The word wholly, oletelezv means precisely the same as our phrase, to all intents and purposes. May he sanctify you to the end and to the uttermost, that, as sin hath reigned unto death, even so may grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Your whole spirit and soul and body] Some think that the apostle alludes to the Pythagorean and Platonic doctrine, which was acknowledged among the Thessalonians. I should rather believe that he refers simply to the fact, that the creature called man is a compound being, consisting, 1. Of a body, swma, an organized system, formed by the creative energy of God out of the dust of the earth; composed of bones, muscles, and nerves; of arteries, veins, and a variety of other vessels, in which the blood and other fluids circulate. 2. Of a soul, yuch, which is the seat of the different affections and passions, such as love, hatred, anger, &c., with sensations, appetites, and propensities of different kinds. 3. Of spirit, pneuma, the immortal principle, the source of life to the body and soul, without which the animal functions cannot be performed, how perfect soever the bodily organs may be; and which alone possesses the faculty of intelligence, understanding, thinking, and reasoning, and produces the faculty of speech wherever it resides, if accident have not impaired the organs of speech.

The apostle prays that this compound being, in all its parts, powers, and faculties, which he terms oloklhron, their whole, comprehending all parts, every thing that constitutes man and manhood, may be sanctified and preserved blameless till the coming of Christ; hence we learn, 1. That body, soul, and spirit are debased and polluted by sin. 2. That each is capable of being sanctified, consecrated in all its powers to God, and made holy. 3. That the whole man is to be preserved to the coming of Christ, that body, soul, and spirit may be then glorified for ever with him. 4. That in this state the whole man may be so sanctified as to be preserved blameless till the coming of Christ. And thus we learn that the sanctification is not to take place in, at, or after death. On the pollution and sanctification of flesh and spirit, see the note on 2 Cor. vii. 1.

John Gill's Bible Commentary

The apostle follows his exhortations with prayer to God, knowing the weakness and impotency of the saints to receive them, and act according to them, and his own insufficiency to impress their minds with them; and that unless the Lord opened their ears to discipline, and sealed instruction to them, they would be useless and in vain: wherefore he applies to the throne of grace, and addresses God as �the God of peace�; so called, because of the concern he has in peace and reconciliation made by the blood of Christ, and because he is the giver of peace of conscience, and the author of peace, concord, and unity among the saints, and of all happiness and prosperity, both in this world, and in that which is to come; (see Gill on � Romans 15:33�). And the apostle might choose to address God under this character, partly to encourage boldness, freedom, and intrepidity at the throne of grace, and partly to raise hope, expectation, and faith of having his requests answered, since God is not an angry God, nor is fury in him, but the God of peace: and the petitions he puts up for the Thessalonians are as follow: and first, that God would sanctify you wholly ; or �all of you�, as the Arabic version; or �all of you perfectly�, as the Syriac version. These persons were sanctified by the Spirit of God, but not perfectly; the Gospel was come to them in power, and had wrought effectually in them, and they were turned from idols to serve the living God, and had true faith, hope, and love, implanted in them, and which they were enabled to exercise in a very comfortable and commendable manner; but yet this work of grace and sanctification begun in them was far from being perfect, nor is it in the best of saints. There is something lacking in the faith of the greatest believer, love often waxes cold, and hope is not lively at all times, and knowledge is but in part; sin dwells in all; the saints are poor and needy, their wants continually return upon them, and they need daily supplies; the most holy and knowing among them disclaim perfection in themselves, though desirous of it. Their sanctification in Christ is perfect, but not in themselves; there is indeed a perfection of parts in internal sanctification, every grace is implanted, there is not one wanting; the new creature, or new man, has all its parts, though these are not come to their full growth; there is not a perfection of degrees, and this is what the apostle prays for; for sanctification is a progressive, gradual work, it is like seed cast into the earth, which springs up, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear, and is as light, which shines more and more to the perfect day. Sanctified persons are first as newborn babes, and then they grow up to be young men, and at last become fathers in Christ; and this work being begun, is carried on, and will be performed, fulfilled, and made perfect: and it is God's work to do it; he begins, and he carries it on, and he will finish it; and therefore the apostle prays to him to do it; this is his first petition: the second follows, and I pray God your whole spirit, soul and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ . A like division of man is made by the Jews: says one of their writers f43 �a man cannot know God, unless he knows wpwgw wtm�nw w�pn , �his soul, his breath, or his spirit, and his body�.�

Says R. Isaac, �worthy are the righteous in this world, and in the world to come, for lo, they are all holy; their body is holy, their soul is holy, their spirit, and their breath is holy� (See Gill on � Hebrews 4:12�). Some by �spirit� understand the graces and gifts of the Spirit in a regenerate man; and by �the soul�, the soul as regenerated, and as it is the seat and subject of these graces; and by the body, the habitation of the soul, which is influenced by the grace that is last; and this is a sense not to be despised. Others by �the spirit� understand the rational and immortal soul of man, often called a spirit, as in ( Ecclesiastes 12:7) and by the soul, the animal and sensitive soul, which man has in common with brutes; (see Ecclesiastes 3:21) and by the �body�, the outward frame of flesh and blood, and bones; but rather �spirit� and �soul� design the same immaterial, immortal, and rational soul of man, considered in its different powers and faculties. The �spirit� may intend the understanding, ( Job 32:8) which is the principal, leading, and governing faculty of the soul; and which being enlightened by the Spirit of God, a man knows himself, Christ Jesus, and the things of the Spirit, the truths of the Gospel, and receives and values them. The �soul� may include the will and affections, which are influenced by the understanding; and in a regenerate man the will is brought to a resignation to the will of God, and the affections are set upon divine things, and the body is the instrument of performing religious and spiritual exercises: and these the apostle prays may be preserved blameless ; not that he thought they could be kept from sinning entirely in thought, word, or deed; but that they might be preserved in purity and chastity from the gross enormities of life, and be kept from a total and final falling away, the work of grace be at last completed on the soul and spirit, and the body be raised in incorruption, and glory; and both at the coming of Christ be presented faultless, and without blame, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, first to himself, and then to his Father.

Matthew Henry Commentary

Greek Textus Receptus

Sanctify (agiasai). See on John x. 36; xvii. 17. The primary idea of the word is separation. Hence agiov, the standard word for holy in LXX is, primarily, set apart. Agiazein is

1. to separate from things profane and to consecrate to God;

2. to cleanse or purify as one set apart to holy uses.

Wholly (oloteleiv). N.T.o . So that nothing shall escape the sanctifying power. %Olov complete, and telov end or consummation.

Spirit, soul, body (pneuma, yuch swma). It is useless to attempt to draw from these words a technical, psychological statement of a threefold division of the human personality. If Paul recognized any such technical division, it was more probably twofold; the body or material part, and the immaterial part with its higher and lower sides - pneuma and yuch. See on Rom. vi. 6; vii. 5, 23; viii. 4; xi. 3 and footnote.

Be preserved entire (oloklhron - thrhqeih). This is the rendering of Rev. and is correct. A.V. joins oJloklhron with pneuma, and renders your whole spirit. Oloklhron is predic ative, not attributive. It does not mean whole, but is derived from olov whole and klhrov allotment, and signifies having the entire allotment; complete in all parts. It occurs only here and Jas. i. 4, where it is associated with teleioi perfect. It appears in LXX, as Lev. xxiii. 15; Deut. xvi. 9; xxvii. 6. Joseph. Ant. iii. 12, 2, uses it of an unblemished victim for sacrifice. As distinguished from oJloteleiv wholly, ver. 23, it is qualitative, while oJloteleiv is quantitative. The kindred oJloklhria perfect soundness, only in Acts iii. 16. For preserved see on 1 Pet. i. 4.

Robertson's NT Word Studies