For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 THESSALONIANS 5:9KJV
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1 Thessalonians 5:9 (KJV)

What does 1 Thessalonians 5:9 mean?

1 Thessalonians 5:9 says that God has not chosen or destined believers to experience His anger or judgment, but instead to receive rescue and deliverance through Jesus Christ. The verse draws a clear line between wrath and salvation, showing that God’s intention for those who trust in Jesus is not punishment, but being saved.

Paul is writing to the church in Thessalonica, reassuring them about their future with God. The believers were concerned about end times and what would happen to them. Here, Paul comforts them by emphasizing that their relationship with Jesus means they are not meant for wrath, but for salvation—God’s rescue from judgment.

The Greek behind 1 Thessalonians 5:9

  • ὀργή (orgē, G3709): This word is often translated as “wrath” and refers to God’s settled, righteous anger against wrongdoing. Paul’s use of it here highlights that believers are not destined for this kind of judgment.
  • περιποίησις (peripoiēsis, G4047): Translated as “obtain,” this word carries the sense of gaining or receiving something as a possession. It stresses that salvation is something believers are meant to receive fully, not just hope for.
  • σωτηρία (sōtēria, G4991): This is the word for “salvation,” meaning rescue, deliverance, or being made safe. In this context, it points to being saved from God’s wrath and brought into safety through Jesus.

Why 1 Thessalonians 5:9 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God’s plan for believers is not punishment but rescue, which can correct the fear that God is waiting to judge those who trust in Jesus.
  • It connects to the wider passage about the “day of the Lord,” assuring the Thessalonians that their future is secure because of Jesus, not because of their own efforts.
  • The verse helps distinguish between God’s wrath (reserved for judgment) and the salvation offered through Jesus, making the hope of believers more concrete and certain.

Where else these words appear

“obtain” Greek G4047 · used in 5 verses

  • Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Hebrews 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

“wrath” Greek G3709 · used in 34 verses

  • Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
  • Romans 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
  • 1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

“salvation” Greek G4991 · used in 43 verses

  • Luke 1:69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
  • Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
  • Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

“hath” Greek G5087 · used in 94 verses

  • Matthew 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
  • John 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
  • Acts 13:29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.