1 Thessalonians 4:1
Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is pleasing to God, just as you have received from us. This is how you already live, so you should do so all the more.
Finally, brothers
The word "Finally" (Greek: "λοιπόν," loipon) indicates a transition in Paul's letter, moving from theological teachings to practical exhortations. "Brothers" (Greek: "ἀδελφοί," adelphoi) is a term of endearment and unity, emphasizing the familial bond among believers. This reflects the early Christian understanding of the church as a family, bound together by faith in Christ, transcending ethnic and social boundaries.

we ask and encourage you
The dual verbs "ask" (Greek: "ἐρωτάω," erōtaō) and "encourage" (Greek: "παρακαλέω," parakaleō) reveal Paul's pastoral heart. "Ask" implies a gentle request, while "encourage" suggests a stronger exhortation, urging the Thessalonians to continue in their spiritual journey. This combination underscores the balance of grace and truth in Christian leadership, where guidance is given with both authority and compassion.

in the Lord Jesus
This phrase anchors the exhortation in the authority and example of Christ. "In the Lord Jesus" signifies that the motivation and power for living a godly life come from a relationship with Jesus. It reflects the early church's Christocentric focus, where all aspects of life are viewed through the lens of Christ's lordship and teachings.

to live in a way that is pleasing to God
The phrase "to live" (Greek: "περιπατεῖν," peripatein) literally means "to walk," a common metaphor in Scripture for one's conduct or way of life. "Pleasing to God" (Greek: "ἀρέσκω," areskō) indicates a life aligned with God's will and character. This reflects the biblical theme of holiness, where believers are called to reflect God's nature in their daily actions, embodying the transformation that comes through faith.

just as you have received from us
This phrase highlights the apostolic tradition and teaching. "Received" (Greek: "παραλαμβάνω," paralambanō) implies a transmission of doctrine and practice from the apostles to the church. It underscores the importance of adhering to the teachings of the apostles, which were considered authoritative and foundational for Christian living. This continuity of teaching ensures that the faith remains rooted in the truth of the gospel as delivered by the apostles.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul
- The apostle who authored the letter to the Thessalonians, providing guidance and encouragement to the early Christian community.

2. Thessalonica
- A city in Macedonia where the church to whom Paul is writing is located. It was a significant urban center in the Roman Empire.

3. The Thessalonian Church
- The recipients of Paul's letter, a group of believers who were known for their faith and love but needed encouragement to continue growing in holiness.

4. The Lord Jesus
- Central to Paul's exhortation, emphasizing that the encouragement and instruction are rooted in the authority and example of Jesus Christ.

5. Paul's Missionary Team
- Includes Silas and Timothy, who were with Paul in establishing the church and teaching the Thessalonians how to live a life pleasing to God.
Teaching Points
Living to Please God
As believers, our primary aim should be to live in a way that pleases God. This involves aligning our actions, thoughts, and desires with His will.

Continual Growth
Paul acknowledges the Thessalonians' current way of living but encourages them to excel even more. This teaches us that spiritual growth is a continuous journey.

Encouragement in Community
Paul’s use of "brothers" highlights the importance of community in encouraging one another to live godly lives.

Authority of Jesus
The exhortation is given "in the Lord Jesus," reminding us that our motivation and strength to live pleasing lives come from our relationship with Christ.

Receiving and Applying Instruction
The Thessalonians had received instruction from Paul and his team. We, too, should be open to receiving biblical teaching and applying it to our lives.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can we practically live in a way that is pleasing to God in our daily lives?

2. In what areas of your life do you feel called to "do so all the more" in terms of spiritual growth?

3. How does being part of a Christian community help you in your journey to live a life pleasing to God?

4. What role does the authority of Jesus play in your motivation to live according to God's will?

5. How can you ensure that you are not just hearing biblical instruction but actively applying it to your life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Romans 12:1-2
Paul urges believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which aligns with the call to live in a way that pleases God.

Philippians 1:27
Paul encourages the Philippians to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, similar to his exhortation to the Thessalonians.

Colossians 1:10
Paul prays for the Colossians to live a life worthy of the Lord and to please Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work.

Ephesians 4:1
Paul urges believers to live a life worthy of the calling they have received, emphasizing the importance of living according to God's standards.

Hebrews 13:21
The author prays for God to equip believers with everything good for doing His will, which relates to living a life pleasing to God.
Christian ProgressW.F. Adeney 1 Thessalonians 4:1
Chrysostom -- Excessive Grief At the Death of FriendsVarious1 Thessalonians 4:1
Living and Dead When Christ ReturnsMartin Luther1 Thessalonians 4:1
ExhortationB.C. Caffin 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 2
The Importance of Living in Harmony with the Divine WillT. Croskery 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 2
SanctificationR. Finlayson 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5
A Deepening ConsecrationS. B. Bossiter.1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
A Fuller ConsecrationC. Simeon, M. A.1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Abounding More and MoreH. K. Burton.1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Earnest Exhortations to a High SanctityG. Barlow.1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
How to Walk So as to Please GodG. Burder.1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Of Abounding More and MorePlain Sermons by Contributors to "Tracts for the Times."1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Pleasing GodB. Pugh.1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Pleasing God IsD. Thomas, D. D.1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
So Ye Would Abound More and More1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
The Christian's Walk and its ObjectW. H. M. H. Aitken, M. A.1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
The Necessity of ProgressBp. Westcott.1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Walking So as to Please God1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
People
Paul, Thessalonians
Places
Macedonia, Thessalonica
Topics
Abound, Actually, Beg, Behaviour, Behoveth, Beseech, Brethren, Brothers, Clear, Excel, Exhort, Fact, Finally, Furthermore, Heart, Instructed, Instruction, Learned, Learnt, Lips, Moreover, Order, Ought, Please, Pleasing, Prayer, Receive, Received, Request, Rest, Sort, Truly, Urge, Walk
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Thessalonians 4:1

     5769   behaviour
     8208   commitment, to God
     8245   ethics, incentives
     8332   reputation
     8348   spiritual growth, nature of
     8409   decision-making, and providence
     8460   pleasing God
     8492   watchfulness, leaders
     8636   asking
     8654   importunity, to people

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2

     7756   preaching, content
     7793   teachers

Library
Twenty Fifth Sunday after Trinity Living and Dead when Christ Returns.
Text: 1 Thessalonians 4, 13-18. 13 But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Be Ye Therefore Perfect, Even as Your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect. Matthew 5:48.
In the 43rd verse, the Savior says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward
Charles G. Finney—Lectures to Professing Christians

April the Tenth Resurrection-Light
"If we believe that Jesus died and rose again...." --1 THESSALONIANS iv. 13-18. That is the eastern light which fills the valley of time with wonderful beams of glory. It is the great dawn in which we find the promise of our own day. Everything wears a new face in the light of our Lord's resurrection. I once watched the dawn on the East Coast of England. Before there was a grey streak in the sky everything was held in grimmest gloom. The toil of the two fishing-boats seemed very sombre. The sleeping
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Chrysostom -- Excessive Grief at the Death of Friends
Chrysostom (that is, "Of the Golden Mouth") was a title given to John, Archbishop of Constantinople. He was born of a patrician family at Antioch about 347, and owed much to the early Christian training of his Christian mother, Anthusa. He studied under Libanius, and for a time practised law, but was converted and baptized in 368. He made a profound study of the Scriptures, the whole of which, it is said, he learned to repeat by heart. Like Basil and Gregory he began his religious life as a hermit
Various—The World's Great Sermons, Volume I

The Relation of the Will of God to Sanctification
"This is the will of God, even your sanctification."--I THESS. iv. 3. "As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.'"--I PET. i. 15, 16. "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God. . . . By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."--HEB. x. 9, 10. OUR discussion of the will of God landed us--perhaps in rather an unforeseen way--in the great subject of sanctification.
Henry Drummond—The Ideal Life

Sanctification
'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.' I Thess 4:4. The word sanctification signifies to consecrate and set apart to a holy use: thus they are sanctified persons who are separated from the world, and set apart for God's service. Sanctification has a privative and a positive part. I. A privative part, which lies in the purging out of sin. Sin is compared to leaven, which sours; and to leprosy, which defiles. Sanctification purges out the old leaven.' I Cor 5:5. Though it takes not
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The True Christian Life
TEXT: "My beloved is mine, and I am his."--Sol. Song 2:16. "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine."--Sol. Song 6:3. "I am my beloved's and his desire is toward me."--Sol. Song 7:10. These three texts should be read together, and the significant change found in each text as the thought unfolds should be studied carefully. They remind one of three mountain peaks one rising higher than the other until the third is lifted into the very heavens. Indeed, if one should live in the spirit of this
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Death of Death
'But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. 21. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.... 50. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, (for the trumpet shall sound;) and the dead shall
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

"Pray Without Ceasing"
Observe, however, what immediately follows the text: "In everything give thanks." When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude. When we joy in God for what we have, and believingly pray to him for more, then our souls thank him both in the enjoyment of what we have, and in the prospect of what is yet to come. Those three texts are three companion pictures, representing the life of a true Christian, the central sketch is the connecting link between those on either side. These
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 18: 1872

The Bible
THE WORD OF GOD "When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God." (1 Thessalonians 2:13.) THE Apostle here testifies that he believes himself to be the bearer of a revelation direct from God; that the words he speaks and the words he writes are not the words of man, but the Word of God, warm with his breath, filled with his thoughts, and stamped with his will. In this same epistle he writes: "For this we say unto
I. M. Haldeman—Christ, Christianity and the Bible

The Education of the World.
IN a world of mere phenomena, where all events are bound to one another by a rigid law of cause and effect, it is possible to imagine the course of a long period bringing all things at the end of it into exactly the same relations as they occupied at the beginning. We should, then, obviously have a succession of cycles rigidly similar to one another, both in events and in the sequence of them. The universe would eternally repeat the same changes in a fixed order of recurrence, though each cycle might
Frederick Temple—Essays and Reviews: The Education of the World

Letter cxix. To Minervius and Alexander.
Minervius and Alexander two monks of Toulouse had written to Jerome asking him to explain for them a large number of passages in scripture. Jerome in his reply postpones most of these to a future time but deals with two in detail viz. (1) "we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed," 1 Cor. xv. 51; and (2) "we shall be caught up in the clouds," 1 Thes. iv. 17. With regard to (1) Jerome prefers the reading "we shall all sleep but we shall not all be changed," and with regard to (2) he looks
St. Jerome—The Principal Works of St. Jerome

Sanctification
TEXT: "This is the will of God, even your sanctification."--1 Thess. 4:3. It is quite significant that the Apostle Paul writes explicitly concerning sanctification to a church in which he had such delight that he could write as follows: "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the Church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet,
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Beginning of the New Testament
[Illustration: (drop cap T) Coin of Thessalonica] Turn to the list of books given in the beginning of your New Testament. You will see that first come the four Gospels, or glimpses of the Saviour's life given by four different writers. Then follows the Acts of the Apostles, and, lastly, after the twenty-one epistles, the volume ends with the Revelation. Now this is not the order in which the books were written--they are only arranged like this for our convenience. The first words of the New Testament
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

The Resurrection
'Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.' John 5:58, 29. Q-38: WHAT BENEFITS DO BELIEVERS RECEIVE FROM CHRIST AT THE RESURRECTION? A: At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgement, and made perfectly blessed in the
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Paul a Pattern of Prayer
TEXT: "If ye shall ask anything in my name I will do it."--John 14:14. Jesus testified in no uncertain way concerning prayer, for not alone in this chapter does he speak but in all his messages to his disciples he is seeking to lead them into the place where they may know how to pray. In this fourteenth chapter of John, where he is coming into the shadow of the cross and is speaking to his disciples concerning those things which ought to have the greatest weight with them, the heart of his message
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Doctrine of the Last Things.
A. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. B. THE RESURRECTION. C. THE JUDGMENT. D. THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED. E. THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS. THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAST THINGS. Under this caption are treated such doctrines as the Second Coming of Christ, the Resurrection of both the righteous and wicked, the Judgments, Final Awards, and Eternal Destiny. A. THE SECOND COMING OF CHEIST. I. ITS IMPORTANCE. 1. PROMINENCE IN THE SCRIPTURES. 2. THE CHRISTIAN HOPE. 3. THE CHRISTIAN INCENTIVE. 4. THE CHRISTIAN COMFORT.
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible

Effectual Calling
'Them he also called.' Rom 8:80. Q-xxxi: WHAT IS EFFECTUAL CALLING? A: It is a gracious work of the Spirit, whereby he causes us to embrace Christ freely, as he is offered to us in the gospel. In this verse is the golden chain of salvation, made up of four links, of which one is vocation. Them he also called.' Calling is nova creatio, a new creation,' the first resurrection. There is a two-fold call: (1.) An outward call: (2.) An inward call. (1.) An outward call, which is God's offer of grace to
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Epistles of St. Paul
WHEN we pass from primitive Christian preaching to the epistles of St. Paul, we are embarrassed not by the scantiness but by the abundance of our materials. It is not possible to argue that the death of Christ has less than a central, or rather than the central and fundamental place, in the apostle's gospel. But before proceeding to investigate more closely the significance he assigns to it, there are some preliminary considerations to which it is necessary to attend. Attempts have often been made,
James Denney—The Death of Christ

The Unity of God
Q-5: ARE THERE MORE GODS THAN ONE? A: There is but one only, the living and true God. That there is a God has been proved; and those that will not believe the verity of his essence, shall feel the severity of his wrath. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.' Deut 6:6. He is the only God.' Deut 4:49. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else.' A just God and a Saviour; there is none beside
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Links
1 Thessalonians 4:1 NIV
1 Thessalonians 4:1 NLT
1 Thessalonians 4:1 ESV
1 Thessalonians 4:1 NASB
1 Thessalonians 4:1 KJV

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Commentaries

Bible Hub
1 Thessalonians 3:13
Top of Page
Top of Page