Author Archives: Jay F Guin

1 Thess 5:19-22 (1 Thess. 5:19-22 ESV) 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. Quench In v. 19, the word … Continue reading →

The next and final section of the letter is a series of very brief ethical instructions. Many students of Paul find these sections uninteresting because they don’t deal with “real” theology — just how to live together in community. But … Continue reading →

1 Thess 5:11 (1 Thess. 5:11 ESV) 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.  “Therefore” means this is the first conclusion Paul is drawing from his lesson on the Second Coming. In … Continue reading →

1 Thess 5:6 (1 Thess. 5:6 ESV)  6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.  Paul is now doing midrash — rabbinic style commentary. He is taking “night” as in … Continue reading →

1 Thess 5:1-2 Roots in Matt 24 (1 Thess. 5:1-2 ESV)  Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.  2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of … Continue reading →

[This is not greatly changed from a post I put up on Feb 22, 2016.] The Parousia (1 Thess. 4:16-18 ESV) 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an … Continue reading →

The afterlife (1 Thess. 4:13 ESV) 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. First, just to break the ice, … Continue reading →

When we run into a difficult passage, such as this passage, how do we decide what’s really being said and whether it is literally binding on the church as written? I took several shortcuts in my blog post, just to … Continue reading →

I’ve been in the hospital the last few days dealing with an infection. I’m still there, and so I apologize for any mistakes I make. I blame the drugs. Not sure when I’ll be up to joining in the comments. … Continue reading →

There’s another subtlety here I want to look at more closely. (1 Thess. 4:7 ESV) 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Paul says that his readers have been “called.” Now, when I was growing … Continue reading →