The Well-Ordered Life: Admonishment and Instruction Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
Introduction: The Christian's Marching Orders
As the Apostle Paul brings his first letter to the Thessalonians to a close, he does not trail off into sentimental platitudes. He concludes with a rapid-fire series of commands, a staccato burst of imperatives that function as the church's basic marching orders. This is not a miscellaneous collection of good advice, like a handful of fortune cookie slips. This is a portrait of a healthy church. It is a description of what a community looks like when it is living in the light of the Lord's return, which Paul has just been discussing at length.
We live in an era that despises authority, resents correction, and prizes an autonomous, "do-it-yourself" spirituality. The modern evangelical impulse is often to treat the church as a consumer commodity, a place we go to for inspiration and a good feeling, but not a place where we are under any binding authority. But the New Testament knows nothing of this free-range Christianity. To be a Christian is to be a member of Christ's body, the church. And to be a member of the body means you have obligations. It means you are connected to others in a web of mutual love, submission, and responsibility. What Paul gives us here is a sketch of the well-ordered, Spirit-filled life as it is lived out together, in the rough and tumble of a local congregation.
These verses are intensely practical. They deal with our relationship to our leaders, our relationship to one another within the church, and our relationship to God Himself. This is the Christian life in shoe leather. It is how our high and glorious theology about the end times is supposed to cash out in our daily interactions. If our eschatology does not produce this kind of community, then our eschatology is nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
The Text
But we ask of you, brothers, that you know those who labor among you, and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophecies, but examine all things; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
(1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 LSB)
Order in the Ranks (vv. 12-13)
Paul begins with the essential relationship between the congregation and its leaders.
"But we ask of you, brothers, that you know those who labor among you, and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another." (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
The first command is to "know" your leaders. This is not simply being able to pick them out of a lineup. The word means to recognize, to appreciate, to acknowledge the office they hold. This cuts directly against the grain of our egalitarian age. God has established an order in His church, and that order includes leaders, elders, who are given a particular task. Paul identifies three aspects of their work: they "labor among you," they "lead you," and they "admonish you."
Their work is first a "labor." It is hard, toilsome work. Shepherding the flock of God is not a cushy desk job. It is spiritually and emotionally draining. Second, they "lead" you, or are "over you in the Lord." This is a position of real authority. It is not a democratic suggestion box; it is a divinely delegated authority to govern the church. Of course, this authority is "in the Lord," meaning it is not their own. They are under-shepherds, accountable to the Chief Shepherd, and their authority is bounded by His Word. They have no authority to make up new rules or to lead you contrary to Scripture. But within those biblical bounds, their leadership is to be respected.
Third, they "admonish" you. This is a crucial, and often neglected, function. To admonish is to warn, to correct, to instruct with a view to turning someone from a wrong course. It is not pleasant, either to give or to receive. But it is a central part of pastoral care. A shepherd who will not use his rod to fend off wolves or to correct a wandering sheep is a hireling, not a true shepherd.
Because of this difficult work, the congregation has a corresponding duty: "regard them very highly in love." Notice the basis for this high regard. It is not because of their sparkling personality, their charisma, or their impressive resume. It is "because of their work." You are to love them for the sake of the office they hold and the labor they perform. This is a bulwark against the cult of personality on the one hand, and the consumeristic critique of pastors on the other. You honor the office that Christ established.
The result of this mutual respect and submission is peace. "Live in peace with one another." When a congregation respects its leaders, and the leaders lovingly serve the congregation, the result is internal harmony. Rebellion against lawful authority is one of the primary sources of strife in a church.
Mutual Ministry Within the Body (vv. 14-15)
Having addressed the leadership structure, Paul turns to the responsibilities of the members to one another.
"And we urge you, brothers, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people." (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15)
This is not just the elders' job description; this is for all the "brothers." The church is to be a place of active, hands-on, mutual care. Paul identifies three categories of people who need particular attention. First, "admonish the unruly." The word for unruly is an old military term for a soldier who breaks ranks, who is disorderly. These are the busybodies, the idlers, the ones stirring up trouble. They are not to be coddled; they are to be warned, confronted. This is a corporate responsibility.
Second, "encourage the fainthearted." These are the timid, the discouraged, those who are losing heart in the battle. They don't need a rebuke; they need comfort and encouragement. They need someone to come alongside them and put some spiritual steel in their spine. Third, "help the weak." This refers to those who are weak in faith, who are struggling with sin or doubt, who are easily stumbled. They need support, assistance, someone to hold them up.
Notice the different prescriptions for different spiritual conditions. You don't give the same medicine to every patient. This requires discernment. You don't admonish the fainthearted, and you don't encourage the unruly. And undergirding all of these interactions is a universal requirement: "be patient with everyone." This is long-suffering. It is the refusal to give up on people. It is the grace to bear with the sins and weaknesses of others, just as God in Christ has been patient with us.
Verse 15 gives a foundational principle for all Christian relationships, both inside and outside the church. "See that no one repays another with evil for evil." This is a radical, counter-cultural command. The world operates on the principle of retaliation, of getting even. The Christian is to operate on the principle of grace. We are forbidden from taking personal vengeance. Instead, we are to "always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people." This is not a passive non-retaliation. It is an active, aggressive pursuit of the good of others, even our enemies. This is the gospel ethic. It is how we overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
The Upward Look: Our Constant Communion (vv. 16-18)
From the horizontal relationships within the church, Paul shifts to the vertical relationship with God. These three commands are the engine that drives everything else.
"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
These are not suggestions; they are commands. And they are presented without qualification. "Rejoice always." How is this possible? Our joy is not based on our circumstances, which are constantly changing. Our joy is based on our God, who never changes. We rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4). We rejoice because our sins are forgiven, because our names are written in heaven, because Christ has conquered death, and because He is coming again. This joy is a supernatural fruit of the Spirit, a settled confidence in the goodness and sovereignty of God, regardless of the immediate situation.
"Pray without ceasing." This does not mean we are to be on our knees 24/7. It means we are to live in a constant state of communion with God. It is to cultivate an awareness of His presence in every moment, to bring everything to Him in a running conversation throughout the day. It is the opposite of a compartmentalized faith, where God gets an hour on Sunday morning. Prayer is to be the very atmosphere we breathe.
"In everything give thanks." Not for everything, but in everything. We are not to give thanks for evil. But in the midst of every circumstance, even painful ones, we can give thanks because we know that God is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). This thankfulness is a declaration of faith. It is a refusal to let our circumstances have the last word. God has the last word, and His last word is always grace.
Paul concludes this trio by saying, "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." If you are ever wondering what God's will for your life is, here it is in black and white. Before you worry about who to marry or what job to take, start here. Are you joyful? Are you prayerful? Are you thankful? This is the foundational will of God for every believer.
The Spirit's Fire and the Word's Authority (vv. 19-22)
The final section deals with the life of the church in its worship and discernment.
"Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophecies, but examine all things; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)
"Do not quench the Spirit." The Holy Spirit is often pictured as a fire. He brings warmth, light, and purifying power. To quench the Spirit is to throw water on that fire. We can do this through sin, through disobedience, through a cynical or critical spirit, or through imposing man-made rules that stifle His work. Paul immediately gives a specific example of how the Thessalonians might have been quenching the Spirit: "do not despise prophecies."
Prophecy in the New Testament was a gift of the Spirit for the edification of the church. It seems that some in Thessalonica, perhaps in reaction to some false or foolish prophecies, were tempted to throw the baby out with the bathwater and despise the gift altogether. Paul says no. You are not to be contemptuous of prophetic utterances. The abuse of a gift is not an argument for its non-use, but for its proper use.
The proper use is laid out in the next command: "but examine all things." This is the balance. We are not to be gullible, but we are not to be cynical either. We are to be discerning. Every prophecy, every teaching, every spiritual manifestation must be tested. And what is the standard of our testing? The Word of God. Does it square with the Scriptures? Does it produce the fruit of the Spirit? Does it glorify Christ? This is the Berean spirit (Acts 17:11).
After this examination, we have a twofold duty. First, "hold fast to that which is good." When you have tested a teaching and found it to be true and good, you are to cling to it. You are to embrace it, believe it, and live by it. Second, "abstain from every form of evil." This is the other side of the coin. When you have tested something and found it to be false, unbiblical, or evil, you are to reject it utterly. You are to stay away from it. This applies not just to doctrinal error, but to every appearance or form of moral evil.
This is the call to be a discerning people. We are not to be spiritual sponges, soaking up every new fad that comes along. Nor are we to be spiritual stones, hard and unresponsive to the work of the Spirit. We are to be spiritual adults, with our senses trained by the Word of God to distinguish good from evil.
Conclusion: A Community in Christ
What Paul has given us here is a beautiful, integrated picture of the Christian life. It is a life lived in community, under authority, with mutual responsibility. It is a life lived in constant communion with God, marked by joy, prayer, and thanksgiving. And it is a life lived in careful discernment, embracing the good and rejecting the evil.
This is not an impossible ideal. This is the normal Christian life. This is what the grace of God in Christ Jesus is designed to produce in us, by the power of His Spirit. This is what it looks like when a people truly believe that Jesus is Lord and that He is coming again. May God give us the grace to be such a people, for His glory and for the good of the world.