1 Thessalonians 4:9 — Community Reflections

1 THESSALONIANS 4:9 — KING JAMES VERSION 1

“But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”

Now concerning love of the brothers: you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another — the Thessalonians are already instructed by God ('taught by God,' theodidaktoi); Paul's exhortation presupposes their internalized knowledge. The 'love of the brothers' (philadelphia) is the practical expression of faith.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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Tobias van der BergNote1mo ago

Love That's Already Been Taught

I'm a therapist specializing in attachment, and I'm struck by how Paul describes love as something taught by God, something people learn through grace rather than something they have to manufacture. P...