1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 - "God's Faithfulness in Christ"

1 Thessalonians 5:23-28

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."

Peace with God is not a feeling sought or a condition maintained by human effort. It is declared. Scripture speaks of “the very God of peace” (v.23), setting Him apart from every counterfeit peace the world offers. This Peace is not imagined or temporary. It rests upon justice fully satisfied in the LORD Jesus Christ. God is at peace because Christ has established that Peace. Therefore, those found in Him are not striving to be reconciled; they are reconciled.

This God of peace is said to “sanctify you wholly” (v.23). Sanctification here is not presented as a lifelong human project but as a Divine act. God Himself sets apart a people unto Christ. The whole person—spirit, soul, and body—is preserved blameless. Not improved. Not gradually made acceptable. Preserved. And preserved not by vigilance or discipline, but “unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.23). That preservation is not found in the believer, but in Christ Himself, Who is the Righteousness of His people.

How are the LORD's people preserved? The answer is already given. They are preserved in Christ. Scripture does not say believers will succeed in keeping themselves blameless, but that they will be kept. Accusations may come—from conscience, from others, from the adversary—but preservation does not depend on silence from accusers. It depends on God’s faithfulness. “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (v.24).

Faithfulness is not something God exercises when conditions are favorable. It is Who He is; faithfulness is the very attribute of God. The calling spoken of here is not a mere invitation extended by God, but a summons that accomplishes its purpose. Those that God calls, He brings. What He begins, He finishes. Everything declared in verse 23 rests on the certainty of verse 24.

This faithfulness explains how sinners can be called “holy brethren” (v.27). Such a title would be impossible apart from the imputed Righteousness of Christ. Holiness does not originate in them; it is declared as attributed to them because of Christ's accomplished work on the cross. The same is true of Grace. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (v.28). Grace is not an abstract quality but is bound to the Person of the LORD Jesus. Where Christ is, Grace is present.

Scripture confirms this faithfulness throughout. “Great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). Not partial. Not conditional. GREAT! It reaches beyond circumstances and failures. “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds” (Psalm 36:5). It is infinite, unmeasured, and unaltered by human weakness. Even affliction is not evidence of abandonment. “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me” (Psalm 119:75). God’s Faithfulness does not merely rescue from trouble; it governs trouble for His purpose.

The assurance of God's children rests foremost and finally in Christ Himself. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). The answer is not that there are no enemies, but that none can overturn what God has established. Those foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified are held together by one unbroken purpose, fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of the Son (Romans 8:29).

Here is the comfort: nothing depends on us holding on. Everything depends on God being faithful. And He is!