14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
또 형제들아 너희를 권면하노니 규모 없는 자들을 권계하며 마음이 약한 자들을 안위하고 힘이 없는 자들을 붙들어 주며 모든 사람을 대하여 오래 참으라
After urging/begging them to know/see the Lord’s workers among them, now Paul moves onto pleading/comforting the Thessalonians concerning the idle people among them. Warn, encourage, and help them – in sum, endure them. This instruction and the one before have to be thought in line with the main line theme. What it is that we have to concentrate on. And therefore what are the things we can be lenient with?
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
삼가 누가 누구에게든지 악으로 악을 갚지 말게 하고 오직 피차 대하든지 모든 사람을 대하든지 항상 선을 좇으라
Toward each other as well as toward all people seek the good. We do not have the time nor the energy to repay evil for evil (ESV, NASB), harm for harm.
16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
항상 기뻐하라 쉬지 말고 기도하라 범사에 감사하라 이는 그리스도 예수 안에서 너희를 향하신 하나님의 뜻이니라
This is the good that we should seek. For there is only One who is good. Our Lord once replied to the rich young ruler, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone’ (Luke 18:19). God’s will is that we should be filled with ‘one thing that we still lack’ (Luke 18:22) – our sanctification (1 Thes 4:3) through his Spirit, our ‘treasure in heaven’ (Luke 18:22).
So ‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances’ is a password for being filled with God’s Spirit and therefore not being distracted by other things but to know God for what he has done for us and to live in the yet-unfinished hope of our Lord Jesus’ coming back. Just as ‘Sell everything you own and give to the poor’ was a passcode for to know who God is and follow him to the rich young ruler! Know the One who is merciful to us who are sinners (ones that lack God and need him) and know how much more he would come to your rescue for being the Father he is! This was the logic and the gospel that led to the encounter with the young rich ruler in Luke 18.
Therefore let us dare not think of these activities as the means of achieving God’s will. Rather it is the other way round. God’s will is achieved by the Spirit who knows him perfectly. When the Spirit fills us thanks to Christ’s work on the cross, our life becomes that of giving thanks, praying continually, and rejoicing always – we are to closely observe it, stick to it, and promote it. It being the whole working of God behind/above/around all things. For this God endured us. And in turn we are to endure others for this.
Lord Almighty God who loves us and takes care of us that we may be filled with his Spirit! Our life seems so far from praying, rejoicing, and giving thanks; yet you have achieved all things for us already. Let us not waste our time, energy, and emotion in judging the seemingly idle and seemingly incompetent people. Let us rather endure them, endure ourselves, just as you endured us and still endure us until we are completely filled and overflow with your Spirit. Let us get rid of the ambition of falsely praying, rejoicing, or giving thanks; but truly come to you who fills us with his humble Spirit, who is God but still loves us. Let us know, see, and perceive that God our Father.