Happy Friday, {{first_name | everyone}}!
We pray this week has:
Taught you something new, and
Reminded you of something you needed to hear
If you just joined us (or missed any of this week’s previous emails), you can read them here.
You are a steward of every moment, of every talent, of every gift, of every resource that God has given you. Choose wisely what you do today!
- Paul Washer
In today’s email…
🎓 A recap of our week in 1 Thessalonians 5:9
👷 How to put what we’ve learned into practice
📚 In case you missed it…
MEMORIZE 🧠
___ ___ ___ ___ ________ __ ___ _____,
___ __ ______ _________ _______ ___ ____ ______ ______.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
CONTEXT 📕
This week, we’ve explored 1 Thessalonians 5:9:
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
On Monday, we set the historical and pastoral backdrop of the letter. Paul is writing early, urgently, and tenderly to a young church under pressure.
Thessalonian believers had turned from idols, confessed Jesus as Lord, and then paid a cost for it. Questions about suffering, judgment, and the future weighed heavily on them, and Paul’s goal was not to scold or speculate, but to steady them. Their future was not wrath. It was salvation!
On Tuesday, we followed the movement of the surrounding passage.
Chapter 5 is Paul’s final stretch, where he gathers his core themes and brings them home. He invokes the “Day of the Lord,” drawing from Israel’s Scriptures where that day meant both judgment and deliverance.
Paul reframes that language around Jesus and contrasts two ways of living: darkness vs. light, and fear vs. hope.
Right before our memory verse, Paul uses military imagery his hearers and readers understood: faith, love, and hope as armor.
Like a soldier puts on armor before going into danger, we can “put on” faith, love and hope to protect our hearts and minds from fear.
On Wednesday, we slowed down and examined Paul’s word choice more closely.
Wrath (orgē) is not emotional volatility but God’s just, purposeful response to evil. It is restorative justice that removes what destroys.
Salvation (sōtēria) carries the sense of being brought safely through danger. It includes forgiveness, but it does not stop there. It points toward a future of complete healing and restoration.
And we looked at why Paul says that believers are destined “to obtain” salvation. That word emphasizes possession and belonging because the Thessalonians belong to salvation. Paul wanted them to realize it, claim it, and live from it!
And on Thursday, we traced the verse directly to Jesus and the gospel.
God is holy and just. Our sin against others and against God deserves judgment (wrath).
Because of our sin, we stand condemned before God. Death and eternal separation from God were our future.
But God did not leave us there. Instead, God sent His Son, Jesus, who lived the sinless life we failed to live, and then willingly went to the cross.
And on the cross, something extraordinary happened:
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Jesus stood in our place. The judgment you and I deserved for our sin fell on Him. The wrath meant for us was poured out on Christ instead.
This is good news. In fact, this is the greatest news ever.
And this is the source of our hope.
God’s purpose for you is not wrath, but salvation.
That truth is meant to steady fearful hearts, shape faithful lives, and give us a hope that guards us all the way to the resurrection.
APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃♂
If your future is settled in Christ, exhale.
You don’t need to protect yourself — you are free to point others to the same salvation. Confidence in salvation should make us courageous.
Identify one friend or family member in your life who hasn’t put their faith in Jesus.
Ask them some direct but gentle questions, like:
“Hey Craig, you know I’m a Christian and that my faith is important to me, right? Have I ever shared why with you? Do you mind if I share?”
Then briefly share your story along with the pattern of the gospel. You can use these key points for reference (examples below):
God is holy and just; sin deserves judgment (wrath). “I came to see that my problem wasn’t just mistakes — I was sinning against a holy God.” (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23)
All people stand guilty before God. “I realized I couldn’t excuse myself or compare my way out of guilt before God.” (Romans 3:19–20)
God sent His sinless Son, Jesus Christ. “When I realized who Jesus really is and the significance of him living without sin, it changed everything.” (John 1:14, Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus bore God’s wrath on the cross in our place. “The cross became personal when I understood Jesus took the judgment I deserved.” (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:5)
God raised Jesus from the dead. “The resurrection showed me that sin and death were truly defeated, not just covered over.” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)
Salvation is received by repentance and faith in Christ alone. “Instead of trusting myself, I turned to Christ, and God gave me forgiveness, peace, and a secure future.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, 1 Thessalonians 5:9)
Leave space for them to ask questions. Then, lovingly invite them to consider Christ, trusting God to use His gospel to save.
Let’s make heaven crowded.
Pray 🙏
Father, thank you for securing my future through your Son’s death and resurrection. Thank you for the reminder that I could never earn your love, but that you offer it freely. Help me live with confidence, not fear. Open my eyes to someone who needs encouragement this week, and give me the courage to share the gospel. Let my daily life reflect the assurance you have given me. Amen.
RESOURCES 📚
Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into the verse and its themes:
📚 The Reason For God by Timothy Keller (link)
📚 The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians (New International Commentary on the New Testament) by Gordon Fee (link)
📚 Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine by Max Lucado (link)
📚 On the Incarnation by Athanasius (link)
📹 1 Thessalonians by Bible Project (link)
🎵 NOTHING ELSE by Forrest Frank (Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music | Malachi Daily Playlist)
Our goal is to keep the Malachi Daily newsletter completely free in 2026.
Part of what will make that possible is having subscribers who support our work. For the cost of a few coffees per month, you can help us strengthen over 400 other believers in their faith this year!
p.s. If you’d like to give a custom amount to support our work, you can do that here.
ANSWER KEY ✅
For God has not destined us for wrath,
but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
Have a blessed weekend!
Best,
The Malachi Daily team 🙏
Today’s Contributors
Jake holds two degrees in Biblical Studies and has a passion for making Scripture accessible. Along with being a podcast manager for faith-based shows, he helps Christians focus on Jesus through his own podcast Christianity Without Compromise.
Kieran is a husband and father living in NJ. In addition to Malachi Daily, he writes a personal newsletter about the intersection of faith, fatherhood and entrepreneurship.
Go deeper with Malachi Daily
Pay it Forward
Malachi Daily is (and always will be) free thanks to generous readers who choose to support our mission! 🙏
Click here to support the mission for the price of a few coffees/month ☕️
Give us feedback 💬
How was today's newsletter?
Spread the Word
