Text -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9 (NET)

3:9 For how can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel because of you before our God?

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: 1Th 3:9

Render again unto God ( tōi theōi antapodounai ).

Second aorist active infinitive of double compound verb anṫapodidōmi , to give back (apo ) in return for (anti ). Old verb rare in N.T., but again in 2Th 1:6.

Robertson: 1Th 3:9

For you ( peri humōn ).

Around (concerning) you, while in 1Th 3:2 huper (over is used for "concerning your faith."

Robertson: 1Th 3:9

For ( epi ).

Basis again as cause or ground for the joy.

Robertson: 1Th 3:9

Wherewith we joy ( hēi chairomen ).

Probably cognate accusative hēn with chairomen attracted to locative charāi (Mat 2:10).

JFB: 1Th 3:9

What sufficient thanks?

JFB: 1Th 3:9

In return for His goodness (Psa 116:12).

JFB: 1Th 3:9

"concerning you."

JFB: 1Th 3:9

On account of all the joy. It was "comfort," 1Th 3:7, now it is more, namely, joy.

JFB: 1Th 3:9

On your account.

JFB: 1Th 3:9

It is a joy which will bear God's searching eye: a joy as in the presence of God, not self-seeking, but disinterested, sincere, and spiritual (compare 1Th 2:20; Joh 15:11).

Clarke: 1Th 3:9

What thanks can we render to God - The high satisfaction and uncommon joy which the apostle felt are strongly depicted in the language he uses. How near his heart did the success of his ministry lie! It was not enough for him that he preached so often, labored so hard, suffered so much; what were all these if souls were not converted? And what were all conversions, if those who embraced the Gospel did not walk steadily in the way to heaven, and persevere?

Calvin: 1Th 3:9

9.For what thanksgiving. Not satisfied with a simple affirmation, he intimates how extraordinary is the greatness of his joy, by asking himself what thanks he can render to God; for by speaking thus he declares that he cannot find an expression of gratitude that can come up to the measure of his joy. He says that he rejoices before God, that is, truly and without any pretense.

TSK: 1Th 3:9

what : 1Th 1:2, 1Th 1:3; 2Sa 7:18-20; Neh 9:5; Psa 71:14, Psa 71:15; 2Co 2:14, 2Co 9:15

for : 1Th 3:7, 1Th 3:8, 1Th 2:19

before : Deu 12:2, Deu 12:18, Deu 16:11; 2Sa 6:21; Psa 68:3, Psa 96:12, Psa 96:13, Psa 98:8, Psa 98:9

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: 1Th 3:9

For what thanks can we render to God again - That is, what expression of thanksgiving can we render to God that shall be an equivalent for the joy which your holy walk has furnished, or which will suitably express our gratitude for it.

Poole: 1Th 3:9

This is another effect of the message Timothy brought, it caused in the apostle great thanksgivings to God. First he rejoiced in their faith, and then gives thanks to God for that joy. The matter of his rejoicing was their faith, but the author and upholder of this faith was God; and in giving thanks to God for his joy, he gives thanks also to God for their faith from whence it sprang. The joy that ministers have in their people’ s faith should break forth into thanksgivings. And the apostle’ s thanks to God was beyond what he could return or express, as appears by the form of his speech:

For what thanks can we render? &c.; as Psa 116:12 : What shall I render unto the Lord? said David. And his rejoicing before God implies both the nature of it, it was divine and spiritual, and his respect to God therein, as David danced before the Lord with all his might, 2Sa 6:14 ; i.e. with a respect to God’ s goodness then declared Or the apostle might mean his joy was inward, before God, rather than before men.

Gill: 1Th 3:9

For what thanks can we render to God again or you,.... They had given thanks to God for them before, for their faith, love, and patience; see 1Th 1:2 and now having received a further account of them, they looked upon themselves bound to give fresh thanks to God for them, for the increase of their faith and love, and for their perseverance, as they did; see 2Th 1:3 since these are gifts of God's grace; but they knew not where to begin, what to render, and when to end: the phrase is much like that in Psa 116:12 "what shall I render unto the Lord", &c.

for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God: the joy they had was all joy, perfect and complete in its kind; see Jam 1:2 and it was not for themselves, on their own account, because of any worldly interest or advantage they had therein, but for the sake of these Thessalonians, whose spiritual welfare they rejoiced at: nor was their joy of a carnal nature, but spiritual; it was a joy in the Holy Ghost, and which was hearty and sincere: it was "before God our" God, their covenant God and Father; it was in his sight and presence, who sees and knows all things, all actions, and the principles of them. Though this last clause, "before our God", is in the Syriac version, placed at the beginning of the next verse, according to which, it refers, not to thanks or joy before God, but to prayer before him.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Th 3:9

¹ tn Grk “what thanks can we render to God about you.”

² tn Grk “all the joy with which we rejoice.”

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: 1Th 3:1-13

1 Saint Paul testifies his great love to the Thessalonians, partly by sending Timothy unto them to strengthen and comfort them; partly by rejoicing in their well-doing;

10 and partly by praying for them, and desiring a safe coming unto them.

MHCC: 1Th 3:6-10

Thankfulness to God is very imperfect in the present state; but one great end of the ministry of the word is to help faith forward. That which was the instrument to obtain faith, is also the means of increasing and confirming it, namely, the ordinances of God; and as faith cometh by hearing, so it is confirmed by hearing also.

Matthew Henry: 1Th 3:6-10

Here we have Paul's great satisfaction upon the return of Timothy with good tidings from the Thessalonians, in which we may observe,

I. The good report Timothy made concerning them, 1Th 3:6. Without question, he was a willing messenger of these good tidings. Concerning their faith, that is, concerning their stedfastness in the faith, that they were not shaken in mind, nor turned aside form the profession of the gospel. Their love also continued; their love to the gospel, and the ministers of the gospel. For they had a good and a kind remembrance of the apostles, and that constantly, or always. The names of the apostles were very dear to them, and the thoughts of them, and what they themselves had received from them, were very precious, insomuch that they desired greatly to see them again, and receive some spiritual gift from them; and there was no love lost, for the apostle was as desirous to see them. It is happy where there is such mutual love between minister and people. This tends to promote religion, and the success of the gospel. The world hates them, and therefore they should love one another.

II. The great comfort and satisfaction the apostle had in this good report concerning them (1Th 3:7, 1Th 3:8): Therefore, brethren, we were comforted in all our affliction and distress. The apostle thought this good news of them was sufficient to balance all the troubles he met with. It was easy to him to bear affliction, or persecution, or fightings from without, when he found the good success of his ministry and the constancy of the converts he had made to Christianity; and his distress of mind on account of his fears within, lest he had laboured in vain, was now in a good measure over, when he understood their faith and the perseverance of it. This put new life and spirit into the apostle and made him vigorous and active in the work of the Lord. Thus he was not only comforted, but greatly rejoiced also: Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord, 1Th 3:8. It would have been a killing thing to the apostles if the professors of religion had been unsteady, or proved apostates; whereas nothing was more encouraging than their constancy.

III. The effects of this were thankfulness and prayer to God on their behalf. Observe, 1. How thankful the apostle was, 1Th 3:9. He was full of joy, and full of praise and thanksgiving. When we are most cheerful we should be most thankful. What we rejoice in we should give thanks for. This is to rejoice before our God, to spiritualize our joy. Paul speaks as if he could not tell how to express his thankfulness to God, or his joy and rejoicing for their sakes. But he was careful God should not lose the glory of the comfort he received in the welfare of his friends. His heart was enlarged with love to them and with thanksgiving to God. He was willing to express the one and the other as well as he could. As to thankfulness to God, this especially is very imperfect in the present state; but, when we come to heaven, we shall do this work better than now we can. 2. He prayed for them night and day (1Th 3:10), evening and morning, or very frequently, in the midst of the business of the day or slumber of the night lifting up his heart to God in prayer. Thus we should pray always. And Paul's prayer was fervent prayer. He prayed exceedingly, and was earnest in his supplication. Note, When we are most thankful we should always give ourselves to prayer; and those we give thanks for have yet need to be prayed for. Those whom we most rejoice in, and who are our greatest comforts, must be our constant care, while in this world of temptation and imperfection. There was something still lacking in their faith; Paul desired that this might be perfected, and to see their face in order thereunto. Note, (1.) The best of men have something wanting in their faith, if not as to the matter of it, there being some mysteries or doctrines not sufficiently known or believed by them, yet as to the clearness and certainty of their faith, there being some remaining darkness and doubtings, or at least as to the effects and operations of it, these being not so conspicuous and perfect as they should be. And, (2.) The ministry of the word and ordinances is helpful, and to be desired and used for the perfecting of that which is lacking in our faith.

Barclay: 1Th 3:1-10

In this passage there breathes the very essence of the spirit of the pastor.

(i) There is affection. We can never affect or win people unless we begin, quite simply, by liking them. It was Carlyle who said of London, "There are three and a half million people in this city--mostly fools!" The man who begins by despising men or by disliking them can never go on to save them.

(ii) There is anxiety. When a man has put the best of himself into anything, when he has launched anything from a liner to a pamphlet, he is anxious until he knows how the work of his hands and of his brain will weather the storms. If that is true of things, it is still more poignantly true of people. When a parent has trained a child with love and sacrifice, he is anxious when that child is launched out on the difficulties and dangers of life in the world. When a teacher has taught a child and put something of himself into that teaching, he is anxious to see how that training will stand the test of life. When a minister has received a young person into the Church, after years of training in Sunday School and in Bible Class and latterly in the First Communicants' Class, in confirmation class, he is anxious to know how he will fulfil the duties and the obligations of Church membership. Supremely it is so with Jesus Christ. He staked so much on men and loved them with such a sacrificial love that he anxiously watches and waits to see how they will use that love. A man must stand awed and humbled when he remembers how in earth and in heaven there are those who are bearing him on their hearts and watching how he fares.

(iii) There is help. When Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica it was not nearly so much to inspect the Church there as it was to help it. It should be the great aim of every parent, every teacher and every preacher, not so much to criticize and condemn those in his charge for their faults and mistakes but to save them from these faults and mistakes. The Christian attitude to the sinner and the struggler must never be that of condemnation but always that of help.

(iv) There is joy. Paul was glad that his converts were standing fast. He had the joy of one who had created something which would stand the tests of time. There is no joy like that of the parent who can point to a child who has done well.

(v) There is prayer. Paul carried his people on his heart to God's mercy seat. We will never know from how much sin we have been saved and how much temptation we have conquered all because someone prayed for us. It is told that once a servant-girl became a member of a Church. She was asked what Christian work she did. She said that she had not the opportunity to do much because her duties were so constant but, she said, "When I go to bed I take the morning newspaper to my bed with me; and I read the notices of the births and I pray for all the little babies; and I read the notices of marriage and I pray that those who have been married may be happy; and I read the announcements of death and I pray that the sorrowing may be comforted." No man can ever tell what tides of grace flowed from her attic bedroom. When we can serve people no other way, when, like Paul, we are unwillingly separated from them, there is one thing we can still do--we can pray for them.

Constable: 1Th 3:6-13

2. Joy on hearing about them 3:6-13

Paul rejoiced when he heard that the Thessalonians were withstanding persecution. He shared his reaction to this news with them to encourage them to persevere as their afflictions continued.

Constable: 1Th 3:6-10

Timothy's report 3:6-10

3:6-7 Timothy had evidently rejoined Paul in Corinth (v. 16; cf. Acts 18:1). He brought good news that the Thessalonians were holding up well against the winds of persecution. They continued to trust in God and to love others as well as to remember Paul fondly and to desire to see him again (cf. Phile. 5). This news comforted Paul who felt distress because of his concern for all the churches and because of other external afflictions.

3:8-10 Things could not have been better for Paul, however, so long as his readers were standing their ground. God was enabling them to stand firm, and for this Paul gave thanks.⁶¹ The apostle and his companions kept praying earnestly by night and by day that God would give them the opportunity to return to Thessalonica. They desired to return so they could minister to the continuing needs of their spiritual children. These Christians were doing well, but they needed to grow more. They were only baby Christians at this time. They lacked maturity.

"Contemporary Christians can learn from Paul's missionary practice by recognizing that meaningful evangelism must aim for more than acceptance of Christian beliefs by converts. Evangelical Christianity needs to strive to create a social context or community in which converts may be resocialized into a new and distinctively Christian pattern of behavior and practice."⁶²

College: 1Th 3:1-13

1 THESSALONIANS 3

2. Timothy's Visit on Paul's Behalf (3:1-5)

¹ So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. ² We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker ^a in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, ³ so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. ⁴ In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. ⁵ For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.

^a 2 Some manuscripts brother and fellow worker ; other manuscripts brother and God's servant

The break between chapters 2 and 3 interrupts the flow of Paul's argument. Here, as indicated by the NIV's thematic headings, Paul continues his account of his absence from the Thessalonian church during their persecution. The specific subject to which Paul returns is an explanation of Timothy's visit to the Thessalonians as a substitute for his own presence. This, he says, was intended to strengthen them to remain faithful in persecutions which they suffered as an essential part of their experience as Christians.

3:1 So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.

Paul's concern for the Thessalonians in his absence motivated him to take a specific and personally costly step. To be left alone in Athens would take a practical toll as Paul was left by himself to do his missionary work as well as the ordinary, day-to-day tasks which he shared with his colleagues. More important, however, is the toll of loneliness, undoubtedly a high one for a man like Paul who treasured his relationship with fellow Christians, especially as he has expressed their importance to him in this context. "Alone" is therefore emphasized in the Greek sentence structure, movnoi ( monoi ) appearing last in the clause. Only a powerful catalyst, a concern for the Thessalonians so great that Paul could no longer bear his uncertainty, brought about this decision to send his colleague to Thessalonica.

Several incidental points are worth noting here. One is the fact that in this instance, Paul's use of the plural "we" is a stylistic device referring to Paul alone. Secondly, the language here points toward what has been the traditional understanding of the place of writing of this letter. Since Paul refers to "Athens" rather than "here," we can assume that he has since moved on to another city, presumably Corinth, from which he writes. Thirdly, Paul's point here and in v. 2 appears to be that he made the decision not to return to Thessalonica but instead to leave Timothy and Silas in Macedonia, specifically sending Timothy to Thessalonica, and to go by himself to Athens, where he would remain alone. In this respect the account here is very much in accord with the description of Paul's movements in Acts 17:14-15; Luke simply focuses on Paul and is less specific about his associates' journeys.

3:2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker

A difficult textual variation occurs in manuscripts at this verse. The reading followed in the main body of the NIV includes an unusual expression for Paul, who usually refers to his associates as his own fellow workers (sunergov", synergos ; cf. Rom 16:3, 9, 21; Phil 2:25; 4:3; Col 4:11; Phlm 1, 24), not as God's (1 Cor 3:9 is an important exception). This reading is represented only in a few, relatively late manuscripts. A few other manuscripts omit "God's" (tou' qeou', tou theou ), so that Timothy is referred to as Paul's fellow worker, consistent with Paul's normal usage.

Several manuscripts, some early and important, have "servant" (diavkono", diakonos ), in place of "fellow worker," producing a phrase which is also more consistent with Paul's language elsewhere. Still others, no doubt reflecting the variations in the copies on which they relied, combine the two, referring to Timothy as "our brother and God's servant and our fellow worker," or "our brother, God's servant and fellow worker." These last two can be dismissed easily because they are clearly the result of copyists combining variants which already existed; no plausible explanation can be offered for how these longer texts would have come to be shortened.

This leaves the choice between the readings found in the NIV's text and footnote. Here the decision depends on determining which reading, if original, would explain how the others arose. Because it is difficult to establish how a scribe would have mistakenly written the unusual expression "God's fellow worker" instead of one of the other texts, while it is much easier to account for an alteration to a more common expression, the NIV translators have with good reason followed this reading even though it is not found in what are generally regarded as the most reliable manuscripts. The principle that the more difficult reading is usually the original is decisive here.

in spreading the gospel of Christ,

The strength of this expression appears, then, to have been deliberate on Paul's part. Stressing that despite his absence he did what was best for the Thessalonians, he describes Timothy in striking terms. He is not only "our brother," and so one to whom the Thessalonians were bound in Christ, but also "God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ," one dedicated to labor in the pivotal work of God himself, working with God and through his power. In this respect, then, Timothy is as important a visitor as Paul himself. No one should mistake Timothy's visit, therefore, as a sign of Paul's neglect. And it was apparently an effective visit as well: later epistles show that Paul continued to send Timothy to churches as his representative in his absence (1 Cor 4:17; 16:10; Phil 2:19-24).

to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

The purpose of Timothy's visit is indicated with two expressions. He comes to "strengthen" the Thessalonians; here Paul uses sthrivzw (stçrizô), an expression which implies making the believers firm or unchanging in belief despite difficulty. The second term, "to encourage," is parakalevw (parakaleô), the same expression which Paul used to describe his own work "as a father with his own children" in 2:11-12 (see comments there). Here the encouragement is particularly on behalf of the Thessalonians' faith, specifically so that instead of abandoning their faith in persecution, they will grow stronger (cf. Rom 5:3-5). Paul has already indicated that the Thessalonians have proved their faith in persecution (1:6-8), but there the focus was on their initial conversion more than their ongoing faithfulness. Acutely aware of the difficulties faced by new converts in adopting and maintaining Christian belief and behavior in a hostile environment, Paul knows that a hard-won faith can be still be lost. Therefore, this concern for strength and encouragement is always relevant, and so Paul will repeat these two verbs in 2 Thess 2:17 as his ongoing prayer for the Thessalonians.

3:3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.

The division of verses comes at an unfortunate point here, separating the statement of Timothy's mission from its purpose. The NIV's punctuation makes the connection clear, however. Timothy's mission was to prevent the persecution of the Thessalonian Christians from harming their faith. Such harm could come in several ways. One, of course, is the pressure to disavow one's faith and so avoid the persecution that comes because of it. More complex - and the issue which is perhaps more at hand as Paul discusses the problem - is the challenge that suffering creates for the very core of Christian faith. If one believes that Jesus Christ has established the rule of God among his people, that one is reconciled to God and receives the fullness of God's blessings in Christ, then persecution and suffering are difficult to understand. The suffering believer is tempted to conclude that God has abandoned him or her, or that the gospel was false from the start - that in fact it does nothing to change the basic human condition. Such doubts may have arisen in the Thessalonian church, prompting Paul's discussion here.

You know quite well that we were destined for them.

Paul's approach to that question here is to assert what he says the readers already know from their previous instruction: suffering is the predictable lot of Christians in this age (the second "we" clearly includes the readers). In fact, Paul uses language here that implies that God has foreordained that his people should suffer. "Destined" in v. 3 translates kei'mai ( keimai ), a verb used occasionally in the New Testament to refer to God's "placing" of something for a particular purpose (cf. Phil 1:16; Luke 2:34).

3:4 In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.

The phrase translated "we would be persecuted" is mevllomen qlivbesqai ( mellomen thlibesthai ). The verb mevllw (mellô) is often used by Paul to indicate something that is about to happen because of God's action (cf. Gal 3:23); the present infinitive thlibesthai indicates that the persecution is a continuing action, the common experience of believers at all times. The effect of this language is to assure the readers that God is still in control of their lives when they are persecuted; in fact, the persecution is part of his larger purpose for them.

The larger reasons that "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12) are multifaceted but interrelated. One is the fact that suffering has been the experience of God's people in every age. This is the implication made earlier in 2:15, where Paul compared the suffering of the Judean Christians to that of the prophets (see comments there; cf. Matt 5:10-12). If the righteous of ages past have suffered, those in the present should expect the same. In particular and most crucially, Jesus himself suffered, and so those who are "in Christ" should expect to share in his sufferings as well as in his blessings (Col 1:24; Mark 10:30; John 15:18-21; Rev 7:14). For this reason, as Paul will write later in 2 Thessalonians, suffering is a cause for rejoicing, not simply because it produces character (Rom 5:3-5), but because it is a sign that one truly belongs to the kingdom of the suffering Christ (2 Thess 1:4-5; cf. Acts 5:41).

Another reason that believers will inevitably suffer is the ongoing activity of Satan in the world. Paul has alluded to this fact in 2:18, and he will point out again in v. 5 that the Thessalonians' persecution is in one respect a temptation from Satan to depart from the faith. This perspective gives the readers a specific motivation to endure with faithfulness so that they do not succumb to the trials of the tempter.

Why, though, do Christians experience both blessing and suffering at the same time? Why is Satan still active if he has indeed been defeated by Christ? To answer this question, we must remember that the basic structure of Paul's gospel - indeed, of the theology of the entire New Testament - is that while God has by Christ's death and resurrection inaugurated the fulfillment of his promises of the end time, the climax of that fulfillment awaits Christ's return. This perspective has its roots, naturally enough, in the teaching of Jesus.

The theme is particularly clear in Jesus' warning to his disciples about the trials to come to them prior to his return. Matt 24:21 is an excellent example of this kind of teaching. There describing suffering associated with the coming destruction of Jerusalem but typical of what his followers will experience at all times after his death (cf. Matt 24:9), Jesus draws upon the imagery of Daniel 12:1-2, a text which associates great tribulation with the deliverance of God's people, the resurrection and the final judgment. The warning for the disciples is that they must expect to suffer because they will live in the age of fulfillment, when the final tribulation of the righteous and the judgment of the wicked have already begun. Paul assumes this point as well: the suffering of God's people is a sign that the final act of God's great plan of salvation is underway (cf. 1 Pet 4:17). The final separation of the righteous and wicked (Matt 13:24-30, 36-43), the final revelation and destruction of the Evil One at the root of all persecution (2 Thess 2:8; see comments below), comes only when Christ returns in glory. Therefore, because they live in the age just before the Lord's return (1 Thess 5:1-11), believers should expect tribulation at any time, not merely in some special period which has not yet arrived. For all these reasons, the Thessalonians should be assured that persecution and suffering, far from being signs of the gospel's failure, are the expected and inevitable experience of God's people until Christ returns, but one in which they can stand firm with utter confidence (cf. John 16:33; Rom 8:17, 36-39; 2 Cor 4:7-18; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 2:11-13).

Several details of these verses underline these points. The verb translated in the NIV as "be unsettled," saivnw (sainô) appears only here in the New Testament. Literally the word was used of the wagging of a dog's tail, but more commonly in the New Testament period it was used to mean "fawn upon" or "flatter." If it has that meaning here, the specific sense would be "to be deceived." However, ancient translations and Greek commentators took a different metaphorical sense from its literal meaning, the one followed in the NIV's translation, which uses the wagging action as an image of instability or wavering.

This latter interpretation, which takes the verb in a sense attested in some ancient texts, appears to be more consistent with the context, since deception by flattery does not appear likely in a setting of persecution. The Thessalonians' prior instruction about suffering is emphasized variously. In v. 3 "quite well" is the dynamic equivalent of the emphatic subject aujtoiv ( autoi ); literally the clause reads, "you yourselves know." Paul's prior instruction of the Thessalonians is expressed in v. 4 with a verb in the imperfect tense, proelevgomen ( proelegomen ), indicating a continuing or repeated part of Paul's instruction. The last sentence of v. 4 in the NIV translates a clause in which Paul emphasizes the correspondence between what has happened (egevneto, egeneto ) with what the readers know (oi[date, oidate ) with a terse comparison in which kaiv ( kai ), used adverbially, emphasizes both verbs. Overall, the very repetitiveness of these verses is a method of emphasizing that the Thessalonians have been taught since their conversion to expect suffering (cf. Acts 14:22). Having been so instructed, they should therefore be confident that God's will is at work in their lives even in times of difficulty.

3:5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith.

Paul picks up the thread of v. 1, repeating the statement, this time in the singular, that he sent Timothy only when he could no longer stand the uncertainty about the Thessalonian Christians' condition. In particular he is concerned about their faith - whether because of the persecution they have abandoned their faith in Jesus. Here, as in many cases, the complementary concepts of faith as belief and as faithfulness are inseparable.

I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you

Paul's fear is that as Satan had successfully prevented Paul from visiting the Thessalonians, he may also have succeeded through the persecution ("for this reason") in tempting them to abandon their faith. The repetitive translation "the tempter might have tempted" captures the repetition of the Greek text, which emphasizes through that repetition Satan's malignant work in temptation. peiravzw (peirazô), "to tempt," can refer to tests and trials of all kinds, but here it is used specifically in the sense of a burden or challenge to one's faithfulness. Because this is a temptation for the Thessalonians to be unfaithful, it is somewhat parallel to Jesus' own temptation (Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-11), which has as its object Jesus' abandonment of his true messianic mission of self-sacrifice. Such opposition to the saving work of God through Christ and the gospel - by blinding the world, dividing the church, drawing believers into immorality, or counterfeiting the gospel - is what Paul consistently sets forth as the work of Satan (cf. 1 Cor 7:5; 2 Cor 2:10-11; 4:4; 11:13-15; 2 Thess 2:9-12).

and our efforts might have been useless.

If such a temptation were successful, Paul's efforts would be kevno" ( kenos ), "useless" or "a failure" as in 2:1 (see comments there). Here the parallel to Paul's remarks in 1 Cor 3:10-15 and Phil 2:14-16 is clear. In all these cases Paul's implicit challenge is for the readers to remain faithful to the gospel so that they do not lose what they have received in Christ and so leave Paul's labors without results.

3. Timothy's Report and Paul's Response (3:6-10)

⁶ But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. ⁷ Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. ⁸ For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. ⁹ How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? ¹⁰ Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

Paul indicates in this section that his hopes rather than his fears for the Thessalonians were met when Timothy returned to recount their steadfastness. The language here is based on Paul's earlier statements: it focuses on the Thessalonians as his source of joy before the Lord because they represent the fulfillment of his divine commission. Implicitly Paul continues to drive home how important it is that they remain firm in their faith. This section also begins the transition to the later section of the letter. Up to this point, Paul has focused primarily on the past, but with the prayer of v. 10, the focus shifts to the future, where it will remain for the rest of the letter.

3:6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.

In the Greek text this verse is an extended genitive absolute, grammatically subordinate to the statement "we were encouraged" in v. 7. The structure makes Paul's statement in v. 7 the climax of the sentence, though the length and complexity of v. 6 give it a particular emphasis as well. "Just now" represents a[rti ( arti ), which, when used as it is here to refer to an event of the past, indicates the immediate past. "Brought good news" translates the verb eujaggelivzomai ( euangelizomai ), which Paul normally uses of the preaching of the gospel (Rom 1:15; 10:15; 15:20; 1 Cor 1:17; 9:16, 18; 15:1, 2; 2 Cor 10:16; 11:7; Gal 1:8, 9, 11, 16, 23; 4:13; Eph 2:17; 3:8). If the use of the verb here, the only one in the Thessalonian letters (the corresponding noun occurs in 1 Thess 1:5; 2:2, 4, 8, 9; 3:2; 2 Thess 1:8; 2:14), is a deliberate play on words on Paul's part, it implies that the reports about the faith of Christians constitute a part of the "gospel," a consequence of God's great act of salvation in Christ. In this case, Timothy's report amounts to a reciprocation of Paul's bringing the good news to the Thessalonians; in effect, news of their steadfast faith is an announcement of God's good news to Paul just as his preaching Jesus to them was the same. That reports of the faith of young churches were commonly circulated among early Christians is clear from this remark, as it is in 1:8 (see comments there).

The specific content of this good news is essentially twofold as the sentence is constructed. First is the Thessalonians' faith and love. These cardinal virtues are here repeated from 1:3 (see comments there), but the fact that they are so central to all Christian identity probably explains their presence here more than a deliberate allusion to that earlier statement. The second element is the Thessalonians' attitude toward Paul. They reciprocate his positive memories and desire to be reunited. This idea is emphasized not only by the fact that the statement parallels what Paul has said about himself in the preceding context but also by an emphatic statement of comparison, "just as we also . . . you." To "have pleasant memories" here implies more than mere nostalgia: because Paul has been their teacher in the gospel, remembering him well means that the Thessalonians follow his teaching. Paul's concerns about them - whether prompted by his hasty departure, their persecution or his enforced absence - have be assuaged.

3:7 Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.

Though this verse in Greek constitutes the main clause for which v. 6 prepared, the length of the preliminary clauses led Paul to introduce diaÉ tou'to ( dia touto , "therefore"), a grammatically redundant element, to make clear that the report of the Thessalonians' faithfulness (the emphasis of pivsti" [ pistis ], "faith," here) is his source of encouragement. Throughout this verse, as with the preceding one, Paul uses language which reverses the flow of the preceding discussion. Now he emphasizes that he himself has been "encouraged," repeating parakalevw (parakaleô) from v. 2. Likewise, he suffers as do all Christians (cf. vv. 3-4). In addition to qlivyi" ( thlipsis , "persecution"), which Paul used in v. 3, he refers to his experience as ajnavgkh (anankç, "distress"), a general term for trouble. So, as the Thessalonians needed the visit of Timothy for their encouragement in suffering, so now Paul receives the same encouragement in suffering as Timothy returns from them with a favorable report. Whether the suffering consisted of external factors or Paul's "concern for all the churches" (2 Cor 11:28) is a moot point, since all flows from his commitment to the gospel. Timothy's report, then, shows that Paul's labors, the source of his difficulties, have certainly not been "useless" (v. 5).

3:8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.

Introduced by o{ti ( hoti , "for" in the NIV), this verse further elaborates the cause of Paul's encouragement in v. 7. The expression "we really live" may seem extreme unless we understand the concept of life and death from which Paul makes it. For Paul, to suffer in this present age means to be under the sentence of death, especially as the Christian suffers on behalf of the gospel.

All such suffering is ultimately a consequence of the universal presence of sin in the world (cf. Rom 5:12-19). But because of the resurrection, death is never the only tale to tell for the Christian; the life of the Lord is at work in the believer at the same time (2 Cor 1:9; 4:10-12, cf. vv. 13-18). And so it is here. The burden Paul felt for the Thessalonians is an aspect of the "death" principle at work, but the Lord has overcome this burden with "life" through the Thessalonians' steadfastness. In this respect the joy that Paul feels because of Timothy's report is a glimpse of the joy of eternity, when "life" in Christ reaches its fulfillment (cf. 2 Cor 4:17).

Thus, Paul writes often of the strength which he received from the steadfastness and growth of his converts (Rom 15:32; 1 Cor 16:18; 2 Cor 7:3, 13; Phlm 7, 20). Here Paul receives life because the Thessalonians "are standing firm"; the present-tense verb indicates their continuing action. The statement that their firmness is "in the Lord" appears to be deliberate, since "Lord" evokes Christ's authority over every aspect of their lives. The Greek particle ejavn ( ean ), here translated "since," does not in this case indicate anything less than full certainty about the clause which it introduces, as it could if the verb in its clause were in the subjunctive mood. But while it does not cast doubt on the steadfastness of the readers, with the verb's emphasis on continuing action it probably does imply an exhortation that they be sure to remain firm.

3:9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have

Here Paul launches a lengthy rhetorical question, expressing in characteristic Pauline fashion his inability to respond with any measure of adequacy to the blessings of God's grace. "In return" reflects ajntapodivdwmi (antapodidômi), literally "to pay back," the same verb that appears in Paul's quotation of Job 41:11 in Rom 11:35, an elaborate rhetorical question expressing the same concept as this text. For Paul all human effort is inadequate as a response to any of God's initiatives to save and bless his people, and so his joy over the Thessalonians' faith, though it might seem to others to be relatively insignificant, is for him another example of the overwhelming grace of the Almighty.

in the presence of our God because of you?

This joy is a species of the eschatological joy (cf. 2:20 and comments above). This idea is stressed here with the phrase emphasized at the end of the clause, "in the presence of our God," language that suggests the present reality of the end-time appearance of God's people before him. Though in one sense absent from the Lord in this age (2 Cor 5:6), Paul could nevertheless speak as he does here of being already in his presence as the blessings of the future are already a reality in part, particularly through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:1-27, especially vv. 15-17, 26-27). The intensity of this joy is emphasized not only with the adjective "all" but also with the use of the cognates carav ( chara , "joy") and caivrw (chairô, "rejoice"), literally, "all the joy with which I rejoiced."

3:10 Night and day we pray most earnestly

This sentence in the NIV translates what is actually another genitive absolute in the Greek text, an element grammatically subordinate to the rhetorical question of v. 9. This syntactical connection helps the reader see a crucial connection between these two verses. Though Paul has been blessed by the Thessalonians' steadfastness with joy that belongs to eternity, the final fulfillment of God's purpose for the Thessalonians has yet to be realized. Therefore, their growth and faithfulness must continue until God's work reaches its climax at Christ's return (v. 13).

"Night and day" connects this statement to Paul's earlier one about his labor while he was with the Thessalonians (2:9). Both statements speak of actions taken on their behalf, in effect of time used for the sake of eternity. The terms in Greek are in the genitive, indicating prayer during both night and day, though not necessarily constantly. "Pray" translates devomai ( deomai ), a term which particularly emphasizes requests or petitions made with urgency on behalf of oneself or someone else. Intensifying this term further, Paul uses the adverb uJperekperissou' ( hyperekperissou , "exceedingly"), a word whose length matches its sense; "most earnestly" is the NIV's contextually appropriate rendering.

that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

The objects of Paul's prayer are a resumption of his earlier concerns. He wants to see the Thessalonians again personally (provswpon, prosôpon, is untranslated in the NIV but carries this force as it did in 2:17), clearly not only for himself but also for their encouragement (cf. vv. 1-5). That encouragement is aimed at the second object of the prayer, provision for what is lacking in their faith. Having just spoken of the strength of their faith (v. 6), Paul apparently does not imply here that their faith is somehow defective. But strong as it has proved to be, it has not yet achieved the dimensions which God intends for them; in fact, faith cannot achieve its full dimensions in this present age (cf. 1 Cor 13:8-13).

To supply what is lacking in it, then, implies God's furnishing them with the ongoing instruction and encouragement that they need to endure to the end. The verb translated as "supply" in the NIV, katartivzw (katartizô), particularly indicates completion, suggesting that the development of their faith is a process with a particular objective. This very process has been the purpose of Timothy's visit and of Paul's letter, especially of the direct ethical instruction of ch. 4-5; it is the object of Paul's prayers for them (vv. 12-13); and it will also be the purpose of Paul's planned return to Thessalonica (v. 11).

D. PAUL'S PRAYER FOR THE THESSALONIANS (3:11-13)

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. ¹² May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³ May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

Closing this major section of the epistle is a summary of Paul's prayer for himself and the readers. Formally this section has been classified as a wish-prayer, in which God is referred to in the third person and the verbs appear in the Greek optative mood (as here) or the future indicative (cf. 1 Thess 5:23-24; 2 Thess 2:16-17; 3:5, 15; Gal 6:16; Rom 15:5-6, 13, 33; 16:20, 22; 1 Cor 1:8-9; 2 Cor 13:14; Phil 4:19; 2 Tim 1:16, 18; 2:25; 4:16b). In terms of content Paul reiterates several themes of the preceding discussion, implying that the work of God in the lives of the Thessalonians will continue to its completion. This theme prepares for the ethical instruction that will follow in 4:1-12. Also, as with other major sections of the letter, this one closes with the mention of Christ's return (cf. 1:10; 5:23), preparing for the extended discussion of that subject in 4:13-5:11.

1. That He Might Return to Them (3:11)

3:11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.

This first part of the prayer brings to a satisfactory close Paul's earlier remarks about his inability to return to Thessalonica (2:17-18). There Paul said that Satan prevented him, but here he offers a confident solution to that problem, for God's power is greater than the adversary's. For this reason Paul emphasizes the role of God in bringing him successfully to Thessalonica: "himself" translates the emphatic personal pronoun aujtov" ( autos ). The implication is that no less powerful a being than God himself will ensure Paul's return. God's role as Father is also appropriate here (cf. 1:1), since God's care for his children is the basis for Paul's confidence that God will enable Paul to visit Thessalonica again. The fact that Paul easily and naturally refers to God the Father and the Lord Jesus in the context of prayer, ascribing the same actions to both, is indicative of Paul's clear concept of Christ's divinity. Bruce clarifies the impact of this statement:

The unobtrusive spontaneity with which such language is applied to Jesus by more NT writers than one is more eloquent than any formal creedal statement could be. We cannot miss the startling implications of the use of such language by one with Paul's Pharisaic upbringing. His reassessment of Christ, by contrast with his former estimate of him before the Damascus road confrontation, had been revolutionary indeed.

The verb translated "clear," kateuquvnw ( kateuthynô), may mean "straighten" or "direct," but in either case the concept is the same - that God will reunite Paul with the readers. Acts 19:21; 20:1-2, consistent with Paul's letters (1 Cor 16:5; 2 Cor 2:13), indicates that Paul did return to Thessalonica, but only after spending considerable time in Ephesus on his third missionary journey.

2. That They Might Abound in Love, and

Be Blameless at the Lord's Return (3:12-13)

3:12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.

The mention of "you" at the end of v. 11 prepares for the shift in subject matter in v. 12; Paul makes the shift by placing uJma'" ( hymas , "you") in the emphatic position at the beginning of this sentence. The Thessalonians have already been commended for their "labor prompted by love" (1:3), so we can assume that the prayer here is for greater abundance in that love. Two verbs with similar meaning, pleonavzw (pleonazô, "increase") and perisseuvw (perisseuô, "overflow") are put to use here to stress the scale which their love should take (cf. 4:9).

That Christians can indeed have such an abundance of love is made clear by the statement that the Lord causes the abundance (cf. Eph 3:16-19). Grounded in the grace-full love of God which climaxes in the cross (cf. Rom 5:6-8; 2 Cor 5:14-15) and empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22; Rom 5:5), the Christians' love for one another is in all respects a response to and consequence of God's work. Here also Paul brings home the implicit point in the preceding discussion of his relationship to the Thessalonians: his love for them is to provide the model for their love for one another. It may well be that Paul's concern for their mutual love is in part prompted by the persecution faced by the church, an experience which had the potential to strain their commitment to each other (cf. Phil 1:27-2:4).

3:13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy

Though in the NIV it appears as a separate sentence, this verse is in fact subordinate to the prayer of v. 12, indicating that the result of their abounding love will be the status indicated here. The strengthening (sthrivzw, stçrizô) of the Thessalonians was the purpose of Timothy's trip in 3:2; that strengthening will continue through God's work augmenting their love for one another. Paul's wish for the Thessalonians' strengthening is clearly important to him, as seen by its repetition in 2 Thess 2:17 and 3:3; the threat of persecution may prompt this emphasis. The object of the strengthening is the heart (cf. 2:4, 17), signifying here as it does commonly in the New Testament the inner person, including such attributes as understanding and will. Strengthening the heart will therefore not necessarily imply escape from the difficulties of the outer person, but more significantly it does ensure the ability to withstand whatever pressures one experiences.

The strengthening is for the specific outcome of blamelessness (a[mempto", amemptos ). Again, Paul's example comes into play here, for he referred to his own life as having this quality in 2:10 (see comments there); in 5:23 he will once more pray for it for the Thessalonians. Here the standard of blamelessness is established by God alone: the NIV's "and holy" is literally "in holiness," indicating either the means by which the strengthening occurs (as the NRSV translates it) or, as the order of the Greek text implies, the standard by which their blamelessness will be determined. If this latter sense is correct, the emphasis of holiness here is conformity to the character of the holy God himself, who is distinguished from all others in his absolute purity (cf. Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7, 26).

in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes

Such a focus is appropriate for the close of the verse: the objective of the strengthening is the believers' appearance before God in judgment at the return of Jesus. In Paul's letters two concepts about judgment are held together. One is that for believers justification by faith means that they have already received through Christ the verdict of innocence (Rom 3:21-26; 5:1; 8:1). That confidence is implicit here as Paul again refers to God as "Father." The other concept is that because a genuine relationship with God through faith always bears fruit, believers will stand before the Lord in judgment, where the reality of their faith will be demonstrated (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10). Together these perspectives create a powerful sense of responsibility for Christians, free from the fear of condemnation, to put their faith into practice so that in judgment they will prove pleasing to the God who has saved them by his grace.

The reference to the parousiva ( parousia , see comments on 2:19) of Jesus rounds out the section, as it does in 1:10, and again focuses the readers on the central subject matter of 4:13-5:11. That believers should stand before God the Father at the return of the Lord Jesus is not surprising, since for Paul the final judgment of God (Rom 14:10) is also the final judgment of Christ (2 Cor 5:10).

with all his holy ones.

The expression "with all his holy ones" is somewhat ambiguous in this context, since it can refer either to angels or to Christians. In favor of the former is the fact that a{gioi ( hagioi ), "holy ones," is used often in the Old Testament and Jewish apocalyptic literature to refer to angels (Job 5:1; 15:15; Ps. 89:7-8; Dan 4:34; 7:18; 8:13; Zech 14:5; Tob 11:14; 12:15; 1 Enoch 1:6-9). Likewise, the Lord's return is commonly associated with angels elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., Matt 24:31; 25:31). Against it is the fact that hagioi is normally used by Paul to refer to Christians (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 3:12). In fact, in 2 Thess 1:10, a passage markedly similar to this one, Christians are the clear referent of "holy ones."

Besides this point, the reference to Christians is supported by the fact that 4:13-18 emphasizes the Lord's association with his people at his return, though they rise to meet him rather than coming "with" him. However, the difference between accompanying and meeting should probably not be pressed for at least two reasons. One is that parousia , translated as "comes" in the NIV, signifies presence or visitation more than the action of coming; consequently, the image is probably more of Christ's being immediately present with his "holy ones" rather than their accompanying him from heaven to earth. Secondly, all language referring to the Lord's return, though intended to refer to an actual event yet to come, is by nature figurative; therefore, an image of the Lord meeting his people (4:16-17) can be compatible with an image of coming with them.

The final decision about the meaning of "holy ones" must therefore be made on the basis of the larger context of the statement. Though angels are perfectly intelligible in this setting, and though the term could refer to both angels and Christians together, a specific reference to Christians is closely coherent with the larger discussion in several ways. It would look forward, of course, to 4:13-18, where the reunion of the living and dead in Christ at his coming is emphasized. In the immediate context of judgment, the statement that "all" of these will be with the Lord is consistent with Paul's teaching that all Christians have the responsibility which comes with appearing before the Lord at the end of history (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10).

Referring to the Lord's people as hagioi also would stress that they have been set apart to belong to him and that by implication they live in imitation of their Lord's holiness (cf. 4:3-4). That they should prove "blameless in holiness" then is part and parcel with their identity as the Lord's holy people. Finally, the image of Jesus being present with all of his people points to the notion of shared triumph, signaling the Lord's final deliverance of those whom he has strengthened though every manifestation of hostility experienced in this age (cf. 2 Thess 1:10).

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

McGarvey: 1Th 3:9

For what thanksgiving can we render again unto God for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God . [Paul felt that he could not be thankful enough for the joy which the faith of the Thessalonians gave him; not a joy arising from worldly or personal pride in them, but a joy so pure and holy that it could be displayed before the searching eye of God];

Introduction / Outline

Robertson: 1 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

First Thessalonians

From Corinth a.d. 50-51

By Way of Introduction

We cannot say that this is Paul’s first letter to a church, for in 2Th_2:2 he speaks of some as palming off letters as his and in 2Th_3:17 he says that he appends his own signature to every letter after dictating it to an amanuensis (Rom_16:22). We know of one lost letter (1Co_5:11) and perhaps another (2Co_2:3). But this is the earliest one that has come down to us and it may even be the earliest New Testament book, unless the Epistle of James antedates it or even Mark’s Gospel. We know, as already shown, that Paul was in Corinth and that Timothy and Silas had just arrived from Thessalonica (1Th_3:6; Act_18:5). They had brought supplies from the Macedonian churches to supply Paul’s need (2Co_11:9), as the church in Philippi did once and again while Paul was in Thessalonica (Phi_4:15.). Before Timothy and Silas came to Corinth Paul had to work steadily at his trade as tent-maker with Aquila and Priscilla (Act_18:3) and could only preach in the synagogue on sabbaths, but the rich stores from Macedonia released his hands and " Paul devoted himself to the word" ( suneicheto tōi logōi Paulos ). He gave himself wholly to preaching now. But Timothy and Silas brought news of serious trouble in the church in Thessalonica. Some of the disciples there had misunderstood Paul’s preaching about the second coming of Christ and had quit work and were making a decided disturbance on the subject. Undoubtedly Paul had touched upon eschatological matters while in Thessalonica. The Jewish leaders at Thessalonica charged it against Paul and Silas to the politarchs that they had preached another king, Jesus, in place of Caesar. Paul had preached Jesus as King of the spiritual kingdom which the Jews misrepresented to the politarchs as treason against Caesar as the Sanhedrin had done to Pilate about Jesus. Clearly Paul had said also that Jesus was going to come again according to his own promise before his ascension. Some asserted that Paul said Jesus was going to come right away and drew their own inferences for idleness and fanaticism as some do today. Strange as it may seem, there are scholars today who say that Paul did believe and say that Jesus was going to come back right away. They say this in spite of 2Th_2:1. where Paul denies having ever said it. Undoubtedly Paul hoped for the early return of Jesus as most of the early Christians did, but that is a very different thing from setting a time for his coming. It is open to us all to hope for the speedy return of Christ, but times and seasons are with God and not with us. It is not open to us to excuse our negligence and idleness as Christians because of such a hope. That hope should serve as a spur to increased activity for Christ in order to hasten his coming. So Paul writes this group of Epistles to correct gross misapprehension and misrepresentation of his preaching about last things (eschatology). It is a rare preacher who has never been misunderstood or misrepresented.

JFB: 1 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

The AUTHENTICITY of this Epistle is attested by IRENÆUS [Against Heresies, 5.6.1], quoting 1Th 5:23; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA [The Instructor, 1.88], quoting 1Th 2:7; TERTULLIAN [On the Resurrection of the Flesh, 24], quoting 1Th 5:1; CAIUS in EUSEBIUS' Ecclesiastical History [6.20]; ORIGEN [Against Celsus, 3].

The OBJECT OF THE EPISTLE.--Thessalonica was at this time capital of the Roman second district of Macedonia [LIVY, Histories, 45.29]. It lay on the bay of Therme, and has always been, and still is, under its modern name Saloniki, a place of considerable commerce. After his imprisonment and scourging at Philippi, Paul (1Th 2:2) passed on to Thessalonica; and in company with Silas (Act 17:1-9) and Timotheus (Act 16:3; Act 17:14, compare with 1Th 1:1; 1Th 3:1-6; 2Th 1:1) founded the Church there. The Jews, as a body, rejected the Gospel when preached for three successive sabbaths (Act 17:2); but some few "believed and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout (that is, proselytes to Judaism) Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few." The believers received the word joyfully, notwithstanding trials and persecutions (1Th 1:6; 1Th 2:13) from their own countrymen and from the Jews (1Th 2:14-16). His stay at Thessalonica was doubtless not limited to the three weeks in which were the three sabbaths specified in Act 17:2; for his laboring there with his hands for his support (1Th 2:9; 2Th 3:8), his receiving supplies there more than once from Philippi (Phi 4:16), his making many converts from the Gentiles (1Th 1:9; and as two oldest manuscripts read, Act 17:4, "of the devout and of the Greeks a great multitude," Act 17:4), and his appointing ministers--all imply a longer residence. Probably as at Pisidian Antioch (Act 13:46), at Corinth (Act 18:6-7), and at Ephesus (Act 19:8-9), having preached the Gospel to the Jews, when they rejected it, he turned to the Gentiles. He probably thenceforth held the Christian meetings in the house of Jason (Act 17:5), perhaps "the kinsman" of Paul mentioned in Rom 16:21. His great subject of teaching to them seems to have been the coming and kingdom of Christ, as we may infer from 1Th 1:10; 1Th 2:12, 1Th 2:19; 1Th 3:13; 1Th 4:13-18; 1Th 5:1-11, 1Th 5:23-24; and that they should walk worthy of it (1Th 2:12; 1Th 4:1). And it is an undesigned coincidence between the two Epistles and Act 17:5, Act 17:9, that the very charge which the assailants of Jason's house brought against him and other brethren was, "These do contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus." As in the case of the Lord Jesus Himself (Joh 18:33-37; Joh 19:12; compare Mat 26:64), they perverted the doctrine of the coming kingdom of Christ into a ground for the charge of treason against Cæsar. The result was, Paul and Silas were obliged to flee under the cover of night to Berea; Timothy had probably preceded him (Act 17:10, Act 17:14). But the Church had been planted, and ministers appointed; nay, more, they virtually became missionaries themselves for which they possessed facilities in the extensive commerce of their city, and both by word and example were extending the Gospel in Macedonia, Achaia, and elsewhere (1Th 1:7-8). From Berea, also. Paul, after having planted a Scripture-loving Church, was obliged to flee by the Thessalonian Jews who followed him thither. Timothy (who seems to have come to Berea separately from Paul and Silas, compare Act 17:10, with Act 17:14) and Silas remained there still, when Paul proceeded by sea to Athens. While there he more than once longed to visit the Thessalonians again, and see personally their spiritual state, and "perfect that which was lacking in their faith" (1Th 3:10); but (probably using the Thessalonian Jews as his instruments, Joh 13:27) "Satan hindered" him (1Th 2:18; compare Act 17:13). He therefore sent Timotheus, who seems to have followed him to Athens from Berea (Act 17:15), immediately on his arrival to Thessalonica (1Th 3:1); glad as he would have been of Timothy's help in the midst of the cavils of Athenian opponents, he felt he must forego that help for the sake of the Thessalonian Church. Silas does not seem to have come to Paul at Athens at all, though Paul had desired him and Timothy to "come to him with all speed" (Act 17:15); but seems with Timothy (who from Thessalonica called for him at Berea) to have joined Paul at Corinth first; compare Act 18:1, Act 18:5, "When Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia." The Epistle makes no mention of Silas at Athens, as it does of Timothy (1Th 3:1).

Timothy's account of the Thessalonian Church was highly favorable. They abounded in faith and charity and reciprocated his desire to see them (1Th 3:6-10). Still, as nothing human on earth is perfect, there were some defects. Some had too exclusively dwelt on the doctrine of Christ's coming kingdom, so as to neglect the sober-minded discharge of present duties (1Th 4:11-12). Some who had lost relatives by death, needed comfort and instruction in their doubts as to whether they who died before Christ's coming would have a share with those found alive in His kingdom then to be revealed. Moreover, also, there had been committed among them sins against chastity and sobriety (1Th 5:5-7), as also against charity (1Th 4:3-10; 1Th 5:13, 1Th 5:15). There were, too, symptoms in some of want of respectful love and subordination to their ministers; others treated slightingly the manifestations of the Spirit in those possessing His gifts (1Th 5:19). To give spiritual admonition on these subjects, and at the same time commend what deserved commendation, and to testify his love to them, was the object of the Epistle.

The PLACE OF WRITING IT was doubtless Corinth, where Timothy and Silas rejoined him (Act 18:5) soon after he arrived there (compare 1Th 2:17) in the autumn of A.D. 52.

The TIME OF WRITING was evidently immediately after having received from Timothy the tidings of their state (1Th 3:6) in the winter of A.D. 52, or early in 53. For it was written not long after the conversion of the Thessalonians (1Th 1:8-9), while Paul could speak of himself as only taken from them for a short season (1Th 2:17). Thus this Epistle was first in date of all Paul's extant Epistles. The Epistle is written in the joint names of Paul, Silas, and Timothy, the three founders of the Thessalonian Church. The plural first person "we," is used everywhere, except in 1Th 2:18; 1Th 3:5; 1Th 5:27. "We" is the true reading, 1Th 4:13. The English Version "I," in 1Th 4:9 1Th 5:1, 1Th 5:23, is not supported by the original [EDMUNDS].

The STYLE is calm and equable, in accordance with the subject matter, which deals only with Christian duties in general, taking for granted the great doctrinal truths which were not as yet disputed. There was no deadly error as yet to call forth his more vehement bursts of feeling and impassioned argument. The earlier Epistles, as we should expect, are moral and practical. It was not until Judaistic and legalizing errors arose at a later period that he wrote those Epistles (for example, Romans and Galatians) which unfold the cardinal doctrines of grace and justification by faith. Still, later the Epistles from his Roman prison confirm the same truths. And last of all, the Pastoral Epistles are suited to the more developed ecclesiastical constitution of the Church, and give directions as to bishops and deacons, and correct abuses and errors of later growth.

The prevalence of the Gentile element in this Church is shown by the fact that these two Epistles are among the very few of Paul's writings in which no quotation occurs from the Old Testament.

JFB: 1 Thessalonians (Outline)

• ADDRESS: SALUTATION: HIS PRAYERFUL THANKSGIVING FOR THEIR FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE. THEIR FIRST RECEPTION OF THE GOSPEL, AND THEIR GOOD INFLUENCE ON ALL AROUND. (1Th 1:1-10)
• HIS MANNER OF PREACHING, AND THEIRS OF RECEIVING, THE GOSPEL; HIS DESIRE TO HAVE REVISITED THEM FRUSTRATED BY SATAN. (1Th. 2:1-20)
• PROOF OF HIS DESIRE AFTER THEM IN HIS HAVING SENT TIMOTHY: HIS JOY AT THE TIDINGS BROUGHT BACK CONCERNING THEIR FAITH AND CHARITY: PRAYERS FOR THEM. (1Th 3:1-13)
• EXHORTATIONS TO CHASTITY; BROTHERLY LOVE; QUIET INDUSTRY; ABSTINENCE FROM UNDUE SORROW FOR DEPARTED FRIENDS, FOR AT CHRIST'S COMING ALL HIS SAINTS SHALL BE GLORIFIED. (1Th. 4:1-18)
• THE SUDDENNESS OF CHRIST'S COMING A MOTIVE FOR WATCHFULNESS; VARIOUS PRECEPTS: PRAYER FOR THEIR BEING FOUND BLAMELESS, BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT, AT CHRIST'S COMING: CONCLUSION. (1Th. 5:1-28)

TSK: 1 Thessalonians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

1Th 3:1, Saint Paul testifies his great love to the Thessalonians, partly by sending Timothy unto them to strengthen and comfort them; partly by rejoicing in their well-doing; 1Th 3:10, and partly by praying for them, and desiring a safe coming unto them.

Poole: 1 Thessalonians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 3

MHCC: 1 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

This epistle is generally considered to have been the first of those written by St. Paul. The occasion seems to have been the good report of the stedfastness of the church at Thessalonica in the faith of the gospel. It is full of affection and confidence, and more consolatory and practical, and less doctrinal, than some of the other epistles.

MHCC: 1 Thessalonians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

(1Th 3:1-5) The apostle sent Timothy to establish and comfort the Thessalonian.

(1Th 3:6-10) He rejoiced at the good tidings of their faith and love.

(1Th 3:11-13) And for their increase in grace.

Matthew Henry: 1 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The First Epistle of st. Paul to the Thessalonians

Thessalonica was formerly the metropolis of Macedonia; it is now called Salonichi, and is the best peopled, and one of the best towns for commerce, in the Levant. The apostle Paul, being diverted from his design of going into the provinces of Asia, properly so called, and directed after an extraordinary manner to preach the gospel in Macedonia (Act 16:9, Act 16:10), in obedience to the call of God went from Troas to Samothracia, thence to Neapolis, and thence to Philippi, where he had good success in his ministry, but met with hard usage, being cast into prison with Silas his companion in travel and labour, from which being wonderfully delivered, they comforted the brethren there, and departed. Passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where the apostle planted a church that consisted of some believing Jews and many converted Gentiles, Act 17:1-4. But a tumult being raised in the city by the unbelieving Jews, and the lewd and baser sort of the inhabitants, Paul and Silas, for their safety, were sent away by night unto Berea, and afterwards Paul was conducted to Athens, leaving Silas and Timotheus behind him, but sent directions that they should come to him with all speed. When they came, Timotheus was sent to Thessalonica, to enquire after their welfare and to establish them in the faith (1Th 3:2), and, returning to Paul while he tarried at Athens, was sent again, together with Silas, to visit the churches in Macedonia. So that Paul, being left at Athens alone (1Th 3:1), departed thence to Corinth, where he continued a year and a half, in which time Silas and Timotheus returned to him from Macedonia (Act 18:5), and then he wrote this epistle to the church of Christ at Thessalonica, which, though it is placed after the other epistles of this apostle, is supposed to be first in time of all Paul's epistles, and to be written about a.d. 51. The main scope of it is to express the thankfulness of this apostle for the good success his preaching had among them, to establish them in the faith, and persuade them to a holy conversation.

Matthew Henry: 1 Thessalonians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

In this chapter the apostle gives further evidence of his love to the Thessalonians, reminding them of his sending Timothy to them, with the mention of his design therein and his inducements so to do (1Th 3:1-5). He acquaints them also with his great satisfaction at the return of Timothy, with good tidings concerning them (1Th 3:6-10). And concludes with fervent prayer for them (1Th 3:11 to the end).

Barclay: 1 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF PAUL

The Letters Of Paul

There is no more interesting body of documents in the New Testament than the letters of Paul. That is because of all forms of literature a letter is most personal. Demetrius, one of the old Greek literary critics, once wrote, "Every one reveals his own soul in his letters. In every other form of composition it is possible to discern the writercharacter, but in none so clearly as the epistolary." (Demetrius, On Style, 227). It is just because he left us so many letters that we feel we know Paul so well. In them he opened his mind and heart to the folk he loved so much; and in them, to this day, we can see that great mind grappling with the problems of the early church, and feel that great heart throbbing with love for men, even when they were misguided and mistaken.

The Difficulty Of Letters

At the same time, there is often nothing so difficult to understand as a letter. Demetrius (On Style, 223) quotes a saying of Artemon, who edited the letters of Aristotle. Artemon said that a letter ought to be written in the same manner as a dialogue, because it was one of the two sides of a dialogue. In other words, to read a letter is like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. So when we read the letters of Paul we are often in a difficulty. We do not possess the letter which he was answering; we do not fully know the circumstances with which he was dealing; it is only from the letter itself that we can deduce the situation which prompted it. Before we can hope to understand fully any letter Paul wrote, we must try to reconstruct the situation which produced it.

The Ancient Letters

It is a great pity that Paulletters were ever called epistles. They are in the most literal sense letters. One of the great lights shed on the interpretation of the New Testament has been the discovery and the publication of the papyri. In the ancient world, papyrus was the substance on which most documents were written. It was composed of strips of the pith of a certain bulrush that grew on the banks of the Nile. These strips were laid one on top of the other to form a substance very like brown paper. The sands of the Egyptian desert were ideal for preservation, for papyrus, although very brittle, will last forever so long as moisture does not get at it. As a result, from the Egyptian rubbish heaps, archaeologists have rescued hundreds of documents, marriage contracts, legal agreements, government forms, and, most interesting of all, private letters. When we read these private letters we find that there was a pattern to which nearly all conformed; and we find that Paulletters reproduce exactly that pattern. Here is one of these ancient letters. It is from a soldier, called Apion, to his father Epimachus. He is writing from Misenum to tell his father that he has arrived safely after a stormy passage.

"Apion sends heartiest greetings to his father and lord Epimachus.

I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are

going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my brother.

I thank my Lord Serapis [his god] that he kept me safe when I was

in peril on the sea. As soon as I got to Misenum I got my journey

money from Caesar--three gold pieces. And things are going fine

with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a line, first to let

me know how you are, and then about my brothers, and thirdly, that

I may kiss your hand, because you brought me up well, and because

of that I hope, God willing, soon to be promoted. Give Capito my

heartiest greetings, and my brothers and Serenilla and my friends.

I sent you a little picture of myself painted by Euctemon. My

military name is Antonius Maximus. I pray for your good health.

Serenus sends good wishes, Agathos Daimonboy, and Turbo,

Galloniuson." (G. Milligan, Selections from the Greek Papyri,

36.)

Little did Apion think that we would be reading his letter to his father 1800 years after he had written it. It shows how little human nature changes. The lad is hoping for promotion quickly. Who would Serenilla be but the girl he left behind him? He sends the ancient equivalent of a photograph to the folk at home. Now that letter falls into certain sections. (i) There is a greeting. (ii) There is a prayer for the health of the recipients. (iii) There is a thanksgiving to the gods. (iv) There are the special contents. (v) Finally, there are the special salutations and the personal greetings. Practically every one of Paulletters shows exactly the same sections, as we now demonstrate.

(i) The Greeting: Rom_1:1 ; 1Co_1:1 ; 2Co_1:1 ; Gal_1:1 ; Eph_1:1 ; Phi_1:1 ; Col_1:1-2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:1 .

(ii) The Prayer: in every case Paul prays for the grace of God on the people to whom he writes: Rom_1:7 ; 1Co_1:3 ; 2Co_1:2 ; Gal_1:3 ; Eph_1:2 ; Phi_1:3 ; Col_1:2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:2 .

(iii) The Thanksgiving: Rom_1:8 ; 1Co_1:4 ; 2Co_1:3 ; Eph_1:3 ; Phi_1:3 ; 1Th_1:3 ; 2Th_1:3 .

(iv) The Special Contents: the main body of the letters.

(v) Special Salutations and Personal Greetings: Rom 16 ; 1Co_16:19 ; 2Co_13:13 ; Phi_4:21-22 ; Col_4:12-15 ; 1Th_5:26 .

When Paul wrote letters, he wrote them on the pattern which everyone used. Deissmann says of them, "They differ from the messages of the homely papyrus leaves of Egypt, not as letters but only as the letters of Paul." When we read Paulletters we are not reading things which were meant to be academic exercises and theological treatises, but human documents written by a friend to his friends.

The Immediate Situation

With a very few exceptions, all Paulletters were written to meet an immediate situation and not treatises which he sat down to write in the peace and silence of his study. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. He was not in the least thinking of us when he wrote, but solely of the people to whom he was writing. Deissmann writes, "Paul had no thought of adding a few fresh compositions to the already extant Jewish epistles; still less of enriching the sacred literature of his nation.... He had no presentiment of the place his words would occupy in universal history; not so much that they would be in existence in the next generation, far less that one day people would look at them as Holy Scripture." We must always remember that a thing need not be transient because it was written to meet an immediate situation. All the great love songs of the world were written for one person, but they live on for the whole of mankind. It is just because Paulletters were written to meet a threatening danger or a clamant need that they still throb with life. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.

The Spoken Word

One other thing we must note about these letters. Paul did what most people did in his day. He did not normally pen his own letters but dictated them to a secretary, and then added Ws own authenticating signature. (We actually know the name of one of the people who did the writing for him. In Rom_16:22 Tertius, the secretary, slips in his own greeting before the letter draws to an end). In 1Co_16:21 Paul says, "This is my own signature, my autograph, so that you can be sure this letter comes from me." (compare Col_4:18 ; 2Th_3:17 .)

This explains a great deal. Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, because his sentences begin and never finish; his grammar breaks down and the construction becomes involved. We must not think of him sitting quietly at a desk, carefully polishing each sentence as he writes. We must think of him striding up and down some little room, pouring out a torrent of words, while his secretary races to get them down. When Paul composed his letters, he had in his mindeye a vision of the folk to whom he was writing, and he was pouring out his heart to them in words that fell over each other in his eagerness to help.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS TO THE THESSALONIANS

Paul Comes To Macedonia

For anyone who can read between the lines the story of Paulcoming to Macedonia is one of the most dramatic in the book of Acts. Luke, with supreme economy of words, tells it in Act_16:6-10 . Short as that narrative is, it gives the impression of a chain of circumstances inescapably culminating in one supreme event. Paul had passed through Phrygia and Galatia and ahead of him lay the Hellespont. To the left lay the teeming province of Asia, to the right stretched the great province of Bithynia; but the Spirit would allow him to enter neither. There was something driving him relentlessly on to the Aegean Sea. So he came to Alexandrian Troas, still uncertain where he ought to go; and then there came to him a vision in the night of a man who cried, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." Paul set sail, and for the first time the gospel came to Europe.

One World

At that moment Paul must have seen much more than a continent for Christ. It was in Macedonia that he landed; and Macedonia was the kingdom of Alexander the Great, who had conquered the world and wept because there were no more worlds left to conquer. But Alexander was much more than a military conqueror. He was almost the first universalist. He was more a missionary than a soldier; and he dreamed of one world dominated and enlightened by the culture of Greece. Even so great a thinker as Aristotle had said that it was a plain duty to treat Greeks as free men and orientals as slaves; but Alexander declared that he had been sent by God "to unite, to pacify and to reconcile the whole world." Deliberately he had said that it was his aim "to marry the East to the West." He had dreamed of an Empire in which there was neither Greek nor Jew, barbarian or Scythian, bond or free (Col_3:11 ). It is hard to see how Alexander could have failed to be in Paulthoughts. Paul left from Alexandrian Troas which was called after Alexander; he came to Macedonia which was Alexanderoriginal kingdom; he worked at Philippi which was called after Philip, Alexanderfather; he went on to Thessalonica which was called after Alexanderhalf-sister. The whole territory was saturated with memories of Alexander; and Paul must surely have thought, not of a country nor of a continent, but of a world for Christ.

Paul Comes To Thessalonica

This sense of the wide-stretching arms of Christianity must have been accentuated when Paul came to Thessalonica. It was a great city. Its original name was Thermal, which means The Hot Springs, and it gave its name to the Thermaic Gulf on which it stood. Six hundred years ago Herodotus had described it as a great city. It has always been a famous harbour. It was there that Xerxes the Persian had his naval base when he invaded Europe; and even in Roman times it was one of the worldgreat dockyards. In 315 B.C. Cassander had rebuilt the city and renamed it Thessalonica, the name of his wife, who was a daughter of Philip of Macedon and a half-sister of Alexander the Great. It was a free city; that is to say it had never suffered the indignity of having Roman troops quartered within it. It had its own popular assembly and its own magistrates. Its population rose to 200,000 and for a time it was a question whether it or Constantinople would be recognized as the capital of the world. Even today, under the name Salonika, it has 70,000 inhabitants.

But the supreme importance of Thessalonica lay in this--it straddled the Via Egnatia, the Egnatian Road, which stretched from Dyrrachium on the Adriatic to Constantinople on the Bosphorus and thence away to Asia Minor and the East. Its main street was part of the very road which linked Rome with the East. East and West converged on Thessalonica; it was said to be "in the lap of the Roman Empire." Trade poured into her from East and West, so that it was said, "So long as nature does not change, Thessalonica will remain wealthy and prosperous."

It is impossible to overstress the importance of the arrival of Christianity in Thessalonica. If Christianity was settled there, it was bound to spread East along the Egnatian Road until all Asia was conquered and West until it stormed even the city of Rome. The coming of Christianity to Thessalonica was crucial in the making of it into a world religion.

PaulStay At Thessalonica

The story of Paulstay at Thessalonica is in Act_17:1-10 . Now, for Paul, what happened at Thessalonica was of supreme importance. He preached in the synagogue for three Sabbaths (Act_17:2 ) which means that his stay there could not have been much more than three weeks in length. He had such tremendous success that the Jews were enraged and raised so much trouble that Paul had to be smuggled out, in peril of his life, to Beroea. The same thing happened in Beroea (Act_17:10-12 ) and Paul had to leave Timothy and Silas behind and make his escape to Athens. What exercised his mind was this. He had been in Thessalonica only three weeks. Was it possible to make such an impression on a place in three weeksime that Christianity was planted so deeply that it could never again be uprooted? If so, it was by no means an idle dream that the Roman Empire might yet be won for Christ. Or was it necessary to settle down and work for months, even years, before an impression could be made? In that event, no man could even dimly foresee when Christianity would penetrate all over the world. Thessalonica was a test case; and Paul was torn with anxiety to know how it would turn out.

News From Thessalonica

So anxious was Paul that, when Timothy joined him at Athens, he sent him back to Thessalonica to get the information without which he could not rest (1Th_3:1-2 , 1Th_3:5 ; 1Th_2:17 ). What news did Timothy bring back? There was good news. The affection of the Thessalonians for Paul was as strong as ever; and they were standing fast in the faith (1Th_2:14 ; 1Th_3:4-6 ; 1Th_4:9-10 ). They were indeed "his glory and Ws joy" (1Th_2:20 ). But there was worrying news.

(i) The preaching of the Second Coming had produced an unhealthy situation in which people had stopped working and had abandoned all ordinary pursuits to await the Second Coming with a kind of hysterical expectancy. So Paul tells them to be quiet and to get on with their work (1Th_4:11 ).

(ii) They were worried about what was to happen to those who died before the Second Coming arrived. Paul explains that those who fall asleep in Jesus will miss none of the glory (1Th_4:13-18 ).

(iii) There was a tendency to despise all lawful authority; the argumentative Greek was always in danger of producing a democracy run mad (1Th_5:12-14 ).

(iv) There was the ever-present danger that they would relapse into immorality. It was hard to unlearn the point of view of generations and to escape the contagion of the heathen world (1Th_4:3-8 ).

(v) There was at least a section who slandered Paul. They hinted that he preached the gospel for what he could get out of it (1Th_2:5 , 1Th_2:9 ); and that he was something of a dictator (1Th_2:6-7 , 1Th_2:11 ).

(vi) There was a certain amount of division in the Church (1Th_4:9 ; 1Th_5:13 ).

These were the problems with which Paul had to deal; and they show that human nature has not changed so very much.

Why Two Letters?

We must ask why there are two letters. They art, very much alike and they must have been written within weeks, perhaps days of each other. The second letter was written mainly to clear up a misconception about the Second Coming. The first letter insists that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, and urges watchfulness (1Th_5:2 ; 1Th_5:6 ). But this produced the unhealthy situation where men did nothing but watch and wait; and in the second letter Paul explains what signs must come first before the Second Coming should come (2Th_2:3-12 ). The Thessalonians had got their ideas about the Second Coming out of proportion. As so often happens to a preacher, Paulpreaching had been misunderstood, and certain phrases had been taken out of context and over-emphasized; and the second letter seeks to put things back in their proper balance and to correct the thoughts of the excited Thessalonians regarding the Second Coming. Of course, Paul takes occasion in the second letter to repeat and to stress much of the good advice and rebuke he had given in the first, but its main aim is to tell them certain things which will calm their hysteria and make them wait, not in excited idleness, but in patient and diligent attendance to the daywork. In these two letters we see Paul solving the day to day problems which arose in the expanding Church.

FURTHER READINGS

Thessalonians

J. E. Frame, Thessalonians (ICC; G)

G. Milligan, St. PaulEpistles to the Thessalonians (MmC; G)

W. Neil, The Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians (MC; E)

Abbreviations

CGT: Cambridge Greek Testament

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC: Moffatt Commentary

MmC: Macmillan Commentary

TC: Tyndale Commentary

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

Barclay: 1 Thessalonians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

The Pastor And His Flock (1Th_3:1-10)

All Is Of God (1Th_3:11-13)

Constable: 1 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Historical background

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 stood on the Via Egnatia, the Roman highway to the East. It was a self-governing community with enough Jews in residence to warrant a synagogue (Acts 17:1).

Paul first visited Thessalonica during his second missionary journey with Silas and Timothy. They had just left prison in Philippi and made their way southward to Thessalonica. For at least three Sabbath days Paul reasoned in the synagogue with those present, and many believed the gospel (Acts 17:2). However, he probably ministered in Thessalonica for a longer time than just three weeks in view of what he wrote that he had done there (e.g., 1 Thess. 2:9; cf. Phil. 4:15-16).¹ Those who responded to the message of Christ's sufferings and resurrection (Acts 17:3, 7) were Jews (Acts 17:4) and God-fearing proselytes to Judaism. There were also some leading women of the city and many idol-worshipping pagans (Acts 17:4-5).

"If Macedonia produced perhaps the most competent group of men the world had yet seen, the women were in all respects the men's counterparts; they played a large part in affairs, received envoys and obtained concessions from them for their husbands, built temples, founded cities, engaged mercenaries, commanded armies, held fortresses, and acted on occasion as regents or even co-rulers."²

When the unbelieving Jews heard of the conversion of the proselytes, whom they were discipling, they stirred up a gang of roughnecks who attacked the house of Jason. Paul had been staying with him. Unable to find the missionaries the mob dragged Jason before the magistrates who simply charged him to keep the peace. Convinced of the danger for Paul and Jason the Christians sent Paul and Silas away from the city by night to Berea (Acts 17:10).

Paul and his party began their evangelistic work in Berea in the synagogue, as was their custom. However when many Jews there believed, the Thessalonian Jews came down to Berea and stirred up more trouble (Acts 17:10-13). The Berean Christians sent Paul away to Athens, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea (Acts 17:14). Having been sent for by Paul, Silas and Timothy joined Paul in Athens, but he soon sent Silas back to Philippi and or Berea, and Timothy back to Thessalonica (1 Thess. 3:1-3; Acts 17:15). Later both men returned to Paul while he was practicing his trade in Corinth (Acts 18:3, 5) with a gift from the Christians in those Macedonian towns (2 Cor. 11:9; cf. Phil. 4:15).

Timothy's report of conditions in the Thessalonian church led Paul to write this epistle. Some of the Thessalonians apparently believed that Jesus Christ was about to return momentarily and had consequently given up their jobs and had become disorderly (cf. 1 Thess. 4:11; 5:14). Some worried about what had happened to their loved ones who had died before the Lord had returned (4:13, 18). Persecution from the Gentiles as well as the Jews still oppressed the believers (2:17-3:10) who were nevertheless holding fast to the truth and eager to see Paul again (3:6-8). Some outside the church, however, remained hostile to Paul (2:1-12). There appears to have been some misuse of spiritual gifts in the assembly as well as an unfortunate tendency on the part of some to return to their former habits involving sexual impurity (4:1-8; 5:19-21).

It seems clear that Paul wrote this epistle shortly after he arrived in Corinth (1:7-9; 2:17; 3:1, 6; Acts 18:5, 12), about 51 A.D. If one follows the early dating of Galatians, as I have suggested, this epistle would have been Paul's second inspired writing. If Paul penned Galatians after the second missionary journey, 1 Thessalonians could have been his first inspired epistle.³ However the first option seems more probable.⁴

A few scholars have suggested that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians before he wrote 1 Thessalonians.⁵ This is not as improbable as may appear at first since the traditional sequence of Pauline letters to churches rests on length rather than date. Nonetheless this theory has not convinced most scholars.⁶

Purpose

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 desired to correct misinformation about himself and his fellow missionaries that some of his critics in Thessalonica were circulating (2:1-3:13). Third, he wrote to give additional instruction that would contribute to the Thessalonians' spiritual growth (4:1-5:24).

"Far and away the largest theological contribution of the Epistles [1 and 2 Thessalonians] lies in what they say about eschatology."⁷

". . . over a quarter of 1 Thessalonians and nearly half of 2 Thessalonians deal with problems and issues regarding the parousia or coming of Christ from heaven."⁸

"The Thessalonian letters present the first literary evidence for the use of parousia . . . in the sense of the future Advent of Christ: it occurs in this sense six times in the two letters. The event is depicted repeatedly in language borrowed from portrayals of OT theophanies. But it is the ethical implications that are chiefly stressed: the writers look forward to the Parousia especially as the time when their service will be reviewed and rewarded by the Lord who commissioned them, and they will be content, they say, to have it assessed by the quality of their converts."⁹

Message¹⁰

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 about the perils in which the new Christians lived.

This letter differs from most of Paul's others in that it does not deal primarily with a doctrinal issue or a departure in belief or behavior. While the teaching on the Rapture of the church is definitely a doctrinal contribution, Paul did not write primarily to expound that truth or to defend it. He simply clarified the events he had previously taught them. The new revelation is in a sense secondary to Paul's argument. Nevertheless it is obvious that the Lord's return was prominent in Paul's mind from beginning to end of this letter. He referred to it in every chapter.

Paul wrote this epistle primarily to comfort and to encourage those who were suffering for their Lord. Their hope was an essential emphasis in view of this purpose (cf. 1 Pet.).

The epistle deals with the hope of the Lord's return as this relates to Christian experience.

Paul took the fact of the Lord's return for granted. He did not feel compelled to try to prove it. His belief that Jesus would return for His own is obvious to anyone who reads this letter regardless of his or her eschatology. Paul believed in a real return of the same Jesus who had lived on the earth, died, was buried, arose from the dead, and ascended into heaven (cf. 4:16). First Thessalonians deals with when the Lord will return. The larger emphasis in 1 Thessalonians, however, is that He will return.

In relation to Christian experience the return of Christ is the final argument that produces faith. When Paul preached the gospel in Thessalonica, he proclaimed that the Christ who had come would come again (1:9-10). His converts were to wait for Him. They had turned from belief in visible idols to an invisible God. Paul urged them to wait with the assurance that they would see their God visibly soon. They turned from disorder to the hope of divine rule, from spiritual anarchy to the hope of an orderly kingdom. Christians trust in Christ's first coming and wait for His return. Without the hope of Christ's vindication the message of His death is incomplete. I do not mean that the return of Christ is part of the gospel message. However without the hope of Christ's return the gospel message is harder to accept. The return of Christ is the final argument that produces faith in this sense. It is an apologetic for Christianity.

In relation to Christian experience the return of Christ is, second, the abiding confidence that inspires labor (1:9). The Thessalonians turned from idols to serve the living God. Their reward for service would come at His return. That would be their payday. Paul referred to his readers as his own reward for service at Christ's return (2:19-20). A little of our reward comes to us here and now, but the great bulk of it awaits the judgment seat of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 15:58). When those we have led to Christ and discipled experience glorification, our reward will be full. This prospect is what so forcefully motivated Paul in his tireless missionary service.

Third, in relation to Christian experience the return of Christ is the ultimate victory that creates patience (3:13). The conviction that we will experience ultimate victory at the Rapture produces patience in the believer (cf. 5:14b). We can be patient about our own slow growth knowing that eventual glorification will take place. Furthermore we can be patient with God knowing that God will balance the scales of justice and vindicate Himself. One day Christ will return just as one day He was born. Both events are crises in history. They are high points not built up to gradually but introduced as cataclysms.

Thus the return of Christ is the final argument producing faith, the abiding confidence inspiring labor, and the ultimate victory creating patience. In the introduction to this epistle Paul said he remembered his readers' work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope (1:3). Faith, hope, and love are the three greatest attributes of the Christian life, and they are possible because Christ will return.

This epistle also helps us understand how we should respond to the truth that Christ will return.

First, in our own life we should respond with godly behavior: personal purity, love for the brethren, and honesty in the world. Christ's return should have a purifying effect in every one of these areas of our life (ch. 4).

Second, in the face of death there is a two-fold response. There is comfort for the bereaved in particular (4:14).

Also there is comfort for all the living (4:18).

Third, in view of judgment to come our response should be confidence. We will not experience God's wrath, but He will deliver us from it in all its manifestations.

Failure to accept the truth of the Lord's return results in unbelief and a return to idols.

It results in indolence that leads to strife.

Furthermore it results in impatience that leads to sin. These are the very opposite of the work of faith, the labor of love, and the patience of hope.

The light of this great doctrine underwent an eclipse during the history of the church. It only came out into prominence again in the nineteenth century. We at Dallas Seminary follow in the train of those dispensational writers and teachers who through careful study of the whole Word of God have brought this doctrine back out into public view. Satan would like to silence this emphasis because the hope of Christ's return is one of the greatest motivations for Christian service and sacrifice. The sanctification of the whole person (spirit, soul, and body) consists in active waiting for Jesus to return (5:23). I pray that as a result of this study of 1 Thessalonians we may all live with a greater conscious awareness of Christ's return.

Outline¹¹

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

Constable: 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 1 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

THE FIRST

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO THE THESSALONIANS.

INTRODUCTION.

St. Paul having preached with success at Thessalonica, the chief city of Macedonia, wrote to the this letter, to confirm them in the Christian faith and in the practice of virtue. This, in order, is the first epistle of St. Paul. He wrote it about the year fifty-two, as it is thought, from Corinth. (Witham) --- St. Paul having preached the gospel in this place, converted some Jews and a great number of Gentiles; but the unbelieving Jews, envying his success, raised such a commotion against him, that he and his companion Silvanus were obliged to quit the city. Afterwards he went to Athens, where he had heard that the converts in Thessalonica were under severe persecution ever since his departure; and lest they should lose their fortitude, he sent Timothy to strengthen and comfort them in their sufferings. In the mean time St. Paul came to Corinth, where he wrote this first epistle and also the second to the Thessalonians, both in the same year, being the nineteenth after our Lord's ascension. (Challoner) --- St. Paul preached the faith in this city, assisted by Silas and Silvanus, whose name is joined with the apostle's in this letter. See Acts xvii. Being driven away from this city by the violence of the Jews, he left Timothy and Silas in Macedonia, to confirm the new converts in their faith. But having afterwards called them to him, and hearing of their constancy and perseverance, he writes this epistle to encourage them and praise them. It is the first in time of all St. Paul's epistles, and filled with the most affectionate expressions of love and tenderness for his spiritual children in Jesus Christ. In the latter part of the epistle, he gives some short instructions concerning the state of souls after death, and the coming of the last day; as his companions had informed him that strange reports concerning these two articles were in circulation at Thessalonica, to the disturbance of the faithful. (Calmet, Estius, and others.) --- The first three chapters are to confirm and comfort the Thessalonians against the temptations of persecution; the other two are to exhort them to live up to the precepts he delivers them.

====================

Gill: 1 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 1 THESSALONIANS

Thessalonica was a very large, populous, and flourishing city, it was "liberae conditionis", as Pliny says ^a, a free city, and the metropolis of Macedonia; it was formerly called Halis ^b, and had the name of Thessalonica given it by Philip king of Macedon, on account of his conquest of Thessalia, which this name signifies; and some say he gave this name to a daughter of his on that occasion, who was afterwards the wife of Cassander; who, others say, called this place by his wife's name ^c, which before was Therme: its name with the Italians is Salonichi, and is now in the hands of the Turks, as all Greece is: here the Apostle Paul came after he had been at Philippi, and stayed about three weeks, and preached every sabbath day, and his ministry was blessed to the conversion of some Jews, a multitude of devout Greeks, and many of the chief women of the place, which laid the foundation of a Gospel church; to which the apostle wrote this epistle, and is the first of all the epistles he wrote: the occasion of it was this; the unbelieving Jews, vexed to see the apostle's success, raised a mob of the baser sort of people, and assaulted the house of Jason, where the apostle and his companions were; but Paul and Silas were sent away by night to Berea, which the rabble understanding, followed them thither; when Paul was sent as if he was going to the sea, but was conducted by the brethren to Athens, who gave orders that Silas and Timothy should come to him with all speed, as they did; and Timothy was sent back to Thessalonica to establish and comfort the young converts there; and returning with good news of their faith, and charity, to the apostle at Corinth, he sent them from thence this epistle, and not from Athens, as some have thought: the design of which is to encourage them under their afflictions and sufferings; to exhort them to stand fast in the Lord, to abide by his truths and ordinances, and to live an holy life and conversation, and to regard the several duties of religion, towards God and one another, and those that were set over them; and in it he instructs them concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the coming of Christ, articles of very great importance and concern: the writing of this epistle is placed by Dr. Lightfoot in the 51st year of Christ, and in the 11th of Claudius Caesar.

Gill: 1 Thessalonians 3 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 1 THESSALONIANS 3

In this chapter the apostle expresses his great love to the Thessalonians, by sending Timothy to then, to establish and comfort them; and declares his satisfaction with the things he brought of them, and concludes the chapter with fervent prayers for them: such was his affection for them, that he chose rather to be left alone at Athens, and send Timothy to them, though so very dear and useful to him, as his characters show, to the end that they might be established and comforted, 1Th 3:2 and not be shaken with the afflictions the apostles met with, seeing these were no other than what God had appointed them to; and besides, they had been apprized of them before hand by the apostle, 1Th 3:3 but however, lest Satan should get an advantage of them, the apostle could not be easy without sending to know how things stood with them, 1Th 3:5 next he proceeds to give an account of the success of this mission, and the satisfaction it gave him and his fellow ministers to hear of their faith and charity, their remembrance of them, and desire to see them, 1Th 3:6 which comforted them under their afflictions, made them lively and cheerful, filled them with joy and thankfulness, and put them upon praying to God to see their face, and perfect what was lacking in their faith, 1Th 3:7 and then follow the petitions themselves, which are made both to God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that their way might be directed to them, that they might increase and abound in love to one another, and to all men, as they did to them, and that God would establish them in holiness in his sight, at the coming of Christ, 1Th 3:11.

College: 1 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

FOREWORD

This commentary has been produced through a full schedule of college and seminary teaching and church-based ministry. In the current climate of biblical studies, that schedule has necessitated some compromises. Journal articles, scholarly monographs and commentaries are today so numerous that the person who wants to keep current in the study of a biblical book must have the leisure to devote almost full time to the task. Therefore, I have not been able to consider all the issues as thoroughly as I might have liked. For most readers, however, this is probably a relief. I have tried to discuss only those matters which significantly affect our understanding of the text and have sufficient supporting evidence to warrant a hearing. So to those who find that an issue has been ignored, too briefly summarized, or too fully discussed, I offer my apologies. It is my hope that the setting in which I have written the book, having taught and preached on it in churches and a church-based college and seminary, will ensure a greater degree of relevance than might be found in some scholarly works and a greater degree of accuracy than in some popular ones.

Thanks for assistance with this project go to several people. I am grateful to the publishers and editors of the series for their invaluable help in bringing this work to publication. To my former professor and present colleague Dr. Jack Cottrell, who first offered the invitation, and to Mr. John Hunter of College Press, who graciously worked with me for its completion, I give special thanks. Another former professor and present colleague, Mr. Tom Friskney, first stimulated my study of the Thessalonian letters. His influence is felt on every page, but he should not be blamed for my mistakes. In particular I thank my family - my wife, Tammie, and our children, Cale and Allison - for their patience with me as I spent too many evenings, weekends and vacation times working on this project.

My parents, Chet and Millie Weatherly, more than anyone have provided the example for me of the integrity, love, discipline, hard work, generosity, endurance and expectancy which these letters teach. I dedicate this book to them with heartfelt gratitude.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

INTRODUCTION

Though it is a relatively brief letter, 1 Thessalonians provides the modern Christian with a challenging glimpse into the life and thought of the first generation of Christianity. Its presentation of the ministry of Paul, the trials of the persecuted church, the ethical demands of the new life in Christ, and especially of the vivid expectation of Christ's return provides some of the foundational elements for genuine Christian experience in every era.

Major critical problems with 1 Thessalonians are fewer than with some other Pauline letters; the bulk of modern scholarship is largely agreed about the general circumstances under which the letter was written. But knowing those circumstances provides a necessary touchstone for the interpretation of the letter, so they will be briefly summarized below.

THE CITY OF THESSALONICA

Founded by Cassander, a general of Alexander the Great, around 315 B.C., Thessalonica was a city of size and influence. Located at the head of the Thermatic Gulf, now called the Gulf of Salonika, a natural harbor on the Aegean coast of Macedonia, the northern part of the Greece, it was an important port city, providing a gateway to the Macedonian interior. Its prominence as a transportation center was augmented when the Romans constructed the Via Egnatia or Egnatian Way, a highway crossing the Greek peninsula from east to west and ultimately connecting Asia in the east with Italy and Rome in the west. Inland from Thessalonica lay a fertile plain, which provided abundant agricultural resources for the city and the region.

It is little wonder, then, that in 146 B.C. the Romans designated Thessalonica as the capital of the province of Macedonia. The city itself had an independent government with magistrates known as "politarchs" (Acts 17:6, 8), providing a degree of autonomy from the imperial government and its taxes. The religious climate was dominated by paganism; the cults of Dionysus and the Cabirus appear to have been especially prominent. According to Acts 17:1 there was also a colony of Jews large enough to constitute at least one synagogue.

Altogether, then, Thessalonica appears to us as a busy, prosperous, cosmopolitan city, a place where the gospel could readily take root but also meet significant resistance. That image is confirmed to us by the description of Paul's mission in Acts and the corresponding elements of 1 Thessalonians.

PAUL'S MINISTRY IN THESSALONICA

AND THE WRITING OF 1 THESSALONIANS

According to Acts, Paul visited Thessalonica with Timothy and Silas on what we call his second missionary journey (17:1). Having left Philippi after being jailed overnight, Paul traveled to the neighboring city on the Egnatian Way, perhaps pursuing a strategy of planting churches in cities on major transportation arteries so that the gospel could spread out from those centers. There, as was his custom, Paul preached in the synagogue as long as he was able (17:2-3). Acts indicates that his converts included Jews, God-fearers (Gentiles who acknowledged the God of Israel but had not converted fully to Judaism), and some of the principal women (17:4). According to Acts these conversions prompted a jealous response from non-Christian Jews, presumably synagogue leaders, who incited a mob against the Christians (17:5-7). The magistrates appear to have recognized that the mob's anger was not prompted by any offense against the civil order and required only that Jason, apparently a prominent Christian convert, post a bond pledging no further trouble (17:8-9). The violence did, however, prompt Paul to leave the city, perhaps sooner than he had planned (17:10).

From Thessalonica Paul went to Berea. But the fervor of his Thessalonian opponents was intense, for they followed him there and incited similar opposition (17:13). Paul then went on alone to Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy behind (17:14-15). After Paul had preached in Athens with mixed results (17:16-34), he went on to Corinth (18:1). There Silas and Timothy rejoined him (18:5).

The text of 1 Thessalonians confirms and supplements this outline. Though Paul focuses on the conversion of Gentiles in 1:9 (see comments below), says little about the conversion of Jews, and does not quote the Old Testament, themes from the Jewish Scriptures and Judaism appear throughout the letter (cf. 1:4, 6, 10; 2:4, 10, 12, 15-16, 18; 3:3, 5; 4:3, 5-8, 16; 5:3, 5, 8-9, 23-24), implying an audience familiar with them. The letter acknowledges the opposition to Paul (2:2) and the ongoing problem of persecution in Thessalonica (1:6; 2:14; 3:3-4), elements entirely consistent with the anti-Christian violence which Acts depicts. It indicates that Paul left the city prematurely and under duress (2:17) and was prevented from returning (2:18). In particular it makes clear that from Athens Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica as a substitute for his own presence (3:1-3; see comments below) to strengthen the church and report about its progress to Paul. Timothy's return and report are recounted also (3:6).

It appears, then, that Timothy's report prompts the writing of this first letter. We can infer from the letter's contents that the report was mostly positive but did note some areas of serious concern. The letter serves to reassure the readers about their status as Christians (1:3-10; 3:11-13) and about Paul's concern for them despite his absence (2:1-12; 2:17-3:10), to strengthen them in the persecution which they endure (2:13-16; 3:4-5), and to reiterate instruction which they had already received about the standards by which they are to live as people in Christ surrounded by an immoral pagan culture (4:1-12). In particular Paul is concerned about their misunderstanding of the significance of Christ's return, especially regarding the status of those who have died as Christians (4:13-18), but also more generally (5:1-11). He also expresses specific concern about the need for Christians to support themselves responsibly (4:11-12; 5:14; cf. 2:6b-9), and to have proper respect for leaders (5:12) and for the spiritual gift of prophecy (5:19-22). In essence, then, this letter is a substitute for Paul's actual presence, containing the teaching which he would have delivered had it been possible for him to return to Thessalonica immediately. While a couple of specific problems had arisen, Paul's primary concern is to strengthen the young church in its commitment and the consistency of its practice.

DATE

If the reconstruction above is correct, then 1 Thessalonians was written during Paul's stay in Corinth on his second missionary journey. It is conceivable that Paul could have written this letter on his third journey after his second visit to Thessalonica, but since the letter itself refers to only one visit, the obvious explanation is that Paul had made only one. Some have denied the accuracy of the sequence of events in Acts altogether, but the numerous points of confirmation between 1 Thessalonians and Acts as noted above make such a denial highly questionable.

Paul's stay in Corinth can be dated with an exceptional degree of precision. According to Acts 18:12-17, Gallio served as proconsul of Achaia during Paul's Corinthian mission. An inscription at Delphi puts Gallio as proconsul during the twelfth year of Claudius' imperial power, after the Roman senate's twenty-sixth proclamation of Claudius as emperor. Since the twenty-seventh proclamation was made in August of A.D. 52 and proconsuls took office usually in midsummer, Gallio can be assumed to have taken office in the summer of A.D. 50 or 51. The Acts account makes it appear that Paul was brought before Gallio not long after he took office and near the end of Paul's eighteen-month sojourn in the city. Therefore, a date of 50-51 is likely for this letter.

Relative to Paul's other letters, 1 Thessalonians is very early. Unless Galatians was written earlier, as is plausible, between the first and second missionary journeys, or 2 Thessalonians was written first (see the introduction to 2 Thessalonians below), this letter is Paul's earliest. If so, it is also likely to be the earliest book of the New Testament, unless, as we have no way to confirm, one of the Gospels or the letter of James was penned sometime in the forties of the first century. For students of Paul and of early Christianity generally, then, this letter has special import.

AUTHORSHIP

Few critical scholars have doubted that Paul composed this letter himself. The internal claim of the letter is clear and unequivocal, including not only the salutation (1:1), but the repeated personal references in the middle section of the letter (2:1-3:10). Likewise, the external evidence is clear. The letter was quoted in some of the earliest Christian literature outside the New Testament (Ign. Eph. 10:1; Ign. Rom. 2:1; Did. 16:6-7), attributed to Paul as early as Marcion (c. A.D. 140), and never questioned in the early centuries of Christianity.

Those who have contended that 1 Thessalonians is not an authentic letter of Paul have largely based their arguments on alleged discrepancies with Acts. As implied above, it has been argued that this letter indicates that Paul's Thessalonian converts were pagans (1:9; 4:1-5) while Acts asserts that they were Jews and God-fearers (17:4). However, as noted in the comments below, Paul may have a particular reason for emphasizing converts from paganism, and Acts certainly emphasizes Jewish converts in Thessalonica as a part of a larger theme in Paul's ministry. Neither book, however, should be understood to be deliberately specifying the precise composition of the Thessalonian church.

Likewise, it has been argued that the movements of Timothy and Silas in 1 Thessalonians do not match those in Acts. In particular, Acts 18:5 shows them rejoining Paul in Corinth, whereas 1 Thessalonians 3:1-6 may show Timothy rejoining Paul in Athens. Several reconstructions of their specific movements can be offered which account for the material in both books. Paul may have initially left Timothy and Silas behind in Macedonia, and they may have returned to him briefly in Athens only to be sent back to Macedonia a second time. Alternately, Paul may have sent his associates back to Thessalonica after arriving in Athens, and Acts may simply condense their movements, giving the result that they were "left behind" while focusing attention on Paul. But most important is the observation that the use of "Athens" instead of "here" in 1 Thess 3:1 indicates that Paul probably wrote from a place other than Athens and so was reunited with Timothy at that place. Corinth clearly fits the details here, precisely in accord with the description in Acts.

A third argument based on alleged tensions with Acts concerns the length of Paul's stay. It is argued that Acts 17:2 indicates a stay of three weeks, whereas this letter presumes a longer stay with its discussion of Paul's self-support and preaching. However, all that Acts 17:2 asserts is that Paul preached in the synagogue for three sabbaths, not that those three weeks comprised his entire stay. And if only three weeks were involved, Paul still could have preached, taught and worked with his hands.

Another challenge to authorship is found in hypotheses which argue that the letter is a compilation of several authentic or pseudepigraphical letters, edited together by a later follower of Paul. Elaborate arguments for compilation are entirely conjectural and have found little support. Some have argued that 5:1-11 is a later, non-Pauline interpolation based on its vocabulary and content. The differences with the rest of Paul's letters are in fact few, however, and so this hypothesis has little support either. More prominent has been the hypothesis that 2:13-16 are a later interpolation of non-Pauline material. Specific discussion of this issue can be found in the comments on the passage below.

ORGANIZATION

Most of Paul's letters follow a rather set pattern of salutation, thanksgiving, letter body, and closing greetings. This pattern is apparent in a wide variety of letters from the Greco-Roman world, indicating that Paul adapted the standard letter form for his own purposes.

1 Thessalonians follows this pattern approximately, as the outline below indicates. One variation comes at 2:13-16, where Paul appears to offer a second thanksgiving. Such formal irregularities are not surprising, however, if Paul felt free to adapt standard forms as the occasion demanded.

Recently Paul's letters have been analyzed according to the patterns of Greek rhetoric. Several recent works have employed this approach in understanding 1 Thessalonians, with the beneficial result of stressing that the letter is a unified composition with a specific purpose of communication. Opinions vary, however, on where the precise rhetorical divisions lie, probably because Paul did not compose his letters strictly according to the canons of rhetoric, though he was probably influenced by them. In this commentary, therefore, no direct attention will be given to specifying the precise rhetorical contours of the letter.

THEOLOGICAL VALUE

As a small, young church in big, pagan city, the Thessalonian Christians faced challenges to their faith at every turn. Persecution, social pressure, temptations of the old lifestyle, conflict with new brothers and sisters in Christ, and surrender to despair were constant threats. Whatever the confidence with which they began their Christian pilgrimage, these believers were now faced with the daily ordeals of life in Christ in hostile surroundings.

Paul's answers to these problems are varied and significant. He confirms the truth of the gospel in the face of the doubts and struggles which they face, reminding them of the change which the gospel has brought to their lives and of the warnings which they had already received about the difficulties to come. He reminds them of his own manner of life with them, itself a confirmation of the truth of his message and an example of the self-sacrificial love and Christ-glorifying integrity which comprise the core of the Christian lifestyle. That love expressed to one another will in turn draw the church together to stand up to the pressure of the hostile culture which surrounds it. Perhaps most importantly, Paul reminds the readers repeatedly that the work of God begun in them in Christ will not be complete until Christ returns. They can therefore look forward to his return with great expectancy, remembering that even death itself will then be utterly defeated, and living each moment in faithfulness as they await the fulfillment of their relationship with Christ.

The situation for Christians near the beginning of the third millennium is not much different from the one that Paul addressed. And so his reminders remain timely. The truth and power of the gospel, the love and integrity which characterize Christ's people, and the living hope of Christ's return are especially relevant to a people confronted with the contemporary diseases of relativism, hatred, selfishness, and despair. The conviction that this universe will end with God's eternal triumph is as foreign to modern thinking as is the idea that it began by God's command. But apart from such a conviction, which stands at the center of 1 Thessalonians, can humanity find meaning in what seems to be chaos? Without it, can humanity find a basis for moral decisions? Faced with such questions, today's reader will not have to read far in 1 Thessalonians to find both blessing and challenge.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1 & 2 THESSALONIANS

COMMENTARIES

Commentaries are cited in the notes by author's last name alone.

Bruce, F.F. 1 & 2 Thessalonians . WBC 45. Waco, TX: Word, 1982.

Best, Ernest. The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians . BNTC. 1972. Reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1986.

Frame, James Everett. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Paul to the Thessalonians . ICC. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1979 (reprint).

Marshall, I. Howard. 1 and 2 Thessalonians . NCB. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.

Morris, Leon. The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians . NICNT. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.

Wanamaker, Charles A. The Epistles to the Thessalonians . NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.

OTHER WORKS

Allison, Dale C. "The Pauline Epistles and the Synoptic Gospels: the Pattern of the Parallels," NTS 28 (1982)1-31.

Aus, Roger D. "God's Plan and God's Power: Isaiah 66 and the Restraining Factors of 2 Thess 2:6-7," JBL 96 (1977) 537-553.

. "The Liturgical Background of the Necessity and Propriety of Giving Thanks According to 2 Thes 1:3," JBL 92 (1973) 432-438.

Bammel, Ernst. "Preparation for the Perils of the Last Days: 1 Thessalonians 3:3." In Suffering and Martyrdom in the New Testament: Studies Presented to G. M. Styler by the Cambridge New Testament Seminar . Ed. William Horbury and Brian McNeil. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1981.

Bassler, Jouette M. "The Enigmatic Sign: 2 Thessalonians 1:5," CBQ 46 (1984) 498-510.

Boers, Hendrikus. "The Form Critical Study of Paul's Letters. I Thessalonians as a Case Study," NTS 22 (1976) 140-158.

Collins, R.F. Studies on the First Letter to the Thessalonians . BETL 66. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1984.

Cottrell, Jack. What the Bible Says About God the Ruler . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1984.

Donfried, Karl P. The Theology of the Shorter Pauline Letters . New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Ellis, E. Earle. Prophecy and Hermeneutic in Early Christianity . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978.

Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity . 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.

Friskney, Tom. Thirteen Lessons on First and Second Thessalonians . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1982.

Funk, Robert W. Parables and Presence: Forms of the New Testament Tradition . Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982.

Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Introduction . 4th ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1990.

Harris, Murray J. Raised Immortal: Resurrection and Immortality in the New Testament . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.

Hengel, Martin. The Pre-Christian Paul . Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1991.

Hewett, James A. "1 Thessalonians 3:11," ExpTim 87 (1975-76) 54-55.

Hock, Ronald F. The Social Context of Paul's Ministry: Tentmaking and Apostleship . Minneapolis: Fortress, 1980.

Holland, Glenn S. The Tradition that You Received from Us: 2 Thessalonians in the Pauline Tradition . HUT 24. Tübingen: Mohr, 1988.

Jewett, Robert. The Thessalonian Correspondence: Pauline Rhetoric and Millenarian Piety . FFNT. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986.

Johnson, Luke T. "The New Testament's Anti-Jewish Slander and the Conventions of Ancient Polemic," JBL 108 (1989) 419-441.

Klijn, A.F.J. "1 Thessalonians 4.13-18 and Its Background in Apocalyptic Literature." In Paul and Paulinism: Essays in Honour of C. K. Barrett . Ed. M.D. Hooker and S.G. Wilson. London: SPCK, 1982, pp. 67-73.

Ladd, G.E. A Theology of the New Testament . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.

Lightfoot, J.B. Notes on Epistles of St. Paul . 1885. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980.

Malherbe, Abraham J. "Exhortations in First Thessalonians," NovT 25 (1983) 238-256.

. "'Gentle as a Nurse': The Stoic Background to 1 Thess. II," NovT 12 (1970) 203-217.

. Moral Exhortation, A Greco-Roman Sourcebook . Library of Early Christianity. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986.

. Paul and the Thessalonians: The Philosophic Tradition of Pastoral Care . Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987.

Marshall, I. Howard. "Pauline Theology in the Thessalonian Correspondence." In Paul and Paulinism: Essays in Honour of C.K. Barrett . Ed. M.D. Hooker and S.G. Wilson. London: SPCK, 1982, pp. 173-183.

Meeks, Wayne A. The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1983.

Morris, Leon. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross . 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965.

Moule, C.F.D. The Origin of Christology . New York: Cambridge University Press, 1977.

Pauline Theology, Volume I: Thessalonians, Philippians, Galatians, Philemon . Ed. Jouette M. Bassler. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991.

Pate, C. Marvin. The End of the Age Has Come: The Theology of Paul . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.

Pearson, Birger A. "I Thessalonians 2:13-16: A Deutero-Pauline Interpolation," HTR 64 (1971) 79-94.

Plevnik, Joseph. "1 Thess 5,1-11: Its Authenticity, Intention and Message," Bib 60 (1979) 71-90.

. "The Taking Up of the Faithful and the Resurrection of the Dead in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18," CBQ 46 (1984) 274-283.

Poythress, Vern S. "2 Thessalonians 1 Supports Amillennialism," JETS 37 (1994) 529-538.

Russell, R. "The Idle in 2 Thess 3.6-12: An Eschatological or a Social Problem," NTS 34 (1988) 105-119.

Schlueter, Carol J. Filling Up the Measure: Polemical Hyperbole in 1 Thessalonians 2.14-16 . JSNTSup 98. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1994.

Schmidt, Daryl. "1 Thess 2:13-16: Linguistic Evidence for an Interpolation," JBL 102 (1983) 269-279.

Schmithals, Walter. Paul and the Gnostics . Trans. J.E. Steely. Nashville: Abingdon, 1972.

Stowers, Stanley K. "Social Status, Public Speaking and Private Teaching: The Circumstances of Paul's Preaching Activity," NovT 26 (1984) 68-82.

The Thessalonian Correspondence . Raymond F. Collins, ed. BETL 87. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1990.

Walton, Steve "What Has Aristotle to Do with Paul? Rhetorical Criticism and 1 Thessalonians," TynBul 46 (1995) 229-249.

Warfield, B.B. "The Prophecies of St. Paul." In Biblical and Theological Studies . 1886. Ed. Samuel G. Craig. Reprint, Philadelphia: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1952, pp. 463-475.

Weatherly, Jon A. "The Authenticity of 1 Thessalonians 2.13-16: Additional Evidence," JSNT 42 (1991) 79-98.

. Jewish Responsibility for the Death of Jesus in Luke-Acts . JSNTSup 106. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1994.

Wenham, David. Gospel Perspectives 4: The Rediscovery of Jesus' Eschatological Discourse . Sheffield: JSOT, 1984.

. Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Winter, Bruce W. "The Entries and Ethics of Orators and Paul (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)," TynBul 44 (1993) 55-74.

Witton, J. "A Neglected Meaning for Skeuos in 1 Thessalonians 4.4," NTS 28 (1982) 142-143.

Wright, N.T. The Climax of the Covenant . Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992.

COMMENTARIES

Commentaries are cited in the notes by author's last name alone.

Bruce, F.F. 1 & 2 Thessalonians . WBC 45. Waco, TX: Word, 1982.

Best, Ernest. The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians . BNTC. 1972. Reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1986.

Frame, James Everett. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Paul to the Thessalonians . ICC. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1979 (reprint).

Marshall, I. Howard. 1 and 2 Thessalonians . NCB. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.

Morris, Leon. The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians . NICNT. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.

Wanamaker, Charles A. The Epistles to the Thessalonians . NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.

OTHER WORKS

Allison, Dale C. "The Pauline Epistles and the Synoptic Gospels: the Pattern of the Parallels," NTS 28 (1982)1-31.

Aus, Roger D. "God's Plan and God's Power: Isaiah 66 and the Restraining Factors of 2 Thess 2:6-7," JBL 96 (1977) 537-553.

. "The Liturgical Background of the Necessity and Propriety of Giving Thanks According to 2 Thes 1:3," JBL 92 (1973) 432-438.

Bammel, Ernst. "Preparation for the Perils of the Last Days: 1 Thessalonians 3:3." In Suffering and Martyrdom in the New Testament: Studies Presented to G. M. Styler by the Cambridge New Testament Seminar . Ed. William Horbury and Brian McNeil. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1981.

Bassler, Jouette M. "The Enigmatic Sign: 2 Thessalonians 1:5," CBQ 46 (1984) 498-510.

Boers, Hendrikus. "The Form Critical Study of Paul's Letters. I Thessalonians as a Case Study," NTS 22 (1976) 140-158.

Collins, R.F. Studies on the First Letter to the Thessalonians . BETL 66. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1984.

Cottrell, Jack. What the Bible Says About God the Ruler . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1984.

Donfried, Karl P. The Theology of the Shorter Pauline Letters . New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Ellis, E. Earle. Prophecy and Hermeneutic in Early Christianity . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978.

Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity . 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.

Friskney, Tom. Thirteen Lessons on First and Second Thessalonians . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1982.

Funk, Robert W. Parables and Presence: Forms of the New Testament Tradition . Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982.

Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Introduction . 4th ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1990.

Harris, Murray J. Raised Immortal: Resurrection and Immortality in the New Testament . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.

Hengel, Martin. The Pre-Christian Paul . Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1991.

Hewett, James A. "1 Thessalonians 3:11," ExpTim 87 (1975-76) 54-55.

Hock, Ronald F. The Social Context of Paul's Ministry: Tentmaking and Apostleship . Minneapolis: Fortress, 1980.

Holland, Glenn S. The Tradition that You Received from Us: 2 Thessalonians in the Pauline Tradition . HUT 24. Tübingen: Mohr, 1988.

Jewett, Robert. The Thessalonian Correspondence: Pauline Rhetoric and Millenarian Piety . FFNT. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986.

Johnson, Luke T. "The New Testament's Anti-Jewish Slander and the Conventions of Ancient Polemic," JBL 108 (1989) 419-441.

Klijn, A.F.J. "1 Thessalonians 4.13-18 and Its Background in Apocalyptic Literature." In Paul and Paulinism: Essays in Honour of C. K. Barrett . Ed. M.D. Hooker and S.G. Wilson. London: SPCK, 1982, pp. 67-73.

Ladd, G.E. A Theology of the New Testament . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.

Lightfoot, J.B. Notes on Epistles of St. Paul . 1885. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980.

Malherbe, Abraham J. "Exhortations in First Thessalonians," NovT 25 (1983) 238-256.

. "'Gentle as a Nurse': The Stoic Background to 1 Thess. II," NovT 12 (1970) 203-217.

. Moral Exhortation, A Greco-Roman Sourcebook . Library of Early Christianity. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986.

. Paul and the Thessalonians: The Philosophic Tradition of Pastoral Care . Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987.

Marshall, I. Howard. "Pauline Theology in the Thessalonian Correspondence." In Paul and Paulinism: Essays in Honour of C.K. Barrett . Ed. M.D. Hooker and S.G. Wilson. London: SPCK, 1982, pp. 173-183.

Meeks, Wayne A. The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1983.

Morris, Leon. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross . 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965.

Moule, C.F.D. The Origin of Christology . New York: Cambridge University Press, 1977.

Pauline Theology, Volume I: Thessalonians, Philippians, Galatians, Philemon . Ed. Jouette M. Bassler. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991.

Pate, C. Marvin. The End of the Age Has Come: The Theology of Paul . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.

Pearson, Birger A. "I Thessalonians 2:13-16: A Deutero-Pauline Interpolation," HTR 64 (1971) 79-94.

Plevnik, Joseph. "1 Thess 5,1-11: Its Authenticity, Intention and Message," Bib 60 (1979) 71-90.

. "The Taking Up of the Faithful and the Resurrection of the Dead in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18," CBQ 46 (1984) 274-283.

Poythress, Vern S. "2 Thessalonians 1 Supports Amillennialism," JETS 37 (1994) 529-538.

Russell, R. "The Idle in 2 Thess 3.6-12: An Eschatological or a Social Problem," NTS 34 (1988) 105-119.

Schlueter, Carol J. Filling Up the Measure: Polemical Hyperbole in 1 Thessalonians 2.14-16 . JSNTSup 98. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1994.

Schmidt, Daryl. "1 Thess 2:13-16: Linguistic Evidence for an Interpolation," JBL 102 (1983) 269-279.

Schmithals, Walter. Paul and the Gnostics . Trans. J.E. Steely. Nashville: Abingdon, 1972.

Stowers, Stanley K. "Social Status, Public Speaking and Private Teaching: The Circumstances of Paul's Preaching Activity," NovT 26 (1984) 68-82.

The Thessalonian Correspondence . Raymond F. Collins, ed. BETL 87. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1990.

Walton, Steve "What Has Aristotle to Do with Paul? Rhetorical Criticism and 1 Thessalonians," TynBul 46 (1995) 229-249.

Warfield, B.B. "The Prophecies of St. Paul." In Biblical and Theological Studies . 1886. Ed. Samuel G. Craig. Reprint, Philadelphia: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1952, pp. 463-475.

Weatherly, Jon A. "The Authenticity of 1 Thessalonians 2.13-16: Additional Evidence," JSNT 42 (1991) 79-98.

. Jewish Responsibility for the Death of Jesus in Luke-Acts . JSNTSup 106. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1994.

Wenham, David. Gospel Perspectives 4: The Rediscovery of Jesus' Eschatological Discourse . Sheffield: JSOT, 1984.

. Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Winter, Bruce W. "The Entries and Ethics of Orators and Paul (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)," TynBul 44 (1993) 55-74.

Witton, J. "A Neglected Meaning for Skeuos in 1 Thessalonians 4.4," NTS 28 (1982) 142-143.

Wright, N.T. The Climax of the Covenant . Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

ABBREVIATIONS

ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. by David Noel Freedman

ASNU Acta seminarii neotestamentici upsaliensis

ASV American Standard Version

AV Authorized (King James) Version

BAGD Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich-Danker Greek Lexicon, 1979

BDF Blass-Debrunner-Funk Greek Grammar

BETL Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum lovaniensium

Bib Biblica

BNTC Black's New Testament Commentary

CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly

DPL Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. by Gerald F.

Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin and Daniel G. Reid

EDNT Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. by Horst

Balz and Gerhard Schneider

ET English Translation

ExpTim Expository Times

FFNT Foundations and Facets: New Testament

GELNTBSD Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on

Semantic Domains (2nd ed.), ed. by Johannes P. Louw,

Eugene A. Nida, Rondal B. Smith and Karen A. Munson

HCNT Hellenistic Commentary to the New Testament, ed. by

M. Eugene Boring, Klaus Berger and Carsten Colpe

HTR Harvard Theological Review

HUT Hermeneutische Untersuchungen zur Theologie

ICC International Critical Commentary

JBL Journal of Biblical Literature

JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament

JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament

Supplement Series

LSJ Liddell-Scott-Jones-McKenzie Greek Lexicon (9th ed.)

MHT Moulton-Howard-Turner Grammar of

New Testament Greek

MM Moulton-Milligan Vocabulary of the Greek Testament

NASB New American Standard Bible

NCB New Century Bible Commentary

NIDNTT New International Dictionary of New Testament

Theology, ed. by Colin Brown

NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament

NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary

NIV New International Version

NovT Novum Testamentum

NRSV New Revised Standard Version

NTS New Testament Studies

RSV Revised Standard Version

TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. by

Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich

TEV Today's English Version

TynBul Tyndale Bulletin

UBS United Bible Societies

UBSGNT United Bible Societies Greek New Testament

WBC Word Biblical Commentary

ZPEB Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. by

Merrill Tenney

ZTK Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

College: 1 Thessalonians (Outline)

OUTLINE

I. GREETING - 1:1

II. THANKSGIVING - 1:2-10

A. The Initial Thanksgiving - 1:2-5

1. Paul's Constant Prayers for the Readers - 1:2

2. Their Exercise of Faith, Love and Hope - 1:3

3. Their Election - 1:4

4. The Power of the Gospel in Thessalonica - 1:5

B. Reiteration and Further Specification - 1:6-10

1. The Readers' Imitation of Paul and His Associates - 1:6a

2. Their Endurance of Suffering - 1:6b

3. Their Example to Other Churches - 1:7-8

4. Reports of Their Conversion - 1:9-10

a. Forsaking Idols to Serve the Living God - 1:9

b. Awaiting the Return of Jesus - 1:10

III. PAUL'S RELATIONSHIP TO THE THESSALONIAN CHURCH - 2:1-3:13

A. Paul's Behavior in Thessalonica - 2:1-12

1. Paul's Motives - 2:1-6a

2. Paul's Activity - 2:6b-12

B. The Thessalonians' Endurance of Persecution - 2:13-16

1. Their Genuine Reception of the Word - 2:13

2. Their Imitation of the Judean Christians - 2:14

3. The Continuity of Persecution Age to Age - 2:15-16

C. Paul's Continuing Concern for the Church - 2:17-3:10

1. His Desire to See the Thessalonians - 2:17-20

2. Timothy's Visit on Paul's Behalf - 3:1-5

3. Timothy's Report and Paul's Response - 3:6-10

D. Paul's Prayer for the Thessalonians - 3:11-13

1. That He Might Return to Them - 3:11

2. That They Might Abound in Love, and Be Blameless at the Lord's Return - 3:12-13

IV. EXHORTATION - 4:1-5:22

A. Exhortation Concerning Christian Living - 4:1-12

1. To Continue in Current Behavior - 4:1-2

2. To Remain Sexually Pure - 4:3-8

3. To Exercise Brotherly Love - 4:9-10

4. To Lead a Quiet, Honest Life - 4:11-12

B. Exhortation Concerning the Lord's Return - 4:13-5:11

1. The Dead in Christ and the Lord's Return - 4:13-18

2. The Suddenness of the Lord's Return - 5:1-11

C. General Exhortations - 5:12-22

1. Behavior in the Christian Community - 5:12-15

a. Respect for Christian Leaders - 5:12-13

b. Service and Forgiveness - 5:14-15

2. Constants of Christian Behavior - 5:16-18

3. Responding to Christian Prophecy - 5:19-22

a. Yielding to the Spirit's Work - 5:19-20

b. Testing Prophecy - 5:21-22

V. CONCLUSION - 5:23-28

A. Benediction - 5:23-24

B. Final Words - 5:25-28

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV