Thessalonica is a
city in Greece today which is also called Thessaloniki or Salonica. It is the
second largest city in Greece. It was founded in 315BC by King Cassander of
Macedon, who named it after his wife. Eventually it became an important city in
both the Roman Empire and after the western half of the Roman Empire fell,
remained an important city for the Eastern Roman Empire. Thessalonica was
important, being a powerful trading city, in the development of early
Christianity.
It has been said that the two epistles or letters to the
Thessalonians are the most important Pauline letters for a new convert to read.
Ruckman pointed out that the Gospel of John is important to convert sinners to
Christ, Romans and Galatians are wonderful in teaching salvation by grace
through faith but contain a number of Old Testament references that would be
unknown to a new convert, but that the two letters to the Thessalonians would
contain little that the new convert couldn’t understand and offer them much
relief in knowing that not only was the new convert saved from Hell but that
the One who saved him was coming back for him.
1st Thessalonians
CHAPTER ONE
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.
We know Paul as the apostle that Jesus chose to go spread
the gospel to the Gentile world for two thousand years through his writings.
Romans 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ
to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the
Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Silvanus helped Paul establish the Gentile church at
Corinth.
2Corinthians 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was
preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea
and nay, but in him was yea.
And helped Peter with Jewish believers in Asia.
1Peter 5:12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as
I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the
true grace of God wherein ye stand.
Silvanus was probably also known as Silas in Acts as he and
Timothy are mentioned together a few times and was an important fellow-laborer
with Paul.
Timotheus we know as the young preacher, Timothy, for whom
two of Paul’s letters were written. There is a great deal said about Timothy in
the New Testament but that is not part of our study of the Thessalonian
letters.
The church of the Thessalonians, like other churches of
Paul’s day, would have included small groups of Christians who met in
individual houses for worship and fellowship as there were no buildings
dedicated to church worship until late in the second century. These house
churches are mentioned in Romans 16:5; 1Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4;15;
& Philemon 1:2. A house church is referenced as in 1Corinthians 16:19 while
the house churches in a city are called collectively, the church, as in
1Corinthians 1:2 & 2Corinthians 1:1.
I am assuming there may have been more than one meeting of
the church in Thessalonica even though there are no churches meeting in
someone’s house mentioned in that city. It is an assumption based on the
literal facts of Romans, 1Corinthians, Colossians, and Philemon.
Paul wishes them grace and peace from God. Jesus Christ and
God here are united in a figure of speech called a Hendiadys where two things
are united in one meaning by the conjunction, “and.”
For instance, Jesus Christ is God in these passages.
2Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the
Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and
his kingdom;
2Thessalonians
2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself,
and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting
consolation and good hope through grace,
Philemon 1:3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Along with other references that united Jesus Christ and God
in one identity.
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long
time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me
hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
1John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and
hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are
in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and
eternal life.
Not only the Son of God, or God in the flesh, but also the
Messiah for which the Jews themselves were waiting to deliver them.
John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias
cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak
unto thee am he.
Belief that Jesus Christ is God, the only begotten Son of
God as in never before or since has God walked in human flesh (thank Him that
He created Eve so that our Deliverer could be born of a woman), the Messiah or
Christ, and that He rose from the dead literally and physically are essential
beliefs if you regard yourself as a Christian.
If you believe that being a Christian involves simply being
some idea of a gentleman (although I’ve never met someone who claimed that who
was really a gentleman) or a philosophy (as in the famous politician who
recently called Jesus his favorite philosopher) of living then you are sadly
deceived by your own willful stupidity no matter what position and influence
you have or how much money is in your bank account. There are even so-called
Christians who believe that you can call Christ a liar and still have eternal
life. They will say that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you
believe in something even though He Himself said that only He was the way, the
truth, and the life and no one could approach God the Father but by Him (John
14:6).
There will be many people in Hell who regarded themselves as
Christians when they walked in the flesh.
2 ¶
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our
prayers;
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; 4
Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
After Paul tells the Thessalonians that he includes them in
his prayers he refers to three things that stand out regarding their walk in
Christ. There is their work of faith which is mentioned again in
2Thessalonians1:11. What is a work of faith that is said to glorify the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ in them?
Jesus told the Jews what this work of faith was.
John 6:28 ¶
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works
of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is
the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Carnal, fleshy religion doesn’t like that idea. We, in our
flesh, want there to be a lot more, more that we can see because we are never so
happy as when we feel we can dictate the terms of someone else’s relationship
with God.
Again, in Revelation, when Jesus refers to them that
overcome in speaking to the churches;
Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
…11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the
second death…..17 He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in
the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it…..26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works
unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed
in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but
I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels…12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in
the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him
the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem,
which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new
name…..21 To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down
with my Father in his throne.
And then at the end of the book…
Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things;
and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
He has already defined what it means to overcome in John’s
letters.
1John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the
world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he
that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
The work of faith is continuing in that belief and trust in
Christ until the very end.
The labour of love is mentioned in Hebrews by showing love
toward His name in ministering to your brothers and sisters in Christ as those
who live out the thought behind 1Corinthians 13, the chapter on charity. You
should read that entire chapter.
Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your
work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have
ministered to the saints, and do minister.
This would involve everyone from a humble pastor to the
person who serves food or takes out the trash after a meeting of the church.
God holds ministering to the saints in high regard, helping those who are sick,
hungry, elderly, and in need. We can expand our ministering to the unsaved
world by starting at the household of God.
2Corinthians 9:13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration
they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and
for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;
Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do
good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ is a concept we
can all understand.
Titus 2:11 ¶ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation
hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works.
More will be said about Christ’s return in these letters.
The church was to know its election of God.
Election is based on foreknowledge.
1Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God
the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
You are elect because God sees ahead in your future that you
will believe. The things God does to you and for you are done by virtue of your
belief and His response to your belief. There is no need to make it more
complicated than that. This election, based on your being in Christ, was known
by Him from before the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love: 5 Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of
the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
We were chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy
and without blame before Him in love based on the sacrifice He would make on
our behalf and the resurrection of Christ and the promises that flowed from
that singular event. The adoption is the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which
have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,
waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
This letter will tell us more about our hope as we wait for
the redemption of our bodies.
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