The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians — John Shaqi
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the ThessaloniansDenney, James
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians
Denney, James
Bible. Thessalonians -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
The
risen Christ was King, Judge, and Saviour; the Christian's present
duty was to love, trust, obey, and wait for Him.
This waiting includes everything. "Ye come behind in no gift," Paul
says to the Corinthians, "waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus
Christ." That attitude of expectation is the bloom, as it were, of the
Christian character. Without it, there is something lacking; the
Christian who does not look upward and onward wants one mark of
perfection. This is, in all probability, the point on which we should
find ourselves most from home, in the atmosphere of the primitive
Church. Not unbelievers only, but disciples as well, have practically
ceased to think of the Second Advent. The society which devotes itself
to reviving interest in the truth uses Scripture in a fashion which
makes it impossible to take much interest in its proceedings; yet a
truth so clearly a part of Scripture teaching cannot be neglected
without loss. The door of the unseen world closed behind Christ as He
ascended from Olivet, but not for ever. It will open again; and this
same Jesus shall so come in like manner as the apostles beheld Him go.
He has gone to prepare a place for those who love Him and keep His
word; but "if I go," He says, "and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and take you to Myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also." That is the final hope of the Christian faith. It is for the
fulfilment of this promise that the Church waits. The Second Coming of
Christ and His Resurrection stand and fall together; and it will not
long be possible for those who look askance at His return to receive
in all its fulness the revelation of life which He made when He rose
again from the dead. This world is too much with us; and it needs not
languor, but strenuous effort on the part of faith and hope, to make
the unseen world as real. Let us see that we come not behind in a
grace so essential to the very being of Christianity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account