1 Thessalonians 4:6 “That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.”
This verse seems out of line with grace as it seems like Paul is warning the believers that if they defraud anyone then God will punish them for this, even though Christ took all our punishment. Well this verse needs to be put in context with the chapter and book it is in.
Many Bible translations get this verse tragically wrong. Words and concepts need to find their meaning within the sentence, chapter and book that they are in. Otherwise we will ascribe them extra meaning that they were not intended to have in a particular passage. For example when Thessalonians is talking about being holy and sanctified it is not talking primarily about avoiding immoral behavior but instead avoiding idolatry, or rather not mixing your faith in Christ with any other religion or religious practice.
Holiness and sanctification do not refer to sinning or not sinning as many mistakenly believe. They actually refer to having a pure faith in Christ only and not mixing your faith with anything else. It also refers to behavior that flows out of either faith in Christ or unbelief in Christ. Someone who doesn’t have faith in Christ will seek to justify themselves by what they do. This behavior is unholy. A Christian who is acting unholy is someone who doesn’t fully rest in Christ’s finished work but seeks to add to it by their own self righteous performance. To offer sacrifices for your sins, once Christ the once for all sacrifice was offered, is a very unholy thing to do. To put hope in any other religious practice to earn spiritual points with God apart from faith in Christ is unholy! An unholy heart is not a heart that thinks about sinful things but a heart that doesn’t trust in Christ.
In this light, when Paul mentions fornication in verse 3 we must not miss the point that his emphasis is idolatry and not sexual immorality in general. Of course Christians shouldn’t carry on in sexual immorality, but the greater point Paul is making is about not going back to idolatry. The Thessalonians were known for paganism. One of the practices was fornicating with pagan temple prostitutes as a means of earning spiritual points. Well if you believe in that then you are adding to your faith and mixing Christ with idols.
In chapter 3 Paul’s shows great concern for the faith of the Thessalonians and reveals his desire to see them established firmly in their faith in Christ. The Thessalonians faced two major challenges to their faith. One was from the vigilant Jews who violently opposed them for their faith in Christ and consistently sought to bring them under the law (1 Thess 1:6), and secondly the pull back towards idolatry and its practice from which they had all come out of (1 Thess 1:9).
Paul was aware of these two pulls on the Thessalonians and therefore concerned for their faith. In chapter 3, seven times he speaks about faith and his concern and encouragement for them to stand firm in it.
We must see that chapter 4 then is very much in line with this train of thought.
1Th 4:1 “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.”
The way we walk to please God is to walk by faith and not to hope in paganistic practices or to rely on the law. All this is an offence to the cross and cannot please God. Only faith in Christ pleases God as Hebrews 10: 6 reveals.
1Th 4:2 “For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.”
The New Covenant commands are to believe in Christ and to continue in that faith, never putting hope in anything else for your righteousness before God. (1 Jn 3:23. Jn 6:29)
1Th 4:3 “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication”
The actual Greek word for fornication here figuratively means idolatry. In the Scriptures adultery, sexual immorality, fornication and harlotry are all usually referring to spiritual adultery which is mixing Christ with idols and being seduced away from your pure faith in Christ. We’re called to a purity of faith in Christ – that is the life of sanctification and holiness. Good behavior will flow from this place. But when you don’t believe this then you’ll engage in all kinds of bad behavior which is what the next verse is referring to…
1Th 4:4 “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor;”
1Th 4:5 “Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:”
The Thessalonians who didn’t know God or the gospel engaged in all kinds of idolatrous practice with a lust or desire to find meaning and spirituality in what they did. Idolatry is evil because it denies the work of Christ. You cannot believe in Christ and idols. That is spiritual adultery or “fornication”. You cannot “unite” Christ with idols. Idolatry is “unclean” religion. Only faith in Christ is pure or “clean”. When you don’t know Christ you will have an ungodly desire for unclean religion, or you could say a “lust for uncleanness”. This isn’t immorality it’s unbelief.
Then the confusing verse for many Christians:
1Th 4:6 “That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.”
We need to see that this is Paul’s urging them not to go back to idolatry. Going back to idolatry is uncleaness but they were called to holiness. There was so much pressure and persecution towards these believers to return to idolatry from their own countrymen (brothers). Paul was encouraging them to keep trusting in God even when they are defrauded by these people as God will avenge!
In 1 Thessalonians 2:14 – 16 Paul talks about the persecution they face from their own countrymen (brothers) and how God is avenging those who persecute them!
1Th 2:14 “For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:”
1Th 2:15 “Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:”
1Th 2:16 “Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.”
Romans 12:18-20 has a very similar encouragement:
“18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.”
Now verse 9 and 10 of chapter 4 really puts it all into context that Paul is not referring to the believers in verse 6 but to the believers own countrymen that are defrauding them:
1Th 4:9 “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”
1Th 4:10 “And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;”
Paul affirms them for the way that they love and says that he doesn’t even need to speak to them about this. Therefore it wouldn’t make sense that he is warning them in verse 6 against unloving behavior. In one breath he’s warning them against doing unloving things and in the next breath he is commending them for the way they are loving everyone? You just don’t do that.
It’s like saying to someone, “Wow, it’s amazing how you love people so much. You love everyone and are treating them all with such love. It seems God is showing you how to love and I don’t need to say anything to you about love. Oh and by the way, if you defraud anyone God will avenge you, so don’t do it!” You would never say such things. People would think you were confused!
Verse 6 only confuses people because they read it as a word against believers rather than a word for believers. But it’s an encouragement saying, “Don’t go out and try to avenge yourselves from people who are defrauding you, trust in God who avenges on your behalf. People may persecute you for the gospel, take your stuff and defraud you but don’t get in the flesh to avenge. Leave that up to God.”
This is consistent with the Abrahamic covenant:
Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:”
Also, most translations get the words “forewarned” and “testified” from verse 6 wrong. It’s not the English that was inspired but the original Greek and that is our final authority.
One of the more accurate versions for this particular verse is the Wycliffe New Testament.
“ …For the Lord is venger of all these things, as we before-said to you, and have witnessed.
This is a more accurate to Greek translation on the verse as it ascribes the correct meaning and doesn’t bring in unintended innuendos. The original words for “forewarned and “testified” basically just mean, “I’ve told you already” and, “We’ve witnessed these things happening before”.
Look at the original Greek for “forewarned” and “testified”: (Strong’s)
Forewarned: proepō: to say already, to predict: – forewarn, say (speak, tell) before.
Testified: diamarturomai: to attest or protest earnestly, or (by implication) hortatively: – charge, testify (unto), witness.
Basically Paul is saying, “I’ve told you before that when people defraud you God will vindicate you and sort them out, so keep trusting Him because I have witnessed Him do this for me again and again”.
1 Thessalonians 4:6 is not talking about God avenging the believers but those who are persecuting them!
We must use 1 Thessalonians 4 for the correct purpose it was given. Not to try and manipulate or scare Christians into avoiding sexual immorality and making sure they love people, but to encourage them to trust fully in Christ and never to put hope in idols or works even when they’re facing persecution for their faith!
