1 Thessalonians 5:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

NIV: Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

NASB: Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing.

CSB: Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

NLT: So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

KJV: Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

NKJV: Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

These verses encourage the Thessalonian Christians to be active, alert, and purposeful in their spiritual lives. The reason for this is the prospect of Christ's return (1 Thessalonians 5:2), which will physically bring both living and dead believers into His presence (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).

According to this verse, Christians should let the prospect of spending eternity with Jesus motivate them to encourage and edify one another. Instead of being dismayed as world events unfold, we should remind one another that a better day lies ahead. We look forward to the day when Jesus arrives to rapture His church. In the meantime we should help one another become more like Jesus and better equipped to serve Him.

Paul acknowledges that the Thessalonian believers were edifying one another, because after giving the exhortation to encourage one another, he added, "just as you are doing." He simply wanted his readers to keep on encouraging one another.

Hebrews 10:23–25 implores us to "hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

First Thessalonians 5:1–11 informs believers about the day of the Lord. This phrase refers both to the moment of the rapture as well as the seven-year tribulation period that follows the rapture. The passage assures us that believers will not experience the tribulation. The day of the Lord will commence unexpectedly, like the arrival of a thief at night. It is described as a time of darkness with dreadful consequences. Unbelievers, identified as those who belong to the night, will be overtaken by destruction. But believers are, symbolically, of the day not the night. They are not the objects of God's wrath, but are destined to receive a full rescue from the day of God's wrath. In view of their exemption from the day of the Lord, believers ought to encourage and edify one another.

First Thessalonians chapter 5 reiterates that the rapture will occur quickly, catching the unbelieving world unprepared. In contrast, Paul presents faithful Christians as those who are aware and ready for this event. This passage uses the contrast of day versus night to highlight those differences. Paul also completes his letter by offering various practical instructions. These include the need to be peaceful, hardworking, and forgiving. He also commends constant prayer and an attitude of joyfulness, before closing his letter with a command for this letter to be read aloud.

The end of chapter 4 discussed the nature of the rapture: a sudden, physical ''taking away'' of believers from the earth. Here, Paul continues to refer to this event's sudden and dramatic nature. A key analogy used in this passage is that of daytime versus darkness, and the concept of being awake and alert. As with many of Paul's letters, practical instructions make up the bulk of his closing statements. In particular, Paul adds a command that this letter be read aloud among all of the people of the Thessalonian church.

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.