Just As You Are Doing
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
I have a distinct memory of being a child and worrying about whether God could hear my prayers. Someone in church had said (or I at least thought they had said) that God doesn’t listen to your prayers if you don’t mean them, which sent my mind into a tailspin wondering how to know when you really mean what you pray. It kept me up at night for several nights, so I finally went to my mother because I was so troubled. Though tired, she didn’t just tell me to go back to sleep. She listened to my worry and comforted me. She eased my mind by telling me that if the thought of not meaning what I was saying kept me up, it was likely because I truly did mean it. If I didn’t mean it, why would I care?
In this passage, Paul is likely responding to a similar worry of the church in Thessalonica that was relayed to him by Timothy. The members of this community were concerned about salvation and specifically those who had passed away before Jesus returned. Would they miss out on the gift of salvation because Jesus hadn’t returned by the time they passed? Paul’s response here, like that of my mother, is one of encouragement and assurance.
At many other times, Paul’s letters can be harsh and blunt in his proclamation of the gospel. Much like John the Baptist and Jesus toward the Pharisees, sometimes a stern word is necessary. Even his detail in this passage that many will be caught unprepared at the return of Jesus can appear harsh even if it is the truth. Certainly some will be caught off guard and “will not escape.”
But here Paul neatly pairs the truth of God’s judgment with the assurance of pardon that we receive in Christ. Rather than responding to their anxious thoughts by simply warning them to make sure that they are always on their toes, he reminds them that they are children of light, and that they are already on the right path. Their anxiety about the matter shows that their hearts are in the right place. How often do our worries reflect what is on our hearts? And ultimately, the content of our heart is what matters.
This serves as a reminder that we should also respond to the anxious thoughts of others with the same assurance and grace. Yes, there are certainly times for stern words, but how often would grace-filled truth serve the recipient better? Paul instructs them (and us) to “encourage one another and build one another up” but he adds, “just as you are doing.” Certainly they aren’t doing it perfectly, but their concern about the matter reveals that their hearts are in the right place. Yes, they will stumble, and yes, they have work to do - hence Paul’s reminders to stay sober and to keep doing what they are doing - but they have already received the gift of salvation, and it is not dependent upon whether they are awake/alive or asleep/dead. And if you’re worried about whether you mean what you pray, you probably mean it.
Heavenly Father, help us to receive the assurance of salvation that you offer to us freely. Help us to know how to respond to the worries of those around us, and help us to communicate your grace in truth. Thank you for the gift of salvation. Amen