Deeper Reflection
GOD “HAS DESTINED” BELIEVERS “TO OBTAIN SALVATION through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.9). Note the idea of death and life in this “salvation”: “Jesus Christ who died for us” – “on our behalf and for our benefit”³³ – “so that we might live with Him” (v.10). Christ’s death and our life are “deliberately contrasted and inseparably connected”³⁴. Christ died that we may live. Our life is “due entirely to Christ’s death”³⁵. If Christ did not die, we cannot live. So, Christ must die in order that we may live – as in “when we were dead in our trespasses” God “made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:5).Christ died for us that “we might live with (sun) Him” (v.10). The preposition sun is “a marker of an associative relation, often involving joint participation in some activity”³⁶. “With (sun) Christ” is a grand hallmark in Paul’s theology and spirituality. He shows this in his favourite Christological sun– compound verbs used in his writing. Some examples: “I have been crucified-with (su-stauroō³⁷) Christ” (Gal 2:20); “we have been buried-with (sun-thaptō) Him through baptism” (Rom 6:4); “we have died with (sun) Christ…we shall also live-with (su-zaō³⁸) Christ” (Rom 6:8); “we suffer-with (sum-paschō) Him…we may also be glorified-with (sun-doxazō) Him” (Rom 8:17). This sun Christ theological reality is very deep in Paul’s discipleship.The “we might live with Him” (v.10) will happen in our final salvation at Christ’s Second Coming. It means that the fullness of Christ’s life will be ours.³⁹ Are we now living with Him, or by ourselves and for ourselves, apart from Him (cf. Jn 15:5)?

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³³ John R. W. Stott, Thessalonians, 113 ³⁴ John R. W. Stott, Thessalonians, 113 ³⁵ John R. W. Stott, Thessalonians, 113 ³⁶ Johannes P. Louw & Eugene A. Nida, 89.107 ³⁷ su-stauroō is sun + stauroō ³⁸ su-zaō is sun + zaō ³⁹ John R. W. Stott, Thessalonians, 114