God is Faithful

“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. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 

At the close of First Thessalonians, we’re left with a powerful reminder: God Himself is the one who sanctifies and preserves us. The Christian life is not upheld by our strength but by His faithfulness.

God sanctifies us wholly and, in Christ, our sanctification has two aspects. One is positional: we are already set apart for His purpose (1Co 1:2, 6:11). The other is practical: our daily walk being purified and transformed by His Word and Spirit (1Th 4:3-7, Rom 12:1-2, 2Ti 2:20-22). Here, in First Thessalonians, Paul emphasizes that ongoing, practical sanctification. God’s will is our holiness, and it is He who works in us to conform our lives to Christ by faith (Eph 5:26-27).

Paul prays that their “whole spirit and soul and body” would be preserved blameless until the coming of Christ. This covers every part of who we are. One day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, not to determine salvation, but to evaluate our works for reward (1Co 3:10-15, 2Co 5:10). God desires to shape us now so that our lives and labor bring Him glory and stand approved in that day (1Th 3:12-13).

Our confidence rests in God’s own character: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” The same God who called us by the gospel (2Th 2:13-14) secures our sanctification and preservation. What He begins, He is faithful to complete (Php 1:6). We can rely on His unfailing power to strengthen, establish, and confirm us until the end (1Co 1:8-9, 2Ti 1:12).

The Christian life is not about striving in our own strength but trusting in the God who is faithful. He sanctifies us, preserves us, and will finish the work He began. Our confidence is not in ourselves, but in His righteousness and His continual work in us by faith.