I Thessalonians
Having just read I Thessalonians, here are a few of my comments.
The primary topics of the book are: persecution, Christ’s return, sexual purity and love. The occasion for the book was Paul’s hearing that the Thessalonians church was persevering through great persecution. Paul had only spent a month in Thessalonica and was chased away all to quickly. He had wanted to teach them more and feared that the Gospel hadn’t had sufficient time to sink into the community. But when he heard they were doing well and undergoing persecution triumphantly he wrote them to praise them, continue his teaching and explain his desire to see them.
A few key passages that stuck out for me were:
1Th 1:3 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;
Here we have faith, hope and love, which reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Which comes first and what’s the right order? Faith, hope or love? I think we first have to believe something is possible in order to hope for it to happen. So faith comes before hope. And hope comes before love, because people who hope for eternal life come to love God.
It’s interesting how Paul puts this: work of faith, labor of love, patience of hope. Faith, love & hope produce our actions. Hope especially was producing the Thessalonians’ perseverance through tribulation.
Another passage that stood out was:
1Th 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
1Th 2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
1Th 2:6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
1Th 2:7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:
1Th 2:8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.
1Th 2:9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.
Here Paul shares the right attitude Christians should have for witnessing. We are not to be attention seeking, flashy or to sugar coat things to trick people into coming to church. Rather we are to be sincere, gentle, loving and willing to sacrifice. This is a tough one into today’s age, where the gospel is watered down to produce numbers. God tries the hearts.
One final passage for now:
1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
A few things. First off, I find it interesting that even though Paul had only been at Thessolonica for a few months, he go into the topics of the resurrection, Christ’s return and the rapture with them. These were newbies in the faith, yet this is what Paul wanted to focus them in on. I have heard that Luther & Calvin (theological giants) avoid talking about end times. But Paul didn’t.
Another thing I notice is the contrast between this passage and Revelations 20.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The interesting contrast here is that in Revelation Christ is coming to reign for 1000 years on earth, but in Thessalonians Christ catches up His people to Him in the clouds. This has implications in the pre-tribulation/post-tribulation debate. Those in the post-tribulation camp would likely say that this is one event. After the tribulation, the dead in Christ rise up and we are all caught up for a reunion in the sky. But we don’t go up to heaven we come back down to earth to reign with Christ. Those in the pre-tribulation camp say that this must be two separate events.
The last and probably most important point here is that Paul used this message to comfort the Thessalonians as they were being killed for their faith. Don’t worry about death, Christ will come again and you will be raised up. We will win in the end.
The primary topics of the book are: persecution, Christ’s return, sexual purity and love. The occasion for the book was Paul’s hearing that the Thessalonians church was persevering through great persecution. Paul had only spent a month in Thessalonica and was chased away all to quickly. He had wanted to teach them more and feared that the Gospel hadn’t had sufficient time to sink into the community. But when he heard they were doing well and undergoing persecution triumphantly he wrote them to praise them, continue his teaching and explain his desire to see them.
A few key passages that stuck out for me were:
1Th 1:3 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;
Here we have faith, hope and love, which reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Which comes first and what’s the right order? Faith, hope or love? I think we first have to believe something is possible in order to hope for it to happen. So faith comes before hope. And hope comes before love, because people who hope for eternal life come to love God.
It’s interesting how Paul puts this: work of faith, labor of love, patience of hope. Faith, love & hope produce our actions. Hope especially was producing the Thessalonians’ perseverance through tribulation.
Another passage that stood out was:
1Th 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
1Th 2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
1Th 2:6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
1Th 2:7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:
1Th 2:8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.
1Th 2:9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.
Here Paul shares the right attitude Christians should have for witnessing. We are not to be attention seeking, flashy or to sugar coat things to trick people into coming to church. Rather we are to be sincere, gentle, loving and willing to sacrifice. This is a tough one into today’s age, where the gospel is watered down to produce numbers. God tries the hearts.
One final passage for now:
1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
A few things. First off, I find it interesting that even though Paul had only been at Thessolonica for a few months, he go into the topics of the resurrection, Christ’s return and the rapture with them. These were newbies in the faith, yet this is what Paul wanted to focus them in on. I have heard that Luther & Calvin (theological giants) avoid talking about end times. But Paul didn’t.
Another thing I notice is the contrast between this passage and Revelations 20.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The interesting contrast here is that in Revelation Christ is coming to reign for 1000 years on earth, but in Thessalonians Christ catches up His people to Him in the clouds. This has implications in the pre-tribulation/post-tribulation debate. Those in the post-tribulation camp would likely say that this is one event. After the tribulation, the dead in Christ rise up and we are all caught up for a reunion in the sky. But we don’t go up to heaven we come back down to earth to reign with Christ. Those in the pre-tribulation camp say that this must be two separate events.
The last and probably most important point here is that Paul used this message to comfort the Thessalonians as they were being killed for their faith. Don’t worry about death, Christ will come again and you will be raised up. We will win in the end.
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