1 Thessalonians 5:25-28

Bible study is like everything else; the more you do it the better you get at it. So let’s study these four verses to hone our skills.

25. “Brothers and sisters, pray for us.” Who wrote it and who were they writing to? Paul wrote it and he wrote it to the church at Thessalonica. It means just what it says, Paul wanted them to pray for him and his team. Paul believed prayer released God’s power to work. Paul was facing opposition and he needed God’s strength. Those principles are still true today, however, in spite of what is written, we should not still be praying for Paul and his team. We should be praying for those doing God’s work today who are in need of God’s anointing.

26. “Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.” In Roman culture the greeting of a kiss was often an acknowledgment of someone’s position or authority. In Jewish culture, men greeted only men, and women greeted only women with a kiss; they wanted no hint of sexual inappropriateness. Paul was addressing the need for Christians to greet each other in a culturally acceptable, but at the same time, holy way. Substitute the word “other” for holy, and we find Paul saying that a Christian’s greeting should be different than the world’s. It should not cause feelings of social inadequacy, or feel inappropriate. Today’s culture is different, but the principal remains the same; Christian greetings should be holy.

27 “I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.” When Paul wrote his letter, there were no printing presses, copying machines or any mass media. Paul wanted the Christians in Thessalonica to hear his message so he commanded their leaders to read it. That command was not for pastors today. We have Bibles, both electronic and printed. Our pastors preach from Thessalonians, but we can read it for ourselves

28 “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” Yes, the benediction is universal.