Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 1 Thessalonians
Chapter 5: Children of Light
First Thessalonians 5 completes the letter with the day of the Lord and a shower of final charges. That day 'so cometh as a thief in the night,' sudden and unexpected for a world crying 'Peace and safety.' But believers are not caught off guard: 'ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day,' so 'let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober,' armed with 'the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.' For 'God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us.' Then Paul closes with rapid, practical commands: esteem your leaders, warn the unruly, comfort the feeble, 'rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks... quench not the Spirit... prove all things; hold fast that which is good.' He prays that 'the very God of peace sanctify you wholly,' preserving 'your whole spirit and soul and body... blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,' and rests it all on this: 'faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.' This chapter shows us how children of light live in the light of His coming.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, the final chapter of the epistle. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Paul describes the sudden coming of the day of the Lord, calls believers to live as children of light, and closes with a stream of practical commands and a prayer for complete sanctification. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
As a Thief in the Night
The day of the Lord comes suddenly on the world.
Children of Light
Not of darkness; let us watch and be sober.
Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks
Rapid commands for the Spirit-filled life.
Sanctify You Wholly
Preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord.
Ye Are All the Children of Light (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)
The day of the Lord comes suddenly on a sleeping world, but the children of light watch and are sober, appointed not to wrath but to salvation.
Not Appointed to Wrath, but to Obtain Salvation
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."
Word Study
"be sober," Greek nepho (νήφω). The word means to be sober, to abstain from drunkenness, and by extension to be clear-headed, alert, self-controlled, and watchful. "Let us watch and be sober." Paul is drawing a contrast between the night world and the day people. The night belongs to sleep and drunkenness, dulled senses and lost self-control; but believers are "of the day," so they are to be nepho, wide awake and clear-minded. The picture is of a soldier on watch: he does not drink himself into a stupor or drift off to sleep, for the enemy or the crisis may come at any moment; he stays alert, sober, ready. So the Christian, living in a world that has drugged itself with false "peace and safety," keeps a clear head, undulled by the intoxications of sin and self, watching for the Lord. And nepho is not grim anxiety but armed readiness: Paul pairs it with "putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." The sober believer is not asleep to the danger nor drunk on the world, but stands guard, clothed in faith, love, and hope, awake and ready for the day of the Lord.
Explanation
The "day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" — sudden, unannounced, catching the complacent who say "Peace and safety." But believers are not surprised, for "ye are all the children of light... we are not of the night." So the call is to vigilance: "let us watch and be sober," armored with "the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." The ground of confidence is God's purpose: "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ," who died that "we should live together with him." Therefore "comfort yourselves together, and edify one another."
Gospel Focus
Having comforted the Thessalonians about the dead, Paul now addresses the timing of the Lord's coming, and immediately redirects their curiosity. "Of the times and the seasons... ye have no need that I write unto you," because they already "know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." The point is not the date but the suddenness. For a careless world, the day will fall without warning: "when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." Just as labor pains seize a woman abruptly and cannot be avoided, so judgment will overtake those who trusted a false security. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." Here is the great difference: believers belong to a different realm. "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness." Therefore they are to live like it: "let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." Those in spiritual darkness are asleep and drunk, dulled and unready; the children of light stay awake and clear-headed, "putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation", armed for the day. And Paul grounds their confidence not in their own vigilance but in God's purpose and Christ's cross: "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us." The day that brings destruction on the world brings salvation to God's people, because the Lord Jesus died for them. Whether they are awake or asleep at His coming, that is, whether alive or already fallen asleep in death, "we should live together with him." So the doctrine again ends in comfort and mutual encouragement: "comfort yourselves together, and edify one another." The children of light do not dread the day of the Lord; they watch for it, armed and assured, because their Saviour has already secured them.
The Very God of Peace Sanctify You Wholly (1 Thessalonians 5:12-28)
Paul closes with rapid commands for church life and personal walk, and a prayer that God would sanctify them completely and preserve them blameless for the Lord's coming.
Faithful Is He That Calleth You, Who Also Will Do It
"And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."
Word Study
"wholly," Greek holoteles (ὁλοτελής). The word joins holos, "whole" or "complete," with telos, "end" or "goal"; it means through and through, wholly, to completion, leaving no part untouched. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." Paul's closing prayer is that God's sanctifying work would reach every part of them, holding nothing back, all the way to the end. He spells out that completeness in the next phrase: "your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Sanctification is to touch the entire person, the inner life of the spirit, the soul with its mind and will and emotions, and the body with its actions, until the whole is kept blameless for the day of Christ. It is worth noting that "spirit and soul and body" describes the wholeness of the human being, every dimension of us belonging to God, and is not a description of God, for the God who does the sanctifying is one, "the very God of peace." And this whole-person holiness is not finally our achievement but His gift: "faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." The God who calls us to complete sanctification will Himself accomplish it. So holoteles lifts our eyes to a full salvation: God preserving the whole of us, spirit, soul, and body, blameless until Jesus comes.
Explanation
The letter closes in rapid-fire exhortation. Honor those "which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord"; "be at peace"; "warn the unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all." Then a string of jewels: "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks," and "Quench not the Spirit... Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." It rises to a prayer that "the very God of peace sanctify you wholly," spirit, soul, and body, "preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." And the guarantee: "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
Gospel Focus
Paul ends the letter with a rapid volley of commands, brief but weighty, covering the life of the church and the walk of the believer. First, the church's leaders: "know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord," and "esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake," living "at peace among yourselves." God's people are to honor and love their faithful ministers. Then the church's care for one another: "warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men," and "see that none render evil for evil," but "ever follow that which is good." Different people need different treatment, a warning here, comfort there, support for the weak, patience with all. Then come the short, shining commands that describe the Spirit-filled heart: "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Constant joy, constant prayer, constant thanksgiving, this is God's will for us. And the life of the Spirit is to be guarded: "quench not the Spirit," do not smother His fire or His working; "despise not prophesyings," do not scorn the Spirit's speaking; yet "prove all things; hold fast that which is good," testing every message and keeping what is true; and "abstain from all appearance of evil." Then Paul lifts it all to God in prayer: "the very God of peace sanctify you wholly," and preserve "your whole spirit and soul and body... blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." He asks that God's work touch the entire person and keep them for that day. And he anchors the prayer in God's own faithfulness: "faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." The God who called them will finish what He began. So the letter closes as a family letter should, with a request for prayer, a holy greeting, a charge that all the brethren hear it, and grace: "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." The children of light, then, live watchful and sober, honor and love one another, rejoice and pray and give thanks without ceasing, guard the Spirit's work, and rest in the faithful God who will sanctify them wholly and keep them blameless until Jesus comes.
Chapter 5 in Review
First Thessalonians 5 completes the letter with the day of the Lord and a stream of final charges. That day "so cometh as a thief in the night," falling suddenly on a world crying "Peace and safety." But believers "are all the children of light, and the children of the day," so they "watch and be sober," armed with "the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation," for "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us." Paul then commands rapidly: honor your leaders, care for one another, "rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks... quench not the Spirit... prove all things; hold fast that which is good." He prays that "the very God of peace sanctify you wholly," preserving "your whole spirit and soul and body... blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," resting all on this: "faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
For the Apostolic reader this final chapter binds the hope of the Lord's coming to holy, watchful, Spirit-filled living. The world sleeps and is drunk on false security, but we are children of the day, called to stay awake and clear-headed, clothed in faith, love, and hope. We do not fear the day of the Lord, for we are "not appointed... to wrath, but to obtain salvation" through the Lord Jesus who died for us. And while we wait, we live the Spirit-filled life in its simplest, most searching form: rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, giving thanks in everything, not quenching the Spirit, testing all things and holding the good. Above all, we rest in the faithfulness of the one God, "the very God of peace," who will "sanctify you wholly" and preserve the whole person, spirit, soul, and body, blameless until Jesus comes, for He who calls us "also will do it." So we watch, we walk in holiness, and we trust the faithful God to finish His work in us at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (5:2).
- "Ye are all the children of light... let us watch and be sober" (5:5-6).
- "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (5:9).
- "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks" (5:16-18).
- "Quench not the Spirit... prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (5:19-21).
- "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly"; "faithful is he... who also will do it" (5:23-24).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you living as a "child of light," watchful and sober, or asleep like the world?
- Do you rest in being "appointed... to obtain salvation," not wrath, through Christ?
- Which of these charges, rejoice, pray, give thanks, do you most need to obey today?
- Are you trusting the "faithful" God to sanctify you wholly and keep you blameless?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The day of the Lord as a thief; children of light: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8; Matthew 24:42-44; 2 Peter 3:10; Ephesians 5:8. Appointed to salvation, not wrath, through Christ: 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11; Romans 5:9; John 3:16. Rapid closing charges and the Spirit-filled life: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22; Philippians 4:4; Ephesians 5:18-20; 1 Corinthians 14:1. Complete sanctification and God's faithfulness: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28; Philippians 1:6; 1 Corinthians 1:8-9. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The day of the Lord as a thief; children of light, watch and be sober: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8; Matthew 24:42-44.
- Not appointed to wrath but to salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ: 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11; Romans 5:9.
- Closing charges; rejoice, pray, give thanks; quench not the Spirit: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22; Philippians 4:4.
- The God of peace sanctify you wholly; faithful is He: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28; Philippians 1:6.