1 Thessalonians 4:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

NIV: and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,

NASB: and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we instructed you,

CSB: to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

NLT: Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

KJV: And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

NKJV: that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

In this passage, Paul is describing the kind of godly conduct which leads to both pleasing God and a good reputation among other people. Earlier Paul focused on sexual purity (1 Thessalonians 4:1–8). Then, his subject was brotherly love, a theme the Thessalonians already excelled at (1 Thessalonians 4:9–10). Love is basic to other virtues, so Paul appealed to its importance first of all. Building off of love, Paul commands his readers to lead a peaceful life, to mind their own business, and to be industrious.

Christians who love others do not stir up trouble. They do not stick their noses in other people's personal matters. Nor do they sit back with folded hands and expect others to provide for them.

Proverbs 25:17 offers good advice about not overstaying one's welcome, but also touches on the importance of keeping out of other people's business. It counsels: "Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you."

Apparently, idleness was a way of life with some widows in the first century. Paul instructed Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:9–13 to care for widows who were known for their good works. Such widows had the reputation of having raised children, provided hospitality, washed the feet of fellow believers, and cared for the afflicted. However, Timothy was to refrain from using charity to enable particular widows who were "idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not." Paul had set a good example of a diligent lifestyle when he was in Thessalonica by working with his own hands to support himself (1 Thessalonians 2:9–10).

First Thessalonians 4:9–12 applauds the Thessalonian believers for their love for one another. After this, Paul gives them several exhortations. He exhorts them to increase their love, to lead a peaceful life, to mind their own business, and to be industrious. By heeding these exhortations the believers would establish a good testimony before their non-Christian neighbors, and they would be self-reliant.

Chapter 4 starts with an encouragement for the Thessalonian believers to continue their spiritual growth. Their conduct is exemplary, but they need to seek to do even more. Paul especially emphasizes the importance of sexual purity, as well as the need for believers to live peaceful, polite, and productive lives. Paul then begins to discuss the subject of Christ's return. This begins with a reassurance that believers who have died prior to the return of Christ will be the first ones raised when He comes back for His people. Next will be those still living, all of whom will meet Jesus ''in the air.'' Knowledge of our eternal destiny should be encouraging!

Chapters 1—3 had a lot to say about the good reputation of the Thessalonian church. Chapter 4 begins to address points Paul wants to clarify. First of these is the need to grow in good works, and to avoid immoral living. Paul then begins to explain ''the rapture'': the moment when Christ will retrieve believers from this earth. Paul's explanation seems to be intended to dispel rumors. In the final chapter, Paul will further explain the nature of the ''day of the Lord,'' correcting what might have been said by false teachers.

The apostle Paul's second missionary journey included a visit to the prominent Greek city of Thessalonica. This stood alongside a major land route and boasted a busy seaport. A number of individuals believed Paul's message (Acts 17:1–4), but an angry mob forced Paul to leave the city after his brief stay. Later, while in Athens, Paul received a glowing report: the believers at Thessalonica were growing spiritually and serving God fervently. However, they had questions about the Lord's return, including what happens to a believer who dies before that day. And, as all churches do, they had some areas in which they were falling short. In Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, written about AD 51, he addresses these developments. Paul expresses gratitude for the Thessalonian believers' spiritual progress, and frequently makes references to Christ's impending return.