1 Thessalonians 1

1 Thessalonians 1 is the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians. After a greeting that identifies the senders and the recipient church, the letter opens with thanksgiving for the faith of the Thessalonian church.

Outline

• Verse 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy write to the church of the Thessalonians and pray for grace and peace upon them.
• Verses 2–5 They give thanks to God, remembering the church's work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope. They know that the church has been chosen by God, and they affirm that the gospel came not in word only but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance.
• Verses 6–8 In much affliction the church received the word with joy of the Holy Spirit and became followers of the apostles and of the Lord. As a result, they became examples to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia, and the report of their faith spread everywhere.
• Verses 9–10 Others report how the Thessalonian believers turned from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son Jesus to come from heaven.

Key Verses

• 1 Thessalonians 1:3 "Your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope": brings faith, hope, and love together as the fruit of the life of faith.
• 1 Thessalonians 1:9 "Ye turned to God from idols": a concise summary of Gentile conversion.
• 1 Thessalonians 1:10 "To wait for his Son from heaven": the first mention of the expectation of the Second Coming, a theme that runs throughout the letter.

People and Places

• Paul: the apostle who sent the letter.
• Silvanus: Paul's coworker, known to be the same person as Silas in the Book of Acts.
• Timothy: Paul's coworker.
• Thessalonica: the city where the recipient church was located.
• Macedonia: a region of northern Greece to which Thessalonica belonged.
• Achaia: a region of southern Greece to which Corinth belonged.

Points for Reflection

• Election: The Calvinist tradition reads the "election" of verse 4 as a passage showing God's sovereign choice, that is, predestination. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions understand it as election based on foreknown faith or as a calling addressed to the community as a whole.
• The wrath to come: Many interpreters read verse 10 as referring to deliverance at the Last Judgment. Some within dispensationalism cite this verse, together with 5:9, as support for a pretribulation rapture.
• Background: Paul's evangelism in Thessalonica and the opposition that followed are recorded in Acts 17. The text of chapter 1 itself speaks only of "much affliction."
• Many regard this letter as the earliest of Paul's epistles.