1ST THESSALONIANS
Table of Questions
1st Thessalonians 1:8 – “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." (NASB)
How is Los Angeles like Thessalonica?
In what ways is Deer Park/La Porte/Pasadena, Texas strategically placed for the gospel?
How can the message “ring out” from Deer Park/La Porte/Pasadena, Texas as it did from the Thessalonian church?
How is Los Angeles like Thessalonica?
In what ways is Deer Park/La Porte/Pasadena, Texas strategically placed for the gospel?
How can the message “ring out” from Deer Park/La Porte/Pasadena, Texas as it did from the Thessalonian church?
Archaeology
Very little has been uncovered at ancient Thessalonica because Thessaloniki (or Salonica) sits atop the remains.
An inscription (30 B.C. to 143 A.D.) from the Vardar gate bears the word politarches, the word Luke used in reference to the officials of the city before whom Jason was brought by the mob (Acts 17:6..."When they did not find them, they {began} dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have upset the world have come here also..." (NASB)).
The word does not appear in any other Greek literature but does match the archaeology of the site.
An inscription (30 B.C. to 143 A.D.) from the Vardar gate bears the word politarches, the word Luke used in reference to the officials of the city before whom Jason was brought by the mob (Acts 17:6..."When they did not find them, they {began} dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have upset the world have come here also..." (NASB)).
The word does not appear in any other Greek literature but does match the archaeology of the site.
The Opening Statement
Brief Summary...
1. The Thessalonian letters provide tremendous insight into Paul as both missionary and pastor. We find him establishing a church in a brief time and continuing to pray and be concerned about its growth, development, and ministry.
2. We see him faithfully proclaiming the gospel and concerned for the converts. He was thrilled with their progress to that point, but was disappointed with the rate at which they matured.
3. In these Epistles we meet a zealous, loving servant of Christ and a small, zealous, but growing new church. Both were faithful, both were used by God, and both served each other in a Christ-like manner seldom found among God's people.
1. The Thessalonian letters provide tremendous insight into Paul as both missionary and pastor. We find him establishing a church in a brief time and continuing to pray and be concerned about its growth, development, and ministry.
2. We see him faithfully proclaiming the gospel and concerned for the converts. He was thrilled with their progress to that point, but was disappointed with the rate at which they matured.
3. In these Epistles we meet a zealous, loving servant of Christ and a small, zealous, but growing new church. Both were faithful, both were used by God, and both served each other in a Christ-like manner seldom found among God's people.
The Author
A. 1st Thessalonians: Only modern form critics have seriously doubted the Paul's authorship and the authenticity of 1st Thessalonians, but their conclusions have not convinced many scholars. 1st Thessalonians is included in Marcion's canon (140 A.D.) and in the Muratorian Fragment (200 A.D.). Both lists of canonical books of the New Testament circulated in Rome. Irenaeus quoted 1st Thessalonians by name—he wrote around 180 A.D.
B. 2nd Thessalonians
1. The book of 2nd Thessalonians has not always been accepted as Pauline and has been attacked on several grounds:
a. The vocabulary poses one problem. The letter contains many words not found in the other Pauline letters.
b. The eschatology of the two letters is supposedly inconsistent.
c. 2 Thessalonians contains a view of the anti-Christ unique in the New Testament.
2. The authenticity of 2nd Thessalonians is based on several premises:
a. Polycarp, Ignatius, and Justin recognized it;
b. The Marcionite canon included it;
c. The Muratorian Fragment included it;
d. Irenaeus quoted it by name;
e. The vocabulary, style and theology are as Pauline as 1st Thessalonians .
C. The Two Letters Compared
1. The two letters are very similar, not only in ideas, but also in actual phraseology. If the opening and closing formula language are excluded, resemblances still occur in about one-third of the material.
2. The general tone of 2nd Thessalonians is different from the first letter, being colder and more formal. Yet this can easily be understood when one sees the emotional circumstances involved in the writing of the first letter and the developed problems of the second letter.
D. The Order of the Letters
1. Another interesting hypothesis is presented by F. W. Manson using Johannes Weiss' notes. They contend that the order of the books is reversed. The reasons for this are:
a. the trials and tribulations are at their height in 2nd Thessalonians, but are past in 1st Thessalonians;
b. in 2nd Thessalonians the internal difficulties are spoken of as a new development of which the author of the letter has just learned, whereas in 1st Thessalonians the circumstances were familiar to all concerned;
c. the statement that the Thessalonians have no need to be instructed about times and seasons (1st Thessalonians 5:1..."Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you." (NASB)) is very relevant if they are acquainted with 2nd Thessalonians 2;
d. the formula "Now concerning..." in 1st Thessalonians 4:9, 13; 5:1, is like that in 1st Corinthians 7:1,25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1,12, where the writer is replying to points raised in a letter sent to him. Manson thinks that the replies might concern certain questions arising from statements in 2nd Thessalonians.
2. Several premises may counteract this argument:
a. the problems occupying Paul's attention intensify and deepen from 1st Thessalonians to 2nd Thessalonians;
b. the passages in 2nd Thessalonians refer to a letter from Paul (2:2, 15; 3:17) and if we assume this letter not to be 1st Thessalonians, then we have the problem of a lost letter;
c. the personal reminiscences forming so prominent a part of the first letter are lacking in the second, which seems natural if the letter is a sequel to the first;
d. the tone of the letters seems completely unnatural to this situation if the order is reversed.
B. 2nd Thessalonians
1. The book of 2nd Thessalonians has not always been accepted as Pauline and has been attacked on several grounds:
a. The vocabulary poses one problem. The letter contains many words not found in the other Pauline letters.
b. The eschatology of the two letters is supposedly inconsistent.
c. 2 Thessalonians contains a view of the anti-Christ unique in the New Testament.
2. The authenticity of 2nd Thessalonians is based on several premises:
a. Polycarp, Ignatius, and Justin recognized it;
b. The Marcionite canon included it;
c. The Muratorian Fragment included it;
d. Irenaeus quoted it by name;
e. The vocabulary, style and theology are as Pauline as 1st Thessalonians .
C. The Two Letters Compared
1. The two letters are very similar, not only in ideas, but also in actual phraseology. If the opening and closing formula language are excluded, resemblances still occur in about one-third of the material.
2. The general tone of 2nd Thessalonians is different from the first letter, being colder and more formal. Yet this can easily be understood when one sees the emotional circumstances involved in the writing of the first letter and the developed problems of the second letter.
D. The Order of the Letters
1. Another interesting hypothesis is presented by F. W. Manson using Johannes Weiss' notes. They contend that the order of the books is reversed. The reasons for this are:
a. the trials and tribulations are at their height in 2nd Thessalonians, but are past in 1st Thessalonians;
b. in 2nd Thessalonians the internal difficulties are spoken of as a new development of which the author of the letter has just learned, whereas in 1st Thessalonians the circumstances were familiar to all concerned;
c. the statement that the Thessalonians have no need to be instructed about times and seasons (1st Thessalonians 5:1..."Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you." (NASB)) is very relevant if they are acquainted with 2nd Thessalonians 2;
d. the formula "Now concerning..." in 1st Thessalonians 4:9, 13; 5:1, is like that in 1st Corinthians 7:1,25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1,12, where the writer is replying to points raised in a letter sent to him. Manson thinks that the replies might concern certain questions arising from statements in 2nd Thessalonians.
2. Several premises may counteract this argument:
a. the problems occupying Paul's attention intensify and deepen from 1st Thessalonians to 2nd Thessalonians;
b. the passages in 2nd Thessalonians refer to a letter from Paul (2:2, 15; 3:17) and if we assume this letter not to be 1st Thessalonians, then we have the problem of a lost letter;
c. the personal reminiscences forming so prominent a part of the first letter are lacking in the second, which seems natural if the letter is a sequel to the first;
d. the tone of the letters seems completely unnatural to this situation if the order is reversed.
The Date of The Letters
A. The date for the writing of the Thessalonian Letters is one of the most certain dates we have involving Paul's letters. It is recorded that while Paul was in "Corinth he was arrested and brought before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia." An inscription discovered at Delphi answers a question referred to the Emperor Claudius by this same Gallio. It was dated in the twelfth year of the Emperor's tribunal power and after his twenty-sixth acclamation as Emperor. This twelfth year was from January 24 through January 25 (52 – 53 A.D). While the date of the twenty-sixth acclamation is not exactly known, the twenty-seventh was before August 1 52 A.D. Claudius' decision would have been given to Gallio during the first half of 52. Now proconsuls usually took office in early summer and held office for one year. It would seem, therefore, Gallio entered his term of office in the early summer of 51".
B. This dating of the term of office of the proconsul does not completely solve all the problems of the dating of the Thessalonian Letters. Paul was in Corinth for 18 months (Acts 18:11) but at which time he appeared before Gallio is not known. Most scholars date 1st and 2nd Thessalonians about 51 A.D.
B. This dating of the term of office of the proconsul does not completely solve all the problems of the dating of the Thessalonian Letters. Paul was in Corinth for 18 months (Acts 18:11) but at which time he appeared before Gallio is not known. Most scholars date 1st and 2nd Thessalonians about 51 A.D.
The Events Surrounding The Thessalonian Letters
The events that led to Paul's writing of the Thessalonian letters are complex and intertwined. Certain distinctions must be noted, especially concerning the physical setting and the emotional setting. Paul was forced to leave the new Thessalonian believers because the Jews had incited the superstitious, polytheistic rabble of the city to riot at Jason's house in a search for Paul and his companions. After a hearing before the Politarchs, Jason and other Christian leaders were forced to put up a security bond to assure peace. When Paul heard of this he knew he had to move on and leave this young, immature church. He, therefore, went to Berea with Timothy and Silas. Timothy apparently stayed at first (Acts 17:10) then later joined Silas to go to Athens (Acts 17:15). At first the honest reception of the Jews at Berea was a blessing to Paul in the face of such strong Jewish opposition previously. Yet this did not last long. The Jews from Thessalonica came down to Berea and started causing trouble. Therefore, Paul had to leave again.
This time Paul went to Athens where he received a cold and unresponsive welcome. He became a novelty to the academic philosophers. His experience in Macedonia was characterized by persecution and opposition. He was beaten, stripped naked, and chased out of town by night. Scholars mocked him, and pagans and many of his own countrymen hated him.
2nd Corinthians 4:7 – 11..."But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; {we are} afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." (NASB)
2nd Corinthians 6:4 – 10..."...but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; {regarded} as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things." (NASB)
2nd Corinthians 11:23 – 29..."Are they servants of Christ?--I speak as if insane--I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine {lashes.} Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. {I have been} on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from {my} countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; {I have been} in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from {such} external things, there is the daily pressure on me {of} concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?" (NASB)
Paul had been forced to leave this promising church at Thessalonica at a crucial time. They were immature in the faith and were facing affliction and persecution. Paul could stand the mental anguish no longer. Worried about the young converts, somewhere between Berea and Athens, Paul sent Timothy and Silas back to the new Macedonian churches. Timothy went to Thessalonica. Many feel he stayed and ministered there for six months to a year. The church desperately needed someone to teach them, comfort them and encourage them. Timothy himself was a fairly new convert. He was converted on Paul's first missionary journey, but he had only been with Paul since Paul went to Lystra on his second missionary journey. He was, therefore, new in the ministry but Paul had great confidence in him. This was Timothy's first assignment as Paul’s official representative.
Paul ministered in Athens alone and he became very discouraged and depressed because of the lack of response to the gospel in Macedonia and his incessant concern for the new Christians there. He was concerned about the Thessalonian church in particular. Could a church be founded in such a short time and in difficult circumstances and still endure? To add to this he had received no word from Timothy and Silas for some time (six months to a year, although some say only one or two months). This was the emotional state in which we found Paul as he arrived in Corinth.
In Corinth two things happened that greatly encouraged Paul...
1. The vision that God had many in Corinth who would respond to the gospel (Acts 18:9 – 10..."And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid {any longer,} but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." (NASB)
2. Timothy and Silas arrived and brought good news (Acts 18:5..."But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul {began} devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ." (NASB)). It was Timothy's message from Thessalonica that would lead Paul to write to them from Corinth. Paul was responding to questions from the church on doctrinal and practical issues.
The writing of 2nd Thessalonians was not long after 1st Thessalonians because it did not achieve all that Paul had hoped it would. Also, he had become aware of other problems. Many scholars believe 2nd Thessalonians was written about six months after 1st Thessalonians.
This time Paul went to Athens where he received a cold and unresponsive welcome. He became a novelty to the academic philosophers. His experience in Macedonia was characterized by persecution and opposition. He was beaten, stripped naked, and chased out of town by night. Scholars mocked him, and pagans and many of his own countrymen hated him.
2nd Corinthians 4:7 – 11..."But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; {we are} afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." (NASB)
2nd Corinthians 6:4 – 10..."...but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; {regarded} as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things." (NASB)
2nd Corinthians 11:23 – 29..."Are they servants of Christ?--I speak as if insane--I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine {lashes.} Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. {I have been} on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from {my} countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; {I have been} in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from {such} external things, there is the daily pressure on me {of} concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?" (NASB)
Paul had been forced to leave this promising church at Thessalonica at a crucial time. They were immature in the faith and were facing affliction and persecution. Paul could stand the mental anguish no longer. Worried about the young converts, somewhere between Berea and Athens, Paul sent Timothy and Silas back to the new Macedonian churches. Timothy went to Thessalonica. Many feel he stayed and ministered there for six months to a year. The church desperately needed someone to teach them, comfort them and encourage them. Timothy himself was a fairly new convert. He was converted on Paul's first missionary journey, but he had only been with Paul since Paul went to Lystra on his second missionary journey. He was, therefore, new in the ministry but Paul had great confidence in him. This was Timothy's first assignment as Paul’s official representative.
Paul ministered in Athens alone and he became very discouraged and depressed because of the lack of response to the gospel in Macedonia and his incessant concern for the new Christians there. He was concerned about the Thessalonian church in particular. Could a church be founded in such a short time and in difficult circumstances and still endure? To add to this he had received no word from Timothy and Silas for some time (six months to a year, although some say only one or two months). This was the emotional state in which we found Paul as he arrived in Corinth.
In Corinth two things happened that greatly encouraged Paul...
1. The vision that God had many in Corinth who would respond to the gospel (Acts 18:9 – 10..."And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid {any longer,} but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." (NASB)
2. Timothy and Silas arrived and brought good news (Acts 18:5..."But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul {began} devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ." (NASB)). It was Timothy's message from Thessalonica that would lead Paul to write to them from Corinth. Paul was responding to questions from the church on doctrinal and practical issues.
The writing of 2nd Thessalonians was not long after 1st Thessalonians because it did not achieve all that Paul had hoped it would. Also, he had become aware of other problems. Many scholars believe 2nd Thessalonians was written about six months after 1st Thessalonians.
The Purpose of The Letters
A. The Thessalonian Letters have a threefold purpose:
1. to share Paul's joy and thanksgiving to God for the faithfulness and Christ-likeness of the Thessalonians, even amidst persecution.
2. to answer the criticism of his motives and character which had been brought against him.
3. to discuss the return of the Lord. This eschatological element of Paul's preaching caused two questions in the minds of the Thessalonian Christians...
a. What would happen to believers who had died before the Lord's return?
b. What would happen to the believers in the congregation who had stopped working and were sitting around waiting for the Lord's return?
B. Much of the above can be explained by the fact that this was a young and very zealous church. Yet because of the circumstances, they were imperfectly trained and disciplined. These problems represent what would be expected of a church of this nature: the new believers, the weak, the fainthearted, the idle, the visionary, and the puzzled.
C. The occasion for 2nd Thessalonians was, "It is simply a second prescription for the same case, made after discovering that certain stubborn symptoms had not yielded to the first treatment.”
1. to share Paul's joy and thanksgiving to God for the faithfulness and Christ-likeness of the Thessalonians, even amidst persecution.
2. to answer the criticism of his motives and character which had been brought against him.
3. to discuss the return of the Lord. This eschatological element of Paul's preaching caused two questions in the minds of the Thessalonian Christians...
a. What would happen to believers who had died before the Lord's return?
b. What would happen to the believers in the congregation who had stopped working and were sitting around waiting for the Lord's return?
B. Much of the above can be explained by the fact that this was a young and very zealous church. Yet because of the circumstances, they were imperfectly trained and disciplined. These problems represent what would be expected of a church of this nature: the new believers, the weak, the fainthearted, the idle, the visionary, and the puzzled.
C. The occasion for 2nd Thessalonians was, "It is simply a second prescription for the same case, made after discovering that certain stubborn symptoms had not yielded to the first treatment.”
The Outline
I. Salutation and greeting 1:1
II. Personal commendations and explanations 1:2 – 3:13
A. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians 1:2 – 10
1. Summary statement 1:2 – 3
2. Specific reasons 1:4 – 10
B. Reminders for the Thessalonians 2:1 – 16
1. How the gospel was delivered 2:1 – 12
2. How the gospel was received 2:13 – 16
C. Concerns for the Thessalonians 2:17 – 3:13
1. Desires to see them again 2:17 – 3:5
2. Joy on hearing about them 3:6 – 13
III. Practical instructions and exhortations 4:1 – 5:24
A. Christian living 4:1 – 12
1. Continued growth 4:1 – 2
2. Sexual purity 4:3 – 8
3. Brotherly love 4:9 – 12
B. The Rapture 4:13 – 18
C. Personal watchfulness 5:1 – 11
D. Church life 5:12 – 15
1. Attitudes toward leaders 5:12 – 13
2. Relationships among themselves 5:14 – 15
E. Individual behavior 5:16 – 24
1. Personal actions and attitudes 5:16 – 18
2. Actions and attitudes in corporate living 5:19 – 22
3. Divine enablement 5:23 – 24
IV. Conclusion 5:25 – 28
II. Personal commendations and explanations 1:2 – 3:13
A. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians 1:2 – 10
1. Summary statement 1:2 – 3
2. Specific reasons 1:4 – 10
B. Reminders for the Thessalonians 2:1 – 16
1. How the gospel was delivered 2:1 – 12
2. How the gospel was received 2:13 – 16
C. Concerns for the Thessalonians 2:17 – 3:13
1. Desires to see them again 2:17 – 3:5
2. Joy on hearing about them 3:6 – 13
III. Practical instructions and exhortations 4:1 – 5:24
A. Christian living 4:1 – 12
1. Continued growth 4:1 – 2
2. Sexual purity 4:3 – 8
3. Brotherly love 4:9 – 12
B. The Rapture 4:13 – 18
C. Personal watchfulness 5:1 – 11
D. Church life 5:12 – 15
1. Attitudes toward leaders 5:12 – 13
2. Relationships among themselves 5:14 – 15
E. Individual behavior 5:16 – 24
1. Personal actions and attitudes 5:16 – 18
2. Actions and attitudes in corporate living 5:19 – 22
3. Divine enablement 5:23 – 24
IV. Conclusion 5:25 – 28
Map Locations to Plot
1. Thessalonica, 1:1..."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." (NASB)
2. Macedonia and Achaia, 1:8..."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." (NASB)
3. Philippi, 2:2..."...but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition." (NASB)
4. Judea, 2:14..."For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they {did} from the Jews..." (NASB)
5. Athens, 3:1..."Therefore when we could endure {it} no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone..." (NASB)
2. Macedonia and Achaia, 1:8..."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." (NASB)
3. Philippi, 2:2..."...but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition." (NASB)
4. Judea, 2:14..."For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they {did} from the Jews..." (NASB)
5. Athens, 3:1..."Therefore when we could endure {it} no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone..." (NASB)