A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1 Thessalonians 4:8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Paul clearly understood he was speaking for God.

It is one thing to encourage in the name of God, to provide comfort in Jesus name, to build up and establish the saints in God’s name. These are activities that all believers can and should take part in, for we are to strengthen each other.

But to speak as Paul speaks in this verse is telling me that Paul, without a doubt, is speaking directly as of from the Lord. He is telling his faithful that though he is speaking the words from his mouth, though his secretary is writing the words on the parchment, the message is to be taken as directly from the Lord.

Paul is not providing his opinion, or the consensus of those with him. His words are the message of God for the sinning brother. Pay attention!

Yet this emphasis of Paul identifying God as the author of the message is not a lone message in the Word. Paul is apostolic, having been granted the authority of the Risen Christ in his message to the world.

Thankfully we have much of his message recorded for our edification, and in this particular instance, for our warning! This message is dire.

To disregard is not the same as to ignore. I think he may have rightly assumed the sinning brother would hear of this letter, and would read it, either on his own or by proxy, through a teacher in the church. Whichever way this brother hears Paul’s message, Paul wanted to make it clear. If this matter isn’t cleared up, it is because the brother has disregarded the matter.

It isn’t as if the brother did not have the conviction, for any saint that has the Spirit must surely have the inner conviction of the Lord in this instance. Beyond that, the written message of Paul would only compound the knowledge this saint had. Internal and external knowledge of his sin.

No restoration and repentance by the sinning brother would equal disregarding the conviction of the Lord, both internally and externally. To “disregard”, according to the Greek dictionaries, is to cast off, despise, disannul, frustrate, bring to naught or to reject.

To reject.

Paul is not mincing words here. He is speaking of the need for holiness in the life of the saint, which includes the abstaining of sexual immorality. If the saint does not respond, Paul is speaking of the rejection of God for his life.

If I understand this passage, Paul is saying much more than I first assumed. Given the synonyms for “disregard”, could not we replace the word disregard with reject, and get a somewhat clearer message?

Whoever rejects this message, rejects not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

As a matter of fact, a number of translations do that very replacement.

NKJV – Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

NLT – Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

NIV – Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

CSB – Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

NASB20 – Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit  to you.

This passage speaks of Paul’s authority to pronounce the oracle of God, a message from God for a sinning brother. A message that indicates the consequence (rejecting God) of rejecting a message (from God)

This is the common refrain of the Word, that to reject the message is to reject the messenger.

Paul is God’s messenger!

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