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要讨 神喜悦

此外,弟兄们,我们在主耶稣里求你们,劝你们,你们既然接受了我们的教训,知道应该怎样行事为人,并且怎样讨 神喜悦,就要照你们现在所行的更进一步。 我们凭着主耶稣传给你们的是甚么命令,你们是知道的。  神的旨意是要你们圣洁,远避淫行; 要你们各人晓得怎样用圣洁尊贵的方法保守自己的身体(“身体”原文作“器皿”); 不要放纵邪情私欲,像那些不认识 神的外族人一样; 谁也不要在这事上越轨,占弟兄的便宜,因为这一类的事,主必报应。这是我们从前告诉过你们,又严严警戒过你们的。  神呼召我们,不是要我们沾染污秽,而是要我们圣洁。 所以那弃绝这命令的,不是弃绝人,而是弃绝把他自己的圣灵赐给你们的那位 神。

论到弟兄相爱,用不着人写甚么给你们,因为你们自己受了 神的教导,要彼此相爱。 10 其实,你们向全马其顿所有的弟兄,已经这样行了。但是,弟兄们,我们劝你们要更加彼此相爱; 11 又要立志过安静的生活,办自己的事,亲手作工,正如我们从前吩咐过你们, 12 使你们行事为人可以得到外人的尊敬,自己也不会有甚么缺乏了。

在主里睡了的人必先复活

13 弟兄们,论到睡了的人,我们不愿意你们不知道,免得你们忧伤,像那些没有盼望的人一样。 14 我们若信耶稣死了,又复活了,照样,也应该相信那些靠着耶稣已经睡了的人, 神必定把他们和耶稣一同带来。

15 我们现在照着主的话告诉你们:我们这些活着存留到主再来的人,绝不能在那些睡了的人以先。 16 因为主必亲自从天降临,那时,有发令的声音,有天使长的呼声,还有 神的号声,那些在基督里死了的人必先复活; 17 然后,我们还活着存留的人,必和他们一同被提到云里,在空中与主相会。这样,我们就要和主常常同在。 18 所以,你们应该用这些话彼此劝慰。

上帝喜悅的生活

最後,弟兄姊妹,既然你們領受了我們的教導,知道怎樣行才能討上帝的喜悅,如你們現在所行的,我們靠著主耶穌懇求、勸勉你們要更加努力。 你們都知道我們靠著主耶穌傳給你們的誡命。 上帝的旨意是要你們聖潔,遠避淫亂的事, 要你們人人都知道持守身體的聖潔和尊貴, 不可荒淫縱慾,像那些不認識上帝的外族人一樣。 你們在這種事上不可越軌,虧負弟兄姊妹。我們曾經對你們說過,並且鄭重地警告過你們,主必懲治犯這種罪的人。 因為上帝呼召我們不是要我們沾染污穢,而是要我們聖潔。 所以,人若拒絕遵行這命令,他不是拒絕人,而是拒絕賜聖靈給你們的上帝。

關於弟兄姊妹彼此相愛的事,我就不必多寫了,因為你們自己從上帝那裡領受了要彼此相愛的教導。 10 你們對馬其頓全境的弟兄姊妹已經做到了這一點。不過,我勸各位要再接再厲。 11 你們要立志過安分守己的生活,親手做工,正如我們以前吩咐你們的。 12 這樣,你們可以得到外人的尊敬,不必依賴任何人。

復活的盼望

13 弟兄姊妹,關於安息的信徒[a],我不願意你們一無所知,免得你們像那些沒有盼望的人一樣悲傷。 14 我們既然相信耶穌死了,又復活了,也要相信上帝必把那些安息的信徒和耶穌一同帶來。

15 我們把主耶穌的話告訴你們:主再來的那天,我們還活著的人不會比已安息的信徒先見到主。 16 因為主必在號令聲、天使長的呼喊聲和上帝的號角聲中親自從天降臨,已經離世的基督徒必先復活。 17 然後,我們還活著的人要和他們一起被提到雲裡,在空中與主相會,永遠和主在一起。 18 所以你們要用這些話彼此鼓勵。

Footnotes

  1. 4·13 安息的信徒」希臘文是「睡了的人」,聖經常用「睡了」作為「死了」的委婉說法,參見約翰福音十一章11—14節。

Furthermore, [a]brethren, we beg and admonish you in [virtue of our union with] the Lord Jesus, that [you follow the instructions which] you learned from us about how you ought to walk so as to please and gratify God, as indeed you are doing, [and] that you do so even more and more abundantly [attaining yet greater perfection in living this life].

For you know what charges and precepts we gave you [[b]on the authority and by the inspiration of] the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living): that you should abstain and shrink from all sexual vice,

That each one of you should know how to [c]possess (control, manage) his own [d]body in consecration (purity, separated from things profane) and honor,

Not [to be used] in the passion of lust like the heathen, who are ignorant of the true God and have no knowledge of His will,

That no man transgress and overreach his brother and defraud him in this matter or defraud his brother in business. For the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we have already warned you solemnly and [e]told you plainly.

For God has not called us to impurity but to consecration [to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity].

Therefore whoever disregards (sets aside and rejects this) disregards not man but God, Whose [very] Spirit [Whom] He gives to you is holy (chaste, pure).

But concerning brotherly love [for all other Christians], you have no need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been [personally] taught by God to love one another.

10 And indeed you already are [extending and displaying your love] to all the brethren throughout Macedonia. But we beseech and earnestly exhort you, brethren, that you [f]excel [in this matter] more and more,

11 To make it your ambition and definitely endeavor to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you,

12 So that you may bear yourselves becomingly and be correct and honorable and command the respect of the outside world, being dependent on nobody [self-supporting] and having need of nothing.

13 Now also we would not have you ignorant, brethren, about those who fall asleep [[g]in death], that you may not grieve [for them] as the rest do who have no hope [beyond the grave].

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep [[h]in death].

15 For this we declare to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall in no way precede [into His presence] or have any advantage at all over those who have previously fallen asleep [in Him [i]in death].

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord!

18 Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  2. 1 Thessalonians 4:2 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  3. 1 Thessalonians 4:4 The American Standard Version and others so read.
  4. 1 Thessalonians 4:4 Some of the early versions of the Bible read “vessel” here. The reading “body” is supported by most lexicons, and by such translations as Ronald Knox, The Holy Bible: A Translation from the Latin Vulgate; J.B. Phillips, New Testament in Modern English; and Arthur S. Way, Way’s Epistles: The Letters of St. Paul to Seven Churches and Three Friends.
  5. 1 Thessalonians 4:6 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  6. 1 Thessalonians 4:10 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  7. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek.
  8. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek.
  9. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek.