Impossible Verses? – I Thessalonians 5:17

August 10th, 2009 by

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – pray without ceasing

Surely Paul doesn’t mean “pray and don’t ever stop” does he? How could this be? What is Paul saying here? Is this an impossible verse?

6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Impossible Verses? – I Thessalonians 5:17”

  1. on 10 Aug 2009 at 5:43 pm1 Dustin

    The Greek is ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, and the adverb which is used elsewhere by Paul is translated as so:

    For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, (Rom 1:9 NAU)

    We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; (1Th 1:2 NAU)

    For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. (1Th 2:13 NAU)

    In conclusion, it is always used in reference to prayer and has a meaning of constant action, not unending action.

    Good post Vic.

    Dustin

  2. on 10 Aug 2009 at 9:45 pm2 Sean

    what about “never stop praying”?

    though the monks took it literally

  3. on 11 Aug 2009 at 1:55 am3 Wolfgang

    Sean,

    you seem to say what Victor questioned …
    Also, what do you mean with “the monks took it literally”? Are you not meaning it “literally”? If so, which figure of speech do you see is used by Paul here in order to emphasize which truth?

    Cheers,
    Wolfgang

  4. on 11 Aug 2009 at 9:26 am4 Tim

    I take it the same as in 1 John when it talks about “not sinning.” It is a way of life. Practically, when we are driving our cars or waiting in line at a grocery store, instead of thinking about what we should be doing, or what is next on our to-do list, we should pray.

  5. on 11 Aug 2009 at 1:12 pm5 Sean

    Wolfgang,

    If I say never quit working, does that imply don’t eat lunch or sleep? I think Paul is simply saying, never stop praying. He is not saying pray every second of the day. Does this make sense?

  6. on 11 Aug 2009 at 1:20 pm6 Wolfgang

    Sean,

    that does make sense …

    Cheers,
    Wolfgang

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