In this final post on thankfulness we’ll look at thanksgiving in the New Testament.
One of the clearest definitions of sin and rebellion in the Bible is found in Romans 1:21 - knowing of God but neither glorifying him nor giving thanks. That is, refusing to worship the one to whom worship is due. The result is swapping wisdom for foolishness and the glory of God for idols, truth for lies, the creator for slavery to created things, purity for sexual immorality and darkness over their thinking. That is what is at stake in thankfulness.
If we want to get out of foolishness into wisdom, we turn to thankfulness. It is the opposite of foolish talk according to Eph 5:4. Similarly if we want to overcome lies or are being overcome by sexual immorality, we turn to thankfulness. If we want to learn to worship, we start with thankfulness. If we are ovrecome with anxiety the antidote, according to Phil 4:6, is praying with thankfulness.
In the NT thanksgiving is mainly two things:
Thanks for the gospel - being in Jesus and recipients of God’s grace
Thanks for participating in the gospel - living out its truth and grace in the power of the Holy Spirit
Thankfulness for the gospel - being in Jesus, knowing the presence of God and the work of the Holy Spirit
I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:4)
Thanks for no longer being slaves to sin but to righteousness (Rom 6:16)
Thanks for being united to Christ - ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus I haven’t stopped giving thanks for you (Eph 1:15)
Thanks that death is beaten (1 Cor 15:56-57)
Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 5:18-20)
The Living Creatures are giving glory, honour and thanks in Rev 4
Thankfulness for participation in the gospel, living out the truth
We thank God for you because of your faith, love, endurance and hope (1 Thess 1)
We ought to thank God because your faith is growing (2 Thess 1)
We thank God for your partnership in the gospel (Phil 1), that you are united to Christ (Eph 1)
Giving joyful thanks to the Father for including us in the kingdom of light (Col 1:2)
For evangelism, spreading the aroma of God (2 Cor 2:14)
For God helping apostles as a result of people’s prayers (2 Cor 1:11)
For God putting concern for others in the hearts of people like Titus (2 Cor 8:16) or encouraging people to give to help other believers (2 Cor 9:12) because it is an overflowing of God’s grace
Intercede for rulers and everyone else with thanksgiving (1 Tim 2:1)
Jesus gives thanks five or six times:
twice over loaves and fishes. John reports after the event from the place where the people had eaten “after the Lord had given thanks”. He recalled the giving thanks as much as the eating
Twice at the last supper. Paul later calls the cup of the new covenant the cup of thanksgiving for giving thanks for participating in the blood of Christ (1 Cor 10:16)
Once in John 11 at the grave of Lazarus, thanking the Father that he hears him, publicly for the benefit of those standing there “so that they may believe”. Thankfulness as evangelism, combined with the miraculous resurrection sign he is about to enact
Maybe once in Luke 10 when he ecstatically praises the father for hiding things from the wise and revealing them to little children for his good pleasure
The last thanksgiving in the Bible is arguably ch 19 when Babylon is destroyed. But the last time it is called thanksgiving is Rev 11:17
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
They worship on their faces, giving thanks for his reign and his power, the final triumph of his kingdom and the vanquishing of evil. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever.
How should we give thanks? The Bible says in various places:
Be filled with the Spirit, accompanied with worship, edifying, giving thanks
For grace reaching more and more people which causes thanksgiving to overflow
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, doing whatever you do in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to the Father
Musically
Joyfully
With voices raised in praise
In the great assembly
In all circumstances, in everything in life and death
In and through the name of the Lord Jesus. What used to be “give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever” is now “thank you father for being good to us in Jesus and showing us and showering us with your eternal love in your son”
With all our heart. I will praise you, Lord with all my heart; I will tell of your wonderful deeds; I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O most high (Ps 9:1)