The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 90

Vers. 1-8.-Sanctification. With this chapter commences the hortatory part of the Epistle. l. Ell!BOBTATION TO ADVANCE IN AOOOBDANOE WITH WHAT BAD BEEN DELIVERED TO THEM oF THE DIVINE WILL. "Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of 118 how ye ought to walk and to please Go,t, even a8 ye do walk,-that ye abound more and more." The announcement which is made by "finally" of the close of the Epistle is to be taken as meaning that the remaining part is to be taken up with that which is now introduced. There is a natural transi- tion from the prospect of being unblamable in holiness, with which the personal part of the Epistle ends, to this hortatory part. The exhortation is very affectionate in tone. The Thessalonians are addressed as brethren. And there is not the simple form, "We exhort you," bnt it is preceded by a less frequent form 1only once used by Paul beyond these Epist.les to the 'l'hessalonians), "We beseech you, which is the language in which friend earnestly presses home a request on friend. "We exhort you" is more the language in which a teacher ..amestly preRses home duty on his hearers. , " We exhort you" is, moreover, defined and heightened by the addition of the words "in the Lord Jesus." The three Christian teachers found the element of thtir exhortation, not in themselves, but in him who, as Saviour, has a right to rule all lives. It is implied that the tone of Christ toward 118 is that of earnest exhortation, in which he perfectly reflects God ; for it is said, in 2 Cor. v. 20, that God exhorts, which should have been the translation there. There had been delivered by the teachers to the Thessalonians the knowledge of the true God, and, 1111 they had formerly sou!!ht to please their false deities, so, when they came to the knowledge of the true God, it became their duty to µlease liim. There had al61) been delivered to them how they ought to walk and to please Gud, i.e. to say, tl,is had been presented to them in con~iderable detail, so that they could readily follow the course of life that was pleasing to God. 'l'o their credit it could be said that they were following in their God-pleasing course, and what is pressed home on them is, that they should abound more and more in it. ·' The Lord make you to abound," is language which has already been used; and this exhortation to abound more and more, wl,ich rec1.1rs in the tenth verse, may be said to he the watchword given to the The~salonians. However much we have walked and nleased God, we have not done it enough. Let WI abound more and more in the course t.ha.t is pointed out to us in the Bible as pleasing to God. II. APPEAL TO TBEJR IIEMORY IN OONNEOTJON WITH WHAT BAD BEEN DKLIVERKP JR. 1v. 1-18.J THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 89