23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
평강의 하나님이 친히 너희로 온전히 거룩하게 하시고 또 너희 온 영과 혼과 몸이 우리 주 예수 그리스도 강림하실 때에 흠 없게 보전되기를 원하노라
We’ve heard many times by now that God’s will for us is that we become holy, sanctified, i.e. be filled with His Spirit. On the grounds of this will every ministry of Christ and the Spirit is initiated and operates. Paul’s round up prayer contains this essence, and therefore prays ‘your will be done on earth, to people, as it is in heaven, as it is with you’ (cf. Matt 6:10). That God who desires us to be holy and be on his terms, on his side, therefore at peace with him, He Himself is at work all the time until the very last. He not only makes us holy but keeps us holy, our whole self, nephesh, [1] not just spirit, not just body, who the whole you whatever that consists of, the whole living being (Gen 2:7) God first created, through and through, entirely (NASB), completely (ESV).
24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
너희를 부르시는 이는 미쁘시니 그가 또한 이루시리라
He is faithful because he willed it how many years ago but still keeps going with that first initiation. He is faithful not just by desiring it but because he has power to do so. When we talk about his power, we have the ultimate all win card – the power to raise the dead.
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.
형제들아 우리를 위하여 기도하라
Knowing all this, brothers! Who are called together to his living beings! Pray for us! Pray for the workers! Pray for the message! – what would be the prayer? Yes, that God’s will be done through and through, by Himself, through Paul’s ministry, through this letter and message, through those who hear it and are changed in their nephesh, through us!
26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.
거룩하게 입맞춤으로 모든 형제에게 문안하라
Paul uses the phrase ‘to greet with a holy kiss’ many times in his letters. Apostle Peter calls it the kiss of love (1 Pet 5:14). In Luke 7, where a sinful woman comes to pour oil onto his feet, Jesus explains what the woman has done and complains that the man of the house did not give him a kiss to greet him (Luke 7:44). We, along with the believers in Thessalonica, as the ones who had the bigger debt forgiven (cancelled, ESV, NASB), should love him more (Luke 7:43) and therefore should greet him with a kiss, even on his feet. This love and acknowledgement extends to the siblings to greet them with a holy kiss too, not just as a passionate and enthusiastic welcome, but in remembrance of the Lord’s cancellation of the debt and filling us instead with His Spirit.
27-28 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
내가 주를 힘입어 너희를 명하노니 모든 형제에게 이 편지를 읽어 들리라 우리 주 예수 그리스도의 은혜가 너희에게 있을지어다
So, read this letter to them! Let us hear this message! This is the message of grace by our Lord Christ from the Father through the Holy Spirit. Praise and holy kiss be to our God the Faithful, the Never-Changing Almighty. Amen.
[1] נֶ֫פֶשׁ (ne.phesh) ‘soul: animal’ (H5315K) 1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion
The נפשׁ as the essential of man stands for the man himself, Brown-Driver-Briggs, 756, 4.
The beautiful impression above of the woman kissing Jesus’ feet by an unkown artist was found at https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/blog/the-woman-at-jesus-feet-in-luke-7-36-50
Read with Ssam 