94 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
See that none render evil for evil unto any man,.... Not an ill word for an ill word, railing for railing, nor an ill action for an ill action; no, not to any man whatever, not to an enemy, a persecutor, a profane person, as well as not to a brother, a believer in Christ; and this the saints should not only be careful of, and guard against in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Rejoice evermore. Not in a carnal, but in a spiritual way, with joy in the Holy Ghost; and which arises from a view of pardon by the blood of Christ, of justification by his righteousness, and atonement by his sacrifice; not in themselves, as the wicked man rejoices in his wickedness, and the hypocrite and formalist in his profession of religion,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Pray without ceasing. Not that saints should be always on their knees, or ever lifting up their hands, and vocally calling upon God; this is not required of them, and would clash with, and break in upon other parts of religious worship, and the duties of civil life, which are to be attended to, as well as this, and besides would be impracticable;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
In everything give thanks,.... That is, to God the Father, in the name of Christ; see Ephesians 5:20 thanks are to be given to him for all things, as the Ethiopic version renders it; for all temporal good things; for our beings, the preservation of them; for food and raiment, and all the mercies of life; for the means of grace, the word and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Quench not the spirit. By which is meant, not the person of the Spirit, but either the graces of the spirit, which may be compared to light, and fire, and heat, to which the allusion is in the text; such as faith, which is a light in the soul, a seeing of the Son, and an evidence of things not seen; and love, which gives a vehement flame, which...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Despise not prophesyings. Or "prophecies"; the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the first coming of Christ, concerning his person, office, and work, his obedience, sufferings, and death, his resurrection from the dead, ascension and session at God's right hand; for though all these are fulfilled, yet they have still their usefulness; for...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Prove all things,.... That are said by the prophets, all the doctrines which they deliver; hear them, though they have not the gift of tongues, and all desirable advantages; do not reject them on that account, and refuse to hear them, for so, many useful men may be laid aside, and the Spirit of God in them be quenched; try their gifts, and attend...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Abstain from all appearance of evil. Of doctrinal evil. Not only open error and heresy are to be avoided, but what has any show of it, or looks like it, or carries in it a suspicion of it, or may be an occasion thereof, or lead unto it; wherefore all new words and phrases of this kind should be shunned, and the form of sound words held fast; and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the very God of peace,.... Or "the God of peace himself". The apostle follows his exhortations with prayer to God, knowing the weakness and impotency of the saints to receive them, and act according to them, and his own insufficiency to impress their minds with them; and that unless the Lord opened their ears to discipline, and sealed...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Faithful is he that calleth you,.... Into the fellowship of his Son, and to his kingdom and glory, and who continues to do so, not only externally by his word, but internally by his Spirit and grace. Who also will do it. Two things the apostle mentions as the ground of confidence that the above petition, would be heard and answered; that is, that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Brethren, pray for us. Which is added with great beauty and propriety, after the apostle had so earnestly and affectionately prayed for them; and this is directed, not to the pastors of the church only, but to all the members of it, whom the apostle styles "brethren" in a spiritual relation, as he often does; and of whom he requests, that they...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. In opposition, to an unchaste and hypocritical one. His meaning is, that they would salute the members of the church in his name, and give his Christian love and affections to them. And his view is to recommend to them brotherly love to each other, and to stir them up to the mutual exercise of it more and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
I charge you by the Lord,.... Or "I adjure by the Lord"; by the Lord Jesus: it is in the form of an oath, and a very solemn one; and shows that oaths may be used on certain and solemn occasions: that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren; to all the members of the church, who are called "holy", because they were sanctified or set apart...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, Amen. This is the apostle's usual salutation in all his epistles, and the token of the genuineness of them, 2 Thessalonians 3:17. [See comments on Romans 16:20], [See comments on 1 Corinthians 15:23], [See comments on 2 Corinthians 13:14]. The subscription to this epistle is not genuine, which runs...