1 Thessalonians 1
Bro David Petersen
In chapter 1, Paul gives thanks to God that the new church had followed his example of sounding out the word even under persecution. The church became a bold and effective witness for Christ in the region of Macedonia.
1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The greeting of a letter sets the tone. Today many people write terse emails which lack greetings and thus fail to set a cordial tone. This can leave the reader with a negative impression.
Paul and other New Testament writers used their letter greetings to to highlight the greatness and goodness of God. The greetings often include theological as well as cultural aspects.
Silas and Timothy had accompanied Paul on his 2nd missionary journey when he established this church.
The term "church of the Thessalonians" provides some insight as to the nature of a New Testament church. Specifically that it is a local assembly. The word church comes from the Greek word "ekklesia" which means a called out assembly. The Greek understanding of an assembly was a group of people who were called out for a specific purpose. See Acts 19:32, 39-41. There were political assemblies, assemblies for professional associations and for other purposes. The idea of a universal invisible assembly would have been nonsense to a Greek because to them an ekklesia was always local and visible.
The church is in God the Father means that the church was included in his purposes and belonged to him in a special sense. It was in the Lord Jesus Christ in that its members gathered in his name and were in his service.
In using the terms grace and peace, Paul combined common salutations that relate to the New and Old Testaments respectively. Grace is especially associated with the New Testament even though the word appears several times in the Old Testament.
Grace refers to God's unmerited, undeserved favor and his love toward mankind. In Romans 6:14 Paul wrote: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." So grace characterizes the mode under which the church serves God in the New Testament age.
The term peace was a common Jewish term of both greeting and farewell and today many Jews still use the word Shalom in their greetings. Biblical peace includes the ideas of wholeness an well-being. When we are saved we have peace WITH God (Rom 5:1) and once saved when we are serving him faithfully we have the peace OF God in our lives (Phil 4:7).
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
Paul's long prayer list and his pastoral concern for the Thessalonians considering all the resistance they met from the Jews. It would have been easy for them to quit. He prayed for others and asked them to pray for him (1 Thess 5:25).
3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
This corresponds to the three abiding gifts of the spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13: Faith, Hope and Love. Love is translated as the word "charity" in the KJV. The meaning is the same.
Good works cannot lead to salvation, but saving faith will lead to works. Salvation comes first, then the good works. (James 2:17).
Godly love is not based on emotion, feeling or subjective moods and is always seeking something to do for God or for his people. Thus their work in the Lord is called a "labor of love".
Hope in the Bible is an earnest expectation that God will make good on his promises. Such hope enables one to have endurance even in the face of fierce opposition.
Faith refers to the past when salvation came, Love is in the present when we serve God. Hope looks to the future when the promises of God will be fulfilled.
4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
The term election here means a choice. Election does not remove free will, nor does it invalidate God's choice. These believers were chosen of God because they responded positively to the gospel by repenting of their sins and trusting Jesus as their Savior.
It is a great privilege to be beloved (agape) and chosen of God. And have the opportunity to serve him in one of his churches as the Thessalonian believers did.
5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
The gospel that Paul preached was the good news about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1Cor 15:1-4). This message received a 3-part validation: by power, by the Holy Spirit and in assurance. In Romans 1:16 Paul emphasized that the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation. The Greek word in both places is dunamis which refers to dynamic power. We get our word dynamite from it. When the gospel is proclaimed, the power of God is available to set the sinner free. If you want to see the power of God in action, don't look for bread to fall from heaven. Instead watch a sinner repent and trust in Christ when they hear the gospel. What Must I Do To Be Saved?
When Paul preached in Thessalonica his message was verified by the Holy Ghost. He likely used some miraculous gifts that confirmed his message. But the verification by the Holy Ghost occurs even if no miracle is performed. The Holy Ghost uses the gospel message to convict the sinner of their need for salvation in Christ.
Verified in Assurance: the word means a most certain confidence. True assurance implies conviction as well. Believers can be sure of the reality of their salvation during this life. We don't have to wait until we die to know where we will spend eternity.
6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
Believers can be models for Christian living. They make the words on the pages of the Bible come alive for those around them. Effective teachers must practice what they preach. Paul and his companions were living epistles. The Thessalonians could read their lives.
8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
It's no surprise that having good examples the Thessalonians themselves became good examples. In just a few short months the church became a model for other churches in the region in preaching the word of the Lord. They were effective witnesses for Christ. This shows that you don't need to know a lot of theology to tell people about Jesus. You can start by telling them what Jesus has done for you. The influence of the church in Thessalonia was a positive influence on the churches of Phillipi and Berea.
9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
When the Thessalonians heard Paul and his partners preach the gospel they turned away from idolatry and turned to God. Today in America we have the idolatry of materiality, the gods of entertainment and the cult of personality. Their televison and sports heros are much like the gods that the ancient Greeks served which were superhuman in form. Americans need to hear the gospel so that they too can have the opportunity to turn from those worthless idols and serve the living God.
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
The three items in verses 9 and 10 correspond to the work of faith, labor of love and patience of hope mentioned in verse 3. Turning to God corresponds to the work of faith, serving God is their labor of love and the return of Christ is the hope of patience. We should wait expectantly for the return of Christ with endurance. The fact that God raised him from the dead shows that he can back up his promise to return to this earth. That should be a great comfort to believers.
1 Thessalonians
Chapter 1 |
Chapter 2 |
Chapter 3 |
Chapter 4 |
Chapter 5