Scripture Reading: 1 Thes. 5:1-11
Immediately after Paul presents the hope of a holy life for the church life, he covers the matter of the watchfulness and soberness of this life. We have a wonderful hope, a hope that the Lord Jesus will come back and that we shall be raptured to Him. Along with this hope, we need watchfulness and soberness. As we are hoping, we need to watch and be sober. For this reason, 1 Thessalonians does not end with chapter four. In this wonderful book for new believers, Paul adds yet a further word concerning watchfulness and soberness. Once again, we should follow Paul’s pattern. We should not simply encourage new believers in their hope. We should also go on to tell them that along with this hope, they need to be watchful and sober. They should not be asleep, and they should not be drunk or in some kind of stupor.
As Paul was writing the last part of chapter four, I believe that he was burdened to speak a word on the watchfulness and soberness of a holy life for the church life. If this book concluded at the end of chapter four, and if we did not have 5:1-11, some believers may be misled. In fact, because they isolate 4:13-18 from the rest of this Epistle, Christians have been misled or even drugged in their mentality. Therefore, as we apply chapter four to our situation, we should not neglect 5:1-11. This means that as we wait for the Lord’s coming back, we need to be watchful and also sober.
In 5:1-3 Paul indicates that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. Verse 1 says, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you.” Times and seasons here refer to the Lord’s coming. This is confirmed by the expression “the day of the Lord” in verse 2.
In verse 2 Paul goes on to say, “For you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” The coming of the Lord in the preceding chapter is mainly for comfort and encouragement. The day of the Lord in this chapter is mainly for warning (vv. 3-6), since it is mentioned in the Word mostly in relation to the Lord’s judgment (1 Cor. 1:8; 3:13; 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14; 2 Tim. 4:8).
The fact that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night indicates that its coming is kept secret and that it will come suddenly. It is not known beforehand by anyone (Matt. 24:42-43; Rev. 3:3; 16:15). This thought is strengthened by what Paul says in verse 3: “Whenever they say, Peace and security, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as birth pangs to a woman with child, and they shall by no means escape.”
In verses 4 through 11 we see the safeguard of faith, love, and hope. In verse 4 Paul reminds us that we are not in darkness that the day should overtake us as a thief, and in verse 5 he points out that we are sons of light and of the day, and thus are not of the night nor of darkness. Then in verse 6 he exhorts us to watch and be sober: “So then, let us not sleep as the rest, but let us watch and be sober.” To sleep here is to be unwatchful. Watch is versus sleep (see v. 7), and sober is versus drunk. In verse 7 Paul says, “For those who sleep, sleep in the night, and those who are drunk, are drunk in the night.” Here to be drunk is to be in a stupor.
Christians are familiar with the word watchful. However, we probably do not know the real meaning of this word. What does it mean to be watchful? Our answer will be too vague if we merely say that to be watchful is not to sleep. In this case, as with many other things, we may take for granted that we understand what the Bible says, when actually we do not understand the matter at all. The same is true about what it means to be sober.
To be watchful and to be sober are related to safeguarding the three basic structures of the holy life for the church life: faith, love, and hope. Verse 8 indicates this: “But we who are of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and a helmet, the hope of salvation.” The words breastplate and helmet both indicate spiritual warfare. The breastplate is of faith and love, covering and protecting our heart and spirit according to God’s righteousness (Eph. 6:14). The helmet is the hope of salvation (Eph. 6:17), covering and protecting our mentality, the mind. Faith, love, and hope are the three basic structures of the genuine Christian life as depicted in 1 Thessalonians 1:3. Faith is related to our will — a part of our heart (Rom. 10:9) — and to our conscience — a part of our spirit (1 Tim. 1:19). Love is related to our emotion, another part of our heart (Matt. 22:37); and hope is related to our understanding — a function of our mind. All of these need to be protected that a genuine Christian life may be maintained. Such a life is watchful and sober. At the beginning of this Epistle, the apostle praised the believers’ work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope (1:3). Here, at the conclusion of the Epistle, he exhorts them to keep these spiritual virtues covered and protected by fighting for them.
The hope spoken of in verse 8 is the hope of our Lord’s coming back, which will be our salvation from both the coming destruction and from the slavery of corruption of the old creation (Rom. 8:21-25). Salvation in verses 8 and 9 is not salvation from eternal perdition through the Lord’s death, but salvation from the coming destruction through the Lord’s coming back.
According to verse 8, we need armor to safeguard our faith, love, and hope. If we would protect these aspects of the basic structure of a holy life for the church life, we need to be watchful and sober. Therefore, being watchful and sober is part of the living we should have as we hope in the Lord’s coming back.
We have pointed out that in chapter four Paul comforts us with this hope, telling us that at the Lord’s coming we shall be raptured. We shall be transported into a state of ecstasy to meet with the Lord in the air. However, this hope requires a living of watchfulness and soberness. We need a life of watchfulness and soberness in order to wait for the Lord’s coming. In other words, as we exercise our hope in the Lord’s coming back, we need a watching life and a sober life. If we are watchful and sober, we shall protect, safeguard, the basic structure of our Christian life.
Now we come to the crucial matter of understanding what it means to be watchful and sober. Watchfulness here is related to a battle, a fighting. Some versions use the word vigilant, a word related to warfare. Soldiers in a battle need to be watchful, vigilant. The fact that watchfulness is related to fighting is confirmed by Paul’s mention of the breastplate and helmet in verse 8. A breastplate and helmet are not ordinary items of dress. They are, of course, part of the armor used by soldiers in fighting. Paul’s concept of being watchful and sober, therefore, is related to fighting, to warfare. In these verses Paul is talking about some kind of battle.
There are sugar-coated teachings about the Lord’s coming and the rapture revealed in chapter four, but these teachings do not prepare believers for fighting. Instead, they cause them to be drugged and in a stupor. It is important for us to see that watchfulness refers to a proper spirit in fighting a battle. If we grasp this thought, we shall have in large measure the proper understanding of what it means to be watchful.
To be watchful is to continue fighting. Soldiers in a battle do not merely look around. That is not to be watchful. They are watchful because they are fighting. When they stop fighting, they are no longer watchful. According to our understanding, to be watchful is simply to look out for something, for example, to watch our step as we are walking. But this is not the meaning here. In these verses to be watchful is to remember that we are in a battle, that we are fighting and are surrounded by enemies. This is the reason we need a helmet and also a breastplate.
Again and again we have emphasized the fact that 1 Thessalonians is an epistle written to new believers. This book contains many basic concepts regarding the Christian life. In each of the five chapters certain basic principles, certain elementary teachings, are covered. But even in a book concerned with elementary teachings, Paul includes the matter of spiritual warfare. Paul does not explicitly tell the believers that they are on a battlefield and need to fight. But what he says in 5:1-11 implies spiritual fighting.
In verse 3 the word destruction is used: “Whenever they say, Peace and security, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as birth pangs to a woman with child, and they shall by no means escape.” What is this destruction? It is related to the salvation mentioned in verses 8 and 9. Salvation in these verses is salvation from the coming destruction through the Lord’s coming back, not salvation from eternal perdition through the Lord’s death. Fallen man will perish for eternity. That is eternal perdition. We who have believed in the Lord Jesus will be saved from eternal perdition. We have already obtained salvation in this respect. We have been saved from eternal perdition, and we shall never perish.
Biblical salvation from eternal perdition is eternal salvation. Once we are saved, we are saved for eternity. Contrary to the teaching of the Arminian school of theology, we cannot lose our salvation. Salvation is once for all. But here Paul is speaking about salvation in another respect, that is, salvation from the coming destruction.
Furthermore, in the light of Romans 8:21-25, we shall also be saved from the slavery of corruption of the old creation. All created things are today subject to the slavery of corruption. The entire old creation is enslaved to corruption. Everything, including our physical body, is decaying. Do you know what it means to get old? To get old is to decay. We all are in the process of decaying. The slavery of corruption in the old creation is controlling us, and we are subject to it. But when the Lord Jesus comes and we are raptured, we shall be saved from the slavery of corruption of the old creation. Therefore, the Lord’s coming and our rapture will save us from two things: destruction and the slavery of corruption. This is the salvation mentioned in verses 8 and 9. However, the primary meaning is the salvation from the coming destruction.
Now we must go on to find out what this coming destruction is. This destruction is related to the battle that is raging between God and Satan. Near to the time of the Lord’s coming, destruction will take place suddenly. That destruction will come primarily from God, but a portion of it will be caused by Satan. God will judge this rebellious world, and Satan will fight back. The result of the intense battle raging between God and Satan will be sudden destruction. It will be when people say, “Peace and security,” that this destruction will come suddenly.
We need to be saved from this sudden destruction. The way to be saved from it is to be watchful and sober. As God is fighting, we must take sides with Him and fight for His interests. Since He is fighting, we should be fighting also.
Actually, to fight is to be watchful. Only those who are fighting are truly watchful. The more we are fighting, the more watchful we shall be. As long as you are fighting, you need not try to be watchful, for you will be watchful automatically. Sometimes soldiers in an army go for days without sleep. The battle does not allow them time to sleep. This illustrates the fact that to fight is to be watchful. The Christian life, a holy life for the church life, is a life of fighting. We are on the battlefield, and we need to be alert, watchful, vigilant.
Soberness is related to watchfulness. To be sober is to be clear about the situation in which we are fighting. It is to have a proper understanding concerning where we are and where the enemy is. It is to see how the enemy is attacking and how we should fight back. If we are sober, we shall be clear about our direction.
To be sober is to be clear about everything related to the battle. It is to be clear about where the enemy is, what the enemy is doing, and how the enemy is attacking. It is also to be clear about how to protect ourselves and how to fight back. Those who are sober are fully clear about their situation.
Most of today’s Christians do not have such a soberness. As a result, they are drugged, they are in a stupor, and they do not have the proper sense of direction. This is the reason it is often difficult to have fellowship with them. If you fellowship with certain ones about a particular matter, they will argue with you. Should you try to fellowship about something else, they may condemn you or even slander you.
In verse 6 Paul says, “So then, let us not sleep as the rest, but let us watch and be sober.” The word watch here is versus sleep in the following verse, and sober is versus drunk. As we talk about the hope of the Lord’s coming, we need to consider ourselves and ask whether we are watchful or sleeping, whether we are sober or drunk. Certain slogans on bumper stickers concerning the Lord’s coming indicate that many Christians are drugged and in a stupor. With respect to the coming of the Lord, there is no watchfulness or soberness. We, therefore, need to be on the alert. Are we fighting for the Lord’s interests? Are we watchful? Are we sober and clear about our situation? We need to ask ourselves questions such as these.
We have emphasized the fact that Paul wrote the Epistle of 1 Thessalonians in an elementary way, talking about basic matters. He speaks concerning the Lord’s coming and our being caught up to Him. But instead of stopping there, he goes on in chapter five to speak of watchfulness and soberness.
If we are watchful and sober, we shall put on the armor. According to verse 8, we should put on the breastplate of faith and love and also a helmet, the hope of salvation. This breastplate protects our faith and love; the helmet guards our hope. Hence, by the armor, the basic structures of the Christian life — faith, love, and hope — are protected.
If we read 1 Thessalonians 5 carefully and compare it with Ephesians 6, we shall see that in 1 Thessalonians we have an elementary teaching concerning spiritual warfare. In Ephesians 6, however, the teaching about spiritual warfare is much more advanced. Therefore, we need to go on from 1 Thessalonians 5 to Ephesians 6.
We have pointed out strongly that to fight properly is to be watchful and also sober. This fighting safeguards our Christian life; it preserves and protects the basic structure of the Christian life.
Some who formerly were with us in the Lord’s recovery put off the armor and thereby were exposed to the enemy’s attack. Because they had no covering, no protection, and no safeguard, they were defeated by the enemy. Instead of being watchful and sober, they were sleeping and in a stupor.
We need to be watchful and sober. This means that we need to keep on fighting. We also need to safeguard the structure of our Christian life by wearing the armor. Then when the Lord Jesus comes, we shall be saved from the sudden destruction.
God will one day judge the world, and Satan will seek to destroy it. If we read the book of Revelation carefully, we shall see that during the last three and a half years, God will be angry with this evil, sinful, and rebellious world and judge it. Moreover, Satan will not want the world to exist any longer and will seek to destroy it. The result will be sudden destruction.
In verses 9 and 10 Paul says, “Because God did not appoint us to wrath, but to the gaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us that, whether we watch or sleep, we may live together with Him.” Since God did not appoint us to wrath, we should watch, be sober, and fight to cooperate with God that we may gain His salvation through the Lord Jesus. As we have pointed out, salvation in this verse is not eternal salvation; it is salvation from the coming destruction and also from the slavery of the corruption of the old creation. We are waiting for salvation from destruction and from the slavery of corruption. Then we shall enjoy the freedom of the glory of the sons of God.
In verse 10 Paul speaks of living together with the Lord. The Lord died for us not only that we may be saved from eternal perdition, but also that we may live together with Him, through His resurrection, a life that can save us from the coming destruction. We may live together with Him whether we watch or sleep, that is, whether we live or die. On the one hand, the Lord is away from us and we are awaiting His coming back; on the other hand, He is with us (Matt. 28:20), and we can live together with Him (Rom. 6:8).
