Bible Strands
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Thessalonian church at the close of his letter, placing this prayer directly after the command to abstain from evil and before the assurance that God will finish what He started.
The words — The verb ἁγιασαι (hagiasai) literally means "to sanctify" or "set apart," functioning here as a petition for God to make the readers completely holy. The pronoun αὐτὸς (autos) stresses that God Himself performs this work rather than human effort.
The thread — The promise of divine preservation and blameless presentation runs through Jude 1:24 and 1 Corinthians 1:8, where God sustains believers to the end. The comprehensive scope of sanctification across spirit, soul, and body parallels the penetrating analysis of Hebrews 4:12.
Why it lands — The text declares that God will sanctify the believer's entire being and keep it blameless until Christ's return. It requires the reader to depend on God's faithful action for completeness instead of relying on personal moral striving.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Cross-references
- Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—
- 1 Corinthians 1:8 He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- 1 Thessalonians 3:13 so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.
- 1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.
- Ephesians 5:26 to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
- Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 1:10 so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
- Philippians 2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world
- 1 Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.