1 Thessalonians 5:25-28 25Brothers [and sisters], pray for us also. 26Greet all the brothers [and sisters] with a holy kiss. 27I put you under oath by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers [and sisters]. 28May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
With these verses, Paul closes out the letter. He gives three more requests to the Thessalonians. He asks them to pray for him, Silas, and Timothy. The mission team had many challenges before them. Just as the Thessalonians had suffered persecution, so would these missionaries. The early Christians needed one another to lift each other up to God in prayer. Sometimes the only thing we can do to help someone is to pray for him or her. Prayer should not be seen as a last resort when nothing else works but as the first option. Prayer entrusts into God’s care those for whom we pray. Prayer also makes us partners with those for whom we pray. We can help carry their burdens through intercession.
Paul also wanted the Thessalonians to continue to build their fellowship with one another. Greeting with a holy kiss may not be part of our cultural practice. There may be other tangible or physical ways we can greet one another. The point is not so much how but that whatever we do is done out of holiness. The holy God calls us to be holy and to share this holiness with affection and genuine care. Christians ought to look forward to being with one another. There is great joy in Christian fellowship.
Finally, Paul wants the Thessalonians to make sure this letter is read to everyone. The topics of this letter were not for just a few people but the whole church. Letters of the New Testament were intended to be public documents to be shared and carefully considered. Paul was offering advice and pastoral care through this letter since he could not be with them in person.
The letter ends with a simple benediction. All of Paul’s letters have some form of closing benediction. The grace of Christ was what the Thessalonians needed most to help them endure persecution and living with moral victory over the temptations of their culture. Grace is best experienced through consecration and sanctification. Grace is not a momentary experience that comes and goes but is constantly available as we come to God in prayerful acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty in our lives.
Although this letter is relatively short compared to other letters Paul wrote, it contains a powerful call to embrace Christ’s lifestyle of faith, love, hope, and holiness.
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