Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (Part Two)

15 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Thessalonians, Ministry

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1 Thessalonians 5, Esteem, glory, honor, love, Ministry, Paul

In sum, know these in men in their office, esteem them their labor, do this work in love.

How then are we to appreciate and esteem them? What labor is the congregation called upon to render as a fit reward for such labor.

Before we look to the text, let us consider the relationship between the work of the elder – that is to instruct – and the reward for such work. What actually convey esteem in such a context?

There are some who have coached a children’s sports team, gave instruction in piano, taught someone how to read. Parents teach their children how to drive a car. What is the joy of a teacher when seeing a student?

You are at a piano recital. The teacher is there with her students, the parents and other family are in the room. As each student comes forward and plays their piece, what does the teacher hope? What would give the teacher joy in that moment? Her students doing well; their success.

The coach rejoices in a victory. The school teacher rejoices in the students reading.

A teacher is rewarded by the student having learned the matter and putting the instruction into practice. And it is just this which Paul writes to this congregation. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 1:2

We give thanks always for all of you

Why is that. Look at verse 3:

Constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ

Go now to chapter 2, verse 19:

For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not ever you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? For you are our joy and glory.

What then shows esteem and appreciation for the pastor’s work? Your labor, your love, your hope. Your sanctification is the honor shown to your pastor.

Think how wicked a thing it would be withhold this esteem and respect to your pastor. If you withhold your own life of holiness so as to refuse esteem because you have decided that the pastor is not worthy of such respect, it speaks of remarkable wickedness. You are injuring yourself to refuse such esteem.

You would like someone who be burnt to death in your own house because you have a personal grudge against the fireman who comes to save you. You clutch to the flaming beams and shout, I will die here before I give you the honor of saving me!

Now that you know what you are looking for you will see this point is made throughout the New Testament. Turn over to 3 John 4:

I have no greater joy than this to hear my children are walking in the truth.

Do you seek to honor your pastor, then honor the truth which he strives to teach you week after week. Walk in the truth.

This is for your benefit. In the Christian life, the giving what is due is a blessing to the one who gives. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35. The work of the church is the work of everyone. Walk in the truth.

Who is the one who is blessed? As it says in Psalm 1:2, the blessed man is the one who delights in the law of the Lord. The 119^th Psalm begins with these words:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,

Who walk in the law of the Lord.

The teacher teaches. You bless the teacher by showing that you have learned your lesson. But in this case, you are the one who is blessed. The pastor who labors to teach the truth and to show you the straight path which leads to the heavenly city is seeking your good.

And how do you bless him? By walking in that straight path which leads toward the heavenly city. And what is the cost to you? You will be blessed. This is like a magic treasure that the more you give the more have. Will you esteem your pastor? Then make much of his Lord. The pastor is a steward, the Lord is the pastor’s joy.

Do you think this wrong? It comes from Paul himself.

When Paul was in prison, there were Christians who sought to make Paul’s imprisonment more painful by preaching Christ. This thinking is sad and bizarre. But perhaps these preachers thought: See, we are preaching freely. We are the ones blessed by Christ! Paul is in prison. This only proves that Paul was not all he pretended to be.

It is such a strange thing that when we read of this in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, it seems it must not be true. Paul writes that these men “proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition.” Phil. 1:17. These were busy trying to dishonor Paul by preaching Christ. They thought they would “cause [Paul] distress.”

How does Paul respond?

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.

Phil. 1:18. You see, Paul was not looking for human beings to praise him; he was looking for praise which comes from Christ:

In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Let us think again about the fear that a pastor preaching our passage in 1 Thessalonians 5 to respect to esteem a pastor. We immediately think, Oh, we must place this man on a pedestal. This means he wants us to all give praise to him. But what does Paul say, My joy is in you and in your holiness. My reward is from Christ. Perhaps you did not anticipate that turn in our investigation.

But there is more. In John chapter 5, and you should turn there now to see these words for yourself, Jesus is speaking with the crowd at the temple. And as seems to have always happened, there at the temple a dispute broke out. These people were seeking proof of Jesus’ claim.

In verse 41, Jesus says, I do not receive glory from men.

Then Jesus applies this principle to all of the people present:

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one-another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?

Now think we me along these lines. The esteem which are to show to your pastor is not directly give glory to him. It is not praise for his brilliance. That is not the way to esteem him.

There is a story told of the great preacher Charles Spurgeon. After a sermon someone said, “That was a great sermon.” He answered, “I know, Satan already told me.”

I do not mean that you should never encourage him. The work of being a pastor can be mighty discouraging. To pray for him, to show friendship to him is all very good. When he has helped you learn a thing, it is right to thank him. But do not think that esteeming the pastor is about praising him as if he were some vain entertainer. That is not the point; but do treat him as a dear friend. We do not give vain to our praise to our friends, but we do encourage them.

You know how to encourage those you love. Do that.

So we have established that walking in the truth is the way in which you actually esteem your pastor. Your holy life is proof of his labor and will become his joy and reward on the day of judgment.

Let me show you this one more time how this works. Paul writes to the church at Corinth. Turn to Second Corinthians chapter 3.

He begins by telling them he is not trying to commend himself: that is, Paul is not seeking to be praised by them. Instead, he writes the Christians of Corinth are actually a letter written by the Spirit:

2 Corinthians 3:1–4 (NASB95)

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?

2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;

3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.

The steward of Christ’s riches; the minister of grace; the pastor who teaches you truth looks to see if this truth is written in your life. If you walk in the truth, the pastor is blessed and you are blessed. Your life is proof and reward for his work. And a life of holiness is blessing to you, to your pastor, indeed to everyone about you.

Paul’s command to know, to esteem the pastor is no burden to you. The command is seeking your blessing. But we need one more qualification as we examine this matter of walking in the truth.

There is a way in which walking in the truth – or at least an appearance of the truth – can actually be sinful. It sounds so strange that I will need to prove this to you.

The Pharisees were known to be precise in their obedience to the law. They, of all people, could be said in a way to be “walking in the truth.” They have, but in a wrong way. Paul, writing to the church at Philippi writes in the third chapter of his life before knowing Christ. Paul writes of himself

As to the law, a Pharisee… as to the righteousness which comes from the law, found blameless.

You can take hold of the truth and misuse it. The wrong use of the law can make one rigid, proud, unloving. The truth can make one positively evil, when it is ingested in the wrong way. But the fault does not lie in the law, the fault lies in us. As Paul writes in the 7^th chapter of Romans, the “law is holy, and the command is holy and righteous and good.” (12) But sin in us take the law up in the wrong way and turns that which is good to evil. That is the work of sin.

How then do we walk in the truth such that it does not turn to sin? The truth taken up in the right way causes no sin; rather, it brings a blessing as we have seen.

Look over the 2 John 6 and read:

2 John 6 (NASB95)

And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

Now look at 1 John 2:5,

but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.

The truth of God, the command of the Lord is kept in love. It is not a rigid, joyless obedience to a tyrant it is love toward God and love toward man. This is what the Lord himself said:

Mark 12:28–31 (NASB95)

28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”

29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;

30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

31 “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

What would true obedience look like? It would look like love. Love fulfills the law. This is what Paul wrote to the church at Rome:

Romans 13:8 (NASB95)

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Do you hear that? Do you want to truly fulfill the law, love. Paul continues on this point:

Romans 13:10 (NASB95)

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

You are supposed to esteem your pastor. How do you do that? You walk in the truth. What does that look like, living in love with one another. And what does love look like? Turn to 1 Corinthians 13. You know the passage well; we always read it at weddings. But I want you to understand something important: Paul wrote this to a church. Yes a marriage should be filled with such love. But it is to a local congregation that Paul gave this instruction.

Do you want respect your pastor? Do you wish to obey the commandment of this passage? Then live like this. When the members of this congregation come together, this is precisely how we should live. This is the fact of a congregation that esteem the pastor:

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (NASB95)

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

You want to bless the pastor, live like this. You want to esteem his labor, bear with one another. You wish to show respect for the Word of God diligently laid before you, explained and made plain? Be patient, be kind. Stop with your arrogance; put an end to seeking your own.

And do this to and for your pastor. He is a shepherd, but he is also a sheep. Show him patience. Be kind to him. Don’t engage in any silly jealousy. Don’t brag and speak as if you could all of this better. Do not seek your own. Don’t be provoked when he fails, because the work of a pastor does not confer perfect sanctification. Bear with him. Believe the best of his family. Weep with him when he weeps. Rejoice with him when he rejoices.

And a last note. Part of the love you must show this man and his family is to provide for their livelihood. You have determined that your congregation would best be blessed by a pastor who can devote himself full time to this work.

Sadly, it is at this point, that many, many congregations and pastors have come to conflict. Congregations routinely begrudge the pastor’s family sufficient money that they should live without constantly burdens. I have known truly sinful ways in which congregations have abused their pastors.

It would not profit at this time to rehearse the history of such stories. But know that it seems to be a mark of pride for congregations to impoverish their pastor; as if his poverty was a mark of their holiness! These same people would think it a scandal if they had to live in such straits. But to starve their pastor they excuse because the pastor will receive some heavenly reward.

Are their pastors who live too well, who abuse their congregation and “fleece the sheep.” Yes. But stealing from the congregation is the mark of a false teacher.

And starving the pastor is the mark of a selfish and sinful congregation.

Why should a pastor live worse than a plumber or painter? The plumber and the painter do good honest work and are rightfully rewarded for their skill. But the pastor? It takes years of education to become a pastor. The work and skill needed to become a pastor could easily have been turned to any number of careers such as being a lawyer or professor. The pastor has given up those opportunities to do good to you.

We want to pay for the best doctor, because we think the doctor can do good or evil to our bodies. And we treat pastors as if their work could be done by anyone, and we pay them accordingly.

The pay of a pastor is not the primary point of this passage. The point is to live in love with one another. But one application of that command to live in love is to care for and protect the pastor and his family – just as you should care for and protect the reputation, and the health, and the well-being of everyone in the congregation.

Esteem the Lord, walk in the truth, live in love. And in so doing you will become a blessing to your pastor.

[A Final Note: I wrote this sermon for a friend’s congregation. The structure is primarily such that someone who was not a member of the congregation would preach this. The reason for that structure is that in 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul is not commending himself but the current leadership of the church. He is not writing, “esteem me”, but “esteem them”.]

Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (Part One)

13 Sunday Dec 2020

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Thessalonians, Sermons

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1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, Esteem, Pastor

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 (NASB95)

12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,

13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

There is an awkwardness in any pastor standing at his home pulpit to preach this passage. A man stands before you to read a text which says to acknowledge or respect or honor him to show him great esteem. What we hear in such words is honor me, highly esteem me. This easily leads us to rebel against such an apparent display of pride: Who does he think he is? Why does he think himself so very special? There are others who preach better, who pray better, who care better, who live better. There are others who are more holy, and so on, as think how to knock him down from his perch.

How does any man preach this passage faithfully and avoid sounding like a egotist? How can he tell you to esteem those who teach, all the while referring to himself, because we know the application is he is the one who is teaching you.

And even if we surmount that first barrier, what could it possibly mean to esteem, to respect? Is the congregation subservient to some man who happens to have the job? Can we disagree with him, ever?

Let us take the objection first. Until we get over the trouble here, we can never get to the application. Even if it is not everyone, someone will be fussing the entire time, ready to object about the apparent self-serving nature of this passage.

Let us then concede that one could easily preach this passage as the work of a vain egotist, seeking to gain adherents for himself. But such vanity is not in the text; it is nowhere to be found in these words. The vanity would be in the man. And it is a real temptation for a pastor to take up these words and misuse them for his own ends.

When a judge applies the law, the judge does not make himself a king over others. The authority which the judges exercises is in his robes and in his seat. The judge is given authority to apply law. When he takes off the robes and steps down from the bench, he lays that authority aside. If a judge pronounces sentence in a courtroom, the sentence stands. If he pronounces judgment in his living room, it means nothing more than the sound of the words.

The authority is in the office and the exercise of that office. The authority is not in the individual human being.

And so it is with the pastor. The pastor’s authority lies in the office, not in the man.

But that still needs some qualification. The authority of the pastor is not precisely the office, either.

If a judge begins to make-up rules and apply his own whims and claim the authority of law for his imagination, he loses that authority. Other judges will reverse his decision, because he has become a lawless judge. He will be removed from his office, because he has abused the authority of his office.

A pastor has authority only so far as the Word of God has authority. His authority is in the Word, not in himself. Look down at the text. If you start in the middle of verse 12 you will this:

Appreciate those ….

And now go to the end

Who give you instruction.

It does not say that you are to give this appreciation to a bishop because of his consecration. It says that appreciation is to be given to those who teach. If someone takes the office and exercises the apparent authority and then also does not do the work of the office; if he does not instruct, the office has become a weapon and the outcome is merely sin. If a police officer uses the authority to stop and search to harass and abuse, the officer is a criminal even though he wears a badge.

Appreciate those who give instruction. And it is right you should.

The work of delivering a sermon may look easy. Someone stands and speaks for some period of time and then is done. It all seems so easy. But the hour on Sunday comes after hours and hours throughout the week. And that comes after years of experience and school.

Every task appears simply when it is done by someone with skill. To see a task performed well is to hide all the difficulty which came before. Watch a musician or athlete. The great ones look like they are at perfect ease. When we watch them we say they play. They play an instrument; they play a game. This wor looks like play. But that play comes after years of work.

That does not mean that you show this appreciation and esteem to the pastor because he has worked hard. It is just to say that you should not despise his work because it appears easy to you.

Moreover, you are not respect the pastor because he has done a good job. It is not the appreciation of his personal worth. Perhaps you respect the athlete because of his performance, but the appreciation of a pastor is not a matter of appreciation his effort.

You are showing respect for the office he holds; and even more than that, you are showing respect to the Word of God which establishes the office and gives authority and worth to what he does.

There is another way which showing esteem for the pastor shows esteem for the Word of God. Look down at your Bible. This instruction to appreciate, to esteem those who teach is an instruction found in your Bible. By complying with this instruction, you are showing that you give honor to the Word of God. You cannot say that you honor the Word of God and then decide which commands you will abide. If you refuse a command, you are refusing the one who gave the command.

But someone will say, This particular ma nis not as good a pastor some others I have known. He does not preach as well Mr. X, or whatever comparison you may wish to make.

Now if the concern with the pastor is one of sin; then the Scripture is clear on how to respond. If the concern is the pastor is not truly fit for the work, then perhaps he should find another way in which to serve. But I hope that you had made such a determination before you retained him for the work.

But if the concern is merely a matter of preference, what is it that you are truly seeking to do? Is your concern first for the honor of God and good of the Church? Or is you concern rather for your own control, your own taste? Perhaps it is you are wrong in the matter.

Moreover, there are many directions which God gives for us to follow in the matter of relationship. And in these directions, God does not specify that you must be personally pleased before you give obedience.

You are to honor your parents. Not because they are the best parents, but because they are your parents.

You are to honor governors. Not because you have the best governor, but because the governor is the governor.

Wives are to respect their husbands. Not because they have the best husband, but because he is her husband.

Husbands are to willing lay down their lives for their wives. Not because they have the best wife, but because she is his wife.

You must fulfill these duties because God has told you to do so. You are not given some veto.

An old illustration may help you understand this. Let us say I have lent to you one million dollars. You are to pay me back $100 per week. On the first week you come to me with your crisp $100 bill. I tell you to give the bill to so-and-so, who happens to be someone you dislike.

You refuse.

I remind you, that you owe me the money and you must pay it as I direct. You pay the money, not because you owe so-and-so. You pay the money because you owe me.

The illustration is imperfect, but it should help. Our Lord has the right to demand of you, even your life. How many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world, throughout the history of the Christian Church have given their liberty or even their lives because they would not refuse to obey Christ?

They have been obedient even to death. And yet you think that you should not be troubled to even hold your tongue? Your children must honor you, but you have no duty to esteem the pastor?

This I trust is sufficient to deal with the most troublesome objections to this passage, but there is one further matter to consider before we move on to the matter of what does it mean to appreciate and show esteem.

Ask yourself, Why does it irk me so to be told to honor my governor, honor my spouse—especially when they have not pleased me.

We must admit that there is rebellion here, a refusal to obey a direct command of God. Nowhere does it say to honor the governor because I think it is a good idea. Nowhere does it say submit to your husband because he is particularly amazing or because he thinks what I think is best. Nowhere are children permitted to cast the vote on honor, nor may husbands refuse to love their wives, even to the point of giving their own lives.

Can you see, that this rebellion is because we want to make our own rules. Can’t you hear an echo of the Serpent’s, ye shall be God in the refusal to give honor to whom God says we must?

But to the actual command in this verse? So far we have seen that the command is binding upon us, but what does the command entail?

First there are two sets of commands. One command is to the congregation, and that is clear. But there is a second command implied: this the command which describes the work of the pastor, to work diligently, to keep charge, to teach. We will leave the pastor’s duty to the side.

What then are the commands to the congregation? Paul gives two commands, first, “appreciate”; second, to highly esteem. We will look at those two commands, and then spend some time figuring how we actually do the work of appreciating and esteeming.

The command to appreciate comes in verse 12. Look at the beginning of the verse

But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate ….

If you have another translation than the NASB, you may read, “acknowledge” or “respect” or “honor”. The reason for the differences in the translations is because the original word simply means “to know.”

But here the word cannot simply mean to know about the pastor, nor can it mean to simply have acquaintance with the pastor. That is certainly part of the idea, but it does not meet the usage here.

Here it means to meet him in the context of a particular relationship. You know this pastor in the context of the work which he does.

Let us say Mrs. Smith, you neighbor is a heart surgeon, but you know her as your neighbor. You know that she smiles and waives. You know how she keeps her lawn. You know when she takes out the garbage cans. There is not much in that to esteem her.

But then the day comes when your infant child comes near to death. The baby needs heart surgery. In the hospital, it is Mrs. Smith who is now Dr. Smith you operates and saves your child’s life. Before you knew her as your neighbor. Now, you know her as the surgeon who spared you untold sorrow. When you look at her, you look at her now through the prism of his new relationship.

Before you had an opinion about how she kept her yard. But now you know her, you respect and acknowledge what she has done for you. Your knowledge of her takes on a new and very special color because you now know her as a doctor.

The same is true of your pastor. One time you may have known him only as your neighbor. But now you know him as one who painfully labors to teach you the Word of God. And this is precisely how you are to know him

In 1 Corinthians 4:1, Paul writes

Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of mysteries of God.

Such knowledge is precisely how Paul instructs the Thessalonians in his letter. Look down at verse 13

Esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

It is the work which is the basis and sphere of your knowledge and esteem.

The Causes and Results of the Church of the Thessalonians

07 Thursday Apr 2016

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Thessalonians, Ecclesiology, Prayer, Uncategorized

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1 Thessalonians, Ecclesiology

In First Thessalonians, Paul begins the body of his letter with a prayer of thanksgiving for what is taking place in the church:

1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 (ESV)

The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father

your work of faith

and labor of love

and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are thus three qualities in this church, work, labor and endurance. This work is characterized by faith, love & hope. Therefore, we can take these qualities as something (perhaps not all) that a local congregation should exhibit.

We thus can ask: (1) What causes these qualities to exist? (2) How do these qualities work themselves out (what is the result)?

Each of these elements have two parts:

The cause
From God
From humans
The result
Immediate
Continuing

Cause in God	Cause in Men	Immediate Result	Continuing Result
			work of faith, labor of love, steadfast hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
Love from God
Chosen by God
	The Gospel brought to them.
Power, in the Holy Spirit, with full conviction
	The example of Paul (and those with him)
		You became imitators of us and of the Lord	(and you are remaining so)
		You received the Word in much affliction
		You received the Word with Joy
			You became an example to others of receiving the Word with joy in the midst of affliction
			The Word of the Lrod has sounded forth from you (they are thus repeating what they heard and saw in Paul)
			Others are now repeating what they saw and heard in the Thessalonians
		You turned from serving idols to (1) serve the true and living God, and (2) wait for his Son from heaven	And continue to do so

Additional detail on how Paul came to them:

Cause in God	Cause in Men	Immediate Result	Continuing Result
	We came in affliction but with much boldness
	Our appeal did not spring from or entail: 1. Error 2. Impurity 3. An attempt to deceive 4. Not to please men 5. Only to please God 6. Not in flattery 7. Not as a pretext for greed
We have been approved by God and entrusted with the God (God entrusts)
God tests the hearts of men (to prove they have not proclaimed the Gospel for a wrong motive)
	We were: 1. Gentle among you (like a nursing mother). 2. Affectionately desirous of you 3. We shared the Gospel 4. We shared our lives 5. We worked to support ourselves so that we would not be a burden to you 6. We desired not to be a burden to you 7. We were holy and blameless toward yu 8. Like a father we “we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”
		You received the Word as the Word of God
The Word is at work in you.
		You became imitators of the preceding churches of God

The result: “you are are joy and glory”

Spurgeon: A Pleading Reminder for the New Year

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Thessalonians, Charles Spurgeon, Ministry, Preaching

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1 Thessalonians 3:8, Christian Ministry, Ministry, Preaching, Sermon, Steadfast

Spurgeon took as his text, “Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.” — 1 Thessalonians 3:8. This text presents a potential problem, because it refers to Paul’s joy in seeing other Christians steadfast. The trouble comes in that the most direct application would be the joy of a pastor seeing a congregation steadfast. Why should the congregation care? The hearer could easily think, That is all well and good, but none of this is about me. How is this useful?

Sermon introductions tend to fall into two categories: Most common are introductions which are short illustrations of the main point. Less common are introductions that set out a problem which the sermon resolves.

In this sermon, “A Pleading Reminder for the New Year”, vol. 30, no. 1758, Spurgeon sets out the problem that the sermon will resolve. Notice that this problem is not a problem for the pastor alone but it is a also a problem for the hearers. Their lives and concerns are bound up in one another:

Dearly beloved, I have often rejoiced in God as I have seen the work of the Spirit among you. It is no small joy that for many years we have never been without an increase to the church. With few exceptions we have never gathered at our monthly communions without receiving a considerable number into our membership. During these years some have turned back, to our great sorrow, and some have flagged, to our solemn grief; but others have persistently carried on the work of God, and have developed gifts and graces which have made them qualified for larger spheres; so that at this day those at home come behind in no gift, and those abroad do not forget the hallowed training of Zion. In every part of the earth some are engaged in holy service who have gone out from this church. For all this our heart must be grateful. But these are evil times; these are times the like of which I have not before seen, in which the foundations are removed, and “what shall the righteous do?” The winds are out. The tacklings are loosed. The mariners reel to and fro. Everything seems drifting. Men know not where they are. Half the professing Christians of the present day do not know their heads from their heels, and the half that do know seem inclined to take to their heels and run, rather than stand steadfast in the faith and wait till evil days are over. It is time that we spoke to you concerning steadfastness, that you be not like idle boys, that leap hedges and ditches after every nest that silly birds may choose to make; but that you keep to the King’s highway of holiness and truth, and hold fast to the doctrines and the practices which are taught us in the word of God. I say to you by this discourse, “Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.” It is a matter of life and death to us that you should be rooted, grounded, and settled.

The answer will come in three parts:

Notice first, that some are not in the Lord; secondly, some appear to be in the Lord, but they are not standing fast; and thirdly, that some in the Lord stand fast in the Lord, and these are our life: “Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.”

For the first section he lays out two propositions: There are those who will reject the Gospel. This proposition contains a temptation for the hearer to think I am better than my neighbor. Spurgeon turns the temptation on its head and raises a second point: Therefore we must seek the salvation of our fellows. He does this by describing his own desire to see salvation and the sorrow when Christ is rejected:

If there be a deadening influence about the thought that some few among us are not converted, think of what the effect must be upon a minister’s mind if he shall have labored long and seen no fruit. There may be instances in which a man has been faithful, but not successful, places where, for a time, the dew falls not, and the softening influences of the Spirit are not given. Then the soil breaks the ploughshare, and the weary ox is ready to faint. I began to preach while yet a youth, scarce sixteen years of age, but before I had preached half a dozen times I saw persons affected by those sermons. I pined to find some heart that had looked to Jesus while I had preached him; and I have photographed upon my eye-balls at this very moment a very humble clay-walled cottage which seemed to me to be a sacred spot, for I was told by a venerable deacon that it was the house of a poor woman who had sought and found the Savior through my ministry. I did not let the week conclude till I had seen her, for I hungered for the joy of meeting with one whom I had brought to Christ. If I found one soul converted I took heart and looked for more. Brother, are you working for Jesus? Then you know what it is to feel the shadow of death when you do not win a soul. Does it not seem hard to be knocking for Christ against a door that never opens, but has fresh bolts put to it to keep it closed? Be not ashamed of yourself because you feel distressed; it proves your capacity for being used. By-and-by God will bless you, and then you will understand the text “Now we live.” You will find that your pulse is quickened, your heart’s blood warmed, your filled with a diviner life as you rise nearer to the dignity of a saviour of men, and taste the joys unspeakable for which Christ laid down his life.

Next he goes onto those who are not steadfast. This section works through types of failure. There are those who completely apostatize. Yet, others “do not behave in such a way that we could remove their names from the church-roll; but they decline in grace.” They may be diverted from their work or begin to believe contrary doctrine.

He makes an interesting observation about one sort:

We know some who are not steadfast in their service of Christ. When a man claims to be perfect he is wholly useless to us: he is sure to leave his work. He wants all his time to admire his own perfections.

The only right and steady motivation will be a desire to serve God for God’s glory.

In the final section Spurgeon writes of the encouragement he finds in those are steadfast:

They are our life, because their holy conduct fills us with living confidence. I tell you, brethren, when I have seen the holy generosity of members of this church, making sacrifices to serve the Lord; when I have seen the holy courage of brethren standing up for Jesus, and bearing reproach for the sake of principle, and speaking out the truth in defiance of ridicule; when, in fact, I have seen many things that I will not mention now — I have said to myself these are fruits that could not have been produced except by the truth and by the Spirit of God. Then have I felt very confident in the gospel which has been so adorned by your actions. Certain of our beloved elders and deacons passed away, to our deep sorrow, not very long ago, and when I came down from their death-chambers I did not require any further argument to prove the religion of the Lord Jesus: the Holy Spirit set his seal upon the truth by their joyful departures.

Are We a Body, Soul & Spirit?

30 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Thessalonians, Anthropology

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Anthropology, body, Dichotomy, soul, spirit, Trichotomy

I just got asked by a member of our congregation whether we are a body & soul, or a body, soul and spirit? She was aske by her daughter. This is a very brief answer — it is certainly much more complex and entails matters of the relation of the material and immaterial, et cetera. So, remembering the circumstance, here is an answer:

Are human beings made up of body & soul or body, soul & spirit?

This is a very old question in the history of Christianity, and it has been answered both ways by sincere Christians.

We first start with the obvious proposition that human beings are composed of an inner & outer self, that which is material (our body) and that which is immaterial (our mind, if you will). We move about in the physical world; and we have thoughts, hopes, aspirations, memories which are not physical.

Some Christians would hold that we have a body and a soul – both of which we have in common with animals. However, being human, we also have a spirit which sets us above animals. There are a few variations on this thought, but it generally sounds like this. These people will often point to:

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. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (ESV)

That looks and sounds very convincing. But there are some problems with the argument. First, the Bible usually does not distinguish between one material and two immaterial aspects of human nature. Second, “spirit and soul” can also be understood as just a way of saying “all of you”[1]. Third, the words “spirit” and “soul” are used to describe an aspect of animals. Fourth, the word “soul” (the lesser word” is even used to describe God (Heb. 10:38, “my soul has no pleasure in him”). Fifth, “soul” is used to describe the continuous part of deceased Christians (see, e.g., Heb. 10:39, Rev. 6:9). Sixth, the word “soul” is used to describe the highest exercises of spiritual action (see, e.g. Mark 12:30—which describes a human as having 4 parts! – Luke 1:46, etc.). Seventh, to lose your “soul” is to lose everything (Mark 8:36-37).

This is certainly not everything which can be said about body, soul & spirit. There are complications here which delight philosophers and make everyone else blink in confusion[2].

So what do you say, body, soul, spirit? As a general rule, it is best to speak of humans as having a material and immaterial aspect, an inner and outer person, a body & soul (but if you say body and spirit, it will be okay).

Footnotes:

[1]

These are partial parallels to the present terminology, but throw little light on its details: what the writers mean is, “May every part of you be kept entirely without fault.

F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, vol. 45, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 130. Calvin takes the phrase as referring to two aspects of one immaterial aspect:

We must notice, however, this division of the constituent parts of a man; for in some instances a man is said to consist simply of body and soul, and in that case the term soul denotes the immortal spirit, which resides in the body as in a dwelling. As the soul, however, has two principal faculties—the understanding and the will—the Scripture is accustomed in some cases to mention these two things separately, when designing to express the power and nature of the soul ; but in that case the term soul is employed to mean the seat of the affections, so that it is the part that is opposed to the spirit. Hence, when we find mention made here of the term spirit, let us understand it as denoting reason or intelligence, as on the other hand by the term soul, is meant the will and all the affections.

John Calvin, 1 Thessalonians, electronic ed., Calvin’s Commentaries (Albany, OR: Ages Software, 1998), 1 Th 5:23.

[2] For those who really want extra credit:

It is precarious to try to construct a tripartite doctrine of human nature on the juxtaposition of the three nouns, πνεῦμα, ψυχή and σῶμα. The three together give further emphasis to the completeness of sanctification for which the writers pray, but the three together add but little to the sense of ὑμῶν τὰς καρδίας (“your hearts”) in 3:13. The distinction between the bodily and spiritual aspects of human nature is easily made, but to make a comparable distinction between “spirit” and “soul” is forced. Few would care to distinguish sharply among the four elements “heart” (καρδία), “soul” (ψυχή), “mind” (διάνοια) and “strength” (ἱσχύς) of Mark 12:30 (amplifying the threefold “heart, … soul, and … might” of Deut 6:5). The distinction made by Paul between ψυχή and πνεῦμα in 1 Cor 15:45 has no bearing on the present passage: there the distinction lies between the “living person” (ψυχὴ ζῶσα) which the first Adam became at his creation (Gen 2:7) and the “life-giving spirit” (πνεῦμα ζῳοποιοῦν) which the second Adam has become in resurrection. It is the contrast between the two nouns in that sense that constitutes the contrast between the adjectives ψυχικός and πνευματικός in 1 Cor 15:44, 46 (ψυχικός means χοϊκός as πνευματικός means ἐπουράνιος). The contrast between ψυχικός and πνευματικός in 1 Cor 2:14, 15 depends on the contrast between the soul of man and the Spirit of God; the understanding of the ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος is confined to the capacity of “the spirit of man (τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου) within him” (l Cor 2:11), and without the indwelling Spirit of God he cannot appreciate the πνευματικά, the “things of God” (1 Cor 2:11). In that context πνεῦμα is practically synonymous with νοῦς (cf. 1 Cor 2:16).

Plato speaks of the mind as being in the soul, and the soul in the body (νοῦν μὲν ἐν ψυχῇ, ψυχὴν δὲ ἐν σώματι, Tim. 30B), but for him the νοῦς was part of the ψυχή. Marcus Aurelius distinguishes σῶμα, ψυχή, νοῦς by saying that sensations belong to the body, impulses to the soul and opinions to the mind (σώματος αἰσθήσεις, ψυχῆς ὁρμαί, νοῦ δόγματα, Med. 3.16). MM (s.v. ὁλόκληρος) quote from the third-century magic P Lond 121, line 590, διαφύλασσέ μου τὸ σῶμα τὴν ψυχὴν ὁλόκληρον, “keep my body [and] my soul in sound health.” These are partial parallels to the present terminology, but throw little light on its details: what the writers mean is, “May every part of you be kept entirely without fault.” On the “complexive” aorist optative τηρηθείη cf. what is said on ἀγιάσαι earlier in the verse.

F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, vol. 45, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 130.

The sunshine is always sweeter after we have been in the shade

18 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Thessalonians, Assurance, Biblical Counseling, Repentance, Robert Murray M'Cheyne

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1 Thessalonians 5:14, Assurance, Biblical Counseling, letters, Pastoral Counseling, Repentance, Robert Murray M'Cheyne, Sin

To M.B., One of his flock who had felt deserted in soul
Peterhead, February 7, 1843.

Here is a model of pastoral advice and counsel to one who feels a loss of assurance of one’s salvation. While not the only possible cause for a loss of assurance, persistence in some sin will cause a believer to suffer a lack of assurance (for a further discussion of this issue, see, https://memoirandremains.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/a-cherished-sin-can-damage-assurance/). Note how M’Cheyne begins with kindness and sympathy. Even as Paul wrote kindly to the Corinthians despite their manifest sins (1 Corinthians 1:1-13), M’Cheyne writes to his “friend.” He weeps with one who weeps (Romans 12:15b). When a Christian has moved from rebellion in sin to sorrow for sin, when one has shown to be weak and fainthearted, the wise counselor will match encouragement and help for the weak and faint-hearted (1 Thessalonians 5:14) (If this had been sometime earlier in the progress of the sin, perhaps M’Cheyne would have been required to admonish this friend.).

Dear Friend,

—I was very happy to hear from you. I grieve to hear of your sorrow; but Job’s sorrow was deeper, and David’s also, in Ps. 42. If you cannot say, “I found Him whom my soul loveth,” is it not sweet that you can say, “I am sick of love”—He is my beloved still, though He has withdrawn himself and is gone for a time? Seek into the cause of your declension. See that it be not some Achan in your bosom,—some idol set up in the corner of your heart. See that it be not some allowed sin,—an unlawful attachment that is drawing you away from the bleeding side of Jesus, and bringing a cloud between you and that bright Sun of Righteousness. When you find out the cause, confess it and bewail it in the ear of a listening God. Tell Him all; keep nothing back. If you cannot find out the cause, ask Him to tell it you. Get it washed in the blood of Jesus. Then get it subdued.—Micah 7:19. None but the Lord Jesus can either pardon or subdue. Remember not to rest in a state of desertion. “I will rise now and go about the city.” And yet do not think that you have some great thing to do before regaining peace with God. The work on which peace is given has all been done by Jesus for us. “The word is nigh thee.” Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

The sunshine is always sweeter after we have been in the shade; so will you find Jesus in returning to Him. True, it is better never to wander; but when you have wandered, the sooner you return the happier you will be. “I will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better with me than now.” Hos. 2:7.

Do not delay, but humble yourself under his mighty hand, and He will exalt you in due season.

I have been speaking to-night in this place to a large and attentive audience on Zech. 9:9. May you be enabled to apply it. Remember me to Mrs K——, and also to all your fellow-servants whom I know and love in the truth. Tell N—— C—— to make sure that she is in Christ, and not to take man’s word for it. Tell E—— L—— to abide in Jesus; and tell her brother to take care lest he be a rotten branch of the true vine. Tell W—— J—— to be faithful unto death.

I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in the truth.—

I am, your loving pastor, etc.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Who, instead of ‘feeding them with knowledge and understanding,

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Thessalonians, Ministry, Uncategorized

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1 Thessalonians, Christian Ministry, John Lillie, Lectures on the Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians, Ministry

And here you will allow me to remark, before we proceed, that if Apostles, whose diocese was the world, had this abiding care for the continuous training of their converts in faith and holiness, that pastor and teacher of any particular congregation nowadays must have a very imperfect idea of the work assigned to him, whose great, perhaps his only, ambition is to swell the muster-roll of his so-called converts, and who, instead of ‘feeding them with knowledge and understanding,’ considers his duty toward them discharged, when he has succeeded in inoculating them with his own sectarian fanaticism, and then turns them loose upon the community as emissaries of rebellion in families, and robbers of other churches.

Such impudent tactics, under the guise of religious zeal, are not at all, I think, apostolic. They can at best but remind one of Samson’s style of warfare on a certain occasion, when he ‘went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.’

From all which sort of practice may the good Lord deliver this church, whether as an agent in it, or a sufferer from it. No man, indeed, who really knows the spiritual condition of any of our churches—

their prevailing worldliness of temper and life;

their great ignorance of, and slender interest in, the truth of God;

the faintness of their love to Christ, and Christ’s cause, and people, and glory;

their covetousness;

their evil-speaking;

their numberless little, unbrotherly, unsisterly jealousies and alienations;

their frequent paltry feuds and animosities—

no one, I say, that understands these things, to add no more, will deem the suggestion an uncharitable one, that we all ‘have need that one teach us again which be the first principles of the oracles of God,’ regarding duty as well as doctrine—the things to be done by us, as well as the things to be believed—or, as our Apostle expresses it, ‘how we ought to walk and please God.’

John Lillie, Lectures on the Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860), 210-11.

Who, instead of feeding them with knowledge and understanding

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Thessalonians, Ministry, Uncategorized

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John Lillie, Lectures on the Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians

their prevailing worldliness of temper and life;

their great ignorance of, and slender interest in, the truth of God;

the faintness of their love to Christ, and Christ’s cause, and people, and glory;

their covetousness;

their evil-speaking;

their numberless little, unbrotherly, unsisterly jealousies and alienations;

their frequent paltry feuds and animosities—

John Lillie, Lectures on the Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860), 210-11.

Can Never Roof Us In

18 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Thessalonians, Ephesians, George Muller, Ministry, Prayer

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1 Thessalonians 5:17, Arthur Pierson, Ephesians 6:18, George Muller, Hudson Taylor, Pray Without Ceasing, Prayer, Secret Prayer

I have often been told that “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) and “praying at all times” (Ephesians 6:18) means “pray a lot”. Apparently Muller didn’t hear that sermon:

The letter [Pierson references a letter written by Muller] makes plain that much sweetness is mixed in the cup of suffering, and that our privileges are not properly prized until for a time we are deprived of them. He particularly mentions how secret prayer, even when reading, conversation, or prayer with others was a burden, always brought relief to his head. Converse with the Father was an indispensable source of refreshment and blessing at all times. As J. Hudson Taylor says, Satan, the Hinderer, may build a barrier about us, but he can never roof us in, so that we cannot look up.

Arthur Tappan Pierson. “George Müller of Bristol.”

Translation of 1 Peter 2:9, Part 1

14 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Peter, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, Greek

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1 Peter, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, Greek Translation, Silvanus

1 Peter 2:9 contains the phrase “a people for his own possession” (ESV). It is variously translated, “God’s special possession” (NIV), “a people of his own” (NET), “a people for His possession” (HCSB), “His own special people” (NKJV), “a peculiar people” (KJV), and “God’s own people” (NRSV). However, Ramsay (Word Biblical Commentary) translates the phrase “a people destined for vindication”. The difference in translation makes for a fundamental distinction in terms of the meaning of the entire passage.

In this section, Peter discusses the relationship of believers to God and to the world. A theme found in this passage is that trust in the Lord “will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6). The same theme appears arises later in the discussion of the exemplary life of Christ – particularly the manner in which he responded to suffering (those who attempted to put him to shame). Christ refused to defend himself at that time, because “he continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

This theme can be found in 2 Thessalonians 1 (another letter connected with Silvanus), where Paul encourages the suffering church to remain faithful knowing that God will bring judgment against those who are afflicting the believers, “since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 2 Thessalonians 1:6 (ESV).

Ramsay argues as follows:

λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν, “a people destined for vindication.” This phrase, together with the whole clause that follows, recalls Isa 43:21 LXX (not, as in Titus 2:14, the λαὸς περιούσιος of Exod 19:5). Peter has changed Isaiah’s λαόν μου ὃν περιεποιησάμην to the more future-oriented λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν. In view of Peter’s characteristic use of εἰς in various eschatological expressions in 1:3–5, and especially the εἰς σωτηρίαν of 1:5 and 2:2, περιποίησις could be plausibly understood as a synonym for σωτηρία (cf. BGD, 650.1) in the sense of future or final salvation (cf. S. Halas, Bib 65.2 [1984] 254–58, who translates accordingly, “peuple destiné au salut” [258]).

This interpretation is supported by the fact that three of the other four NT occurrences of περιποίησις use the word similarly as the object of εἰς and with a future reference (cf. 1 Thess 5:9; 2 Thess 2:14; Heb 10:39; Eph 1:14 is slightly different). In each instance περιποίησις in itself means simply “attainment” or “acquisition”: to complete the thought of “salvation” an additional noun in the genitive is needed (i.e., σωτηρίας in 1 Thess 5:9; δόξης in 2 Thess 2:14; ψυχῆς in Heb 10:39). In the present passage, the absence of such a qualifying noun, as well as the choice of περιποίησιν in place of σωτηρίαν, was probably dictated by Peter’s desire to echo as much as possible the language of Isa 43:21 even while making his own independent statement (cf. the use of εἰς περιποίησιν by itself in Hag 2:9b and Mal 3:17 LXX). If not the precise equivalent of σωτηρία, περιποίησις is at least a closely parallel term for future divine vindication (like the τιμή of v 7).

Of the four titles comprising v 9a, λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν is the only one pointed distinctly toward the future. Once this is recognized, such traditional renderings as “God’s own people” (RSV) or “a people belonging to God” (NIV) are shown to be inadequate. To Peter, it is already the case that the Christian community belongs to God as a unique possession (cf. νῦν δὲ λαὸς θεοῦ, v 10); what still awaits is its final vindication against the unbelieving and disobedient.

J. Ramsey Michaels, vol. 49, 1 Peter, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 109-10.

Ramsay’s argument thus entails two elements: (1) the conjunction of the preposition eis + the noun in the accusative has a future reference; and (2) Peter has made use of an ellipsis, a deliberate omission of a word which must be supplied by the reader.

Taking the second element first, let us consider whether the structure of the sentence indicates an ellipsis:

9 ὑμεῖς δὲ γένος ἐκλεκτόν,

βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα,

ἔθνος ἅγιον,

λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν,

ὅπως τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐξαγγείλητε τοῦ ἐκ σκότους ὑμᾶς καλέσαντος εἰς τὸ θαυμαστὸν αὐτοῦ φῶς·1 Peter 2:9 (NA27)

The relevant phrase reads (literally) a people for [eis] possession. The phrase does stand out from the preceding three phrases: Each of the preceding phrases make sense as a stand-alone noun phrase (each is in the accusative): an elect generation/people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Yet our phrase leaves something missing: a people for possession. The phrase is ambiguous.

The preposition eis + the accusative can refer to movement, time, purpose, result, reference/respect or advantage (Wallace, 741). Thus, the usage is unclear.

Moreover, the phrase is incomplete: each of the translations treat it as an ellipsis by supplying the possessor: God or He (God’s or His).

Ramsay gives three examples where the construction eis + possession is connected to a genitive object possessed (two of the three being found in Thessalonians – epistles both connected with Silvanus).

9 ὅτι οὐκ ἔθετο ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς εἰς ὀργὴν

ἀλλὰ εἰς περιποίησιν σωτηρίας

διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NA27)

9 For God has not destined us for wrath,

but to obtain salvation

through our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (ESV)

The parallels are interesting. First, the sentences are structurally similar in that each is a dependence clause to describe the people of God. Second, the dependent clause contains the same structure eis + possession. Without the genitive following possession, the phrase would be ambiguous and one would have to make an addition to resolve the trouble. For example, if the sentence had lacked the genitive “salvation” after possession [as it does in 1 Peter 2:9], the sentence would have read, 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, rather we are His possession through our Lord Jesus Christ,….

14 εἰς ὃ [καὶ] ἐκάλεσεν ὑμᾶς διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἡμῶν

εἰς περιποίησιν δόξης

τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 2 Thessalonians 2:14 (NA27)

14 To this he called you through our gospel,

so that you may obtain the glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:14 (ESV)

Again, the parallels obtain. The potential ambiguity of eis + possession is resolved by the addition of a genitive following the noun “possession”.

Finally, there is the example of Hebrews 10:39:

39 ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὑποστολῆς εἰς ἀπώλειαν

ἀλλὰ πίστεως

εἰς περιποίησιν ψυχῆς. Hebrews 10:39 (NA27)

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,

but of those who have faith

and preserve their souls. Hebrews 10:39 (ESV)

Thus, on its face, Ramsay’s argument has plausibility: 1) An ellipsis does exist. 2) The parallel structures do exist. In addition, in two of the three parallel passages, Silvanus was listed as an author – and he is tied to 1 Peter (1 Peter 5:12. See Jobes, 335). In addition, the remedy of Ramsay matches well with the overall structure of the letter.

However, this leaves some additional questions: (1) Do we find any parallel constructions in the LXX (or perhaps in contemporary writing)? (2) Does any other commentator come to a similar conclusion? (3) If an ellipsis exists and it is to be remedied by a genitive object of possession, has Ramsay correctly identified that object? At this stage, all I can say is that Ramsay’s construction is possible – but not certain.