General Information | |
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| Name | This letter is the first letter Paul sent to the church in Thessalonica |
| Author And Date | Paul identifies himself, along with Silvanus and Timothy as the senders of the first letter to the Thessalonians. Outside of a few modern radical scholars, Paul’s authorship has never been questioned. 1 Thessalonians was likely written in A.D. 51. Paul had evangelized Macedonia during his second missionary trip, from 49-50. He then traveled to Athens, leaving Timothy and Silas there. Paul then travelled to Corinth. While in Corinth, Paul received word from Timothy concerning the Thessalonian church, prompting this first letter to them. |
| Audience | The addressee of the letter is “the church of the Thessalonians.” The church was probably majority Jewish, but with a large minority of Gentiles. |
| Message and Occasion | The message of 1 Thessalonians is that of a defense of his ministry in the city and a basic introduction to the faith for young believers who had some questions about doctrine (especially the Second Coming). As mentioned above, Paul received a report about the Thessalonian church from Timothy. Perhaps the same foes who had forced Paul out of the city were again stirring up trouble, attacking Paul personally to the extent he felt compelled to remind them of what he had done for them. |
Key Information | |
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| Key Verses | 2:13 “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.” 3:12 “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” 4:13-17 “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” |
| Key People | Paul This being one of Paul’s earliest letters, it begins the common practice of Paul defending his ministry. In 1 Thessalonians, the attackers seem to be Jews in Thessalonica going after Paul’s character, probably in an attempt to “poison the well” and discredit his message. Timothy and Silas Timothy and Silas are included in Paul’s greeting to the Thessalonians. The two had stayed in Thessalonica and ministered while Paul went on to Athens and Corinth. |
Important Theology in 1 Thessalonians | |
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| Trinity | Paul associates the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit with God in 1 Thessalonians (1:2-4; 3:11). |
| Last Days | 1 Thessalonians contains some of the most detailed explanations of the events of the last days in the NT. He directs believers to wait for the return of Christ (1:10) in hope and joy (2:19). This second coming will be with all His saints (3:13), and that He will come from heaven “with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.” The dead will rise first (4:16), then “we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (4:17). |
| Assurance of Salvation | Paul taught that believers are “assured” of their salvation by their election and the power of the Gospel (1:3-5). |
| Conversion and Sanctification | Paul says the Thessalonians turned from idol worship to “serving the living and true God” (1:9) He goes on to instruct them on how to be sanctified: by loving others and avoiding sexual sin. Certainly there is more to sanctification than this, but these were probably the most important to Paul. |
General Outline |
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Greeting (1:1)
Thanksgiving (1:2-12)
Paul’s Defense of His Ministry (2:1-12)
Concern for the Thessalonians (2:17-3:13)
Exhortation to Sanctification (4:1-12)
Teachings on the Last Days (4:13-5:11)
Conclusion (5:12-28)
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Used by permission. ©2017 H. Wayne House, Charting the New Testament. All Rights Reserved.