Bible Students

A. Love one another since the Lord causes you to increase and abound in His love (I Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9).

The Lord is the one who increases the love of the Christian. Christians must depend on the Lord for their love. If man only depended on his own resources in order to love others, leaning into his flesh, he would run out of love and desire evil. Rather, Christians must love with the love from the Spirit, which is modeled after the love of Christ. 

Christians must be taught by the Lord to love one another. In being taught by the Spirit to love, Christians must seek to listen to the Spirit. The Spirit both gives the love which Christians need in order to love like Christ, while also giving the teaching, something Christians can reject, to use the love well. Christians are given the love and the wisdom to use the love by the Spirit, and must lean into the Spirit through accepting the conviction of His teaching and obeying His Word. 

B. Comfort one another with the promise of our Lord’s return that you may not sorrow without hope (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Christians are called to comfort with the promise of Jesus’ return for the sake of hope against sorrow. Christians are often sorrowful, especially when they lose sight of the return of Christ. Christians are called to love each other by reminding them of the hope of Jesus’ return. This is not a hope as in a wish, but a hope as in a know which has not yet been seen. Christians are called to comfort the sorrowful with the Lord. 

C. Encourage one another while you await the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 5:11).

Similarly to the previous section, Christians are called to comfort one another with the hope of the return of Christ. Christians must be willing and equipped to comfort each other. Many Christians are downcast in trials, rather than having joy. However, Christians should have joy, knowing that their trials are a testing by fire which refines them, bringing them closer to the character of Christ. The purpose of this refinement is that the people want to be more like Christ, and so reminding them of His return is effective. 

D. Greatly appreciate and highly esteem those who have charge over you and live in peace with one another (I Thessalonians 5:12-13).

Christians must appreciate and respect those who direct them and those on the same level as them. First, Christians must respect those who direct them. This is not because those who direct them are better Christians than them, or that they are better people. Rather, they are to be obeyed and followed because they spend far more time thinking and planning the direction of the church and the body of Christ according to the will of the Lord. Leaders in the church must be listened to, and allowed to actually lead. They are the ones who have the time and ability to lead the best. 

Second, Christians must love those who are also being lead under the same leadership. They should be peaceful, even in the face of trouble and disagreements. Peace an attitude of opposition to sin while also loving the individual. Christians must love through their peace with other Christians who have also been saved by Christ, and have compassion on those who do not yet know Christ. 

E. Seek after that which is good for one another and do not repay evil for evil (I Thessalonians 5:15).

Christians should not live their lives by a “thou shall not” attitude, but rather by an attitude of what they can do to help those around them. They should desire to love the other people through helping them, not only not hurting them. Additionally, even when others do hurt the Christian, they must not repay that hurt with more hurt. Rather, they should confront the brother in a correct manner and love them.