Matthew Poole and continuators on 1 Thessalonians 5:10

10 Who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him .

Some referre these words to the latter end of the foregoing chapter, where the Apostle had spoke of the Saints Death and Resurrection, which is their sleeping and waking as they are here call'd. And their being for ever with the Lord is here called their living together with him. And least it might be thought that none should be with Christ until they awaked at the Resurrection, he therefore speaks of living with Christ even when we sleep. He had spoke of sleep in another sense ver. 6. as meant of security, but here meant of death, as its taken chap. 4.14. And as watching is set opposite to the former sleep, so here waking to the latter, which is a Resurrection from death. And we hence gather that the Soul doth not sleep with the Body, but lives with the Lord when that sleeps in the Grave. As the Apostle expected to be with the Lord upon the dissolution of his Body, Phil. 1.23. and he mentions it as the priviledge of other Saints as well as his own, 2 Cor. 5.1. When we sleep we are with him only in our Souls, when we wake we shall be with him both in body and soul. And both these we have from Christs death. If he had not died Heaven had been shut against our Souls, for our entrance into the holiest of all is by his Blood, and the vail of his Flesh rent for us, Heb. 10.19, 26. and the grave would have shut up our Bodies, and there would have been no Resurrection, so that our living with Christ both when we sleep and when we wake springs out of his death. Others carry these words no further then the foregoing verse shewing how we are saved by Christ; saith the Apostle, he dyed for us. As God appointed persons to be saved, and Christ to be the person to be saved by, so also to be saved by his death, with respect to his Father he is said to be put to death, 1 Pet. 3.18. with respect to his own freedom and willingness, he is said here to dye for us. And his dying for us implyeth the greatness of our guilt, and expresseth the greatness of his own love, Iohn 15.13. He loved us, and thereupon would have us live with him, and he dyed that we and he may live together.

And so he may be said to dye for our Salvation, the substance whereof consisteth in our living with him. To live with so glorious a person, and a person that is full of love to us, and shall then be perfectly beloved of us, and that stands in many near relations to us, and whose presence will have such a blessed influence upon us, and in such a place as heaven [illegible: 1 letter]s, and that for ever, sure carries the substance of our Salvation in it. And if this was the end of his death, sure it was more then to be an example of Faith, Patience, and submission to God. Or to confirm to us the Doctrine he preached; it was to satisfie divine Justice, and obtain the pardon of our [illegible: 1 letter]in, and merit for us the priviledge of living with him.

Marginal references: Rom. 14 8, 9. 2 Cor. 5.16.