1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-10
MEMORY VERSE: 1 THESSALONIANS 1:6
Each year, televised awards shows honor the work of actors and musicians. Each winner gets a few minutes in the spotlight for a speech, during which they usually thank people for helping them get to that stage and hold that trophy. The truth is, none of us has experienced any degree of success on our own. We all have people who have pointed us in the right direction. And just as important, we have returned the favor. Each of us provides an example for others to follow. For better or worse, we all influence someone.
(In PSG, p. 10)
The origin of Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica can be traced to his second missionary journey. Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, had been called by God to take the gospel into modern-day Europe (Acts 16:6-10). While their church-planting mission started in the city of Philippi, persecution eventually moved them to Thessalonica (17:1).
Their work in this important Greek city was disrupted when devout Jews began stirring up trouble (17:5-9). Paul eventually escaped the city at night and made his way to the cities of Berea and Athens (17:10-34). Even though his time in Thessalonica was short, he apparently was able to establish a core group of believers who became the Thessalonian church.
As the title indicates, this letter was the first of two epistles written by Paul to the Christians in Thessalonica. Located on the northern shore of the Aegean Sea, Thessalonica sat on the spot now occupied by the city of Thessaloniki. In Paul’s day, it was the largest city and capital of the Macedonian province. Its harbor and position along a major trade route made it an important commercial hub. As a free Roman city, it represented a balance of Greek and Roman culture.
Paul and his companions spent three Sabbaths teaching in the synagogue of Thessalonica (17:2). While they were able to establish a Christian congregation in the city, they had little time to take them deeper into the faith. As a result, these young converts had questions about the Christian life and needed instruction and discipleship. The apostle composed this letter to praise their growth and to address some of their concerns.
Paul likely wrote the letter during his stay in Corinth (Acts 18). It is impossible to know the precise timing between his departure from Thessalonica and his letter; but if Paul came to the city around 50-51 AD, the letter was likely written within a year or two of that date. This would make 1 Thessalonians one of Paul’s earliest letters, likely second only to his Letter to the Galatians.
In general, Paul’s tone in 1 Thessalonians was positive. As opponents persecuted the church, his encouragement and affirmation helped them stay strong in their faith. This letter also provided guidance for Christian living so the Thessalonians could continue their path of spiritual maturity.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy: To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace.
Paul began his letter with a traditional prescript that included three elements: identifying the sender(s), identifying the audience, and a short greeting. Paul identified himself as the primary writer but also included Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy, since they had helped plant the church. Silas had been with Paul in Antioch (Acts 15:32-34) and had replaced Barnabas when Paul initiated his second missionary journey. Timothy was a young man who came to Christ as a result of Paul’s ministry in Lystra and joined the missionaries throughout their work in Greece (Acts 16–17). Paul regularly used the first person plural “we” throughout the book to emphasize the agreement among the three ministers.
The letter was written to the church of the Thessalonians. Paul used the Greek word ekklesia here, a word that referred to any assembly of people in the first century. God had assembled (or “called out”) a group in Thessalonica. Some had rejected Jewish legalism, while others had escaped pagan idolatry. But every member had embraced God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s introduction emphasized that both grace and peace were gifts from God. God’s grace is the foundation of our salvation, providing spiritual relief that we could not earn. Grace gives us a new standing with God, while peace reflects our new relationship with Him.
2 We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. 3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul was a man of prayer—not only for his own needs but also for the believers he nurtured. In his letters, he often expressed his gratitude for these Christians and demonstrated that gratitude through his prayers for them. He was able to thank God for the Thessalonians because they had accepted the gospel and were living out their faith. Paul was ultimately thankful for the way God had changed the Thessalonians’ lives.
The gospel had some violent opponents in Thessalonica who already had started a riot and persecuted believers associated with Paul (Acts 17:6-9). So Paul’s prayers were persistent on their behalf. The verb tense of verse 2 and descriptors like always and constantly indicate that Paul regularly prayed for his friends there, asking God to protect them and to help them grow.
One primary motivator of Paul’s gratitude was the church’s work in a pagan culture. Throughout this opening chapter, Paul highlighted how the Thessalonians demonstrated their faith through action (vv. 3,6,8-9). They were making a difference for the kingdom, despite opposition. If anything, the persecution was helping them grow stronger in their faith and ministry.
Paul made clear in other New Testament letters that salvation is the result of faith alone (Eph. 2:8-10). But while good works do not deliver salvation, they do demonstrate salvation. The Thessalonians’ works were produced by faith. Their good deeds were validating the truth of the gospel.
Paul also noted that the Thessalonians’ labor was motivated by love, while their endurance was inspired by hope. Paul’s use of the Greek word translated labor (kopos) indicates that the Thessalonians were working hard to show love—even to the point of exhaustion. Paul also used a form of the Greek word agape to describe this love. They were sharing a God-centered, sacrificial love that put others first. The Thessalonians’ love moved them to unselfish action toward one another and toward unbelievers.
Hope is not passive, wishful thinking. For Paul, hope was an active, firm assurance springing from strong faith. It represents a belief that something will happen despite evidence to the contrary. Christian hope rests in the confidence that Christ will return one day to make all things new.
Faith, love, and hope are signatures of Christ’s work. Their demonstration in Thessalonica indicates that God was active in the middle of the congregation’s struggles and questions. The word translated endurance points to persistence in the face of difficulties. Their confidence in God’s presence and their hope for His future return strengthened their commitment and kept them on the right track spiritually.
(In PSG, p. 14)
4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5a because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance.
Paul reminded the Thessalonians they were loved. First, he noted his own affection for them, calling them brothers and sisters. He was not alone in his attachment; they were loved by God and chosen by Him. In these verses, the apostle was assuring his readers of God’s grace and mercy. His emphasis was not on who the Thessalonians were or what they had done, but on who God is and what He has done through Christ. Students of the Scriptures should not let contemporary arguments obscure Paul’s original purpose.
God had also shown His love through His work in their lives, both as individuals and as a congregation. Paul had shared the gospel, but his words were not the driving force behind the Thessalonians’ faith. That’s because God’s message is more about God’s power than about human speech. Christ alone provides salvation and enables believers to carry out their mission on earth.
The Thessalonians also had the benefit of the Holy Spirit guiding them. The evening before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples that God would send the Spirit as a “Counselor” who offered the same encouragement and support as Christ (John 15:26). The Spirit would also lead them into truth and teach them how to speak the words of Christ (John 16:12-15).
Finally, Paul explained that the gospel gave his readers the full assurance of Christ’s faithfulness. Even when persecuted, the Thessalonians had no reason to doubt that Jesus was with them and would empower them. Paul’s own life demonstrated his firm conviction despite consistent suffering.
God’s power, God’s Spirit, and God’s assurance provided sufficient evidence of the gospel’s validity and the Thessalonians’ relationship with Christ. God had given them proof of His work in their lives, and they were living proof to the world that salvation in Christ was real.
5b You know how we lived among you for your benefit, 6 and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit.
The Thessalonians had watched Paul, even though the opportunity was somewhat limited. They were able to judge the character of Paul, Silas, and Timothy by how they lived among them. The missionaries had demonstrated their faith, and that had made an impact on the Thessalonians. As Paul and his friends moved among the young congregation, the Thessalonians experienced the benefit of their example.
In response, the Thessalonians became imitators of Paul’s way of life—and of Christ. This Greek word often referred to the impression on a coin, specifically the image of an actual person. Paul later told the Corinthians that following his example would help them follow Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). The experience of the Thessalonians proved that to be true.
In addition, the Thessalonians saw Paul’s faith in good times and in bad times. During his brief time in the city, Paul experienced severe persecution (1 Thess. 3:2-4). Antagonistic Jewish leaders followed him from city to city and even sparked a riot in Thessalonica. It is reasonable to assume that the Thessalonians had faced similar suffering.
Yet the threat of the personal suffering never discouraged them from accepting the gospel or sharing its truth. Paul noted that they welcomed the message with joy, embracing it as their own. They recognized that this was no man-made philosophy or theology. It came from the Holy Spirit, whom they had received at the moment of salvation. His work in their lives affirmed that the joy of their salvation was eternal, while their suffering was temporary.
7 As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything,
Thanks to God’s work through the apostle and his coworkers, Paul’s readers had rejected their old way of living and a new way in Christ. They also learned quickly that Jesus never intended for them to sit back and hoard His truth. He wanted them to pass it on—and they did.
The Thessalonians began exerting their own spiritual influence, first at home and then in the surrounding areas. Paul said they were an example to others, providing the same kind of living illustration that Paul had given them. What’s more, their influence didn’t stop at the city limits of Thessalonica. Their faith resonated throughout Macedonia and the entire region of Achaia.
During the first century, Greece was essentially divided into two major areas. The northern half was called Macedonia, where Thessalonica was located. The southern half was known as Achaia and included the major cities of Athens and Corinth. Paul’s affirmation of the Thessalonians indicated that their influence had spread across hundreds of miles and essentially covered the entirety of ancient Greece.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He challenged His followers to make a difference in their hometown (Jerusalem), the surrounding regions (Judea/Samaria), and, ultimately, the entire globe (Acts 1:8). Despite the relative youth of the congregation, the Thessalonians were fulfilling this call in their own context.
Paul praised his friends for their good work in the Greek regions of Macedonia and Achaia. He also emphasized that their witness had no true borders. Their testimony rang out beyond Greece into other areas of the Roman Empire. Their story was being heard, and they were fast becoming a paradigm for other congregations.
It is not clear how the Thessalonian church’s witness spread so quickly. Possibly, the church sent out missionaries from their congregation, but that is not recorded in Scripture. More likely, the city’s port and its key position on the Empire’s major trade routes expanded the church’s influence as travelers carried the message beyond Greece.
(In PSG, p. 16)
9 for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
The report that was circulating concerning the Thessalonians included two main points. First, it involved the reception Paul and his friends had received in the city. Despite the furor caused by the gospel’s opponents, the Thessalonians had accepted Paul, Silas, and Timothy into their community. They had extended hospitality to these controversial messengers.
The reports also emphasized the believers’ reception the gospel, which led to their decision to turn to God from idols. While the book of Acts focuses on Paul’s ministry to Thessalonian Jews, the impact of the gospel on the Gentiles indicates that his influence stretched beyond the three weeks in the synagogue (Acts 17:1-4).
Their newfound passion led Paul’s readers to serve the living and true God rather than man-made objects of worship. For Paul, such service validated genuine faith. Given the influence of pagan worship in Thessalonica, this was no minor decision for the city’s believers. The Thessalonians essentially lived in the shadow of Mount Olympus, home of the Greek pantheon. Their conversion brought about a radical change, which included a measure of persecution and suffering.
10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
As the Thessalonians served God in their culture, they also found an eternal hope as they waited for his Son from heaven. Their faith in the cross and the empty tomb had rescued them from the coming wrath. It also reminded them that this world is not all there is. Because Christ had defeated death, they had nothing to fear. God would raise them as well.
It should be noted that God’s wrath differs from human wrath. His wrath has nothing to do with uncontrolled anger or temper tantrums. Instead, God’s wrath reflects His righteous judgment on sin. When individuals experience His wrath, they are simply reaping the fruit of their choice to go their own way. In contrast, knowing we have avoided God’s wrath by accepting Jesus as our substitute on the cross should motivate believers toward a greater appreciation for His grace and mercy.
The Thessalonians’ experience provides a fundamental outline of the gospel’s impact. They had turned from their old life of idols and had focused on a new life based in the resurrection of Christ. They understood the promise of Christ’s return and the consequences of rejecting Him. This was the message of salvation spreading out from Thessalonica. Paul’s affirmation of their faithfulness must have encouraged the Thessalonians to press on in their faith walk.
God’s Purpose of Grace
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. (See Rom. 11:5-7.)
Use other Scripture to understand the context for this passage.
Review Acts 16–18. Focus on Paul’s motivation for entering Greece and examine the different experiences he had in each city on his journey. What key actions and events stick out from Paul’s time in Thessalonica? How might those experiences impact his feelings toward the believers in Thessalonica?
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