Living to Please God

In the first half of the epistle, Paul wrote mainly about his past ministry to the Thessalonians, both in presence or in absence. But he feels that recounting the past and expressing his affection for the believers is not enough (thus the words “finally then...” in 4:1). He now devotes the rest of the epistle to giving specific instructions about the various aspects of Christian living and urging them to live in a manner in accord with the expectation of the Lord’s return.

1. “Sexual immorality” (4:3) “In the first century moral standards were generally very low, and chastity was regarded as an unreasonable restriction.” ¹Sexual sins, including adultery, homosexuality, and prostitution, were rampant in ancient Rome. “Adultery was so common as to attract little attention…, and practically every well-to-do woman had at least one divorce.” ²
2. “Brotherly love” (4:9): Translates philadelphia, a Greek word that outside the NT almost without exception denoted the mutual love of children of the same father. ³
3. “Work with your own hands” (4:11): The Greeks in general thought manual labor degrading and fit only for slaves. Christians took seriously the need for earning their own living, but some of the Thessalonians, perhaps as a result of their belief in the imminent return of Christ (see 2Th 3:11), were neglecting work and relying on others to support them. ⁴