1 Thessalonians 4.2-Paul, Silas and Timothy's Commands Were Given by the Authority of the Lord Jesus (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Sunday September 8, 2024

First Thessalonians Series: 1 Thessalonians 4:2-Paul, Silas and Timothy’s Commands Were Given to the Thessalonians by the Authority of the Lord Jesus

Lesson # 51

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. (NIV84)

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Therefore, in addition to this brothers and sisters each one of us is requesting, yes urgently, authoritatively encouraging each and every one of you on the basis of the Lord Jesus’ commands that as each of you received from each of us instruction how each of you are obligated to make it your habit to live in a manner so as to make it your habit of pleasing God (as each one of you are in fact making it your habit of living) that each of you make it your habit of excelling more and more. 2 For each and every one of you are well aware of what type of commands each one of us gave to each one of you by means of the authority of the Lord Jesus. (Pastor’s translation)

1 Thessalonians 4:2 presents the reason for the previous request in 1 Thessalonians 4:1 that each one of the Thessalonians make it their habit of excelling more and more in living their lives in a manner which pleases God.

The latter also asserts that the basis for this request was the Lord Jesus’ commands.

It also asserts that the Thessalonians were to fulfill this request as they received instruction from Paul, Silas and Timothy as to how they were obligated to make it their habit to live in a manner so as to please God.

In verse 2, Paul asserts that the Thessalonians were well aware of what commands that he, Silas and Timothy gave them by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

Therefore, Paul asserts that they were to make it their habit of excelling more and more in living their lives in a manner which pleases God “because” they were well aware of what commands that they gave them by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

These commands are a reference to the various commands and prohibitions which were communicated to the Thessalonians by Paul, Silas and Timothy with regards to experiencing their sanctification.

This is indicated by the content of the statements recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7.

1 Thessalonians 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (NIV84)

“Sanctification” is a technical theological term for the believer who has been set apart through the baptism of the Spirit at the moment of conversion in order to serve God exclusively and is accomplished in three stages: (1) Positional (2) Experiential (3) Perfective.

All three stages of sanctification refer to the process of conforming the believer into the image of Jesus Christ, which is the Father’s plan from eternity past (Romans 8:28-30).

Sanctification is all about the believer experiencing the holiness or perfect character of God in his life through his thoughts, words and actions.

By positional, I mean that God views the believer as crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ since at the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit placed the believer in union with Christ, identifying him with Christ’s crucifixion (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20), His death (Romans 6:2, 7-8; Colossians 2:20; 3:3), His burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12), His resurrection (Romans 6:5; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:10-11; Colossians 2:12; 3:1) and His session (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1).

“Positional sanctification” is the believer’s “entrance” into the plan of God for the church age.

It results in eternal security as well as two categories of positional truth (1 Corinthians 1:2, 30; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 5:26-27; Hebrews 2:11; 10:10; Acts 20:32; 26:18; Romans 6:3, 8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13).

“Retroactive” positional truth is the church age believer’s identification with Christ in His death and burial (Romans 6:3-11; Colossians 2:12) or in other words, when Christ, died God considers the believer to have died with Him.

“Current” positional truth is the church age believer’s identification with Christ in His resurrection, ascension and session (See Ephesians 2:4-6; Colossians 3:1-4). In other words, when Christ was raised and seated at the right hand of the Father, the Father considers the believer to have been raised and seated with Christ as well.

“Positional sanctification”: (1) What God has done for the church age believer. (2) His viewpoint of the church age believer. (3) Sets up the potential to experience sanctification in time. (4) Provides the believer with the guarantee of receiving a resurrection body.

“Experiential sanctification” is the function of the church age believer’s spiritual life in time through obedience to the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Spirit through the communication of the Word of God (John 17:17; Romans 6:19, 22; 2 Timothy 2:21; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, 7; 1 Timothy 2:15).

“Perfective sanctification” is the perfection of the church age believer’s spiritual life at the rapture, i.e. resurrection of the church, which is the completion of the plan of God for the church age believer (1 Corinthians 15:53-54; Galatians 6:8; 1 Peter 5:10; John 6:40).

It is the guarantee of a resurrection body and will be experienced by every believer regardless of their response in time to what God has done for them at salvation.

Notice, that in 1 Thessalonians 4:2, the apostle Paul asserts that he, Silas and Timothy communicated to the Thessalonian Christian community various commands and prohibitions which would enable them to experience their sanctification “by the authority of” the Lord Jesus.

This indicates that the authority of the Lord Jesus was the means by which Paul, Silas and Timothy communicated the various prohibitions and commands which would enable the Thessalonians to experience sanctification.

The prepositional phrase dia tou kyriou Iēsou (διὰ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ), “by the authority of the Lord Jesus” in 1 Thessalonians 4:2 parallels the prepositional phrase en kyriō Iēsou (ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ), “in the Lord Jesus” in 1 Thessalonians 4:1.

The latter is expressing the idea that Paul, Silas and Timothy were requesting, yes authoritatively, earnestly encouraging each of the Thessalonians “on the basis of the Lord Jesus’s commands” to continue to live in a manner more and more that pleases God just as they had received instruction from them to do so.

In other words, the Lord Jesus was the source of the commands the Thessalonians received from Paul, Silas and Timothy.

These commands were the basis for which Paul, Silas and Timothy were urgently, authoritatively encouraging them to continue to live in a manner more and more that pleases God just as they had received instruction from them to do so.

Authority is the power or right to enforce obedience and is the right to control, command or determine.

God has instituted authority in order to: (1) Protect free will (volition) (2) Protect the human race from self-destruction (3) Give order to life (4) Maintain peace (5) Allow the Gospel to spread and influence people. (6) To support the believer’s witness by their authority orientation in the devil’s world.

God has absolute authority which He expresses through both the written Word and in the living Word.

God’s authority establishes freedom, freedom requires responsibility, and responsibility protects freedom and restrains authority.

There is authority in every aspect of life.

There is even authority within the Trinity even though each member is co-equal, co-infinite and co-eternal with each other.

God the Father grants authority to the Son and directs the Holy Spirit.

God the Father has granted all authority in both heaven and on earth to His Son Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18; John 5:26-27; 1 Cor. 15:25-28).

God the Father also directs the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit receives His authority from both the Father and the Son.

Categories of Authority: (1) Christ’s Authority (Phlp. 2:8; Jn. 5:26-27; Col. 1:15-17; 2:10; Eph. 1:22) (2) Biblical Authority (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). (3) Angelic Authority (Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:16). (4) Apostolic Authority (Luke 9:1; 2 Cor. 10:8). (5) Pastoral Authority (Pet. 5:1-3; Heb. 13:17). (6) Spousal Authority (Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18). (7) Parental Authority (Deut. 21:18-21; Prov. 1:7-9; Eph. 6:1-3; Col. 3:20). (8) Governmental Authority (Rm. 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13).