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1 Thessalonians 4:10
DailyBibleStudy.Org
10 And [kai] indeed [gar] ye do [poieo] it [autos] toward [eis] all [pas] the brethren [adelphos] which [ho] are in [en] all [holos] Macedonia: [Makedonia] but [de] we beseech [parakaleo] you, [humas] brethren, [adelphos] that ye increase [perisseuo] more and more; [mallon] KJV-Interlinear
10 for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, NASB
‘That you practice it,’ means that the Thessalonians (all believers) practice good behavior, as they know that they should.
In the last verse, the practice of brotherly love, ‘philadelphia,’ or being socially responsible, comes from the daily instruction and learning of Bible doctrine, ‘agapao.’ ‘Agapao,’ means the content of the scriptures.
And while all people possess some fundamental level of good behavior instincts, there is but one way of enhancing those behavior traits in ones self. That is through the study of the Bible and advancing in ones spiritual life.
There is no other means of enhancing or stabilizing ones personality and behavior.
But being born into this world is not enough. Being saved by faith in Christ is not enough. Learning a little doctrine and thus stabilizing your life to some extent, is not enough.
Paul here states that you need to increase, in the way you conduct yourself in life. And not only increase, but continue to increase, more and more throughout your entire life.
There is no upper limit for learning and for being responsible.
The word for increase, ‘perisseuo,’ means to superabound. That does not mean to do just a little, or just enough to get by, but to go the extra mile, to go far above and beyond that which is generally expected of everyone.
In this respect, you not only have a great responsibility to God, but you have a great responsibility to everyone on the planet, as it were.
And even if you do not have the resources to do business, or charity, or interact socially with others, you still have the capacity to behave properly, with respect, with honesty, and with courtesy, thus eliminating all aspects of gossip, criticism, and such, toward others.
You gain nothing by holding contempt or disrespect toward others, even if they are indebted to you.
Remember that we are all indebted to God, for a debt that none of us will ever be able to repay. Therefore, anything owed us, is as nothing by comparison. Gods grace and blessing is worth far more than anything that we could collect from people, in this lifetime.
