1 Thessalonians 4
4
Excelling in Living and Pleasing God
1 Finally, then, brothers, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God—just as you are indeed walking*—that you excel even more. 2 For you know what injunctions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you deliberately refrain from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you know how to possess* his own vessel in holiness and honour, 5 not in passionate lust,* just as the Gentiles who do not know God, 6 that no one* transgress and take advantage of his brother in the matter, because the Lord is an avenger concerning all these things, just as we also told you in advance and solemnly* warned. 7 For God did not call us to impurity, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore, the one who spurns this is not spurning man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.
Brotherly Love
9 Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone* to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, 10 for indeed you are doing this towards all the brothers in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to excel even more, 11 and to strive earnestly to live a quiet life, and to attend to your own affairs,* and to work with your hands, just as we commanded you, 12 so that you may walk properly before those outside,* and may have need of nothing.
The Coming of the Lord
13 Now we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, God will also bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds for an encounter with the Lord in the air, and so we will always be together with the Lord. 18 Therefore, exhort one another with these words.
Notes
1 Some ancient manuscripts omit the adverbial clause/parenthetical affirmation just as you are indeed walking
4 Or control
5 Greek passion of lust
6 The word one is contextually supplied for clarity
6 Or thoroughly
9 The word anyone is contextually supplied for clarity
11 Greek to attend to the own
12 Or the outsiders
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
1 Thessalonians 4
4
Excelling in Living and Pleasing God
1 Finally, then, brothers, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God—just as you are indeed walking*—that you excel even more. 2 For you know what injunctions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you deliberately refrain from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you know how to possess* his own vessel in holiness and honour, 5 not in passionate lust,* just as the Gentiles who do not know God, 6 that no one* transgress and take advantage of his brother in the matter, because the Lord is an avenger concerning all these things, just as we also told you in advance and solemnly* warned. 7 For God did not call us to impurity, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore, the one who spurns this is not spurning man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.
Brotherly Love
9 Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone* to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, 10 for indeed you are doing this towards all the brothers in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to excel even more, 11 and to strive earnestly to live a quiet life, and to attend to your own affairs,* and to work with your hands, just as we commanded you, 12 so that you may walk properly before those outside,* and may have need of nothing.
The Coming of the Lord
13 Now we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, God will also bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds for an encounter with the Lord in the air, and so we will always be together with the Lord. 18 Therefore, exhort one another with these words.
Notes
1 Some ancient manuscripts omit the adverbial clause/parenthetical affirmation just as you are indeed walking
4 Or control
5 Greek passion of lust
6 The word one is contextually supplied for clarity
6 Or thoroughly
9 The word anyone is contextually supplied for clarity
11 Greek to attend to the own
12 Or the outsiders
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).