Fathers

1 Thessalonians 4

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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. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 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. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 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; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

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What the Fathers say

1 Thessalonians 4:9

Eastern Fathers

John Chrysostom

"But concerning love of the brethren we have no need to write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another; for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren, and those which are in all Macedonia." Why then having discoursed with them earnestly concerning chastity, and being about to discourse about the duty of working, and about the not sorrowing for the departed, does he introduce that which was the principal of all good things, love, as if he were passing it over, saying, "We have no need to write to you"? …

Homily on 1 Thessalonians 6 ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

The Apostle no longer speaks of love toward all, but of love toward the brethren. By the very omission he already exhorts, achieving two purposes: first, this matter is so necessary that there is no need even to learn it, for everyone knows that it holds particular importance for all. Second, by this he admonishes them all the more, urging them not to fall below the opinion he had of them, considering them already corrected. See how he praises them, saying that God Himself teaches them this virtue. …

Commentary on 1 Thessalonians ↗

Clement of Alexandria

Salvation, accordingly, is the following of Christ: "For that which is in Him is life." "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into condemnation, but hath passed from death to life." Thus believing alone, and regeneration, is perfection in life; for God is never weak. For as His will is work, and this is named the world; so also His counsel is the salvation of men, and this has been called the church. …

The Instructor Book 1 ↗

Western Saints

Augustine of Hippo

It is through grace that we not only discover what ought to be done but also that we do what we have discovered. That is, not only that we believe what ought to be loved but also that we love what we have believed. If this grace is to be called "teaching," let it at any rate be called "teaching" in such a manner that God may be believed to infuse it, along with an ineffable sweetness, more deeply and more internally. …

On the Grace of Christ 12.13-13.14

Thomas Aquinas

Then when Paul remarks: But concerning love of the brethren you have no need to have any one write to you, he discourages them from remaining idle. It should be realized, as Jerome says in the letter to the Galatians, that the Thessalonians were generous, and that it was the custom among the rich to give away a great deal; as a result the poor idly depended on their benefits without looking for work, but rather wasted time in their homes. …

Commentary on 1 Thessalonians ↗