Bible in One Year Day 354 (2 Peter 1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4-5, Proverbs 30:17-19)

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Day 354: Partaker of Divine Nature 

Agape Bible Study 2 Peter 1 - 3 

2 Peter 1:1-2 ~ Greeting

Question: In what three ways does the writer of the letter identify himself, and what is the significance of each way he identifies himself?
Answer: 

1. "Symeon Petros": the Greek transliteration of his Hebrew name and the title Jesus gave him translated in Greek.
2. "A slave": his status as a humble slave/servant of Jesus Christ.
3. "An Apostle of Jesus Christ": his title of authority as Christ's representative and one of the twelve spiritual fathers of the Church

2 Peter 1:3-11 ~ Exhortation to Christian Virtue

God's "divine power" (verse 3) is generated by baptism into Christ and the gift of life in the Holy Spirit, the "Spirit of Truth," as Jesus called Him (Jn 14:17; 15:26; 16:13-14), who revealed the complete significance of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection as well as the mystery of Eucharist and the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. He also revealed to Peter and the Apostles (the Magisterium of the New Covenant order) the hidden depths of the mystery of Jesus Christ and the gift of grace that is our salvation. In other words, God the Holy Spirit, through His teaching mission, continues to bear witness to the truth of Jesus Christ (Jn 8:31-32; 18:37; CCC# 687).

2 Peter 1:12-15 ~ Peter's Apostolic Witness

The word "tent" in the Bible can refer to a physical structure and also symbolically for something that is temporary/impermanent:

• The Patriarchs wandered in the land of Canaan, living in tents without land to call their own.
• The children of Israel wandered 40 years, living in tents before they settled permanently in the Promised Land.
• God had Moses set up a temporary "tent of meeting" among the children of Israel while the Sanctuary was being built.

But the image of a tent also spoke symbolically of what was passing and transitory with the promise of something coming that would be stable and permanent:

• Isaiah promised a restoration to the holy city of Jerusalem after the exile when he wrote, Your eyes will see Jerusalem as a home that is secure, a tent not to be moved, nor its tent pegs ever to be pulled out, nor one of its guy-ropes ever to be broken (Is 33:20 NJB).
• The inspired writer of the Book of Wisdom wrote of the body as a temporary dwelling like a tent: ... for a perishable body presses down the soul, and this tent of clay weighs down the mind with its many cares (Wis 9:14-15 NJB).
• St. Paul wrote of the earthly body as a temporary "tent" that will be replaced by what will last for eternity: For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven. For in this tent we groan, longing to be further clothed with our heavenly habitation...(2 Cor 5:1-2).
  
  It is in the sense of the temporal body that will pass away to be replaced by what is permanent that Peter refers to in this passage.

2 Peter 1:16-18 ~ Peter's Eyewitness Testimony of Jesus in His Glory

St. Peter begins this passage by assuring Christians that the Gospel message of salvation and the story of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection are not myths like those about the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses that the majority of the population of the Roman world worshipped. Christians can have confidence that the testimony that the Apostles give concerning Jesus Christ and His teachings and works is true because it is eyewitness testimony. 

2 Peter 1:19-21 ~ The Church is the Authority for the Interpretation of Scripture

Question: How do you identify the "we" in this statement?
Answer: The "we" refers to the Church founded by Jesus Christ and the ministers He commissioned to lead the Church.

In addition to witnessing the Transfiguration event and the other works of Jesus, Peter declares that he and the other Apostles possess the "prophetic message," meaning the authority directly given to them by Jesus to teach, to forgive sins, to guide, and to discipline His Church in the apostolic power to "bind and loose." This power was first given to Peter by Jesus in Matthew 16:16-19, then to all the Apostles in Matthew 18:18, and was repeated to them by Jesus after His Resurrection in John 20:22-23. The prophetic message is also equivalent to the Scriptures since the Old Testament spoke prophetically about the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom. St. Peter's message is that the teachings of Christ, like the Scriptures themselves, are completely trustworthy because the Scriptures are the word of God and Jesus is the Living Word. 

Chapter 2: The Condemnation of False Teachers and Prophets

2 Peter 2:1-3 ~ Beware False Prophets and Teachers

The subject of false teachers in St. Jude's letter echoes this part of Peter's letter in 2:1-3:3, although there are also differences.

Question: How does St. Peter compare the teaching of the word of God in the covenants of the Old Testament compared to their experience in the New Covenant in Christ Jesus?
Answer: There were false prophets then and there are false prophets now.

Moses warned against false teachers in Deuteronomy 13:1-19. Then as now, false teachers either teach their heresies out of ignorance and the refusal to be obedient to the teachings of Mother Church, or they teach heresy for financial benefit and public acclaim. In either event, their false teachings will condemn them on the day of divine judgment because they will have led people astray and put their eternal salvation at risk.

Question: How does St. Jude describe these false teachers in verse 4 of his letter?
Answer: They will deny all religion and pervert the grace of God by completely rejecting the saving work of Christ. Like Peter he says these perverters of the truth have already been marked down for destruction.

2 Peter 2:4-10a ~ Lessons from the Past

Angels are spiritual beings who have been present since the beginning of Creation. They were tested when Satan, a powerful angel, launched a rebellion against God. He was defeated by Michael the Archangel and his faithful angels. Satan and the other fallen angels (sometimes referred to "stars' in Scripture) were cast out of Heaven. They were flung down to earth and were consigned to the Hell of damnation that was created to hold them: (Rev 12:7-9). The angels who remained faithful were given a role in God's divine plan for mankind's salvation.

Question: Give some examples of what roles have angels played in advancing God's divine plan for mankind?
Answer:  A few examples:

1. They were charged with guarding the entrance to Eden after the Fall of Adam (Gen 3:24)
2. They rescued Lot and his family from Sodom (Gen 19:1, 10-16).
3. An angel stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son and confirmed God's continuing covenant with Abraham (Gen 22:11-12, 15-18).
4. The angel of the Lord led the children of Israel in the wilderness wandering (Ex 32:34).
5. The angel who was the captain of the host of the Lord comforted and encouraged Joshua the night before the Battle of Jericho (Josh 5:13-15).
6. The angel of the Lord confronted David on Mt. Moriah (2 Sam 24:16-17; 1 Chr 21:15b-18).
7. The angel Gabriel told Daniel of future events in salvation history, prophesied the birth of John the Baptist to his father, greeted the Virgin Mary at the Incarnation of the Christ (Dan 8:16; 9:21; Lk 1:19, 26-33).

Question: How does Peter compare the false teachers to the fallen angels and others? See Jude 6; Gen 6:1-4; 19:25.
Answer: God will punish the wicked and He will rescue the righteous. Like the fallen angels, the people of Noah's time and the citizens of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, all false teachers and prophets will be condemned to divine judgment.

2 Peter 2:10b-16 ~ False Teachers Denounced and Punishment to Come

Such false teachers, in their ignorance, are so bold as to revile even God's angelic host. Peter makes a contrast between the false teachers acting with the ignorance of "irrational animals" and the donkey that spoke with the power of God to warn the prophet Balaam.

2 Peter 2:17-22 ~ The denouncement of Apostate Christians

Question: How are false teachers and prophets like "waterless springs and mists driven by a gale"?

Answer: They are fruitless and empty, offering nothing of value.

St. Augustine wrote: "Peter calls these people dry springs: springs, because they have received knowledge of the Lord Christ, but dry, because they do not live in accordance

 with that knowledge" (On Faith and Works, 25, ACCS, 151).

19 They promise them freedom, though they themselves are slaves of corruption, for a person is a slave of whatever overcomes him.  

2 Peter 3:1-10 ~ The Denial of the Day of the Lord

In the last part of his letter, St. Peter refers to the hearers of his letter as "beloved" four times (3:1, 8, 14, and 17). St. John the Apostle and St. Jude also refer to the Christian community as "beloved" in their letters. Peter's teaching in this section is similar to various New Testament passages on the same theme (compare 2 Pt 3:3 with Mk 13:22; Acts 20:30; 1 Tim 4:1-3).

Peter identifies this letter as his second; therefore, the letter appears to suggest he is again writing to the faith communities in the five Roman provinces addressed in 1 Peter 1:1-2. He wants to stir them to remember the teachings of the Old Testament prophets who prophesied the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of His Kingdom, and "the commandment of the Lord and Savior" (meaning the whole of divine revelation given by Jesus to His apostles and passed on to them). He is probably using the word "apostle" in the broader sense and not limiting it to the Twelve but to all the ordained ministers who teach the Gospel of salvation, including St. Paul and others (Rom 1:1; 11:13; 1 Cor 4:9; Jude 17).

Second Letter of Peter 2:1-3:3, 18	The Letter of Jude
2:1 There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you who will introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them ...	Verse 4: For there have been some intruders, who long ago were designated for this condemnation, godless persons, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
2:4 For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but condemned them to the chains of Tartarus and handed them over to be kept for judgment...	Verse 6: The angels too, who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains, in gloom, for the judgment of the great day.
2:6 ... and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes...	Verse 7: Like Sodom and Gomorrah, and the surrounding towns, which in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual promiscuity and practiced unnatural vice, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
2:10 ... and especially those who follow the flesh with its depraved desire and show contempt for lordship.	Verse 8: Similarly, these dreamers nevertheless also defile the flesh, scorn lordship, and revile glorious beings.
2:11-12a ... whereas angels, despite their superior strength and power, do not bring a reviling judgment against them from the Lord. But these people, like irrational animals born by nature for capture and destruction, revile things that they do not understand...	Verses 9-10: Yet the archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses, did not venture to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him but said, "May the Lord rebuke you!" But these people revile what they do not understand and are destroyed by what they know by nature like irrational animals.
2:14, 17 Their eyes are full of adultery and insatiable for sin ...These people are waterless springs and mists driven by a gale...	Verse 12: These are blemishes on your love feasts, as they carouse fearlessly and look after themselves. They are waterless clouds blown about by winds, fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead and uprooted.
2:15 Abandoning the straight road, they have gone astray, following the road of Balaam ...	Verse 11: Woe to them! They follow the way of Cain, abandoned themselves to Balaam's error for the sake of gain, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
2:17b ... for them the gloom of darkness has been reserved.	Verses 13:  They are like wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameless deeds, wandering stars for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever.
2:18 For, talking empty bombast, they seduce with licentious desires of the flesh those who have barely escaped from people who live in error.	Verse 16: These people are complainers, disgruntled ones who live by their desires; their mouths utter bombast as they fawn over people to gain advantage.
3:1-2 This is now, beloved....to recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your Apostles.	Verse 17: But you, beloved, remember the words spoken beforehand by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ ...
3:3 Know this first of all, that in the last days scoffers will come to scoff, living according to their own desires...	Verses 18b-19: ...for they told you, "In the last time there will be scoffers who will love according to their own godless desires." These are the ones who cause divisions; they lie on the natural plane, devoid of the Spirit.
3:18 But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. Amen.	Verse 25: ...to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.
Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2015

2 Peter 3:7 and 10 is among the most explicit descriptions of the Last/Final Judgment in New Testament Scripture. Peter prophesies that the world and the visible cosmos will melt down in flames. The goal of God on this day of "the Wrath of God" is not annihilation but re-Creation in a new heaven and a new earth (see 3:13). God's divine judgment in destruction by fire was not a new concept. The sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain by the Dead Sea were judged and destroyed by fire (Gen 19:23-25). Fiery destruction imagery is also used by the prophets to describe God's judgment on Edom ( Is 34:1-5), the judgment and overthrow of wicked kingdoms (Hag 2:21-22), and the promised judgment and devastation of Judah and Jerusalem in the Babylonian conquest (Jer 4:23-28), and by Jesus in His description of the fate of the wicked in the Last Judgment: 

• Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect of out his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth (Mt 13:40-42).
• Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth (Mt 13:49-50).

2 Peter 3:11-17 ~ Exhortation to Preparedness and Final Doxology

In the meantime, Peter writes that Christians must be patient and cling to the promises of Christ concerning His return and maintaining a state of righteousness so as to be prepared for His Parousia (the "Presence" of His Coming): 14 Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.

.
Question: What is the danger of such distorted teachings? Can you name any examples of such false doctrines?
Answer: Such false teachings might even cost someone their eternal salvation and include the denial of the humanity and divinity of Christ, or denial of the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity, or denial of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. False teachings also include the doctrine of "divine security"/ "once saved always saved," or the doctrines of "faith alone" and divine authority through "Scripture alone," or the doctrine of "universal salvation" (the belief that there is no Hell and no one is condemned by God no matter what the sin). All these false doctrines are refuted by Jesus and His apostles in Sacred Scripture and by the authority of the teachings of the Church.

Peter makes one final appeal to remain on guard, not to be led into error, and not to stumble in faith. Then in his final exhortation he urges Christians once again, as in the beginning of his letter, to grow in both grace and in true knowledge of our "Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," closing with a doxology that is similar to his First Letter.

St. Peter's Martyrdom

Sts. Peter and Paul were among many Christians arrested in the first great wave of Roman persecution in the mid to late 60's AD. Writing about Sts. Peter and Paul's martyrdom, Bishop Eusebius' 4^th century Church History cites from an earlier work by Bishop Dionysius of Corinth (d. 171) and records: "That they both suffered martyrdom at the same time is stated by Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, in his epistle to the Romans, in the following words: You have thus by such an admonition bound together the planting of Peter and of Paul at Rome and Corinth. For both of them planted and likewise taught us in our Corinth.'" Eusebius also quotes from a work by Origen, the head of the catechetical school in Alexandria, Egypt: "And at last, having come to Rome, he was crucified head-downwards; for he had requested that he might suffer in this way... These facts are related by Origen in the third volume of his Commentary on Genesis" (Eusebius, Book III, chapter 1:1).

Eusebius also records testimony of Peter written by Peter's friend and associate St. Clement of Rome who became the third Pope after Peter: "They say, accordingly, that when the blessed Peter saw his own wife led out to die, he rejoiced because of her summons and her return home, and called to her very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, and saying, Oh thou, remember the Lord.' Such was the marriage of the blessed, and their perfect disposition toward those dearest to them." (Eusebius quoting from St. Clement of Rome, Book III, chapter 20.2). 

St. Peter was martyred on Vatican Hill near where Julius Caesar had erected an obelisk brought back as a trophy from Egypt. Peter was crucified as Jesus had predicted in John 21:18-19 and he was hung up-side down as he requested. His body was collected by Christians and buried. Later, under the rule of Constantine the Great (272-337), the first Christian Roman Emperor (306-337), St. Peter's Basilica was built on Vatican Hill where Peter was martyred, and his bones were wrapped in purple cloth and reburied in a crypt under the high altar. Just prior to WWII, an archaeological excavation rediscovered Peter's burial place and a wall marking his grave painted with red paint and an inscription that identified the tomb: "Peter is here." After the war when his bones were relocated and examined, it was discovered the bones belonged to a robust man between 60-70 years old. However, the bones of the feet were missing. Then it was remembered that according to Church history Peter was crucified upside down and it was suggested that in removing Peter's body from the cross that the Roman soldiers simply hacked his feet from his body for easier removal. St. Peter's bones were reburied in the crypt immediately beneath the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica. 

Agape Bible Study 1 Thessalonians 4 - 5 

Chapter 4:1-5:22 ~ Specific Exhortations

Paul's exhortations to the community include:

1. Preserving individual holiness by refraining from sexual immorality (4:3-8).
2. Abiding in love for God and love for one another in the Christian family (4:9-12).
3. Assurance of hope for the resurrection of the dead (4:13-18).
4. The call for continued vigilance in preparation for the Parousia of the Christ (5:1-11).
5. How they must conduct themselves while waiting for the return of the Christ (5:12-22).

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 ~ Introduction to Paul's Exhortations

Verses 1-2 introduce the second half of Paul's letter and provide the perspective from which Paul's exhortations for the future spiritual growth of the community are to be understood. He addresses the community as adelphoi, a Greek word meaning "brothers from the womb" and the only word for "brothers" that appears in the New Testament. It reflects the Hebrew use of the word "brothers" that referred to any kinship relationship to include countrymen (e.g., Acts 2:29, 37). In the plural, it can refer to both brothers and sisters in a family, which in this case is the family of God that is the Church.

Paul gave instructions that they were to conduct themselves in a matter of life that is worthy of the Lord Jesus and therefore pleasing to the God. The concept of pleasing God as the goal of human conduct derives from Old Testament interaction between God and humans (e.g., Gen 5:22, 24; 6:9; 17:1; Lev 10:20; Num 25:27; Ps 56:13/55:13 in some translations; 69:31/68:31; 116:9/114:9). For a Christian community surrounded by pagan practices, it was necessary for Paul to stress the connection between religion and morality. Their moral progress pleases Paul, but he wants them to work hard to continue pleasing God (4:1; 5:11).

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 ~ Holiness in Sexual Conduct

Verses 3-8 form a unit focusing on the necessity of sexual morality. Paul preaches the will of God for the sanctification of the body through chastity. One cannot live in sexual immorality and at the same time please God. Sexual purity is the necessary step on the path to the complete sanctification of the person. 

4 that each of you know how to acquire a wife for himself [how to possess his vessel] in holiness and honor...
Ancient and modern scholars are not in agreement over Paul's precise meaning in using the word "vessel." 

1. The word could refer to one's body as Paul used the word in his letter to the Corinthians: But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us (2 Cor 4:7).
2. Or the word could refer to one's wife as St. Peter wrote: Likewise, you husbands should love with your wives in understanding, showing honor to the weaker female [weaker vessel], since we are joint heirs of the gift of life... (1 Pt 3:7).

If Paul is using the first meaning, he is referring to chastity and self-control in contrast to the sexual immorality (lust) of the pagans (St. John Chrysostom and Tertullian). If his reference is to the second meaning, he is advocating an honorable marriage. Marriage is the right step toward purity in sexual morality that is not an outlet for lust but a pure and holy partnership in life with the Lord (St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas). Either way, Paul is advocating for the Thessalonian Christians to master human sexuality and direct them in a holy direction as God intended when He gave humans the gift of fertility in holy matrimony (Gen 1:28; 2:24-25).

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 ~ Mutual Charity 

Leaving the discussion of sexual morality within the Church, Paul turns to a new topic in verses 9-12. What he expressed in his prayer in 3:12 that the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, he now treats as a moral obligation. His teaching begins with the subject of charity/love. 

The Thessalonian Christians have already been taught by God to love one another through the infusing of divine grace by the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Baptism. This fraternal love for brothers and sisters in the covenant family of the Church is the mark of a true and holy disciple of Jesus Christ (Jn 15:12; 1 Jn 2:9-10; 3:11, 18; 4:8, 16).

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ~ Paul's Assurance of Hope for the Christian Dead 

It appears some of the Thessalonian Christians expressed concern for their departed loved ones in the community. Paul answers their concerns by assuring them that they have no need to grieve because, unlike unbelievers who have no hope of salvation, one day they will see their Christian loved ones again. 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 ~ Paul's Call for Continued Vigilance

The expression "times and seasons" also appears in Daniel 2:21 and Acts 1:7. At the Ascension, the disciples asked Jesus when He was going to restore the Kingdom of Israel, and Jesus told them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority" (Acts 1:7). In the Book of Daniel, the prophet blessed God saying, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power are his. He causes the changes of the times and seasons, makes kings and unmakes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who understand (Dan 2:20-21).

The "day of the Lord" is the appointed time in salvation history when the Christ will return as Savior (Heb 9:28) and Divine Judge (Mt 25:31-46). The inspired writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (probably St. Paul) wrote concerning Jesus' return as humanity's Savior-King: Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him (Heb 9:27-28 and a reference to Is 53:12). The Greek verb anaphero in this passage means both "to take away" and "to bear." Therefore, the verb conveys the meaning that Jesus took away sin by bearing it Himself. The phrase Those who eagerly await him refers to the faithful who believe in Jesus second coming.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 ~ How the Members of the Church Must Conduct Themselves

Question: What practical list does Paul provide to retain good conduct within the community?
Answer:

1. Respect and love your pastors, and show appreciation for their labors.
2. Promote peace within the community.
3. In brotherly love, admonish the idle.
4. Encourage the timid and fainthearted.
5. Give aid to the weak (spiritually and materially).
6. Be patient and forbearing with all; avoid being quick to judge.
7. Do not tolerate evil/sinful practices within the community.
8. Always seek to do good for those within and outside the community.
9. Always be joyful in the Lord.
10. Pray without ceasing.
11. In all circumstances, give thanks to God, seeking His will.
12. Do not quench the work of the Holy Spirit in the community or in their lives.
13. Do not reject prophetic teaching.
14. Test everything: retaining what is good and true and rejecting what is evil.

16 Rejoice always. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
These verses give the three-part plan which shows Christians how to live within the will of God for their lives: joy (verse 16), prayer (verse 17), and thanksgiving (verse 18). Paul encourages the Thessalonian Christians and us to give thanks to God for the good and the bad that happen to us because God can use everything to advance the cause of our eternal salvation. When things go badly in your life, remember what St. Paul wrote: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28). Also, recall St. Josemaria Escriva's advice: "If things go well, let us rejoice, blessing God who makes them prosper. And if they go badly? Let us rejoice, blessing God who allows us to share in the sweetness of his Cross" (The Way, 658).

19 Do not quench the Spirit.
Question: How does one quench the work of the Holy Spirit? See 1 Cor 12:4-11.
Answer: Sinful and selfish habits can quench the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
We also quench the Spirit's work when we reject the exercise of His gifts. His gifts are in the sacraments, acts of charity, and the teaching revelation of Sacred Scripture. When someone is moved by the Spirit to do something of benefit for the Church or an individual, and someone else impedes that person's generosity or his call to do good works, the one who resists the good works also quenches the Spirit.

21 Test everything; retain what is good. 22 Refrain from every kind of evil. 
Paul warns that it is necessary to test prophetic teaching and alleged revelations to make sure what the Christian hears or reads agrees with the teachings of Jesus' Gospel of salvation (Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 14:29, CCC 697, 799-801). Jesus gave His Church the power and authority to judge correct teaching. St. Peter wrote in his second letter to the universal Church: Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will, but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God (2 Pt 1:20-21). St. Peter was affirming the gift of Holy Spirit inspired Scripture. Along with 2 Timothy 3:16, Peter's statement supports the God-breathed origin of Sacred Scripture. He was also warning against the false teachers and false prophets with clever agendas who try to manipulate the words of Holy Spirit inspired Scripture or the Church's teachings. The hierarchy of the Magisterium of Christ's Church has the ultimate authority in the interpretation of Scripture, not individuals. To teach falsely or to allow oneself to be led astray by false teaching is an evil.

Paul's Prayer and Final Greeting/Conclusion (5:23-28)

1 Thessalonians 5:23-25 ~ Concluding Prayer 

Paul prays for the perfection of the community in Christ Jesus. In writing ...spirit, soul, and body, Paul is emphasizing the whole person destined for holiness as a work of Christ ready for His glorious return.

24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it. 25 Brothers, pray for us too. 
We can believe Jesus will return as He said because He is faithful to His word. Paul concludes his prayer for them by asking that they pray for Silvanus, Timothy, and him.

1 Thessalonians 5:26-28 ~ Final Greeting

Paul puts the Thessalonian Christians under oath to share his instructions with every member of the Church. They will undoubtedly read Paul's letter publically in the Eucharistic Liturgy as Paul will instruct St. Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13, Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching. As it was for Christians in the first-century Church, it is for us today when we continue to read from Paul's letters in the Liturgy of the Word.