In this article, I will first interpret 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28, including discerning the main point and providing an outline of the passage. Then I will show how the passage can be applied to modern Christians, while concluding with a prayer that is based on the passage.
1 Thessalonians 5:23–28
“23Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 25Brothers, pray for us. 26Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. 28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23–28
Interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28
Topic and Main Point
The topic of 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28 is Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy’s final petition to God (v 23–24) and final exhortations (v 25–28). Like 1 Thessalonians 3:11–13, we have prayer language (the optative mood is used) in verses 23–24 and command language in verses 25–28.
There is no single main point that captures all the content of verses 23–28. However, the main point of verses 23–24 and the main point of verses 25–28 can be discerned individually.
The main point of 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 is: may God make you completely holy and keep your spirit, soul, and body completely blameless at the coming of Jesus.
The main point of 1 Thessalonians 5:25–28 is: do the various things we exhort you. More specificity could be given by listing the various exhortations: pray for us, greet one another, and have this letter read to all Christians.
1 Thessalonians 5:23–28
1 Thessalonians 5:23–28 concludes both 5:12–22 and the second half of the letter. 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8 speaks about the Thessalonians’ holiness being the will of God, while 5:23–28 contains a concluding prayer that petitions God to bring that holiness to full completion. The theme of holiness at the beginning and end of the second half of the letter forms an inclusio and suggests that all the exhortations within 4:1–5:22 will aid the Thessalonians’ holiness/sanctification. What should also be obvious is that 5:23–28 concludes the entire letter.
1 Thessalonians 5:23–24
We know the apostles are praying to God because they are using the language of prayer/petition directed toward God: “may the God of peace himself . . .” (v 23a) and “may your whole spirit and soul and body . . .” (v 23b).
There are two petitions made to God:
- That God make the Thessalonians completely holy (or sanctify them completely, v 23a). Holiness is a common theme throughout the second half of Thessalonians. The apostles’ first prayer in 3:11–13 demonstrated that believers play a part in becoming holy (i.e., in their sanctification). Holiness is also God’s will for the Thessalonians (4:1–8). Here, the apostles pray that God will make the Thessalonians entirely holy (i.e., 100% holy), showing that God also plays a part in the Thessalonians becoming holy (also see 5:24).
- That the Thessalonians’ spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at Jesus’ return (v 23b). The petition in verse 23b is in the passive voice (“be kept blameless”). However, because the petition is made to God, he is the implied subject. That is, God is the one who will ensure the Thessalonians’ spirit, body, and soul is kept blameless, without fault or stain. The reference to the Thessalonians’ “spirit, soul, and body” is a reference to the complete person. The apostles are petitioning God that he keep every aspect of the Thessalonians blameless when Jesus returns.
The apostles want the Thessalonians to be made completely holy and blameless at the return of Jesus: “be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v 23b). The prepositional phrase “at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” indicates time, answering the “when?” question.
There is disagreement amongst the English translations regarding the function of the Greek adjective ὁλόκληρος (“whole,” “complete”) in 1 Thessalonians 5:23b. Note the different uses of ὁλόκληρος in the following translations:
- Attributive adjective. ὁλόκληρος modifies spirit, soul, and body: “and may your whole (ὁλόκληρος) spirit and soul and body be kept blameless” (ESV; also see CSB, KJV, NIV).
- Predicate adjective. ὁλόκληρος is the predicate to “be preserved/kept”: “and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete (ὁλόκληρος), without blame” (NASB; also see NRSV).
- Adverb. ὁλόκληρος modifies the verb “kept”: “and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely (ὁλόκληρος) blameless” (NET).
The form of the adjective ὁλόκληρος in the Greek allows for all of the above three possibilities. Further, the meaning of 1 Thessalonians 5:23b does not change, just the emphasis or the nuance. For example, ὁλόκληρος as an attributive adjective (CSB, ESV, KJV, NIV) emphasises the entire person, his/her entire spirit, entire soul, and entire body, leaving out nothing. Whereas ὁλόκληρος as a predicate adjective or adverb emphasises the totality of the blamelessness. In the end, however, all three translations say essentially the same thing: the apostles pray to God that each Thessalonian believer’s entire being be kept completely blameless at the coming of Jesus.
Interestingly, the word “completely/wholly/entirely” (ὁλοτελής) in 1 Thessalonians 5:23a is a near synonym to ὁλόκληρος in verse 23b. The two terms are only separated by a conjunction (“and”). Further, the content of the petition in verse 23 begins with “make holy” and ends with “be kept,” possibly forming a chiasm:
A. Make holy
B. completely
B` completely
A` Be kept blameless
If the chiasm was intentional, it suggests that since “completely” (ὁλοτελής) in verse 23a functions adverbially that “completely” (ὁλόκληρος) in verse 23b also functions adverbially.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 supports the petitions of verse 23. Although there are no connecting particles or conjunctions, the content of verse 24 supports verse 23 by grounding the petitions in the promise that God will certainly do what the apostles have asked because he is faithful. The description of God as “He who calls you,” is a reminder to the Thessalonians that God has elected them (see 1:4–5) and, thus, will see them safely through to the end, which means standing before God as completely holy and blameless when Jesus returns.
Verse 24 also puts the responsibility for the Thessalonians’ ultimate (final and complete) holiness on God. Although the Thessalonian believers have a part to play in their own holiness (see 3:11–13; 4:1–8), becoming 100% holy and blameless in every area of their lives and beings is ultimately God’s responsibility. Because God both called the Thessalonians to himself and is a faithful God, he will assuredly bring the Thessalonians to complete holiness when Jesus returns.
1 Thessalonians 5:25–28
1 Thessalonians 5:25–28 contain the apostles’ final exhortations. There are three exhortations made to the Thessalonians by the apostles:
- Pray for the apostles (v 25). The apostles ask the Thessalonians that they pray for them (the apostles). The request does not have any specifiers. Both the content of the letter and the letter bearer would have given the Thessalonians the prayer points they needed.
- Greet all fellow Christians with a holy kiss (v 26). The term “brothers” refers to all Christians here, both male and female. “Brothers” is a familial term. The way the Thessalonians are to greet one another as a family is with a kiss. Since the kiss is “holy,” it is not a sexual kiss “in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God” (1 Thess 4:5).
- Read the current letter to all the Christians (v 27). The apostles put the Thessalonians under an oath to ensure the letter is read to all “the brothers,” that is, to all Christians. The “all” could refer to all the Christians in the Thessalonian community or to a larger audience, such as all brothers in Macedonia or all brothers everywhere. At the very least, the apostles wanted to ensure every Thessalonian believer heard the letter.
1 Thessalonians 5:28 functions as the concluding benediction or blessing of the letter. The apostles proclaim the blessing of Jesus’ grace be with the Thessalonians.
Summary of 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy petition God to make the Thessalonians completely holy and blameless on the day that Jesus returns. The apostles also exhort the Thessalonians to pray for them, greet each other with a holy kiss, and have the letter read to all in the community.
Another helpful way of summarizing a passage is by producing an outline. An outline can help you remember the main points and the argument of a passage at a glance and is a useful tool for teaching a passage.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy
A. Petition God to do two things because he is faithful (v 23–24)
1. Make the Thessalonians completely holy (v 23a)
2. Keep the Thessalonians completely blameless at the coming of Jesus (v 23b)
B. Exhort the Thessalonians to do three things (v 25–27)
1. Pray for the apostles (v 25)
2. Greet all their fellow Christians with a holy kiss (v 26)
3. Read the letter to all Christians (v 27)
C. Conclude with a benediction that the grace of Jesus be with the Thessalonians (v 28)
Application of 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28 to Modern Christians
There are two points of application from 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28 for the modern Christian. First, we should pray the prayer of verse 23 for ourselves and other Christians. Second, we should apply exhortations two and three to ourselves. Let’s look at each of these points of application in turn.
Application #1
The apostles pray that God will make the Thessalonians completely holy and blameless at Jesus’ coming. Because modern Christians are in the same place of salvation history as the Thessalonian believers, such as awaiting the return of Jesus and the need to be completely holy and blameless on the day of judgment, we should pray the same prayer for ourselves and other Christians. Further, the prayer acknowledges that only God is able to give the level of holiness and blamelessness needed on the day of Jesus’ return, and that God will do it because he is faithful. Thus, like the Thessalonians, modern Christians are entirely reliant on God for their complete holiness and blamelessness.
Application #2
The apostles also issue three exhortations to the Thessalonians. Again, because modern Christians are in the same place as the Thessalonian believers in salvation history—disciples of Jesus, part of the church, members of the kingdom of God, and under the new covenant—the exhortations to the Thessalonians are also exhortations to modern believers unless they are impossible to do or something in the text limits it to the first century or the Greco-Roman or Jewish culture. Let’s look at each exhortation:
- Pray for the apostles (v 25). Because Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy are dead, there is no need to pray for them. Scripture does not give God’s people permission to pray for the dead and there is no example of any of God’s people ever praying for the dead. As such, modern Christians should not apply this exhortation.
- Greet all fellow Christians with a holy kiss (v 26). Although the command to greet one another with a holy kiss is the bunt of many pulpit jokes, it is one that I believe should be followed today by modern Christians. Note the following:
a. The apostles are telling the Thessalonian believers how they should welcome, greet, and recognize their “brothers.”
b. “Brothers” is a familial term. Christians are a family. We are all brothers and sisters of one another.
c. It is common in families around the world and throughout history, even in Western families, to kiss for various reasons, especially when we gather together. For example, I am an Anglo Westerner and I regularly kiss my wife, my young children, and my mother (my father and I even kissed on my wedding day). Kissing is a regular part of families around the world and throughout history.
d. For Christians to kiss means we are truly a family. Kissing breaks down social, economic, cultural, and racial boundaries; it puts everyone on an even playing field.
e. Kissing is also a sign of unity and health amongst God’s people. Kissing is usually more common and frequent when families are at peace with one another. However, when strife and discord enter a relationship, kissing usually ceases or becomes ‘cold.’
f. As such, when modern Christians come together, they should kiss each other with a kiss of holiness, not a sexually immoral kiss “in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God” (1 Thess 4:5).
g. For more a more detailed treatment on why modern Christians should greet each other with a holy kiss, see my article on that topic HERE. - Read the current letter to all the Christians (v 27). The early church included 1 Thessalonians in the canon of Scripture because they believed it profitable to all Christians. Since there is no explicit limiter in the text to only have the letter read to the Thessalonians, modern Christians should read 1 Thessalonians and all churches should have 1 Thessalonians publicly read.
Prayer Based on 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28
Because the apostles’ prayer for the Thessalonians is relevant and directly applicable to modern Christians, we should pray the apostles’ prayer for ourselves and for other Christians. Let’s do that now.
Dear God, please make me completely holy and keep my spirit, soul, and body completely blameless at the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ. Please also make all Christians throughout the world completely holy and keep their spirit, soul, and body completely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.