“Now, let me begin by giving praise to God, that his expressed will, the moral requirements to which he calls his people, is as wonderful as rejoicing, thanksgiving, and intimate communication, trusting in the goodness of God towards us in both plan and action. These are commands which reflect the amazing position of grace in which God has placed us through the finished work of Christ Jesus. It is like if someone rich and powerful gave you a credit card with no limit, on the one condition that you enjoy yourself and call on them if you run into any trouble. And that extreme example doesn’t even begin to compare to the joyous position we have in Christ. What God commands is always aligned with your greatest joy and fulfillment, and all of what God forbids is of letting ourselves be sidetracked by seeking contentment in lesser joys.”

“If God himself sets the example for our behavior, it is also God’s mercy towards us that motivates and empowers our reciprocation. In the cross of Christ, God carried out the greatest act of mercy towards the undeserving, and at the same time executed severe and uncompromising justice upon the sins of humanity. Now you might ask: How can I reciprocate the mercy of God? Which is a good question, since Christ will never be in need of your kindness, gentleness, patience, and especially not your mercy. But Jesus regularly directly linked the treatment of his body, the church, with the way that we are treating him : ‘...as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

The way we treat the image bearers of Christ — no matter how poorly they reflect that image at times — is literally how we are treating the one who gave his life for us.”

“…Paul lays the responsibility for the whole community on the community itself. Each member, and not the leaders alone, must be aware of his or her responsibility for others and seek to help them. At no stage can the ordinary member lean back and say or think, ‘This is the task of the leaders alone.’ Paul knows nothing of an inert mass, the congregation, on which the ministry operates…In short, Paul is trying to develop in the entire congregation a sense of pastoral responsibility…”

“The peace that the apostle has in mind is not merely the absence of conflict… but the presence of positive, healthy relationships. These do not come as a result of superficial harmony, where we are nice to each other and coexist without open conflict, but genuine peace is the result of following the guidelines of Matthew 18:15 and going to those who sin or offend us in loving confrontation. We Canadians so highly value the kinds “niceness” and “politeness” that take us far afield from genuine kindness and peace which are fruits of the Spirit …People who do not “care enough to confront” are no more loving than leaders who will not admonish.”

“Believers are adopted into the family of God by grace alone, through the finished work and sacrifice of Christ, but their existence as children of the light, children of the day, has moral implications, The Thessalonian Christians did not need to be reminded of the facts, but they are being reminded here of the implications these facts held for their actions. They are already day people, but they are being reminded to live as such!”

“The goal of this whole passage is quite simple and clear, although it has unfortunately also been the source of a great deal of end times speculation that is quite unrelated to Paul’s own interests. Paul’s expressed goal is ‘that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope,’ or to state it positively, that our hope would be so grounded in the resurrection of Jesus, that our whole understanding of death, the future and the fate of all believers would be profoundly different from the world that does not have Christ.”

“It should be clear, both from the commands and example of Christ and his apostles, that living quietly and minding our own business does not mean that the church is to tone down its proclamation of the gospel. On the contrary, Paul consistently encouraged boldness in this regard. The church was not to live so quietly that they failed to function as witnesses of Christ both in word and deed. It is, rather, (as we often say here) that the only offense should be the gospel. Christians were not to become social revolutionaries. In fact, the apostles denied such charges several times when they were leveled against them. It was not Paul’s intent that the church disrupt society or overthrow governments. Rather, he encouraged Christians to be good citizens and exemplary members of their families and of their society but to do so in a manner consistent with the teachings of Christ. Only in this sense was the Gospel intended to change society. It set out to change the individuals who made up society while awaiting that climactic event when the power of God would truly change the world forever…”

“It is God’s work among us that creates sanctification, that makes us obey. But at the same time, moral effort is in no way antithetical to faith. It is, rather, the outworking and expression of true faith. In response to God’s gift and initiative, believers have a responsibility to let the power of Grace come to expression in our lives. Full dependence on God is wholly compatible with human exertions. The Christian is not passive, but fully cooperates with God for achieving his divine purpose…this is how God has willed that it will take place: your sanctification will take place as you strive.”