While Christians “must live without regard to the opinion of the world” because our standards are Christ’s and not the world’s, we still “must always have in mind the opinion of the world”[7] because our brotherly love “would deprive outsiders of anything to criticize.”[8]

As we walk through this Resurrection season emphasizing new life, G. K. Beale’s words serve us as a timely reminder: “Jesus taught the love command during His earthly ministry and then sent the Spirit to continue to teach it to His people and to empower them to fulfill it.”[1] In 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, Paul shows us something essential for the Christian life: those whom God teaches love one another. Indeed, the divine instruction and brotherly love are inseparable: being theodidaktoi inevitably produces philadelphia.

“Taught by God to Love One Another” (vv. 9-10a)

“Now concerning brotherly love
you have no need for anyone to write you,
for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another
indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia” (1 Thess. 4:9-10a).

After urging them to live a life pleasing to God, Paul continues to admonish the members of the Thessalonian church. He begins this section by recognizing their “brotherly love,” which is philadelphia in Greek—a compound noun of phileo (love) and adelphos (brother). Although some members of the church “were acting in a disorderly manner” (4:11-12; 5:14a) and “other believers were, frankly, difficult to help” (5:14b),[2]these believers still strived to cultivate brotherly and sisterly fellowship.[3] They have done so counterintuitively: by resisting the impulses of the flesh and walking in the Spirit.

Such counterintuitive and heartfelt philadelphia was the definitive character in the church of Thessalonica, not because they were holier than other churches, but because they cherished God’s teaching: to love one another. By using theodidaktoi—“taught by God” or “taught of God”; “divinely instructed,”[4] Paul emphasizes that loving one another is an inevitable mark of those who have been taught by God.[5] Being taught by God, these Christians were neither haughty nor wise in their own sight (Rom. 12:16); rather, they became truly wise by fearing the Lord and gained insight by cherishing the knowledge of the Holy One (Prov. 9:10).

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