“…for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus“
for you know what commandments we gave you
The word “commandments” means order, instruction, command, precept, and advice. The idea is that “commandments” are the prescriptions of the Lord Jesus. “Commandments” carry a military connotation. Paul issued orders from his superior, General Jesus, the one ultimately in authority.
Paul taught the Thessalonians divine revelation orally before the close of the New Testament. First Thessalonians was one of Paul’s first epistles. He wrote this letter about a year after he left Thessalonica.
through the Lord Jesus
The commandments Paul’s team taught the Thessalonians came directly from the Lord Jesus. Paul does not preach on his own authority but from the authority of Christ. He does not conjure up his own ideas about life or draw on current philosophies of the day; he speaks from the authority of Christ. His prescriptions were not some arbitrary orders of his own. On the contrary, General Jesus issued these orders directly from headquarters. Paul passed these orders to Christian soldiers on the firing line fighting the battle of purity in a corrupt world.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
”You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14).
The “commandments” that Paul taught did not come from Moses. He taught something that transcended Moses — the grace of God as a mode of life.
“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17).
Principle:
Jesus gave us the principles of grace to face any challenge we might encounter.
Application:
Some Christians want to learn some new thing, yet they do not live up to the knowledge they already have. We have precepts or prescriptions directly from our Lord in the Bible. Why do we need anything else?
