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THE APOSTLE OF THE RECONCILIATION
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1 Thessalonians 3:12 to 4:12
Expansion of `The labour of Love'
A 3:12,13.
a Abound in LOVE.
b One to another.
B 4:1.
c Walk and please God.
d Abound (perisseuein) more and more.
C 4:2-8.
e Commands of the Lord Jesus.
f Sanctification - not lust.
g The brother defrauded.
Love
contrasted
g The Lord the Avenger.
with lust.
f Not uncleanness, but holiness.
e Rejecting God.
A 4:9.
a Brotherly LOVE.
b LOVE one another.
B 4:10-12.
d Abound (perisseuein) more and more.
c Walk honestly to those without.
This in its turn is followed by the apostle's exposition of `the patience of hope', which is perhaps the most
distinctive feature of the epistle.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 to 5:11
Expansion of `The patience of Hope'
A 4:13. I would not have you ignorant concerning them that sleep.
B 4:14. First reason. Resurrection and sleep.
C 4:15. Second reason. Living shall not go before them that
sleep.
D 4:16,17. Ever with the Lord.
E 4:18.
Wherefore comfort one another.
A 5:1-3. You know perfectly concerning the day of the Lord.
B 5:4-6. First reason. Let us not sleep.
C 5:7,8. Second reason. Those that sleep in the night.
D 5:9,10. Live together with Him.
E 5:11. Wherefore comfort yourselves.
It is a remarkable thing that not only does the threefold theme spread over the bulk of the epistle, but at the close
every word is repeated, so that the emphasis shall not be lost. To make this quite clear, we will reproduce these
closing words, emphasising the special words by printing in capital letters:
`But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of
and
LOVE;
and for an helmet, the
FAITH
HOPE of salvation' (1 Thess. 5:8).
Here we find the principal words together, but the auxiliary words `work', `labour', `patience', all follow, as we
shall see.
`And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which LABOUR among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their WORK'S sake ... be PATIENT toward all men'
(1 Thess. 5:12-14).