1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Lesson 391
Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."
"The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians"
"Jesus will return"
Authorship:
First Thessalonians was written by Paul (1:1; 2:18) in Corinth around AD 52. It is considered the first of the New Testament books. Paul, Hebrew name Saul (Acts 13:9), was born a Roman citizen (Acts 22:27-28) in the small but wealthy city of Tarsus, Cilicia (Acts 21:39; 22:3) in modern-day Turkey. Born to Jewish parents around the time of Jesus' birth, Paul/Saul was from the Hebrew tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1) and was named after King Saul (Israel's first monarch). He was profoundly religious and possessed a keen intellect. Paul was chosen to study the Hebrew Canon in Jerusalem under the renowned Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) at the tender age of thirteen, a high honor. Paul was "a Hebrew of Hebrews" (Philippians 3:5), the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), and a strict Pharisee himself (Acts 26:5). Paul was a fierce opponent of Christianity (Galatians 1:13). When we first met him, he was watching the executioner's coats as they stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr, to death (Acts 7:58; 22:20). After Stephen's murder, Paul made it his mission to find and persecute Christians (1 Corinthians 15:9). His reputation for cruelty was well known (Acts 9:13). Going city to city, he hunted down believers, beat them, forced them to renounce their faith (26:9-11), and threw them into prison (Acts 8:3; 26:10), where many were "put to death" (Acts 22:4). After converting to Christianity (Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:12-18), Paul joined the Christians he had been persecuting and spent the rest of his life traveling the vast Roman empire, teaching the word of God. Paul's contributions to the fledgling Christian church cannot be overstated. Following Jesus' instructions to spread the word (Acts 22:21), it is estimated that he walked over 10,000 miles on three separate evangelical tours and wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament. Before Paul, little had been done to bring the Gospel to Gentiles. He endured decades of hardships as he spread the Gospel, all the time supporting himself with donations and working as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). Preaching earned Paul many enemies (1 Corinthians 16:9) who repeatedly tried to kill him (Acts 19:23-41; 20:3; 23:12). Paul was persecuted in almost every city he visited. He was driven out of Antioch (Acts 13:50) and forced to flee Berea (Acts 17:13-14). His enemies rose up and put him on trial in Achaia (Acts 18:12). Paul was whipped five times, beaten with rods three times, and was once stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19). He was arrested, whipped, and placed in stocks (Acts 16:23-24). As a prisoner on his way to Rome, he was shipwrecked and washed up on an island (2 Corinthians 11:24-25). He was reviled (1 Corinthians 4:12) and in constant danger from thieves he passed on the road and brethren he trusted (2 Corinthians 11:26). Paul was often sick (Galatians 4:13-14), hungry, thirsty, beaten, and homeless (1 Corinthians 4:11). He was insulted (Acts 17:17-18; 17:32), called "the filth of the world" (1 Corinthians 4:13), treated "shamefully" (1 Thessalonians 2:2), and more than once forced to flee for his life (Acts 9:28-30; 17:10; 2 Corinthians 11:33). The years on the road left Paul in despair (2 Corinthians 1:8), weary, used up, and often in pain (2 Corinthians 11:27). Finally, he was chained and imprisoned for two years while he waited for his accusers to testify against him (Acts 23:35). After being released and arrested again, Paul was found guilty of a capital offense and beheaded. Called "the Apostle to the Gentiles," "the Apostle of Grace," and "a servant of God" (Titus 1:1), it is difficult to name a person more responsible for spreading Christianity.
Thessalonica was a port city of over 200,000 people. Although there was a sizable Jewish population, Thessalonica was predominately Gentile. The city lay south of Lake Balbe at the head of the Thermaic Gulf in Macedonia (modern-day Greece), thirty-five miles west of Apollonia and a ninety-five-mile walk from Philippi. Named after Alexander the Great's sister, Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia. It was also the second-largest commercial center (after Corinth) and one of the wealthiest cities in the province. Thessalonica is within sight of Mt. Olympus, home of Zeus and other Greek gods. As a result, many Thessalonians worshipped pagan gods and their idols. The city was allowed to rule itself via their seven democratically elected politarch's (city rulers) and senate (Demas) as a reward for siding with Rome in one of its wars. Thessalonica sat on the Roman-built highway, the Egnatia way that ran from Rome to the Orient, and it had an excellent port on the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. The city took advantage of these two assets and became a bustling trade center. Paul founded the church at Thessalonica early in his second missionary journey in AD 49-50 (Acts 17:1-4). His converts were mainly Gentiles and a smaller number of Jews. Soon after establishing the church, Paul was forced to flee the persecution and riots organized against him (Acts 17:5-10). He traveled forty-five miles southwest to Berea and began preaching again. When his enemies in Thessalonica learned where he was, they had him run out of Berea, too (Acts 17:13-14). In AD 51, while in Corinth on his second missionary journey, Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. Several months later, in AD 52, he penned 2 Thessalonians, making them two of the earliest writings in the New Testament. During World War Two, the entire Jewish population of Thessalonica was sent to the death camps in Nazi-occupied Poland. Thessalonica still exists today and is called Salonika.
Purpose and Theme:
After fleeing anti-Christian riots in Thessalonica, Paul sent Timothy back to see how the church was enduring the persecution. When Timothy returned, he gave Paul a good report on the young church (3:6-7). The number of Thessalonian believers was growing despite the persecution. Timothy also had a list of doctrinal misunderstandings and questions from The Thessalonians that Paul needed to address. Paul wrote "The First Epistle to the Thessalonians" at Corinth in AD 51 (during his second missionary journey) to address those concerns.
Paul opens 1 Thessalonians by congratulating the new believers on their faith (3:6) and preparing them (and us) for future persecution. First Thessalonians encourages Christians struggling with secular mores in a permissive society. It teaches how to live in a culture filled with temptation and gives valuable advice on relationships. Paul also defends himself against slanderous charges made by his enemies against him and his teachings. He sets any misunderstandings of Christian doctrine straight, especially issues concerning the misunderstood Second Coming of Jesus (4:13-17). The Second Coming is a major theme in 1 Thessalonians, notice that the ending of all five chapters tell us Jesus will return. Many Bible scholars consider 1 Thessalonians chapters four and five the two most important in the New Testament.
First Thessalonians was written by Paul (1:1; 2:18) in Corinth around AD 52. It is considered the first of the New Testament books. Paul, Hebrew name Saul (Acts 13:9), was born a Roman citizen (Acts 22:27-28) in the small but wealthy city of Tarsus, Cilicia (Acts 21:39; 22:3) in modern-day Turkey. Born to Jewish parents around the time of Jesus' birth, Paul/Saul was from the Hebrew tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1) and was named after King Saul (Israel's first monarch). He was profoundly religious and possessed a keen intellect. Paul was chosen to study the Hebrew Canon in Jerusalem under the renowned Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) at the tender age of thirteen, a high honor. Paul was "a Hebrew of Hebrews" (Philippians 3:5), the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), and a strict Pharisee himself (Acts 26:5). Paul was a fierce opponent of Christianity (Galatians 1:13). When we first met him, he was watching the executioner's coats as they stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr, to death (Acts 7:58; 22:20). After Stephen's murder, Paul made it his mission to find and persecute Christians (1 Corinthians 15:9). His reputation for cruelty was well known (Acts 9:13). Going city to city, he hunted down believers, beat them, forced them to renounce their faith (26:9-11), and threw them into prison (Acts 8:3; 26:10), where many were "put to death" (Acts 22:4). After converting to Christianity (Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:12-18), Paul joined the Christians he had been persecuting and spent the rest of his life traveling the vast Roman empire, teaching the word of God. Paul's contributions to the fledgling Christian church cannot be overstated. Following Jesus' instructions to spread the word (Acts 22:21), it is estimated that he walked over 10,000 miles on three separate evangelical tours and wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament. Before Paul, little had been done to bring the Gospel to Gentiles. He endured decades of hardships as he spread the Gospel, all the time supporting himself with donations and working as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). Preaching earned Paul many enemies (1 Corinthians 16:9) who repeatedly tried to kill him (Acts 19:23-41; 20:3; 23:12). Paul was persecuted in almost every city he visited. He was driven out of Antioch (Acts 13:50) and forced to flee Berea (Acts 17:13-14). His enemies rose up and put him on trial in Achaia (Acts 18:12). Paul was whipped five times, beaten with rods three times, and was once stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19). He was arrested, whipped, and placed in stocks (Acts 16:23-24). As a prisoner on his way to Rome, he was shipwrecked and washed up on an island (2 Corinthians 11:24-25). He was reviled (1 Corinthians 4:12) and in constant danger from thieves he passed on the road and brethren he trusted (2 Corinthians 11:26). Paul was often sick (Galatians 4:13-14), hungry, thirsty, beaten, and homeless (1 Corinthians 4:11). He was insulted (Acts 17:17-18; 17:32), called "the filth of the world" (1 Corinthians 4:13), treated "shamefully" (1 Thessalonians 2:2), and more than once forced to flee for his life (Acts 9:28-30; 17:10; 2 Corinthians 11:33). The years on the road left Paul in despair (2 Corinthians 1:8), weary, used up, and often in pain (2 Corinthians 11:27). Finally, he was chained and imprisoned for two years while he waited for his accusers to testify against him (Acts 23:35). After being released and arrested again, Paul was found guilty of a capital offense and beheaded. Called "the Apostle to the Gentiles," "the Apostle of Grace," and "a servant of God" (Titus 1:1), it is difficult to name a person more responsible for spreading Christianity.
Thessalonica was a port city of over 200,000 people. Although there was a sizable Jewish population, Thessalonica was predominately Gentile. The city lay south of Lake Balbe at the head of the Thermaic Gulf in Macedonia (modern-day Greece), thirty-five miles west of Apollonia and a ninety-five-mile walk from Philippi. Named after Alexander the Great's sister, Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia. It was also the second-largest commercial center (after Corinth) and one of the wealthiest cities in the province. Thessalonica is within sight of Mt. Olympus, home of Zeus and other Greek gods. As a result, many Thessalonians worshipped pagan gods and their idols. The city was allowed to rule itself via their seven democratically elected politarch's (city rulers) and senate (Demas) as a reward for siding with Rome in one of its wars. Thessalonica sat on the Roman-built highway, the Egnatia way that ran from Rome to the Orient, and it had an excellent port on the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. The city took advantage of these two assets and became a bustling trade center. Paul founded the church at Thessalonica early in his second missionary journey in AD 49-50 (Acts 17:1-4). His converts were mainly Gentiles and a smaller number of Jews. Soon after establishing the church, Paul was forced to flee the persecution and riots organized against him (Acts 17:5-10). He traveled forty-five miles southwest to Berea and began preaching again. When his enemies in Thessalonica learned where he was, they had him run out of Berea, too (Acts 17:13-14). In AD 51, while in Corinth on his second missionary journey, Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. Several months later, in AD 52, he penned 2 Thessalonians, making them two of the earliest writings in the New Testament. During World War Two, the entire Jewish population of Thessalonica was sent to the death camps in Nazi-occupied Poland. Thessalonica still exists today and is called Salonika.
Purpose and Theme:
After fleeing anti-Christian riots in Thessalonica, Paul sent Timothy back to see how the church was enduring the persecution. When Timothy returned, he gave Paul a good report on the young church (3:6-7). The number of Thessalonian believers was growing despite the persecution. Timothy also had a list of doctrinal misunderstandings and questions from The Thessalonians that Paul needed to address. Paul wrote "The First Epistle to the Thessalonians" at Corinth in AD 51 (during his second missionary journey) to address those concerns.
Paul opens 1 Thessalonians by congratulating the new believers on their faith (3:6) and preparing them (and us) for future persecution. First Thessalonians encourages Christians struggling with secular mores in a permissive society. It teaches how to live in a culture filled with temptation and gives valuable advice on relationships. Paul also defends himself against slanderous charges made by his enemies against him and his teachings. He sets any misunderstandings of Christian doctrine straight, especially issues concerning the misunderstood Second Coming of Jesus (4:13-17). The Second Coming is a major theme in 1 Thessalonians, notice that the ending of all five chapters tell us Jesus will return. Many Bible scholars consider 1 Thessalonians chapters four and five the two most important in the New Testament.
1 Thessalonians is broken down into two main segments:
1) Verses 1:1- 3:13 - Opening greetings; Personal messages; Be faithful to God, be a good Christian; Paul's concern for the church.
2) Verses 4:1- 5:28 - Paul on sin and the holy life (4:1-12); Don't be idle, instead prepare for Christ and watch for His return (4:13-5:11); The believer's life (5:12-28); Two final greetings.
1) Verses 1:1- 3:13 - Opening greetings; Personal messages; Be faithful to God, be a good Christian; Paul's concern for the church.
2) Verses 4:1- 5:28 - Paul on sin and the holy life (4:1-12); Don't be idle, instead prepare for Christ and watch for His return (4:13-5:11); The believer's life (5:12-28); Two final greetings.
Study Tip:
As you read 1 Thessalonians, concentrate on how you can apply each passage to your life.
As you read 1 Thessalonians, concentrate on how you can apply each passage to your life.
