Word
of God
Man
does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from
the mouth of God
Matthew
4:4
The
First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians 5:23
Study
notes by John Gill
Edited/Prefaced
by Doktor Riktor Von Zhades
23
Now the very God of peace sanctify you throughout: and I pray God
that your whole spirit and soul and body, may be kept blameless unto
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Brethren:
This
final prayer of the Apostle for the congregation at Thessalonica asks
that God keeps then and sets them apart from the non-believers. That
the complete man, that is to say the renewed, and regenerated (Read 2
Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24; 1 John 3:1-3) man be the person
that Christ finds upon His return. Make note that he divides unto
three separate parts spirit, soul and body. Each part playing an
important role in the whole man. For what is the whole without the
sum of it’s parts?
It
is God Who strengthens us, knowing full well that we’re naught but
flesh and blood, and even in our better moments can still set our
minds upon the carnality of this temporal plane. Thus the prayers for
them are asked in order that we might remain steadfast in our walk
and in all our works that we might be found lacking nothing and
wanting of nothing when seeking the kingdom of God and of His ways of
righteousness. - Dr. R.V.Z
“The
apostle follows his exhortations with prayer to God, knowing the
weakness and impotency of the saints to receive them, and act
according to them, and his own insufficiency to impress their minds
with them; and that unless the Lord opened their ears to discipline,
and sealed instruction to them, they would be useless and in vain:
wherefore he applies to the throne of grace, and addresses God as
"the God of peace"; so called, because of the concern he
has in peace and reconciliation made by the blood of Christ, and
because he is the giver of peace of conscience, and the author of
peace, concord, and unity among the saints, and of all happiness and
prosperity, both in this world, and in that which is to comE. And the
apostle might choose to address God under this character, partly to
encourage boldness, freedom, and intrepidity at the throne of grace,
and partly to raise hope, expectation, and faith of having his
requests answered, since God is not an angry God, nor is fury in him,
but the God of peace: and the petitions he puts up for the
Thessalonians. Not that he thought they could be kept from sinning
entirely in thought, word, or deed; but that they might be preserved
in purity and chastity from the gross enormities of life, and be kept
from a total and final falling away, the work of grace be at last
completed on the soul and spirit, and the body be raised in
incorruption, and glory; and both at the coming of Christ be
presented faultless, and without blame, without spot or wrinkle, or
any such thing, first to himself, and then to his Father.” - John
Gill - 17th Century Theologian
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