1 Thessalonians 4 (#1) : Living to Please God

1 Thessalonians 4 (#1)
Living to Please God

"Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as you have learned from us. You are already doing this, but now we encourage you to do so even more" (v. 1).

◇ The Apostle Paul places faith at the center of Christian life. For believers, faith is always the foundation (2:1-3:10). Yet faith is meant to be lived out in everyday actions (4:1-12).

Paul commended the Thessalonians for holding on to their faith, even amidst suffering (3:1-13). Now, he shifts his focus to the ethical actions that must accompany their faith—especially purity in their personal lives and love toward others (4:3-12). These are the things that truly please God.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul also stressed that without love, all our spiritual acts and gifts are meaningless noise, like a clanging cymbal. John Calvin once said, “Faith was once understood as loyalty to a promise, but people came to use the word to describe the certainty they felt about the truth itself” (Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4, Chapter 14, Section 13).

Faith and action are two sides of the same coin. Without both, the coin loses its value and is nothing more than a piece of metal. Similarly, faith without action is empty. No matter how loudly someone proclaims their faith or demonstrates spiritual gifts, if their life lacks love and ethical conduct, it is just noise—like the banging of a gong.

Jesus weeps over those who make great noise and show off their religion like clanging cymbals, while their lives lack substance. Because of them, non-believers mock the faith, and even believers are turned away. Jesus may be able to bear the mockery—after all, He endured far worse 2,000 years ago.

But what breaks His heart is when people leave Him behind. He bore the cross and its shame for them, and to see them turn away is unbearable.

♧ Gracious God, help us not to be Christians in words only, but in action. Make us disciples who, even in times of suffering, can smile with the joy of knowing Jesus crucified for us. Holy Spirit, guide us into all truth. Amen.