Summary
Wiggle Room
Human beings are experts at finding wiggle room. When a demand sounds absolute, we instinctively look for the exception, the qualifier, the small space where we can rest from the weight of "always." A parent whose child is angry today does not actually conclude that every prior act of love was wasted. An Olympic athlete who trains with total dedication still sleeps and occasionally enjoys a Snickers bar. In ordinary life, "all or nothing" almost always turns out to have a little give in it.
But in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit closes off that escape: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Always. Without ceasing. In all circumstances. There is no qualifier, no footnote, no exemption clause for the day your loved one is sick, your schedule is full, or your relationships are strained. The directive is total—and we are tempted to answer, "Yes, Lord, but…"
The deeper problem is that the holiness of God Himself permits no wiggle room. Romans 3:10-12 declares that no one is righteous, no one understands, no one seeks God; all have turned aside. Romans 3:23 drives it home: "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." No case can be built before the throne of God by saying we are very, very sorry, or by tallying up the good against the bad. Before a holy God, sinners can offer nothing. He is the all-or-nothing Almighty, and left to ourselves we bring Him only the "nothing."
This is why the gospel is the place where rejoicing actually begins. Hebrews 9:26 proclaims that Christ "has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself," and Hebrews 10:12 adds that "when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God." The same God who allows no wiggle room in His law leaves no wiggle room in His redemption either. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, entered our humanity, lived perfectly under the law in our place, and bore the entire cost of all sin for all time on the cross. Where we could give nothing, He gave all of Himself.
So the will of God for your life is not a riddle, and it is not a burden you must somehow squeeze out of yourself. The will of God in Christ Jesus is that your sins are forgiven, that you are claimed as His own in the waters of Baptism, and that the redemption He has won for you is full and complete. The hymn captures it: "My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more." When the whole of our sin is gone, a whole-hearted thanksgiving becomes possible.
That is why "rejoice always" is not cruel and "give thanks in all circumstances" is not naïve. Rejoice even in illness, because in Christ you are already healed, whether on this side of heaven or the next. Pray without ceasing, because the Father has opened His ear to you at every moment and in every place. Give thanks in all circumstances, because circumstances on this side of heaven are passing, and the circumstance that defines you eternally—being called His own in Christ Jesus—is already perfect and secure. See Wiggle Room 11-24-24 for the full treatment.
Video citations
- "Wiggle Room" 11-24-24 — If you would please open your Bibles to first the Salonians the 5th chapter. If you're using a Pue edition of the Bible, this can be found on page 181 of the New Testament. 181. First, the Salonians…