Read This Epistle to All Holy Brethren 1 Thessalonians 5:27

As Paul the apostle came to an end of his first letter to the Thessalonians, he gave them several short instructions about living before the Lord Jesus and with one another. In chapter five and verse twenty-seven of his letter, Paul “charged” the church members “by the Lord” to “read” this “epistle unto all the holy” brothers where we read:

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

The verse begins, “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read...” Paul began with the phrase, “I charge you” which means “force and administer an oath to or adjure and solemnly implore the church members” “by the Lord” or “by he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God, the Messiah” “that this epistle” which refers “this letter and written message” “be read” or “distinguished between, recognized, known accurately and acknowledged”. Paul's desire and “command” was for the Thessalonian church members to hear the words he wrote in this letter.

The verse goes on to say, “...unto all the holy brethren.” Paul went on to add, “unto all” which refers to “each, every, any, all, the whole and everyone,” “the holy” which means “sacred, pure, morally blameless and religiously, ceremonially consecrated” “brethren” or “a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother and fellow believers who are united to another by the bond of affection”. Not only were the Thessalonians to hear the words written by Paul, but also “each and every” fellow believer in Jesus Christ was to hear them as well.

When we meditate upon Paul's words, we realize that his desire was fulfilled. We are reading and hearing his words just as the Thessalonian church members. One of the great benefits to having the Bible is that we get to read and listen to the words of great men of God like Paul, and when we imagine that he is writing specifically to us, we get the greatest benefit from his words. The Lord Jesus designed, through His Holy Spirit, to teach us the word of God, and through these great words we not only learn about God, but we discover He desires to have a relationship with us. May we never take for granted the word of God, and may we always be as those who hear the word and apply the principles which are drawn from it.

Next time Paul ends his letter to the Thessalonians by asking that “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” be with them, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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