Bible Study 1 Thessalonians: 1: 1-10

 

A Commentary of the Book of 1 Thessalonians 

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study 1 Thessalonians: 1: 1-10

Introduction to the book of 1 Thessalonians from the Scofield Reference Bible:

The First Epistle of Paul The Apostle to the Thessalonians

WRITER The apostle Paul (1Th 1:1)

DATE The Epistle was written from Corinth, A.D. 54, shortly after Paul's departure from Thessalonica (Ac 16., 17.), and is the earliest of his letters.

THEME The theme of the Epistle is threefold:

(1) To confirm young disciples in the foundational truths already taught them;

(2) to exhort them to go on to holiness;

(3) to comfort them concerning those who had fallen asleep. The second coming of Christ is prominent throughout. The Epistle is incidentally most interesting as showing the richness in doctrine of the primitive evangelism. During a mission of about one month the apostle had taught all the great 1 doctrines of the Christian faith.

The divisions of the Epistle are sufficiently indicated by the Chapters.

I. The model church, and the three tenses of the Christian life 1.1-10

II. The model servant and his reward 2.1-20

III. The model brother, and the believer's sanctification 3.1-13

IV. The model walk, and the believer's hope, 4.1-18

V. The model walk, and the day of Jehovah, 5.1-28

Text:

Thanksgiving

1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and [a]steadfastness of hope [b]in our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father, 4 knowing, brothers beloved by God, your election, 5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full assurance; just as you know what kind of men we [c]proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. 9 For they themselves report about us what kind of an entrance we had [d]with you, and how you turned to God from [e]idols to serve [f]a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from [g]heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

Verse by verse commentary”

Verse 1: “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.”

Silvanus is the Latin name of Silas, a prophet of the Jerusalem church assigned to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch to deliver the decision of the Jerusalem council. Timothy was the son of a Greek father and a devout Jewish mother, he was at the time of writing a relative newcomer to the Christian mission. The phrase, “to the church…in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” points to the unique intimacy between the Father and the Son, because the church is said to be “in” both.

Verse 2: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;”

Paul and his companions prayed frequently for the entire flock, and 3 of those prayers are offered in this letter to the Thessalonians.

Verse 3: “remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father,”

Their faith was a matter of work. Exercising faith is not a passive exercise but rather a matter of deliberate action which expresses faith. Their labor of love was shown especially in their actions welcoming the travelers. Their “steadfastness of hope” was their assurance that the Lord Jesus Christ would return to deliver them from their present troubles and from God’s coming wrath. 

Verse 4: “knowing, brothers beloved by God, your election,”

These believers understood the doctrine of election. Paul was not afraid to assure this young, predominantly Gentile congregation that they were elected by God. Paul sees in them the fruit of God’s electing grace, and their early progress in sanctification. When a believer understands that God the Father has chosen them to become like His Son, it provides great comfort in times of persecution. 

Verse 5: “for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full assurance; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”

Paul called his message “our gospel,” because it was for him and all sinners to believe and especially for him to preach. There is only one gospel that will lead to salvation. Some erroneously teach that there are two paths for salvation: one for the Jew and one for the Gentile. “Salvation is of the Lord.” That salvation is the same for both Jew and Gentile. While Paul’s gospel came with words, it did end with words. It included power. What was this power? The power to preach the Truth and God save them to the uttermost.

Verse 6: “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit,”

Affliction does not remove “the joy of the Holy Spirit.” Paul was confident that his manner of living, which would have been well known, was such that he could confidently say to the Thessalonians that should imitate, or act like him. Notice also that Paul said to imitate him and the Lord. May we live such holy lives that we may do the same to those we try to minister to. Is your life one that imitates the Lord? This verse has always challenged me. Am I living a life that represents Christ? May we challenge ourselves daily to live our lives coram deo, that is in the presence of, or before the face of, God". 

Verse 7: “so that you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”

The Thessalonian Christians, beginners in Christ though they were, are examples to others of faith, love, and hope. This verse demonstrates the truth that new Christians are capable of being good models to others. Many say that new believers need time to mature and grow in grace. This is said because most “new Christians” are not true Christians. They said a prayer, joined the church or made a profession of faith. They have never received a new heart. However, when the grace of God touches a person’s heart, they are a new creation. That new creation has all he or she needs to represent and be a model for Christ. 

Verse 8: “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.”

The idea is to reverberate. Wherever the Thessalonians went, the gospel given by the word of the Lord was heard. It resulted in a local outreach to Thessalonica, a national outreach to Macedonia and Achaia, and an international outreach to regions beyond. Paul did not need to say much because the young converts in Thessalonica were preaching by their actions. There is an old saying, “Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary use words.” That statement is heretical. Yes, we are to preach with our lives but also with the Words given to us in the Scriptures. The gospel must be preached to the mind and the Holy Spirit will apply the words from the mind to the heart of all God’s children.

Verse 9: “ For they themselves report about us what kind of an entrance we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,”

I remember preaching revivals in India. The message was different. I used this verse to call sinners to repentance. I said you had to turn from idols. In India, there were idol shops where you could select your “god” and take it home with you. In the USA, we have different idols, e.g., fame, money, houses, careers, etc. All idols must be put away. The word translated “a” is better translated “the”. There is only one “living and true God,” thus “the” is a much better choice. 

Verse 10: “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

Waiting is a recurring theme in Thessalonians. We are waiting to be rescued from the wrath to come. This is most likely both temporal wrath and eternal wrath. Paul is encouraging the reader to wait for the deliverance that is coming. Regarding eternal wrath, all non believers will pay for their sins throughout eternity because they don’t have a substitute. Those who have been born again have Christ as their substitute and will enjoy eternal happiness as one of God’s children.