Vii. Life In The Christian Community (5:12-22) 163
4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. in He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. i i Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Paul is led from a consideration of the day of the Lord to the thought that the Thessalonians have nothing to fear from the coming of that Day. This leads to the further thought that their lives should be in harmony with all that that Day stands for. It is not a difficult step from the idea of the day of the Lord to that of walking in the light, from that of the coming of Christ to that of the character of Christian people as "sons of the light." The coming of that Day must inspire God's people to live lives appropriate to their calling.
That Day will come with all the suddenness and unexpectedness of a thief. The mention of "darkness" leads Paul to repeat his metaphor of verse 2. Perhaps, though, we should notice that there is a variant reading, "thieves," which yields a somewhat different sense. The meaning then would be, not that that Day will come as unheralded as a thief, but that it will surprise people, just as thieves are surprised by the coming of dawn. Those who are not ready will be surprised by daybreak on "the day of the Lord." But both the attestation and the sense of "like a thief' are better, and we accept this reading accordingly.19
5 Having given the reason why they will not be overtaken in the calamity that will befall the unbelievers, Paul proceeds to consider more attentively what is involved in their character as believers. We should notice his "all"; among believers there are no exceptions. "You are all sons of the light," he says, which means that "light" is their distinguishing feature. In Semitic languages generally to be a "son" of something means to be characterized by that thing.2° It is this manner of thinking which underlies the apostle's expression at this point. He does not say only that they walk in the light or live in the light, but that they are "sons of the light," that is, they are characterized by light. It points us to the complete transformation that takes place when anyone believes.
To this Paul adds the further expression "sons of the day" (an expression found only here in the New Testament). In this context we must understand "day" to refer to the day of the Lord.21 While no doubt the term is suggested by the reference to light, it goes further. Believers find in the day of the Lord a situation in which they are perfectly at home. Just as light is their characteristic, so also is participation in all the glorious events of the day of the Lord. It should not be overlooked that Paul says this of them "all." There were some members of the church whom he must castigate, but even those he includes in this great description. He proceeds to change the subject from "you" to "we,"22 making his expression more comprehensive still. It indicates that Paul is not laying down some hard regulations for the Thessalonians only, but setting forth the plain duty of all Christian people. And it aligns the apostle with his converts; he shares with them in Christian privilege and Christian duty. "We do not belong to the night or to the darkness," he says, setting "night" over against "day" and "darkness" over against "light." Those who "belong to the night" have no share in the day of the Lord, while "darkness" properly describes their spiritual condition.
6 Since Christians are not bound in the darkness of unbelief, certain consequences follow.23 They must not be characterized by the kind of conduct that is proper to the night. Paul calls on them not to sleep as do "others." When he used this expression in 4:13 (there translated "the rest of men") he spoke of such people as being without hope. This is very much in point here, too, where he is thinking of the glorious hope of the Christian at the coming of the Lord. Unbelievers may well "sleep' ;24 they are spiritually insensitive. But the believer should not take his standards from them. They are of the world and therefore they behave as they do. Those who are not of the world should not conform their conduct to that of those who are. "Sleep" is natural enough for the sons of night, but it is entirely out of place in the sons of light.
So Paul urges the Thessalonians to wakefulness and sobriety. His word "watch" (NIV, "be alert") is a natural antithesis to "sleep," but we should not overlook the fact that this very verb is used a number of times for watching for the second coming (e.g., Matt. 24:42-43; 25:13; Mark 13:34-37). It denotes watchfulness with some effort.25 Joined to it is an injunction to be sober (NIV, "self-controlled"), which should probably not be thought of as a warning against drunkenness26 (there is no indica tion anywhere in either epistle that such a warning was necessary at Thessalonica) but as an exhortation to temperateness and balance (cf. Best, "let us be alert and clear-headed"). 27 The word has its affinities with the preceding one, and indeed Grimm-Thayer treat them as near synonyms. They give the particular meaning of this present verb as "a state untouched by any slumberous or beclouding influences ... it becomes a term for wariness against spiritual dangers."28
7 The thought that certain kinds of conduct are appropriate enough in the sons of night but quite unbefitting to Christians underlies this whole section, as we have already seen. This thought now comes to the surface. Paul lists sleep and drunkenness in particular as activities of the night. The verb for "sleep" is that employed in the previous verse. While it may well be that there is a side glance at the fact that moral indifference well suits those who belong to the night, yet the main force of the verb simply seems to be that some activities are appropriate to the night, and sleep is preeminently one of them. Similarly, drunkenness is not usually carried on by the light of day (cf. Acts 2:15).29 Those who are drunken revel at night 30
8 Once more Paul sets believers over against worldly people with his emphatic "But we."31 Conduct of the sort he has been outlining has no place in believers, for they "belong to the day." This expression probably has a double reference, pointing us both to the light and to the day of the Lord. Christians are characterized by light. Therefore they can have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness. They look for the day of the Lord. Therefore they must not be caught up in this world's night. "Be self-controlled" is the same verb as that used in verse 6, and it has a similar meaning of general temperateness, with the avoidance of all kinds of excess. It is given point here by the reference to drunkenness in the intervening verse.
All this reminds Paul that the Christian is a soldier,32 and he changes his imagery to that of the armor with which the warrior is clad. This is a favorite device of the apostle. He employs it in a number of passages (Eph. 6:13-17 is perhaps the most notable, but see also Rom. 13:12; 2 Cor. 6:7; 10:4).33 A comparison of these various passages will show that Paul is not consistent in the significance he attaches to the various pieces of armor. It is the general idea that attracts him, not the particular details. Thus in Romans he thinks of "the armor of light" without going into details. In 2 Corinthians 6 it is "weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left," while in 2 Corinthians 10 the reference is a general one to "the weapons we fight with." In Ephesians 6 the armor is different from that mentioned here, notably in the absence in that list of hope and love. Clearly Paul found the analogy helpful, but just as clearly he regarded the details as unimportant. They could be omitted altogether, or varied to suit the occasion.
Paul refers again to the great triad of faith, hope, and love, as in 1:3 (where see note). These three virtues are of paramount importance to the Christian and may well be insisted on again and again. Something of the centrality of these virtues to the Christian life may be indicated by the particular pieces of armor that symbolize them. The breastplate and the helmet are probably the most important items in a suit of armor, and Paul may intend us to infer that nothing in the Christian's equipment surpasses faith, love, and hope.34 He mentions only defensive armor, for his interest here is in defense, namely, defense against surprise. It may also be relevant to notice that here, as in 1:3, hope comes last, following the logical order of Christian experience but also as a sort of climax. This is especially appropriate in this place where so much attention is being given to the second coming with all that that means to the Christian in terms of hope's fulfillment. We should not overlook the fact that the verb "putting on" is an aorist participle. It may well be that it is meant to convey the idea of a decisive act.35
The last phrase in the verse brings salvation before us, the inclusive concept that sums up Christ's great work for sinners. The term reminds us of the peril in which we are placed by our sin, for otherwise we would be in no need of being saved. It reminds us, too, that the fundamental question to be faced is that of the Philippian jailor, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). It reminds us, further, of the adequate provision for our salvation that has been made in Christ, and of which the great New Testament concepts like redemption, justification, and the rest are aspects. In one sense this salvation is a very present reality, but in another it is yet to be brought to its consummation, and it is this forward-looking aspect that is before us when we read of "the hope" of salvation. At the same time we should be clear that the use of the term "hope" does not imply any uncertainty. The New Testament idea of hope includes the notion of certainty, for it is grounded in the divine action. But it is not realized as yet, and thus it is still hope, not sight.
9 Being launched on the subject of salvation, Paul follows it up. Salvation is both "now" and "not yet," and Paul neglects neither. His first point is that salvation proceeds from God's appointment. This is a point of considerable importance for him, as we see from the prominence it has throughout his writings. We have already noticed his emphasis on the divine call (2:12; 4:7), and the way he speaks of Jesus as delivering us from the wrath (1:10). In one way or another this great truth is always coming out, for it is central to the gospel. All other religions in the last analysis present people with something that they must do if they would be saved. Christianity alone tells us that all has been done. This is true of the manner of our salvation, for our sins were taken away through the blood of the cross. It is also true of the fact that we are saved at all. That is a matter of the divine appointment, of the fact that God calls us into this state. It is not to be understood as though we simply decided to belong to God. The word "appoint"36 is not as specific as words like "called" or "predestinated," but here it amounts to much the same. It rests our salvation on the divine initiative.
Paul proceeds to speak of salvation negatively and positively. God's purpose for us is not wrath (see the note on 1:10). Modern translations (e.g., JB, "the Retribution"; NEB, "the terrors of judgment") often misrepresent what Paul is saying, but we should be clear that Paul writes of "wrath." Although the modern world likes neither the term nor the idea it connotes, we can scarcely do without either. There is an implacable divine hostility to everything that is evil, and it is sheer folly to overlook this or try to explain it away. Salvation includes the fact that God did not destine his own to experience his wrath.
On the contrary, he purposed that they should obtain salvation (with all that that means) through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a little difficulty about the word rendered "to receive," which is often understood in some such way as "to obtain" (KJV). Such a translation makes it sound too much as though we ourselves are doing what is necessary to acquire our heavenly possessions. Against this it is suggested that the word has a rather negative meaning, and that it signifies something like "adoption" (i.e., being adopted). It can have a passive sense (e.g., Eph. 1:14; 1 Pet. 2:9) and may then be translated "possession." But while such a meaning is undoubted in some passages, it is hard to see how this fits into the present passage. Moreover, "acquiring" seems nearer the intrinsic meaning of the word (cf. its use in 2 Thess. 2:14, "share"; and Heb. 10:39, faith for the "acquiring" of salvation). To adopt this understanding of it is not to maintain that we are saved by our works, but simply that we are to make salvation our own by entering fully into the possession of it. Salvation, after all, is not an abstract theological concept, but an experienced reality, appropriated in the present life of faith. That nothing in the way of human merit or initiative is meant is made very clear by the following "through our Lord Jesus Christ." The full title is impressive, and the expression shows that the salvation spoken of is one that comes through Christ's work for us and not through anything that we do.
10 This is underlined by drawing attention to the basis of all salvation, the atoning death of the Lord. This is the one place in the two letters to the Thessalonians where Paul positively says that Christ died fore us; this may fairly be held to be implicit in a number of other places, but this is the only place where it becomes explicit. It is impossible to argue that the failure to mention the cross more often means that Paul had as yet no theology of the atonement. In the first place we must bear in mind that the Thessalonian letters are not doctrinal treatises, but occasional letters to meet specific needs. It is all the more significant that the cross should be mentioned at all in such letters. Then there is the fact that at the very time he was writing these letters Paul was preaching in Corinth, where his gospel gave full space for the cross (cf. 1 Cor. 2:1-5; 15:3-8). Moreover, where in the Thessalonian correspondence he does refer to the work of Christ for sinners, the full Pauline doctrine seems to be implied (see 1:10, for example, and the passage on the transformation of death through what Jesus has done, 4:14). There is also the point that the very casual manner of the reference here argues that the significance of the death was well known to the Thessalonians. Otherwise it would have had to be demonstrated for them.38 The references to the kerygma throughout the New Testament show that the cross was the central element in the proclamation of the gospel to those outside. There is not the slightest reason for thinking that things were at all different in Thessalonica, and indeed Acts 17:3 shows that the cross was preached in that city.
The purpose of Christ's death is that believers should live39 with him whether40 they live or die. The verb "are awake" is the one we have seen in verse 6, where it is translated "be alert" (see note). In that verse it has reference to an attitude of general watchfulness in the light of the coming of the Lord. Here, however, it simply means "live." Moffatt renders "waking in life" to make this meaning clear. A similar comment must be passed on the verb "are asleep." It is that used with reference to the conduct of the sons of night in verses 6 and 7, but here it means death (Moffatt, "sleeping in death"). From 4:14 on, Paul has been insisting that death is not victorious over the believer, and this is his thought here, too. The believer is in Christ, and death cannot affect that relationship.
It should be stressed that all this implies a very full theology. Paul is maintaining that the death of Jesus has brought about a new relationship between God and sinners. Those who are Christ's live with him 41 There is the thought of that close union which elsewhere is expressed in the pregnant phrase "in Christ." This relationship is not disturbed by even such a final and decisive happening as death. Death is final and decisive only when we speak in worldly terms. For believers the whole concept has been transformed. For them it holds no terrors. In life or in death they are in Christ.
11 Paul rounds off this section, as he had a previous one (4:18), with an exhortation to "encourage one another." Phillips renders, "So go on cheering and strengthening each other with thoughts like these." The tense of the imperatives is the present continuous, and it conveys the thought that this is something that they should do habitually. The verb translated "encourage" has the idea of strengthening by one's words and thus means a little more than "exhort" (see further on 3:2).
The second imperative brings before us the thought that these great truths about the Parousia are not simply to enable us to hold our ground. The Christian faith is never static, and the New Testament envisages the Christian way as a continual growth. Those who are in Christ are people who are growing in spiritual stature and in the knowledge and love of God. Paul envisages the use of the great truths about the second coming, the day of the Lord, the character of Christians as sons of that Day and sons of the light, the necessity for watching, for understanding that God has called us not unto wrath but unto salvation, and this at the cost of the death of his Son, and the other matters to which he has been referring -all as a means of promoting growth. The Thessalonians are to build each other up. It should perhaps be added that Paul is very fond of this idea of the building up of Christians. The word he uses is properly applicable to such matters as building houses, but Paul habitually uses it metaphorically, of the building up of Christians in the faith.
He looks to the Thessalonians to accomplish this themselves, under the guidance of the Spirit. He uses two different expressions, "one another" and "each other,"42 but they do not differ greatly in meaning. Together they emphasize the mutual responsibility of believers for one another and the kind of service they can render one another. His concluding expression, "just as in fact you are doing," shows us that what he enjoins is no airy idealism. He knows the way in which the Thessalonians were assisting one another, and he commends them for it. But he urges them to go forward on this way. Christians may never relax on the grounds that they have made sufficient progress.