上帝喜悦的生活

最后,弟兄姊妹,既然你们领受了我们的教导,知道怎样行才能讨上帝的喜悦,如你们现在所行的,我们靠着主耶稣恳求、劝勉你们要更加努力。 你们都知道我们靠着主耶稣传给你们的诫命。 上帝的旨意是要你们圣洁,远避淫乱的事, 要你们人人都知道持守身体的圣洁和尊贵, 不可荒淫纵欲,像那些不认识上帝的外族人一样。 你们在这种事上不可越轨,亏负弟兄姊妹。我们曾经对你们说过,并且郑重地警告过你们,主必惩治犯这种罪的人。 因为上帝呼召我们不是要我们沾染污秽,而是要我们圣洁。 所以,人若拒绝遵行这命令,他不是拒绝人,而是拒绝赐圣灵给你们的上帝。

关于弟兄姊妹彼此相爱的事,我就不必多写了,因为你们自己从上帝那里领受了要彼此相爱的教导。 10 你们对马其顿全境的弟兄姊妹已经做到了这一点。不过,我劝各位要再接再厉。 11 你们要立志过安分守己的生活,亲手做工,正如我们以前吩咐你们的。 12 这样,你们可以得到外人的尊敬,不必依赖任何人。

复活的盼望

13 弟兄姊妹,关于安息的信徒[a],我不愿意你们一无所知,免得你们像那些没有盼望的人一样悲伤。 14 我们既然相信耶稣死了,又复活了,也要相信上帝必把那些安息的信徒和耶稣一同带来。

15 我们把主耶稣的话告诉你们:主再来的那天,我们还活着的人不会比已安息的信徒先见到主。 16 因为主必在号令声、天使长的呼喊声和上帝的号角声中亲自从天降临,已经离世的基督徒必先复活。 17 然后,我们还活着的人要和他们一起被提到云里,在空中与主相会,永远和主在一起。 18 所以你们要用这些话彼此鼓励。

Footnotes

  1. 4:13 安息的信徒”希腊文是“睡了的人”,圣经常用“睡了”作为“死了”的委婉说法,参见约翰福音十一章11—14节。

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。

A life that makes God happy

Christian friends, there are a few more things that we need to say. We have already taught you how to live in a way that pleases God. And we know that you are living in that way. Now we ask you to continue to live like that even more. On behalf of the Lord Jesus, we seriously ask you to do this. You surely remember what we taught you with the authority of the Lord Jesus.

This is how God wants you to live: As his own people, he wants you to be completely good. So you must not have sex in a way that is wrong. Each of you men must learn to rule his own body properly. Then you will do only what is pure and right. People who do not know God strongly want to have sex in a wrong way. They cannot control themselves. You must not be like those people. No man among you should ever have sex with the wife of a Christian friend. That would be the same as if you robbed him. It would be a bad thing to do against him. Remember that the Lord will punish everyone who does things like that. We have already told you that. We warned you very seriously about it.

God has chosen us to belong to him. He does not want us to do disgusting things. As his people, he wants us to be holy. So do not refuse to accept what I am saying. If you do, it is not just a person that you refuse to obey. You are refusing to obey God. And God is the one who has given his Holy Spirit to you.

But I do not need to write to you about how you should love other believers. God himself has taught you how to love each other. 10 Certainly, you love all the believers in all the region of Macedonia. And now we ask you, as our Christian friends, ‘Please love each other more and more.’ 11 Try very much to live at peace with other people. Work hard at your own job. We have already told you that you must do these things. 12 If you live in this way, other people who are not believers will respect you. Also, you will not have to ask anyone else to give you the things that you need.

Jesus' return

13 Our Christian friends, we want you to understand properly about your friends who have died.[a] Then you will not continue to be sad about them. People who do not hope for any life after death are sad when their friends die. But you should not be upset like those other people. 14 We believe that Jesus died and he rose again after death. So we also believe that people who have died as Christians will rise again. When God brings Jesus back, he will take the Christians to go with Jesus.

15 We are telling you the message that the Lord has given to us. This is what will happen when the Lord returns. Those of us who are still alive will not go to meet the Lord first. We will not go before those people who have already died. 16 On that day, the Lord himself will come down from heaven. He will shout with authority. People will hear the voice of the leader of God's angels. They will hear the sound of God's trumpet. Then those people who have died as Christians will become alive again. They will be the first people to rise up. 17 After that, those of us who are still alive will join together with them. God will suddenly take us up into the clouds. In that way, we will all meet the Lord in the sky. So we will all be with the Lord for ever. 18 Because this message is true, tell it to each other. Help one another to be strong, not sad.

Footnotes

  1. 4:13 Timothy may have brought news that the Christians at Thessalonica were confused about Christ's return. They were sad about their Christian friends who had died already. They did not know what would happen to these people. Paul tells them here that they would all live with Christ for ever. It did not matter that some believers had died before Christ returned.

Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.