Now I am happy in my sufferings for your sake; and in my own flesh I ^ filling out what is still lacking in the sufferings of the Christ, for his body, which is the church. Of this I have been made a minister through the dispensation of God granted to me, to bring to completion among you the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden away for ages and for generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, since God wished to make known to them how rich is the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles. This is Christ in you, your hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing every person and teaching every person by every kind of wisdom, so as to present every person as one complete in Christ. I toil to bring this about, struggling in obedience to his activity, which is powerfully at work in me.
For I wish you to know what a struggle I maintain for the sake of you and the people in Laodicea and all those who have never seen me in the flesh. I do it so that their hearts may be comforted, so that they may be brought together in love and to all the resources of fulfilled comprehension, to the recognition of the mystery of God: Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and understanding. I say this so that none may mislead you by persuasive argument. For even if I am absent in person, yet in the spirit I am with you, rejoicing as I observe the good order and solidity of your faith in Christ.
So, as you have accepted the Christ, Jesus the Lord, go by him, rooted in him and built upon him, confirmed in your faith as you were taught it and abounding in gratitude. See to it that there shall be no one to steal you away by philosophy and by empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the fundamentals of the world, and not according to Christ. Because in him resides, physically, all the fulfillment of the divine, and you have been fulfilled in him. He is the head of every realm and authority; in him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not done by human hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of the Christ. You were buried with him in your baptism, and with him you were raised again, through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead because of your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with himself. He forgave us all our sins, obliterating the unfavorable bond, with its decisions, that went against us, and removed it from our midst by nailing it to his cross; disarming authorities and powers, he made a spectacle of them by leading them captive in his train.
Do not, then, let anyone pass judgment on you over any matter of food or drink or detail of a festival or new moon or sabbath. These are the shadows of things to come; the body belongs to the Christ. Let no one willingly condemn you by excessive humility and adoration of angels, basing himself on his visions. Such a one is irrationally puffed up by the mind in his own body; he does not hold fast to the head, dependent on which the whole body, supported and held together by its joints and sinews, increases as God makes it increase.
If with Christ you are dead to the fundamentals of the world, why are you to be regulated as if you were still living in the world, with do not handle, do not taste, do not touch! These prohibitions concern what perishes with use; they accord with the commandments and teachings of man. They have some show of reason through the will to be religious, and humility, and the mortification of the flesh, but they are of no use for preventing c^al indulgence.
If, then, with Christ you were wakened from the dead, look for what is above, where the Christ is, seated by the right hand of God. Think upon the things above, not the things on earth, for you died, and your life has been hidden away in God, with the Christ; when the Christ appears; then so will our life, and you too will appear in glory along with him.
Then put to death those elements in you which are of the earth: lechery, impurity, passion, base desire, and that greed which is idolatry. These are what bring on the anger of God. Once you went the way of these feelings, when you lived by them. Put them off now, all of them, anger, rage, baseness, blasphemy, foul language from your mouths. Do not lie to each other. Strip off the old person with all his doings and put on the new one, renewed in understanding after the likeness of him who created him: where there is no room for Greek or Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all in all. As the chosen of God, holy and beloved, take on the feelings of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, putting up with each other and forgiving each other when anyone has some fault to find with anyone else. As the Lord has forgiven you, so do likewise. Above all is love, which is what holds perfection together. And let the peace of the Christ, into which you were called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of the Christ live within you abundantly in all wisdom, as you teach and admonish yourselves with psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, with thanks, singing to God in your hearts. And whatever you do, in word or act, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks for him to God the Father.
Wives, subordinate yourselves to your husbands, as is your duty in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be sharp with them. Children, be obedient to your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not try your children's patience, for fear they may lose heart. Slaves, obey your human masters in all things, not with service to catch the eye and please people, but in simplicity of heart and fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive your share of the inheritance as a reward. You are serving Christ the Lord. The wrongdoer will be requited for the wrong he did, and there is no discrimination.
Masters, be just and fair with your slaves, knowing that you also have a master in heaven.
Be constant in your prayers, with wakefulness and thanksgiving; and at the same time pray also for us, that God may open the door of the word to us, to speak of the mystery of the Christ, for which I am in prison; so that I may reveal it in the language I ought to use.
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of your time. Let your speech be always gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how to talk to each particular person.
Tychicus, my beloved brother and trusted helper and fellow slave in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. I send him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about me and so that he may comfort your hearts. He is with Onesimus, my trusted and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.
Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions from me; if he comes to you, welcome him. So too Jesus, who is called Justus.
These, of the circumcised, are the only ones who have worked with me for the Kingdom of God, and have been a comfort to me. Epaphras sends you greetings; he is one of you, a slave of Christ Jesus, forever striving for you in his prayers so that you may stand complete and fulfilled in every way God wishes. For I bear him witness that he works very hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician sends greetings, as does Demas. Give greetings to the brothers in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church which is in her house. And when this letter is read before you, arrange to have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and see that you also read the one from Laodicea. And say to Archip- pus: Be sure to carry out the ministry you received from the Lord.
The greeting is written in the hand of myself, Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
The First Letter to the Thessalonians
IPAUL AND SILVANUS AND TIMOTHY to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace.
We thank God at all times for all of you, as we make mention of you in our prayers and constantly remember the work of your faith and the labor of your love and the endurance of your hope in our Lo
rd Jesus Christ before our God and Father; knowing, God-beloved brothers, of your election, because our gospel came to you not in word alone, but also with power, and the Holy Spirit, and great assurance; just as you know what we were when we came to you for your sake. And you followed the ex^ple of us and of the Lord, and received the word, in great affliction, with joy in the Holy Spirit, so that you became a model for all believers in Macedonia and Achaea. From you the word of the Lord has re-echoed not only in Macedonia and Achaea, but your faith in God has gone forth to every region, so that there is no need for us to say anything. For they themselves report our visit to you, what it was like, and how you turned from idols to God, to serve the true and living God, and to await his son from the heavens, the son whom he raised, Jesus, our protector from the anger to come.
For you yourselves know, brothers, how our visit to you was not in vain; but after first suffering and being outrageously treated in Philippi we were bold in God to tell you the gospel of God, under great strain. For our appeal to you comes not from error, nor from impurity, nor in deceitfulness, but as we had had God's approval to have the gospel entrusted to us, thus we speak, not to please men but God, the examiner of our hearts. For we said nothing by way of flattery, as you know; nor as a pretext for profit, God is our witness; nor looking for honor from men, neither you nor others; though we could have put pressure upon you, as apostles of Christ. But we were innocents among you, as when a mother cherishes her children; so longing for you that we thought it right to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our ownwn lives, because you had become dear to us. You remember, brothers, our toil and labor; how we worked with our hands night and day so as not to lay any burden on you as we preached to you the gospel of God. You and God are our witnesses how piously and justly and blamelessly we acted toward you who are believers, just as you know how, like a father with his children, we urged and advised and reasoned with each one of you, to make you walk in a way worthy of the God who summons you to his Kingdom and his glory.
Therefore we also thank God at all times, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but the word of God as it really is, which works also in you who believe.
For you, my brothers, foHowed the example of the churches of God which are with Christ Jesus in Judaea, in that you have suffered the s^e treatment from your own fellow countrymen as they have from the Jews; who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and chased us out; unpleasing to God, against all men; trying to prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles, to save them, and filling up the measure of their own sins, always; and the wrath has overtaken them in the end.
But we, brothers, who have been bereft of you for a space of time, in actual presence not in the heart, have been the more eager and in great longing to see you face to face. Thus we have wished to go to you, I, Paul, again and again, but Satan blocked our way. For what is our hope or joy or crown of exultation, if not you, before our Lord Jesus and at his coming? You are our pride and joy.
Therefore when we could no longer endure it, we decided to stay behind in Athens by ourselves, and we sent Timothy, our brother and the servant of God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you and encourage you on behalf of your faith, so that none should weaken in these present sufferings. For you know yourselves that sufferings are our lot; since, when we were with you, we w^ed you that we must suffer, as has happened and as you know. Therefore when I could no longer endure it, I sent him to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter might have tempted you and all our labor gone for nothing. But Timothy came back to us from you a little while ago and brought us the good news of your faith and your love for us, and told us that you have a good memory of us and long to see us as we long to see you; and for this, brothers, we have taken comfort in you through all our hardship and suffering, because of your faith, since if you are steadfast in the Lord now, we live. For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy we have in you before our God, as night and day we pray most urgently to see you face to face and to mend any shortcomings in faith? May God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you; and may our Lord multiply and increase your love for each other and for all, as we also love you, to strengthen your hearts so that they are blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Finally, brothers, we ask you this and urge you, by the Lord Jesus. You were told by us how you should live your lives in a way that would be pleasing to God, and so indeed you are doing. But improve even more. For you know what instructions we gave you, through the Lord Jesus. This, your sanctification, is the will of God; that you should abstain from lechery, and each one know how to keep his own body in sanctity and honor, not in subjection to desire like the heathens who do not know God; not to trespass against any brother and take advantage of him in this matter; since the Lord punishes these things, as we have warned you and attested. For God did not call us to unchastity but to sanctity. Therefore he who refuses this refuses not man but God, who gave us his Holy Spirit.
As for brotherly love, you have no need for me to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other; and this you do to all the brothers in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to improve further, and to rival each other in keeping the peace, to pursue your own business, to work with your hands, as I have advised you, so that you may be respected by those outside our number and need nothing from anyone else.
Also, we do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, nor to be grieved like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also God, through Jesus, will bring back the sleepers along with him. For this we say, by the word of the Lord, that we the living, the survivors, will not join the coming of the Lord before the sleepers do. For at the signal, at the cry of the archangel and the trumpet of God, the Lord himself will come down from heaven, and first those who are dead in Christ will rise up, and then we the living, the survivors, will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall be with the Lord forever. So comfort each other by saying this.
Concerning the times and occasions, brothers, you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say: Peace and safety, that is when doom will come suddenly upon them, like birth pangs to a pregnant woman, and they cannot escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, for the day to catch you like thieves, since all of you are sons of light and sons of day. We are not of the night or the dark; then let us not sleep, as the others do, but be wakeful and sober. For the sleepers sleep at night, and the drunkards are drunk at night; but we who are of the day should be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, with hope of salvation our helmet. For God did not destine us to the anger but to the w^^ing of salvation through our Lord Jesus, who died for us so that, whether we wake or sleep, we shall live with him. Therefore, comfort each other and strengthen one another; as indeed you are doing.
Let us then, brothers, ask you to recognize those who are working for you and acting for you with the Lord and giving you counsel, and hold them in special love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we implore you, brothers,. admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, protect the weak, be patient with all. See to it that no one returns evil for evil, but always pursue the good, toward each other and toward all. Be always joyful, pray constantly, be thankful on every occasion; for this is God's will for you, through Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit, do not ignore prophecies. Examine everything, hold fast to the good, keep away from every kind of wickedness.
May the very God of power sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit
and soul and body be kept safe without fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he who summons you, who will act accordingly.
Brothers, pray for us.
Greet all the brothers with a sacred kiss. I charge you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
The Second Letter to the Thessalonians
1PAUL AND SILVANUS AND TIMOTHY to the church of the Thessalonians, in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must be thankful to God at all times on your account, brothers, as is only right, because your faith increases, and the love of all of you for each other is growing; so that we also can take pride in you in the churches of God, because of your endurance and faith in all the persecutions and sufferings you endure. This is a demonstration of the just judgment of God, for you to be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for whose sake you suffer; if indeed it is God's justice to repay with affliction those who afflicted you, and to grant to you, the afflicted, relief with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power, in flame of fire; who will bestow punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction, far from the face of the Lord and the glory of his power, when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired among all believers, on the great Day, because our testimony to you was believed. Until then we pray constantly for you, that our God may consider you worthy of election, and fulfill all your desire for goodness, and the work of your faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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