What Does 1 Thessalonians 5:9 Mean?

(9) **For.**—This is not the reason for being watchful, but for being hopeful of salvation. The image of the soldier is abandoned’ as suddenly as it was introduced. **Hath not appointed.**—Rather, *did not appoint, *referring to some mysterious moment of God’s eternal counsels, when He fixed His predestination of us—whether the moment of creative thought, or of sending the gospel to us. The “wrath” is that which is to come upon the “children of wrath” at the Second Advent, as in 1Thessalonians 1:10; 1Thessalonians 2:16. (Comp. 1Peter 2:8.) We may well be confident then, for we ourselves are the only persons that can defeat God’s predestinations. **To obtain salvation.**—More than “obtain;” the Greek means “acquire” by one’s own efforts;” earn and make our own;” being the same word as is used in 1Timothy 3:13 and Acts 20:28 in the verb; and in the substantive in Ephesians 1:14 (where it is translated “purchased possession”); 2Thessalonians 2:14; Hebrews 10:39 (translated “saving”); and 1Peter 2:9, where see Note. It will be seen that God does not predestinate men to “salvation” without laborious acquisition on *their* part, but predestinates them to occupy a position in which they will be able to “work out their own salvation” by placing them “under grace” in the Church. The very same word is used of the Christian’s way of securing salvation, and of Christ’s way of securing it for him (see references); both are “purchasing,” “earning.” But mark that the Christian can only so purchase salvation *“through* our Lord Jesus Christ:” apart from Him a man can do nothing to redeem himself, but through union with Him the believer can pay the whole price of his salvation (see *e.g.* John 15:5);