Advanced Commentary
Texts -- 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20 (NET)
Pericope
NET
- 1Th 2:1-16 -- Paul's Ministry in Thessalonica
- 1Th 2:17--3:13 -- Forced Absence from Thessalonica
Bible Dictionary
-
THESSALONIANS, THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE
[isbe] THESSALONIANS, THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE - thes-a-lo'-ni-anz I. IMPORTANCE OF THE EPISTLE II. CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH 1. Luke's Narrative in Acts 2. Confirmation of Luke's Narrative in the Epistle ...
-
Minister
[nave] MINISTER, a sacred teacher. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-topics; Call of; Character and Qualifications of; Charge Delivered to; Courage of; Duties of; Duties of the Church to; Emoluments of; Faithful, Instanc...
-
Thessalonians, Epistles to the
[ebd] The first epistle to the Thessalonians was the first of all Paul's epistles. It was in all probability written from Corinth, where he abode a "long time" (Acts 18:11, 18), early in the period of his residence there, about th...
-
Preaching
[nave] PREACHING, the act of exhorting, prophesying, reproving, teaching. Solomon called preacher, Eccl. 1:1, 12. Noah called preacher, 2 Pet. 2:5. Sitting while, Matt. 5:1; Luke 4:20; 5:3. Moses, slow of speech, Ex. 4:10-12. Re...
-
Zeal
[nave] ZEAL, Religious Josh. 24:15, 16; 2 Sam. 24:24, 25; 1 Kin. 9:4; 1 Kin. 15:14; 1 Chr. 29:17; 2 Chr. 15:15; 2 Chr. 19:3; Ezra 7:23; Job 16:19; Psa. 42:1, 2; Psa. 60:4; Psa. 96:2, 3, 10; Psa. 119:139; Prov. 11:30; Eccl. 9:10; ...
-
Love
[nave] LOVE. Of Children for Parents See: Children. Of God See: God, Love of. Of Mankind for God Ex. 20:6 Deut. 5:10. Deut. 6:5; Deut. 7:9; Deut. 10:12; Deut. 11:1; Deut. 13:3; Deut. 30:6 vs. 16,20.; Josh. 22:5 Deut. 11:1, 13...
-
Persecution
[isbe] PERSECUTION - pur-se-ku'-shun (@diogmos] (Mt 13:21; Mk 4:17; 10:30; Acts 8:1; 13:50; Rom 8:35; 2 Cor 12:10; 2 Thess 1:4; 2 Tim 3:11)): 1. Persecution in Old Testament Times 2. Between the Testaments 3. Foretold by Christ 4. ...
[nave] PERSECUTION See also Intolerance; Bigotry. Of Jesus Gen. 3:15; Psa. 2:1-5; Psa. 22:1, 2, 6-8, 11-21; Psa. 69:7-9, 20, 21, 26 vs. 1-21.; Psa. 109:25; Isa. 49:7; Isa. 50:6; Isa. 52:14; Isa. 53:2-5, 7-10; Mic. 5:1; Matt. 2:13...
-
MACEDONIA
[smith] (extended land), a large and celebrated country lying north of Greece, the first part of Europe which received the gospel directly from St. Paul, and an important scene of his subsequent missionary labors and those of his com...
-
Paul
[nave] PAUL Called also Saul, Acts 8:1; 9:1; 13:9. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5. Personal appearance of, 2 Cor. 10:1, 10; 11:6. Born in Tarsus, Acts 9:11; 21:39; 22:3. Educated at Jerusalem in the school of Ga...
-
Gospel
[isbe] GOSPEL - gos'-pel (to euaggelion): The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word which meant "the story concerning God." In the New Testament the Greek word euaggelion, means "good news." It proclaims tidings of deliv...
[nave] GOSPEL Called Gospel of the Kingdom, Matt. 4:23; 24:14; Gospel of God, Rom. 1:1; 15:16; 1 Thess. 2:8; 1 Tim. 1:11; 1 Pet. 4:17; Gospel of Jesus Christ, Mark 1:1; Gospel of Christ, Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 9:12, 18; Gal. 1:7; Phil. ...
-
Glory
[isbe] GLORY - glo'-ri (substantive): I. METHOD OF TREATMENT II. GENERAL USE OF THE TERM 1. As Applied to External Things 2. As Applied to Yahweh III. THE USES OF KABHODH 1. Material Wealth 2. Human Dignity and Majesty 3. "My Soul"...
[nave] GLORY God is, to his people, Psa. 3:3; Zech. 2:5. Christ is, to his people, Isa. 60:1; Luke 2:32. The gospel ordained to be, to saints, 1 Cor. 2:7. Of the gospel exceeds that of the law, 2 Cor. 3:9, 10. The joy of saints...
-
Philippi
[ebd] (1.) Formerly Crenides, "the fountain," the capital of the province of Macedonia. It stood near the head of the Sea, about 8 miles north-west of Kavalla. It is now a ruined village, called Philibedjik. Philip of Macedonia fo...
[isbe] PHILIPPI - fi-lip'-i (Philippoi, ethnic Philippesios, Phil 4:15): 1. Position and Name: A city of Macedonia, situated in 41ø 5' North latitude and 24ø 16' East longitude. It lay on the Egnatian Road, 33 Roman miles fro...
[nave] PHILIPPI, a city of Macedonia. Paul preaches in, Acts 16:12-40; 20:1-6; 1 Thess. 2:1, 2. Contributes to the needs of Paul, Phil. 4:10-18. Paul sends Epaphroditus to, Phil. 2:25. Paul writes a letter to the Christians of, P...
-
Flattery
[nave] FLATTERY. Job 17:5; Job 32:21, 22; Psa. 5:8, 9; Psa. 12:2, 3 Psa. 5:9; Psa. 36:2; Psa. 49:13 Prov. 6:24. Psa. 78:36 Rom. 16:18. Prov. 5:3; Prov. 7:5, 21; Prov. 14:20; Prov. 19:4, 6; Prov. 20:19; Prov. 22:16; Prov. 24:24; Pr...
-
PAUL, THE APOSTLE, 1
[isbe] PAUL, THE APOSTLE, 1 - pol, I. Sources 1. The Acts 2. The Thirteen Epistles (1) Pauline Authorship (2) Lightfoot's Grouping (a) First Group (1 and 2 Thessalonians) (b) Second Group (1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, (c...
-
Sincerity
[nave] SINCERITY Does not exempt from guilt, Gen. 20. See: Ignorance, Sins of. Forgiveness of enemies must be sincere, Matt. 18:35. Servants must render honest service, Eph. 6:5-7. Whatsoever is done must be in, 1 Cor. 10:31. ...
-
THESSALONIANS, THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE
[isbe] THESSALONIANS, THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE - I. IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING 1 THESSALONIANS AND 2 THESSALONIANS TOGETHER II. AUTHENTICITY 1. Arguments against the Pauline Authorship 2. Arguments for the Pauline Authorship I...
-
THESSALONICA
[isbe] THESSALONICA - thes-a-lo-ni'-ka (Thessalonike, ethnic Thessalonikeus): 1. Position and Name: One of the chief towns of Macedonia from Hellenistic times down to the present day. It lies in 40 degrees 40 minutes North latitude...
-
Gentleness
[isbe] GENTLENESS - jen'-t'-l-nes (`anah; epieikeia, chrestotes): In 2 Sam 22:36 `anah, "to bend low," "to condescend," is translated "gentleness," "Thy gentleness hath made me great," the Revised Version, margin "or condescension"...
[nave] GENTLENESS. Of Christ Isa. 40:11; 2 Cor. 10:1; Matt. 11:29. See: Jesus, Compassion of, Humility of, Meekness of. Of God 2 Sam. 22:36; Psa. 18:35; Isa. 40:11. See: God, Compassion of, Longsuffering of. Of Paul, 1 Thess...
-
Satan
[isbe] SATAN - sa'-tan (saTan), "adversary," from the verb saTan, "to lie in wait" (as adversary); Satan, Satanas, "adversary," diabolos, "Devil," "adversary" or "accuser," kategor (altogether unclassical and unGreek) (used once in...
[nave] SATAN Called Abaddon, Rev. 9:11; accuser of our brethren, Rev. 12:10; adversary, 1 Pet. 5:8; angel of the bottomless pit, Rev. 9:11; Apollyon, Rev. 9:11; Beelzebub, Matt. 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15; Belial, 2 Cor. 6:15; th...
-
Call
[nave] CALL, Personal By Christ, Isa. 55:5; Rom. 1:6; by his Spirit, Rev. 22:17; by his works, Psa. 19:2, 3; Rom. 1:20; by his ministers, Jer. 35:15; 2 Cor. 5:20; by his gospel, 2 Thess. 2:14. Is from darkness to light, 1 Pet. 2...
Arts
Questions
- The soul and the spirit are very closely related in the Bible (see 1 Samuel 1:15; Job 7:11; Isaiah 26:9), thought there is a difference (Hebrews 4:12). 1 Thessalonians speaks of use being preserved in body, soul, and spirit (...
- Here are the passages in the New Testament where the Greek word (noun) for pastor is found: Matt. 9:36; 25:32; 26:31; Mk. 6:34; 14:27; Lk. 2:8, 15, 18, 20; Jn. 10:2, 11f, 14, 16; Eph. 4:11; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25 Here ...
- This passage in I Cor. 11:26 has been variously discussed. Is it the Lord's presence, the coming to take away his followers by death, or his coming to judge the world that is here meant? The best expositors hold that the apos...
- That text in Romans 11:29 is used by Paul in reference to His choosing of the nation Israel, so it probably does not relate directly to the matter of spiritual gifts (thus, Israel's future deliverance and faith in Messiah i...
- I must warn you that some may not agree with my answer. In the first place, the Bible does teach that the worker has the right to be supported by those to whom he ministers: 1 Corinthians 9:1-14 Galatians 6:6 2...
- Christ assumes toward all his followers the attitude of a friend. He said to his disciples: "Henceforth I call you not servants, but I have called you friends." We "work together" with him as friend with friend; our interests...
- Paul, in common with the people of his time, had a firm belief in the interference of Satanic influence in human life. Not only in I Thess. 2:18, but in II Cor. 12:7, he refers to it. The "thorn in the flesh," whatever that a...
- "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). We are commanded to have faith in God and in Christ (John 14:1; John 6:29) and yet it, of itself, is the gift and work of God in us, t...
- We should be devoted to God because of his mercies (Rom. 12:1), of his goodness (I Sam. 12:24) and because of the call with which he invites us to him. The death of Christ and our redemption should be compelling forces. Our d...
- Believing, fearing, loving, following, obeying and rejoicing in God (Mar. 11:22; Ecc. 12:13; I Pet 2:17; Deu. 6:5; Eph. 5:1; Luke 1:6; Ps. 33:1). Believing in, loving, obeying, rejoicing in, and following the example of Chris...
Sermon Illustrations
Why Evangelize?;
What to Expect from Your Pastor;
How Many People Will Be In Heaven Because of Us?;
C. H. Spurgeon;
C. H. Spurgeon;
Biblical Resources;
Descriptions of the Second Advent;
Acts of Satan;
Charles Spurgeon;
Called From and To;
Filling Needs;
A Kingdom Implies a King;
Things to Pray for;
2 Corinthians 2:11
Resources/Books
Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)
-
The "rabble"(v. 4) were the non-Israelites who had come out of Egypt with God's people (Exod. 12:38). It did not take them long to become discontented with conditions in the desert and to complain about their bland diet of ma...
-
3:5 The Lord also had a message concerning the false prophets who were misleading His people. The false prophets gave benedictions to those who paid them, but people who did not give them anything received maledictions of doo...
-
5:33 Jesus next gave a condensation of several commands in the Old Testament that forbade taking an oath, invoking the Lord's name to guarantee the oath, and then breaking it (Exod. 20:7; Lev. 19:12; Num. 30:2; Deut. 5:11; 6:...
-
Jesus proceeded to clarify the way of discipleship. In view of Jesus' death His disciples, as well as He, would have to die to self. However, they could rejoice in the assurance that the kingdom would come eventually. Glory w...
-
23:29-30 By building monuments to the prophets and other righteous people that their forefathers had martyred, the Pharisees were saying that they would not have killed them if they had been alive then. These construction pro...
-
Stephen concluded his defense by indicting his accusers. They had brought charges against him, but now he brought more serious charges against them.In his first speech to the Sanhedrin, Peter had been quite brief and forthrig...
-
This short section sets the stage for Philip's ministry by giving us its cause.8:1b Stephen's execution ignited the first popular persecution of Christian Jews.348Since Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew, the Hellenistic Jewish Ch...
-
15:1 The men from Judea who came down to Antioch appear to have been Jewish Christians who took the former view of Christianity described above. They believed a person could not become a Christian without first becoming a Jew...
-
17:1 Paul, Silas, Timothy, and perhaps others left Philippi and headed southwest on the Egnatian Road. Luke evidently stayed in Philippi since he again described Paul's party as "they"instead of "we"(cf. 20:5-6). Paul and Sil...
-
18:1 Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia and was a Roman colony. The Romans razed Corinth in 146 B.C., but it was rebuilt a century later in 46 B.C. Its site lay about 50 miles southwest of Athens at a ver...
-
18:5 Maybe Paul was able to stop practicing his trade and give full time to teaching and evangelizing if Silas returned from Philippi with a monetary gift, as seems likely (cf. Phil. 4:14-16; 2 Cor. 11:9). Timothy had returne...
-
"Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders is the nearest approximation to the Pauline letters in Acts. Its general content recalls how in his letters Paul encouraged, warned, and exhorted his converts. Moreover, its the...
-
Paul now developed the key concept to which he referred in chapter 14, namely putting the welfare of others before that of self (cf. Gal. 6:2). This is love.15:1 The strong ought to take the initiative in resolving the tensio...
-
It may seem unusual that Paul knew so many people by name in the church in Rome since he had never visited it. However travel in the Roman Empire was fairly easy during Paul's lifetime. Probably he had met some of these peopl...
-
3:10 In the new illustration Paul laid the foundation of the church in Corinth by founding the church, and others added the walls and continued building on that foundation. Paul's special mission from God was to found churche...
-
"The first paragraph (vv. 1-5) leads the way by making an application of the servant model and showing how that relates to their treatment of him [Paul]. He changes images from farm to household and insists that he is God'sse...
-
The issue of Paul's right to their material support underlies this whole pericope."Philosophers and wandering missionaries in the Greco-Roman world were supported' by four means: fees, patronage, begging, and working. Each of...
-
In this first sub-section, which is transitional, Paul's intention was to convince the Corinthians that his recent actions arose from sincere motives.1:12 He first claimed generally that his actions did not arise from the mot...
-
Paul was not only proud of the Corinthians but he also rejoiced over the Christians in Macedonia, the Corinthians' neighbors to the north. This joy connects the present section with the former one.8:1-2 Paul tactfully began h...
-
This section continues the point of the previous one. Paul was not dependent on the other apostles for his ministry any more than he was for the message he proclaimed. This explanation would have further convinced his readers...
-
Having described the basis of Christian unity Paul next explained the means by which we can preserve it, namely with the gifts that the Spirit gives.4:7 Whereas each believer has received grace (unmerited favor and divine ena...
-
The Philippian Christians were special favorites of the apostle Paul. Their response to the gospel and their subsequent progress in the faith were exemplary. However the connections between Paul and Philippi that the New Test...
-
Another messenger would arrive in Philippi before either Paul or Timothy. Epaphroditus would carry this epistle to its destination. Paul wrote this pericope to prepare for a proper reception of its courier and to draw attenti...
-
3:22 Paul probably made this section longer than the preceding two because he sent this epistle to Colosse with the Epistle to Philemon. Onesimus, Philemon's run-away slave, carried them.166Moreover there may well have been m...
-
Thessalonica was an important city. Cassander, the Macedonian king, founded it in 315 B.C. and named it for his wife, who was a half-sister of Alexander the Great. It was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia, and it...
-
In view of this epistle's contents, Paul had at least three purposes in mind when he wrote it. First, he wanted to encourage the Christians in Thessalonica who were making good progress in their new faith (1:2-10). Second, he...
-
In this epistle there is evidence that Paul had conflicting emotions regarding the new church in Thessalonica. On the one hand he was joyful and satisfied with what God had accomplished. On the other hand he felt concern abou...
-
I. Salutation and greeting 1:1II. Personal commendations and explanations 1:2-3:13A. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians 1:2-101. Summary statement 1:2-32. Specific reasons 1:4-10B. Reminders for the Thessalonians 2:1-161. How...
-
1:4-5 Paul's favorite appellation for the Thessalonians was "brothers."He used it 15 times in this epistle and seven times in 2 Thessalonians. It emphasizes the equality of Christians in the family of God, Jews and Gentiles. ...
-
Paul proceeded to rehearse the events of his ministry among his readers summarizing his motivation and actions. He did so to strengthen their confidence in him in view of questions that may have arisen in their minds and accu...
-
Paul reminded his readers how they had welcomed the gospel message to vindicate further his own ministry and to emphasize the importance of proclaiming this message. He did this so the Thessalonians would continue to herald i...
-
2:17-18 Paul and his companions had to leave Thessalonica prematurely, and for Paul the separation was an especially sorrowful one. He compared it to being bereft (lit. orphaned). He felt torn from his spiritual children. How...
-
3:1-2 Paul returned to the report of his plans (2:17-18). He explained that by the time he, Silas, and Timothy had reached Athens they felt they could not stay away from their young converts in Thessalonica any longer. They d...
-
This prayer illustrates Paul's genuine concern for the Thessalonians, and it bridges the narrative material in chapters 1-3 and the parenetic material in chapters 4-5.633:11 Paul summarized the content of his prayer in the fo...
-
In this last major section of the epistle, introduced by "Finally,"Paul urged his readers to continue walking (behaving day by day) as the missionaries had instructed them (cf. Gal. 5:25). They needed to "excel still more."Th...
-
This section opens and closes with explicit references to the will of God.4:3-5 The will of God for the Christian is clear. Positively it is sanctification, namely a life set apart from sin unto God. Negatively it involves ab...
-
5:23 Peace in the assembly was very important to Paul. The "spirit"is the part of us that enables us to communicate with God. The "soul"makes us conscious of ourselves. The "body"is the physical part that expresses the inner ...
-
1:3 In his earlier epistle to the Thessalonians Paul had urged them to grow in faith (1 Thess. 4:10) and to increase in love (1 Thess. 3:12). He now rejoiced that they were doing both of these things (v. 3).5Paul began each o...
-
Paul listed seven responsibilities of these women. They were (1) to be lovers of their husbands (to put their welfare before self-interests), (2) to be lovers of their children, and (3) to be sensible (Gr. sophronas; self-con...
-
The writer returned again from exhortation to exposition. He now posed the alternatives of rest and peril that confronted the new people of God, Christians.127The writer warned his readers so they would not fail to enter into...
-
The writer now focused on the issue of sacrifice."The argument moves a stage further as the author turns specifically to what Christ has done. The sacrifices of the old covenant were ineffectual. But in strong contrast Christ...
-
In view of how God uses trials in our lives we should persevere in the will of God joyfully. The Christian who perseveres under trials, who does not yield to temptations to depart from the will of God, demonstrates his or her...
-
5:1 In view of the inevitability of trials and God's judgment Peter gave a special charge to the elders (overseers) of the congregations of his readers. Peter himself was an elder as well as an apostle. As an elder he spoke f...
-
Peter drew application for his readers and focused their attention on how they should live presently in view of the future.3:11 Peter believed that an understanding of the future should motivate the believer to live a holy li...
-
John commended Gaius for his love of the brethren to encourage him to continue practicing this virtue.v. 5 John loved Gaius as Gaius loved the brethren to whom he had extended hospitality."The early Christian community's deep...
-
1:9 John now addressed the seven churches to which he sent this epistolary prophecy directly. He described himself to his readers as their brother in Christ and a partaker with them in three things. These were, first, the rel...
-
The citizens of Smyrna had a reputation for being faithful to the emperor because of their previous acts of fidelity to him. The crown of life is probably the fullness of eternal life as a reward (cf. 1 Cor. 9:25; 1 Thess. 2:...
-
4:2 As soon as John heard this invitation, he entered another ecstatic state (cf. 1:10). His body remained on the earth, but he saw a throne and someone sitting on it in heaven (cf. Ezek. 11:1, 5). "Throne"occurs 45 times in ...
Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)
-
This form of the expression, though by no means so frequent as the other, is found throughout Paul's epistles, thrice in the earliest--Thessalonians (1 Thess. 2:8), once in the great Epistle to the (Romans 1:1), once in Corin...
-
Now, when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath-days reasoned with them out of the...
-
Walk worthy of God.'--1 Thess. 2:12.HERE we have the whole law of Christian conduct in a nutshell. There may be many detailed commandments, but they can all be deduced from this one.We are lifted up above the region of petty ...