1 Thessalonians 5:15

My Notes

What Does 1 Thessalonians 5:15 Mean?

1 Thessalonians 5:15 contains a prohibition and a pursuit — and together they cover the full range of moral response to others. "See that none render evil for evil unto any man" — horate mē tis kakon anti kakou tini apodō. Horate — see to it, watch, be vigilant. The command is communal: make sure nobody (mē tis — not anyone, not a single person) in the community repays evil with evil. Kakon anti kakou — evil in exchange for evil, bad for bad, harm returned for harm received. The prohibition is absolute: any man (tini) — not just believers. Anyone. The non-retaliation applies universally.

"But ever follow that which is good" — alla pantote to agathon diōkete. Alla — but instead, in contrast, as the alternative. Pantote — always, at all times, without exception. To agathon — the good, what is beneficial, what produces genuine flourishing. Diōkete — pursue, chase, hunt, run after. The same verb used for persecution (diōkō) is used for pursuing good. The intensity you'd expect from a persecutor should characterize your pursuit of good.

"Both among yourselves, and to all men" — kai eis allēlous kai eis pantas. Two directions: among yourselves (eis allēlous — toward one another, within the community) and toward all (eis pantas — toward everyone, including outsiders, enemies, strangers). The good-pursuit isn't limited to the family of faith. It extends to every person. The non-retaliation and the good-pursuit together create a complete ethical posture: absorb the evil, pursue the good, and do both toward everyone.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Where are you currently returning evil for evil — repaying harm with harm, even in subtle ways?
• 2.What would it look like to pursue good with the same intensity you'd normally pursue justice or revenge?
• 3.How does 'toward all men' — not just believers but everyone — stretch the boundaries of your goodness?
• 4.What evil have you received that you need to absorb without returning — and what good can you pursue instead?

Devotional

Don't return evil. Pursue good. Toward everyone. Always.

Paul gives two instructions that together form the complete Christian response to a hostile world. First: no retaliation. None. Not some carefully calibrated response that matches the offense. Not proportional justice administered by your own hand. Zero — mē tis, not anyone in the community should return evil for evil. The cycle of retribution stops with you. Whatever was done to you, you don't pass it forward.

Second: pursue good. Diōkete — the hunting verb, the persecution verb, the word for chasing something with relentless intensity. Paul takes the energy that would naturally fuel retaliation and redirects it: instead of chasing the person who wronged you, chase the good. Instead of hunting revenge, hunt what's beneficial. The same intensity, the same pursuit, the same relentless forward motion — aimed at producing flourishing instead of pain.

Always — pantote. Not when it's convenient. Not when the other person deserves it. Not when the offense was minor enough to overlook. Always. The good-pursuit doesn't take days off.

Toward everyone — eis pantas. Not just fellow believers. Everyone. The neighbor who wronged you. The coworker who undermined you. The stranger who cut you off. The system that treated you unfairly. The pursuit of good extends past every boundary the world would draw around it.

The combination is what makes this radical: absorb the hit (no evil for evil) and then chase the good (pursue what's beneficial) — toward the very person who delivered the hit. That's not natural. That's supernatural. And it's the posture Paul says should characterize every believer, at all times, toward all people.

Commentary

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Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture