1 Thessalonians 5:24 (KJV)

What does 1 Thessalonians 5:24 mean?

1 Thessalonians 5:24 says that God can be trusted to complete what Paul has just asked him to do for the Thessalonians. God, who called them, is also the one who will act on their behalf.

The KJV’s phrase “will do it” points back to Paul’s prayer in verse 23: that God would make them completely holy, or set apart for him, and keep them blameless at the coming of Jesus Christ. Paul follows that prayer with a statement of confidence in God’s character.

The Greek behind 1 Thessalonians 5:24

• “Faithful” — πιστός (pistos): The word carries the sense of being trustworthy or dependable. Paul places it first in the sentence, giving emphasis to the dependability of the one he is describing.
• “calleth” — καλέω (kaleō): The word means to call or summon. The form used here describes God as the one who calls the Thessalonians, identifying him by his action toward them.
• “do” — ποιέω (poieō): The word has the broad sense of doing or carrying something out. The KJV supplies “it” to express the connection with the request Paul has just made.

Why 1 Thessalonians 5:24 matters

• The promise is tied to a particular request, not left as a general statement that anything asked for will happen. The words “will do it” follow Paul’s prayer about the Thessalonians’ being made holy and kept blameless.
• Paul connects God’s action with the future arrival named in the prayer. Verse 23 looks toward “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and verse 24 answers that request with confidence in God.