin.
Sometimes we will be deceived and sin.
Sometimes we will be tempted and sin.
And any of those sins will pollute us.
That is why 1 John 1:9 is such a treasure:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
When we sin, if we confess our sins, He CLEANSES us – cleans the pollution from us.
Restores us to that holy condition we were made to live in.
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.