Introduction to Paul’s 1st Epistle to the Thessalonians

Table of Contents

• General Info
• Brief Survey
• Key Verses
• Author, Date and Recipients
• Historical Background
• Timeline
• Themes, Purpose & Theology
• Interpretation Hints and Challenges
• Outline

General Info

As with other New Testament (NT) letters written by the Apostle Paul, this epistle is titled according to its recipients, in this case Christians in the city of Thessalonica (now called Salonica or Thessaloniki in Greece).  In NT times, Thessalonica was the capital city of Macedonia.  First Thessalonians was written in the spirit of thanksgiving for the devotion of the members of the local congregation who had, for the most part, remained faithful to the true gospel even when false teachers attempted to infiltrate their ranks.  In his first epistle to the church, we see a shinning example of how Paul mentored new believers.  He gives us a an excellent blend of doctrine and application.  That is to say, he presented the basics of the faith and taught them how to apply these doctrinal truths to their everyday lives.  It also reveals some of the questions involving issues that appeared to have arisen somewhat early in the first century churches, such as what happens to believers who die before the second return of Christ.

The authenticity and resulting canonicity of 1 Thessalonians is almost universally accepted.  It is consistent with the style of Paul’s other letters and is mentioned in a number of early Christian writings such as the lists of New Testament books given by Marcion in the first half of the second century and by the Muratorian Canon a little later.  In addition, early church fathers such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria acknowledged it as being by Paul.  His authorship has only been questioned by a few of the usual modern liberal “scholars”.

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Brief Survey

Paul opens the letter with a brief greeting and expresses his gratitude to his readers for their faith, love and response to the gospel.  The recipients had denounced their false idols and were worshipping the True God.  They were also spreading their faith throughout Macedonia and much of the Middle East.  In chapter 2 and the first part of chapter 3, Paul reflects on his short ministry in Thessalonica during his second missionary journey and expresses his longing to revisit them, sending Timothy to strengthen and encourage them in the trials that they were facing.  He also defends his ministry against the accusations of the false teachers who were merely seeking money and fame for themselves.  In the second half of chapter 3, Timothy returns to Paul with an encouraging report confirming that the Thessalonians were continuing to stand firm in the faith.

In chapter 4, Paul exhorts his readers to lead a morally pure and holy life, and to continue loving one another in order to earn the respect of others to whom they were witnessing.  In the last portion of the chapter (4:13-18), Paul addresses a problematic misunderstanding about the future return of Christ, and in particular, regarding the fate of believers who had died prior to His still future return.  He confirmed that, at the second coming, true believers who had died would actually rise first, followed by those believers who would still be alive (4:13-18).

In the final chapter 5, Paul indicated that the second coming will catch most people by surprise (5:1-3), but the wise and godly would be prepared.  He also advised his readers against over-speculating about the time of the return.  Instead, they were to place an emphasis on consistent obedience to all of the Lord’s commands (5:4-11).  We also should strive to do likewise.  Paul then gave some final instructions such as showing respect for godly leaders, giving thanks in all circumstances, testing all prophecies, holding to that which is good, and rejecting all evil.  He also warns not to suppress the Spirit (5:12-22).  He then closes the letter with a short prayer for his readers, and a request that they also pray for him (5:23-28).

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Key Verses

We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.  We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1:2-3)

And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.  The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.  Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us.  They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1:7-10)

You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.  For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.  And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. (2:10-13)

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.  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. (3:12-13)

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.  Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. (4:7-8)

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words. (4:13-18)

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.  You are all children of the light and children of the day.  We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. (5:1-6)

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. (5:9-10)

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. (5:16-22)

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. (5:23-24)

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Author, Date and Recipients

The Apostle Paul identifies himself as the author in two separate locations within this letter (1:1; 2:18).  The compatibility of its style, vocabulary and theology with his other epistles is obvious.  His authorship has almost universal acceptance amongst the early church leaders and has not been seriously challenged.  Paul also mentions Silas and Timothy as co-senders, but how much input they may have had reegarding the subjects is unknown.  Both were Paul’s traveling companions on the second missionary journey (Acts 16-18) during which the Thessalonian church was formed.  In addition, the majority of first person plural pronouns such as “we”, “us“, or “our” likely refer to all three missionaries.

The recipients, “to the church of the Thessalonians” are also identified in the book’s opening verse.  Regarding the date, we know that Paul wrote both 1st and 2nd Thessalonians from Corinth during his second missionary journey (see Act 18:1-17 for historical background).  The first letter was most likely written in 50 or 51 AD, and the two letters were probably delivered not more than a few months apart (see also “General Info” chapter above).  On an archeological note, Luke mentions a ruler in Corinth named Gallio (Ac 18:12-17) who was proconsul of Achaia (the southern part of Greece that included the cities of Athens and Corinth) during the late stages of Paul’s second missionary journey.  In the early 20th century, a series of nine fragments of a letter written by Roman emperor Claudius in 52 AD was discovered in the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece.  The letter was later referred to as the Delphi Inscription or the Gallio Inscription.  Upon inspection, it was determined that the fragments contained a reference to proconsul Gallio who presided over the trial of Paul mentioned in Acts 18:12-17.  This allows us to more precisely date the latter part of the Corinthian stay on his second missionary journey in which the Thessalonian letters were written.  Since Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia was probably written about 49 or 50 AD, this was very likely his second canonical letter.

See A Brief Bio of the Apostle Paul and the Historical Background of Acts for additional info on his life and ministry.

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Historical Background

The city of Thessalonica was founded in 315 BC by Cassander, son of Antipater.  He was also a Macedonian king and general of Alexander the Great’s army.  He named the city for his wife Thessalonica, who was the sister of Alexander and the daughter of Philip II of Macedon.  Due to its ideal location at the northeast corner of the Thermaic (aka Gulf of Salonica), the city of Thessalonica quickly increased in wealth and population and became the headquarters for the Macedonian navy in the early second century before being conquered by the Roman navy in 168 BC.  A couple of decades later,  it was serving as the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia.  By Paul’s day, it’s population may have increased to approximately two hundred thousand people, and had a substantial Jewish population, large enough to have its own Jewish synagogue (Ac 17:1-4).  As a result, the monotheistic element of the Jewish religion attracted many Gentiles who had become disillusioned with Greek paganism that was soaked in idolatry (2:14-16).  The city also enjoyed the good will of Rome and many of the Roman citizens who settled there became wealthy benefactors in the town.  In addition, the city was not subject to Roman taxation, could mint its own coins, and was not obligated to garrison Roman troops within the city walls.  The Egnatian Way that linked Rome to Byzantium also passed through it.  This important highway and the thriving port made Thessalonica one of the wealthiest trade centers of the Roman Empire.  Today, the rebuilt city (aka Solinca) remains the second largest city in Greece.

Its economic and geographic elements also allowed the city of Thessalonica to become a natural base for spreading the gospel in Macedonia and Greece.  Thus, as Paul planned, the church eventually would become the evangelistic hub for the surrounding region.  Thus he would write, “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere” (1:8).

During Paul’s initial visit, he preached in the existing synagogue for three successive Sabbaths.  The Jewish religious leaders became jealous of his success in converting many to Christianity, so they formed a mob that soon had the people in an uproar.  They had many of the church leaders arrested before releasing them on bond (see Acts 17:1-9).  Thus, being forced to leave abruptly after his initial visit, Paul thus left a church that was no more than a few months old in their Christian experience, with limited training and knowledge.  To make matters worse, there was a lack of spiritually mature leadership in the church, through no fault of their own. 

Thus, Paul was deeply concerned over the church that he was forced to leave.  As he and his companions traveled on to Berea, Athens, and finally to Corinth (Acts 17-18), he remained deeply concerned about the welfare of the Thessalonian church.  His repeated attempts to return to the Thessalonica were blocked by severe circumstances that he attributed to Satan (2:17–18).  When they reached Athens, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to minister and strengthen the believers and to insure that they had not abandoned their faith (3:1–5).  While Paul was still in Corinth, Timothy returned from Thessalonica with the great news that the Thessalonian believers were continuing to stand firm in the faith despite the continuing opposition they faced (3:6–13; Ac 18:5).  This message brought great joy to Paul, who responded with the letter that became First Thessalonians, probably within a few months after he was forced to leave.  Paul finally succeeded in revisiting the city for a three month stay during his third missionary journey (Ac 20:1-3).

Finally, we mention a bit of interesting trivia.  When Paul crossed over from Asia Minor to Macedonia, the northern part of present-day Greece, it marked his first trip to Europe (Ac 16-18).  The first European churches that his team established were in the Macedonian cities of Philippi (Acts 16) and Thessalonica.  The residents of Philippi were also declared Roman citizens, thus exempting them from certain taxes, which resulted in the settlement of many army veterans.

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Timeline

(1)  These dates are either one or the other (Nisan 14 Passover falling between Thursday sundown to Friday sundown on the Jewish calendar).  The earlier date is the most popular, but there are good evidences and arguments to support either date.

~ Dates are approximated.

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Themes, Purpose and Theology

In Paul’s first epistle, the letter to the Galatians, he wrote primarily about the true Gospel, and in particular, justification by faith alone.  In his second, the first letter to the Thessalonians, he covers a wide range of essential doctrines of the faith.  In fact, this letter probably comes closer to a full range of systematic theological topics than in any other epistle.  In this book, we find information on the deity of Christ (3:11-12), the Trinity, including the Holy Spirit and the assurance of salvation (1:5-6) and sanctification (4:3; 5:23), the divine nature of scripture (2:13), the resurrection of Christ (4:14-18), the relation of faith, works and love (1:3), and more.  Perhaps the most prevalent doctrine, based on the amount of space given to it, would be the timing and events of the Second Coming / Day of the Lord (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13–17; 5:1–3; 5:23).  In fact, both letters to the Thessalonians have been referred to as “the eschatological epistles” because of their emphasis on issues related to the end times.  Yet due to its vast treatment of other theological branches, we should also note its ecclesiology (portrayal of a growing evangelistic church), along with its pastoral and missionary themes.

Paul likely had several purposes in mind in writing and sending this epistle.  He wanted to further educate and encourage the relatively new believers in the Faith, particularly due to their facing intense persecution (3:1-5).  A second purpose was to defend his ministry and refute the false teachers that opposed him (2:1-12).  He also attempted to correct certain low moral standards (4:1-8).  He also answered questions regarding the future return of Christ, particularly with regard to those members of the congregation that had died (4:13-18).  He further instructed the church on the proper conduct and the use of spiritual gifts (5:13-22).

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 Interpretation Hints and Challenges

There are no major doctrinal or theological problems presented in Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians.  There are two basic issues that occasionally result in debates.

The first stems from Paul’s opening statement regarding believers who have died:  Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  The perceived difficulty stems from the phrase “those who sleep in death” or in other translations, “them that fall asleep”.  This leads some to believe that Paul was teaching a doctrine of “soul-sleep”.  This false doctrine teaches that the soul is not conscious between a person’s death and resurrection.  A closer examination of the Bible’s use of the word “sleep” reveals it to be a more descriptive euphemism for the word “death”, particularly in the more accurate word-for-word Bible translations.  The translator often used the word sleep instead of death because the former includes the idea that a person will awaken (be resurrected) at the proper time.

All persons, whether believers or non-believers, will be resurrected unto judgment, the former will be bound for heaven and the latter bound for hell.  Bible evidence overwhelmingly supports the position that the souls of both believers and unbelievers are conscious between their death and resurrection.  Perhaps the best account comes from the words of Jesus Himself in Luke 16:19.31.  This is the familiar narrative of a rich man and a poor beggar who had both died.  The beggar was carried by angels to “Abraham’s side” while the rich man was “in agony in this fire”.  This account clearly indicates that the condemned man spoke, and thus was in a state of conscious awareness.

The evidence that believers are also conscious between our death and the resurrection is much more plentiful.  The best Old Testament (OT) example is that of the Prophet Elijah, one of two men who was taken to heaven without experiencing death .  It is often misunderstood that he was taken in a chariot of fire, but a reading of the text (2Kgs 2:1-18) indicates that the chariot separated Elijah and his successor Elisha, and that Elijah went to heaven in a whirlwind.  Before that, the first person taken alive to God was Enoch (Gen 5:18-24; Heb 11:5).  In addition, Moses who had died (Dt 34) some 1400 years prior to the birth of Jesus, and Elijah who was taken over 850 years earlier, were both conscious and talking with Jesus (Mt 17:3) at the transfiguration of Jesus (Mt 17:1-13).  While on the cross, Jesus promised the repentant thief that both He and the thief would be together that day with the Father (Lk 23:43-46).  Paul affirmed it is better to die and be with Christ (Php 1:21-23) while waiting for our resurrected body (2Cor 5:1-9).  Finally, we see the souls of the martyrs calling out for the Lord to avenge their blood and being told to wait a little longer until the full number of their fellow slain believers could join them (Rev 6:9-11).

The second debate involves the amount of time that Paul actually spent in his first visit to Thessalonica (Ac 17:1-9) before being forced to leave by the city authorities for the false charge of being disloyal to Caesar.  We know that he preached in the synagogue on three Sabbaths.  The text reads, As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures... (Ac 17:2).  This almost certainly means that Paul taught on three consecutive Sabbaths, but the text doesn’t absolutely restrict him to this, even though that was the typical custom for visiting teachers, particularly for an apostle.  Some have suggested that Paul’s stay lasted longer than the three weeks.  Typical arguments for a longer stay include the large number of Gentiles that were converted, the volume and variety of Paul’s teachings during the stay.  In addition, the facts that he worked while there (2Th 3:8) and received aid more than once from the Philippians while there (Php 4:16) may suggest a longer stay.

Those who argue for a literal three-week stay can point out that synagogue services during this time period were not the same as modern church services.  Today, services are often short so that attendees can beat the non-attendees to the best restaurants, or to make it home in time for kickoff, tee-time etc.  In Paul’s day, morning, afternoon, and evening services could easily last three hours.  I used to attend teachings sessions taught by a messianic Jew that started in the morning and sometimes didn’t conclude until mid or even late afternoon.  This extra time would no doubt allow Paul to sufficiently cover his subjects.  In addition, he probably also taught his coworkers during the time he was working.  Regarding aid from the Philippians, their gifts were characterized as entering into partnership with him (Php 4:15, ESV), and them being the only church who supported him (2Cor 11:8), so the aid from Philippi appears to have been fairly regular.  In the end, there is decent evidence for both positions, so the debate will likely continue.

Finally, we note that Paul’s command to “pray without ceasing” (5:17) may cause confusion amongst some readers.  We cannot literally fulfill this command physically since we must eat, sleep and work among other non-sinful daily activities.  Therefore Paul is clearly speaking somewhat allegorically here.  This does not mean however, that we can ignore this command.  Paul is commanding us to, during the time we are awake, to develop and maintain an attitude of prayer.  This meaning certainly does not abolish our special times of secret, concentrated private prayer.  We should continue to follow the example set by Jesus Himself (Mt 6:6; Mk 1:35).  We should also not avoid group prayer (Jas 5:13-18; Mt 18:19-20).  Finally, prayer is one of our primary weapons during spiritual warfare (Eph 6:18-20) and for the advancement of the Gospel (Col 4:2-4).

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Outline

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