Thessalonica

The city of Thessalonica, now known as Saloniki, is situated at the head of what was formerly called the Thermaic Gulf (the ancient name of the city having been Therma, from the hot springs in the neighborhood), but is now known as the Gulf of Saloniki, a part of the Aegean Sea. By reason of its location this city was a great commercial center, being the capital of Macedonia and the largest city on the Balkan Peninsula until Byzantium, or Constantinople, was built. Even at the present time its excellent harbor is the chief factor in keeping Saloniki in its position as the second largest city of what was formerly European Turkey. Since about 315 B.C., the city has borne the name Thessalonica, either on account of a victory over the Thessalians which Philip of Macedonia won in the neighborhood, or in honor of Philip’s daughter, who was married to Cassander. At the time of St. Paul the city was inhabited chiefly by Greeks, with some Romans and a considerable number of Jews who were attracted there on account of its commerce. During the medieval period the city belonged for a time to the Venetians, from whom, in 1430, it was captured by the Turks, who, in turn, were forced to give up the territory in which the city is situated during the last Balkan War. The city rises from the sea in the form of an amphitheater, and presents a mixture of squalor and splendor. “In Saloniki may still be seen vestiges of Cyclopean and Hellenic walls, triumphal arches, and remains of Roman temples, Byzantine structures, and Venetian castles” ^■854 .

Thessalonian church

The congregation at Thessalonica had been founded by Paul on his second missionary journey. When he left Philippi after his imprisonment, Acts 16:19-40, he traveled along the great Roman highway, the Via Egnatia, reaching Thessalonica with his companions Silvanus, or Silas, and Timothy on the third day. The history of the founding of the congregation is recorded in Acts 17:1-10. For at least three weeks Paul was able to preach the Gospel without hindrance and with considerable success. Some few Jews accepted the message of salvation, but Luke’s account speaks especially of Hellenist proselytes, of such Greeks as had adopted the religion of the Jews and of representative women of the city. These men and women formed the nucleus, or stock, of the Thessalonian congregation. Owing to the uprising instigated by the unbelieving Jews the brethren urged Paul to leave the city after only a short time. But although the apostle was obliged to leave the continuation of his work in Thessalonica to others and did not visit the city again for several years, he retained his interest in the congregation and remained united with the brethren by the bonds of a most intimate love. From Athens, where he went after being driven from Berea, Paul sent his assistant Timothy to strengthen the congregation and to obtain information concerning its welfare, 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; Acts 17:14-15.

Context and contents

Timothy rejoined the apostle at Corinth, and the news which he brought concerning the Thessalonian congregation caused the apostle to write his first letter. In general, the report had been favorable. The members of the young congregation had remained firm in their faith in spite of the persecution which had come upon them, and had become shining examples of faith and love. Nevertheless they felt the affliction of persecution both from the Gentiles and from the Jews. Incidentally the continual example and temptation of the heathen, in the form of immorality, fraud, and quarrels, were a menace to the weaker brethren. But in one point particularly the Thessalonian Christians were in need of instruction, namely, that concerning the second coming of Christ. Some of them were anxious about the fate of their departed relatives and friends, others were inclined to enthusiasm and neglected their work, with the idea that the last day was so near that it was useless to work at one’s calling; still others brooded about the exact date of the Lord’s coming. Paul’s first letter to the congregation took these points into consideration. The first part, after the greeting, contains a loving admonition to constancy in spite of all tribulations and false insinuations on the part of Judaizing opponents. The second part refers especially to the dangers connected with the sinful life of the heathen. The third part contains doctrinal information concerning the second coming of Christ and the proper behavior of the Christians in view of this event. The letter closes with a few admonitions and the customary greeting.

Overview

This Epistle St. Paul writes out of especial love and apostolic care. For in the first two chapters, he praises them because they have received the Gospel from him with such earnestness as to be steadfast in it through affliction and persecution, and to have become a fair example of faith to all congregations everywhere, and, like Christ and His apostles, to have suffered persecution from the Jews, their own friends. So he had himself suffered and led a holy life when he was with them. Therefore he thanks God that his Gospel has borne such fruit among them.

In chapter 3, he shows the diligent care he takes, lest this labor of his and its praiseworthy beginning be brought to naught by the devil, with doctrines of men. Therefore he has sent Timothy to them to find this out, and he thanks God that things are still right among them; and he hopes that they may continue to grow.

In chapter 4, he exhorts them to guard against sin and do good to one another. He also answers a question, which they had presented to him through Timothy, touching the resurrection of the dead, whether all would rise at once, or some after others.

In chapter 5, he writes of the Last Day, how it shall come suddenly and quickly, and gives them some good directions for governing other people, and tells them what attitude they are to take toward the lives and teachings of others.

Verses 1-4

Introduction and thanksgiving

In this, probably the first letter written by St. Paul to any congregation, we find all the characteristics which give to his epistles the vigor and the charm that unfailingly impress the reader. Since his apostolic authority at this time had in no way been questioned or assailed, he opens his letter with the simplest form of salutation: Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus to the congregation of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It was Paul’s letter, dictated by him in his capacity as teacher of this second Macedonian congregation. And yet, so little of pride is found in him that he joins the names of Silvanus, or Silas, and Timothy, his two assistants in the work at Thessalonica, to his own, not as coauthors, but as fellow-laborers. Silas was a Jewish Christian, originally one of the leaders and a prophet of the congregation at Jerusalem, Acts 15:22. He had been one of the bearers of the resolutions which had been passed by the great church assembly in Jerusalem, to be delivered to the congregation at Antioch and to be brought to the attention of the Gentile Christians everywhere. After the altercation with Barnabas, Paul chose this man as his companion on the second missionary journey, Acts 15:32, ^■855, Acts 15:40. He was not bound by Judaistic scruples, but realized the necessity of entering upon the work among the Gentiles with all aggressiveness. He was at Paul’s side in work and suffering, before magistrates, in prison, in prayer, in miraculous deliverance, in flight, Acts 16:19,25,29; Acts 17:4,10,14; Acts 18:5. Later we find him mentioned as a faithful brother, 1 Peter 5:12, and an assistant of Peter in the work in Asia Minor. Timothy had been, ever since the second missionary journey, a faithful assistant and fellow-laborer of the apostle, whom the latter loved both as a brother and as a son in faith. No man was so near and dear to the great missionary of the Gentiles as Timothy.

Paul addressed his letter to the church, or congregation, of the Thessalonians, not merely to the officers, the presbyters and deacons, but to all the members. There were no hierarchical distinctions in those days, neither did men think of restricting the study of the Word of God to the preachers or priests. The entire congregation, all the true believers in Christ in the city, were in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This profound and stately expression does not denote merely a fellowship with God and the Savior Jesus Christ, but it emphasizes that the entire life of the believers is in God, that their entire sphere, their whole state of existence, is in the Lord, Romans 6:11 ^■856; John 15:4; 1 John 2:5; 1 John 5:20. The fact that the Christians are in Christ and in God, the two persons of the Godhead being one in essence, makes them new creatures, separates them from the world and consecrates them to the Lord. The apostolic salutation to this congregation of consecrated believers is brief, but comprehensive: Grace to you and peace. He wishes that the kindness, the favor, the mercy of God may be theirs for the sake of Christ, and that thus they might enter into the right relation with God once more, a relation which had been torn asunder by the Fall. He that is the possessor of the grace of God through Jesus Christ will also be sure of the peace with God in Jesus Christ.

The first thought which Paul voices, as in most of his other letters, is one of thanksgiving to God: We give thanks to God always on behalf of all of you, making mention of you in our prayers without ceasing. Cp. Philippians 1:3-4; Colossians 1:3. To the apostle the great works of God for man’s salvation, as they appear in the church at Thessalonica, seem ever anew great and worthy of praise and adoration. At the same time he wants every single one of his readers to understand that he is included in this prayer of thanksgiving, that the spiritual welfare of every single Christian engages his attention. He remembers them all in his prayer of thanksgiving, and that without ceasing, regularly. It had become habitual with the apostle to recall the state of every congregation and to lay the needs of every congregation before the Lord in prayer, never omitting the words of thanksgiving for all the spiritual favors of the past and for the many which would surely come through the Gospel in the future.

In this attitude Paul was strengthened by his knowledge of the spiritual condition of the brethren at Thessalonica: Remembering your work of faith and your labor of love and your patience of the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ before God and our Father. Neither distance nor new interests made any difference in the love of the apostle, because he could not forget the faith, the love, and the hope of the Thessalonians, the three cardinal Christian virtues. Their faith in Jesus Christ, by which they had themselves firmly grasped their redemption, did not remain idle and dead, but became manifest in a course of action with all vigor and strength, as should ever be the case. Genuine faith always gives evidence of its existence in good works. Paul remembers also their toil of love, their strenuous, devoted, fatiguing labor. Faith has laid hold of the grace of God in Christ and breaks forth in action; love guides this action in the paths of unselfishness, it seeks ways and opportunities of serving the neighbor, of coming to his assistance, even if that course should demand some measure of real sacrifice. And so, finally, Paul can speak of their patience of hope, their unwearied constancy in suffering and affliction. Patience is the inseparable companion of hope, for it is only in view of the future glory that we Christians are able to bear the suffering of this present time, Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18; Hebrews 11:26. This hope is based upon Christ, who is its object. He has given to His Christians the promise of eternal salvation, and His return in glory will result in our entering upon the inheritance of the saints in glory. Therefore the hope of the Christians persists in spite of delay and discouraging hardships. They hold it before God and their Father; sure of their adoption, of their sonship in Jesus Christ, they are looking forward to the inheritance promised to them by the gracious will of the Father.

By the side of his remembrance of the Christian virtues as they were practiced in the midst of the Thessalonians, which prompted him to raise his voice in thanksgiving to God, the apostle places another reason: Knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election. He has the knowledge, the firm assurance, impressed upon him by the condition of affairs at Thessalonica, that these Christians, whom he designates as the beloved of God, are also the elect of God. Their faith and the evidences of their faith are to him a proof of their having been elected by God unto eternal salvation; the election of God has manifested itself in bringing about the change in their hearts which showed itself in their Christian virtues. That is the great comfort of every believer: the fact that he knows Jesus to be his Savior, the fact that God has wrought faith in his heart, is to him a guarantee of his election unto eternal life.

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Verses 5-10

A recommendation of the congregation’s attitude

The apostle here substantiates more fully the reason for his assurance of the election of the Thessalonian Christians: Because our Gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and in full assurance, just as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sakes. This is Paul’s reason, as far as he, as to his own person, is concerned, why he is so sure of their having been chosen by God unto salvation. He had not been preaching the Gospel to them in vain and empty phrases, cp. 1 Corinthians 4:20; he had not been hiding its glorious message by a false oratory; he had not embittered its sweetness by a doctrine of works. He had preached in power, the Word itself exerting its strength upon the hearts of his hearers. He had preached in the Holy Spirit, who works in and through the Word of the Gospel as His means of grace. And his preaching had received additional emphasis from the fact that he had preached with the full personal conviction, with the unfaltering confidence, that it was the divine truth which he was proclaiming. It is the fullness of assurance which gives to the simplest discourse of the Gospel-truth much of its force and persuasive power. If a man calling himself a minister of the Gospel himself has doubts as to the divinity of the Word, as to the certainty of salvation, his words will hardly carry the strength of conviction. Paul’s readers knew his record.

The apostle also has a reason from their standpoint why he feels safe in concluding that they belong to the elect of the Lord: And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, accepting the Word in much tribulation with joy of the Holy Ghost. The Thessalonians had had ample opportunity of judging as to Paul’s conviction in the matter of the Gospel which he preached; they knew how he had conducted himself in their midst and in their behalf. By the grace of God, through the work of the Spirit, they had received such a firm assurance of the truth that they imitated their teacher, believing as he believed. Incidentally, they became imitators of the Lord, they walked in the way prescribed by Him, by His gracious and good will, which points to salvation for all men. All this they did by accepting the Word, by receiving the Gospel-truth, by acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. This attitude of the heart is always accompanied with the joy of the Holy Ghost, in the very midst of much affliction. No matter how much hostility and persecution the believers must contend with, no matter how seriously the wretchedness and misery of this present life seek to create doubt and unhappiness in their hearts, they have the assurance of the Holy Ghost in the Word, and therefore they are, in their heart of hearts, satisfied, joyful, happy.

Such a condition, however, will have its effect also upon others, as in the case of the Thessalonian Christians: So that you became an example to all those that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. The true believers, exhibiting the firm and happy conviction of faith which the Lord desires, become a pattern or type for others; they become an example for others to model their spiritual life after. Since this fact may, in turn, redound to the further confirmation of the faith of the Thessalonians, to the further conviction of its reality, St. Paul freely commends them in this respect: For from you has been sounded forth the Word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that there is no need for us to say anything. The geographical and commercial position of Thessalonica aided greatly in the rapid spread of the news concerning the acceptance of the Gospel in that city, making it incidentally an excellent basis for missionary work. Throughout Macedonia and Achaia, the ancient Grecian country, the larger part of what is now the Balkan Peninsula, the Gospel had been disseminated, people had gone forth, even in this brief space of time since Paul first preached there, endeavoring to spread the seed of the Gospel doctrine throughout the country. Surely a splendid example of interest and zeal for all Christians to imitate. By thus taking advantage of their opportunities, the Thessalonians had caused their faith to be known, to be spoken of everywhere. Cp. Romans 1:8; Colossians 1:6,23. The rapid, powerfully spreading conversion was exciting attention everywhere, so that there was nothing for Paul to add; the facts spoke more loudly than his words.

So great was the sensation which the faith of the Thessalonians had caused in all the cities along the trade routes of the Eastern Mediterranean that, as the apostle writes: For of their own accord people make mention concerning us what manner of entrance we had toward you, and how you turned to God from the idols to serve the living and true God. This was surely a novel experience for the apostle. Before he so much as had an opportunity to refer to the willing acceptance which the Thessalonians gave to the Gospel, in order to incite others to emulation and to open a way for the preaching of the Gospel, people told him of their own accord what they knew of the situation in Thessalonica, of the willingness with which the Thessalonians had received the Gospel-message. It was known everywhere how they had turned away from the worship of idols with the express intention of serving only the living, the true God. The God of the Gospel-preaching is the living God, as opposed to all dead idol-images; He is the true, the real God, as opposed to the imaginary, lying idols. To serve this true God in faith and love, that is the life of the believers, therein they find true and lasting happiness. The service of all false gods and imaginary deities is a slavery which the conscience of the idolaters denounces, which they themselves abhor; the service of the true God is the outflow of the relation of love which obtains between the heavenly Father and His children.

And the best is yet to be: And to wait for the coming of His Son from the heavens, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, the Deliverer from the wrath to come. While the believers lead their lives of faith and love, serving God and their fellow-men in the simplicity of their hearts, their minds are looking forward to, they are eagerly expecting, they are anxiously awaiting, the coming of the Son of God, who will return from heaven in the fullness of His divine glory, Matthew 25:31. It was this Son whom God raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of His power. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the great fact by which He has definitely and incontrovertibly been proved to be the Son of God with power, Romans 1:4. This Jesus, who earned salvation for all men, will, on the last day, bring the final deliverance to His believers; He will show before the whole world that He has delivered us, torn us away, from the wrath to come, from the punishment of hell, which would have been our rightful and well-earned condemnation but for His glorious redemption. This wrath of God would surely have struck us also if Jesus had not borne its curse and punishment in our stead, including that of eternal damnation. But now, since in Jesus Christ judgment has already been passed upon the world, therefore, whosoever believeth in Him is no longer judged, John 3:14-18, but is the happy possessor of full deliverance, of the inheritance of eternal life.

Summary

After the opening salutation the apostle assures the Thessalonians of his grateful prayer in their behalf and of his remembrance of their Christian virtues, due to his own preaching and their cheerful acceptance of his message, the news of which has gone forth throughout Macedonia and Achaia.

Verses 1-12

Paul’s manner of working in Thessalonica

He came with the humble desire to serve God:

The apostle here takes up the thought which he had broached in 1 Thessalonians 1:9, of his first coming to Thessalonica: For yourselves know, brethren, our entrance to you, that it was not vain. He had, in the first chapter, spoken of the voluntary testimony which he heard from others as he continued his work in Achaia. Here he appeals to their knowledge of the situation, at the same time forestalling or removing any doubts that may meanwhile have arisen in the minds of the Thessalonians as to the soundness of the teaching which they had accepted and as to the wisdom of their having accepted the new doctrine so quickly. The thought may have been suggested to them that, after all, the name, the faith, the hope of the Christians was a thing of vanity, and that they, therefore, were suffering for it to no purpose. So Paul emphasizes that his visit to them was not a matter of foolishness and vanity, but a mission of vital success.

To drive this thought home, Paul now goes into historical details: But having before suffered and been insulted, as you know, in Philippi, we took bold confidence in our God to speak to you the Gospel of God with intense earnestness. These words of Paul substantiate the account of Luke in Acts 16. Paul and Silas, although Roman citizens, had been grossly ill-treated by the rulers at Philippi, the so-called praetors, being both scourged and thrown into prison in opposition to Roman law. Of this insulting treatment the Thessalonians knew, the wounds of Paul and Silas having probably not yet been healed when they reached their city. In spite of this outrage, however, Paul had pushed forward, according to the command of the Lord, Matthew 10:23, bringing the Gospel to other cities and to Thessalonica first of all. In doing so, Paul had made use of all boldness and courage in proclaiming the Gospel, relying, as he did, upon the power of God, not upon his own natural talents and fearlessness. With the most intense earnestness and zeal had he labored among them, even at the peril of his life. This is the spirit which should at all times actuate the ministers of the Gospel, making them willing to do all and bear all for the sake of the Master and His precious news of salvation.

There had not been so much as a tinge of selfishness in Paul’s ministry: For our appeal is not from fraud, nor out of uncleanness, nor in guile, but even as we have been tested by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who proves our hearts. Paul’s appeal to men in the work of his ministry, his exhortation, his admonition, was free from impure, sinister motives. He himself was not the victim of fraud and error; he had not been deceived into becoming a servant of Christ; he was not the victim of a superstition, of a delusion. He was, moreover, not engaged in the work of the ministry from foul, impure motives, including covetousness and selfishness. Nor had he, in turn, made use of guile and cunning with the object of deceiving his hearers; all dishonest tricks of cheating and ensnaring were far from him. His mission was very emphatically not the outcome of self-seeking. But the situation was rather this: As God, who tests the hearts, had attested his fitness to be entrusted with the Gospel, so he was speaking the news of salvation, so he was preaching sin and grace, with no thought of pleasing men. It was God, who knows the hearts of men, that had chosen the apostle for his office. Paul did not assume any worthiness of his own, but he exalted the authority of God. Cp. 1 Timothy 1:12. By reason of this commission he considered himself under obligations not to engage men’s minds by flattering proposals nor to adapt his preaching to their tastes, but to consult only the pleasure of God, who, as the Judge of hearts, would soon expose and judge impure motives and selfish objects.

The apostle enlarges upon this thought still more fully: For neither at any time did we indulge in talk of flattery, as you know, nor in pretense of self-seeking, — God is witness, — nor seeking praise from men, neither from you nor from others, although we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ. Flattering talk invariably indicates selfishness and a striving to gain private ends. In this respect he called upon the Thessalonians as witnesses; they knew that he had not used flattery, that he had not attempted to please them by such methods. For the other fact, in turn, that he made use of no pretense for the purpose of self-seeking, that he had no selfish aims in his heart, he calls upon God as witness, appealing to Him who tests hearts and minds. That there was no selfish ambition in his heart appeared finally from the fact that he did not seek praise and honor from men, as he pointedly says, neither from the Thessalonians nor from anybody else. This disinterestedness stands out all the more strongly, since Paul might well have been burdensome to the Thessalonians, he might have used his authority, he might have assumed the dignity which was his as the apostle of Christ, and demanded honoring recognition of his position, and that of Silas, from them. Note: All persons that hold positions of authority in the Church will do well to pattern after St. Paul in this respect, since it is only in exceptional cases that the dignity of their office receives the recognition which it deserves in the estimation of men.

Paul’s unselfish devotion:

The apostle is still carrying out the thought of 1 Thessalonians 2:1, that his coming to Thessalonica had not been in vain, that his ministry in that city had been in accordance with the will of God, with an entire absence of selfishness: But we were lenient in the midst of you, as when a nursing mother fondles her own children. Lenience, gentleness, kindness, that had been the key-note of Paul’s behavior in his apostolic work at all times. All was tenderness and devotion, fostering and protecting care, in his relation to the Thessalonian Christians. He knows of no better and more striking comparison than that of a mother in her tender care for the children of her bosom. Also, Paul was not the strict disciplinarian and stern taskmaster, but he was mild, kind, loving in the midst of them; he was among them, surrounded by them, as a mother by her children, as a teacher by his pupils.

In agreement with this disposition, Paul could truthfully write of himself: So, with our yearning desire for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the Gospel of God, but also our own souls, because you have become beloved to us. So great was Paul’s affection for the Thessalonians that he yearned over them with loving desire, that he was perfectly willing, gladly desirous, not only to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to them, but also to lay down, with Silas, his very life for their sakes, such a firm place had they gained in his affections. Such utter selflessness, such willing self-sacrifice, was bound to convince the Thessalonians of the purity of Paul’s affectionate attachment for them and repel any, even distant, insinuation and imputation of covetousness and false ambition.

The apostle furthermore reminds the Thessalonians of his actual ministerial labors in their midst: For you remember, brethren, our toil and travail; night and day laboring not to be burdensome to any of you, we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God. Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica had been performed in the sight of all men, and it was not so long ago that they could not readily recollect his strenuous labor, connected with various disagreeable features, while he was living in their city. It is probable from this passage that Paul, also in Thessalonica, worked at his trade and supported himself, receiving help only twice, from the congregation at Philippi, Philippians 4:16. It was a rather strenuous life which he led, rising before dawn to work at his handicraft, taking the best hours of the day and evening to proclaim the precious Gospel of God, the news of the salvation of all men which had been entrusted to him by the Lord Himself. All this Paul cheerfully took upon himself in order not to burden the Thessalonians with his support; not even the necessaries of life he sought from them, in order that his intercourse with them might be one of continual giving on his part.

At the same time the apostle was conscious of his own integrity: You are witnesses, and God, that our behavior was holy and just and irreproachable before you that believe. Two classes of witnesses Paul calls upon, men, to testify to his actions and behavior, God, to bear witness of the purity of his disposition and motives. He could calmly state that his behavior, his conduct, had been holy, in the sight of God, with regard to his reverence toward God, just and fair in his relation to his fellow-men, without reproach in his whole deportment before men, in his capacity of God’s ambassador to proclaim sin and grace. Thus had Paul comported himself before the Thessalonians, with reference to them, thus offering a fine example and pattern to all pastors and teachers to live a life of true sanctification before men.

While leading such a life, however, Paul had not for a moment omitted the work of his calling: Even as you know how we treated each and every one of you as a father does his own children, beseeching you and consoling and testifying that you should walk worthy of God, who called you to His own kingdom and glory. Paul’s pastoral work was both general and special; he addressed his teaching to the entire congregation as well as to every individual member; and it was done with all the loving care of a father interested in the highest welfare of his children. Note the excellent pedagogical hint which lies in this sentence. He had earnestly exhorted or admonished them when faintness threatened to take hold of their hearts; he had encouraged and strengthened them when their hearts were in need of consolation; he had testified to them, he had adjured them to lead their lives in such a way as to be worthy of God, since it was to Him that they owed their call into His kingdom and to participation in His glory. Thus Paul combined the sweetness of evangelical preaching with the earnestness of evangelical admonition, thus he prepared the Christians in his charge for the continuous coming of Christ into their hearts and for the final coming of Christ in glory.

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Verses 13-20

The manner in which the Thessalonians received the Gospel

They accepted the Gospel and bore its burdens:

The apostle had just mentioned the fact that God had called the Thessalonian Christians into the kingdom of His grace. This fact causes him to launch forth into another thanksgiving: And on this account also we give thanks to God without ceasing, namely, that, receiving from us the Word of preaching, which is of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it truly is, the Word of God, who also works effectively in you that believe. Paul had come to Thessalonica as the avowed messenger of God, claiming for the Gospel which he preached divine origin. It was therefore a matter of much gratification and of sincere thanksgiving to him that the Thessalonians received the Word which he brought in the same spirit; they not only heard the preaching with the ears of their body, but they also acknowledged God as the Author and Sender of the message. Paul had not come in his own name, but as the agent and ambassador of God, and in this sense they had accepted his message and call, not as the mere word of men, but for that which it is in truth, the Word of God. This fact was further impressed upon them by the fact that they could not deny the effective working of God through the medium of the Word; they felt His power in the Word. The Thessalonian Christians were effectively and continuously confirmed in their faith by the Word of Grace which was proclaimed to them. Note: The acceptance of the Gospel as the Word of God, as the divine message for man’s salvation, is essential for faith; it is this confidence which must precede and accompany the certainty of salvation.

Paul now explains why he felt justified in drawing these conclusions: For you became imitators, brethren, of the congregations of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus, for the same things suffered also you from your own countrymen, as also they from the Jews. If the Word of the Gospel had not gotten such an effective hold on the Thessalonian Christians, if they had not had the firm conviction that the Gospel was the Word of God, they would hardly have been willing to bear its burdens. But now Paul says in their praise that they have followed in the footsteps of the congregations in Judea, that they were having the same experiences in the interest of the Gospel which the brethren had that had heard the Gospel-message first. The Christians in Judea had suffered persecution at the hands of the Jews; the Christians of Thessalonica were meeting with the same treatment at the hands of their countrymen. In both cases the congregations were in Christ Jesus, united with Him in the most intimate fellowship, not only deriving their spiritual life from Him, but having their life in His sphere; in both cases, therefore, they suffered persecution, 2 Timothy 3:12. That is the lot of all Christians, but it is incidentally a pretty fair indication of the faith which lives in them.

In a passage some of whose thoughts remind one of the speech of Stephen, Acts 7, Paul now arraigns the Jews for their stubborn opposition and hatred of the true Church: Who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets as well as they persecuted us, and please not God, and are opposed to all men, hindering us to preach to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins always; but the wrath was manifested upon them to the end. It may have been that this thought was suggested to the apostle by the fact that detractors might allege his having been denounced and persecuted by his own countrymen as a point against him. But Paul shows that the hatred of the unbelieving Jews had been directed even against the Lord Jesus. They had killed the Lord Jesus Himself as well as their own prophets, 1 Corinthians 2:8; Acts 7:52; small wonder, then, that they were persecuting His servant. It was evident, therefore, that their actions could not possibly be well-pleasing to the Lord, that they were an abomination in His sight, that they were proving hostile to all men by their behavior. They had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, for they hindered the apostle from bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles, lest the latter should have an advantage over them in being heirs to the salvation which they rejected. By this entire list of hostile acts, moreover, they were heading toward a terrible result and end: they were filling up the measure of their sins to the very top; with every new transgression they were approaching nearer to the limit of God’s forbearance. And so the wrath of God must now discharge itself; the Jews are ripe for the judgment of God, it was even then imminent, and His wrath was poured out upon them at the destruction of Jerusalem. Cp. Matthew 23:37-39; Matthew 24; Daniel 9:24-27. Note: The fate of the Jews is a warning example for all times, bidding all men to refrain from all enmity to the Word of God.

Paul’s attempts to visit the Thessalonians:

Here the apostle returns once more to the declaration of the cordial affection which he felt for the Thessalonian Christians: But we, brethren, bereft of you for a little while, in presence, not in heart, strove all the more to see your face with great desire. With great emphasis Paul places himself at the head of the sentence, in order once more to indicate to the Thessalonians the sincerity of his affection for them. He had been bereft of them, of their company, of their loving intercourse, for some little time. But he hastens to add that this was in presence only, not in heart, for in his heart he was just as closely connected with them as ever. But even this short absence had resulted in bringing out a homesick longing for them, which made him desire to be with them more than ever. It was not a case of leaving his disciples in the lurch, not a matter of “out of sight, out of mind”; on the contrary, his absence had been unavoidable, and his longing to see them could not be fulfilled.

He had also tried to get back to Thessalonica: Wherefore we craved to come to you, even I, Paul, once and a second time, and Satan hindered us. The apostle was not indulging in cheap phrases in assuring the Thessalonians of his continued interest in them and their welfare, but he had honestly attempted to visit them, just as had Silas and Timothy. He had, for his own person, tried time and again, but the obstacle was of a nature which effectually prevented his coming. Just in what this hindrance consisted which Paul ascribes to the agency of Satan does not appear from the context. It may have been an illness of some kind, or it may have been the fact that Jason and other Christians of Thessalonica had been bound over by the politarchs of Thessalonica to keep the peace by preventing Paul’s return. At any rate, Paul had done all in his power to visit them again.

And yet another thought the apostle commends to their consideration: For who is our hope or joy or crown or glorying if not you in the presence of our Lord Jesus in His royal visit? For you are our glory and joy. This is an appeal which was bound to have some influence upon the Thessalonian Christians that were inclined to doubt the sincerity of the apostle. For, he asks, who could possibly hope to take their place in his affections which they are now holding. They were the subject of his hope; he was sure that they would remain steadfast in the Word and faith until the end; they were the object of his joy, he was happy that they had accepted the Gospel of their salvation with such willing hearts; they were the crown of his glorying, they were his pride and delight, like the garland which crowns the victor at the end of a race of which he may boast. To this experience Paul is looking forward at the coming of Christ, when He makes His final, royal visit to the earth on the last great day. The Thessalonian Christians were verily the glory and joy of the apostle in this respect; the glory of their eternal salvation would reflect upon him and thus, at least in part, add to the bliss of his eternal salvation.

Summary

The apostle shows that his coming to Thessalonica was not in selfish ambition, but in disinterested, loving devotion; he praises the eager acceptance which the Gospel found in the midst of the Thessalonians, and tells of his unsuccessful attempts to visit them.

Verses 1-13

Various proofs of Paul’s love for the Thessalonians

He sent Timothy to them as his representative:

Paul had protested his love for the Thessalonian Christians in the strongest terms, stating also that he had tried time and again to visit them, but had been prevented from carrying out his intention. So he had done the next best thing: Wherefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought best to be left in Athens alone, and sent Timothy, our brother and servant of God in the Gospel of Christ, to give you strength and consolation in behalf of your faith. The longer Paul had been separated from the Thessalonian congregation, the more unendurable this separation became to him. He felt that he must get into communication with them in some way. Although he shrank from loneliness, therefore, especially where there was little or no Christian fellowship, he disregarded his own comfort and peace of mind. No sooner had Timothy (and Silas) joined him at Athens, where he had waited for them, Acts 17:15, than he commissioned Timothy to return to Thessalonica. Or Paul may have countermanded the order sent to Timothy by the Berean Christians and sent him word to proceed to Thessalonica first, before joining him in Achaia, Acts 18:5. He preferred to bear a certain amount of personal inconvenience to the continuation of the anxiety in behalf of his beloved pupils. As usual, Paul cannot refrain from adding a few commendatory words regarding Timothy, designating him as his brother in Christ and as a servant of God in the Gospel of Christ. These were no mere titles of honor, but were intended to show the Thessalonians how much the apostle thought of them in being willing to be deprived of the company of such a highly esteemed and unusually able helper. At the same time, Timothy, having such qualifications, was able also to strengthen the Thessalonian Christians, to confirm them, to offer them the necessary encouragement and comfort with reference to their faith. It was not that he expresses any distrust of them with regard to the soundness of their faith, but he is aware of the many dangers that surround the Christians at all times.

Of these dangers he says: That no one should be disturbed in these troubles; for yourselves know that we are destined to that end; for also when I was with you, I spoke of this to you in advance, that we must endure afflictions, just as it happened and you know. Even after the departure of Paul the Thessalonian Christians had been harassed by their own countrymen, 1 Thessalonians 2:14. Lest, therefore, they be disturbed in their faith on account of these troubles, lest any one should apostatize from Christianity, Timothy had been commissioned to dispense strength and cheer to their hearts. As for the Thessalonians themselves, Paul reminds them that troubles of this kind are the fate of the Christians; it is what they must expect by reason of their calling; it is a part of the cross which their Lord expects them to bear, Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:21; John 15:18-25; Acts 14:22. Paul reminds them also of the fact that he, indeed, had during his stay with them told them of this in advance, that it is a part of God’s purpose with regard to His children that they must suffer affliction. The fact, then, that this prediction was being fulfilled should cause them no surprise. It happened so to them, and it happened so to him, and the Christian should be satisfied with his lot, with the cross which he must bear according to God’s will. All this is a part of Christian knowledge, the Gospel winning believers in spite of this undisguised forewarning. Note: The Christians of the present time are inclined somewhat to shirk the bearing of tribulations by equivocating when they should really make a clear confession of their faith in word and deed. It is to be feared that many cases of denial of the Lord grow out of such behavior.

The effect upon the apostle of Timothy’s encouraging report:

The apostle here resumes the thought of 1 Thessalonians 3:1, referring again to his constant anxiety in their behalf: On this account I also, when I could no longer bear it, sent to find out about your faith, whether perhaps the Tempter had tempted you and our toil had been thrown away. The apostle’s personal interest in the matter is here brought out by his changing from the plural to the singular. The Thessalonians had experienced suffering; he, on his part, had done what he could to keep them firm in the faith. His anxiety for them having reached the point when he could no longer endure the suspense, Timothy had been dispatched as his representative to get information concerning their stand in the faith. For, as Paul tells his readers, there was always danger that the devil might have succeeded in trapping them and thus rendering all his hard labor in their city useless and frustrating all his toil in their behalf. The same danger threatens the Christians of our day. The devil either leads them to a false security and thus creates an attitude of indifference, or he brings persecutions upon them, causing them to deny their faith.

Now, however, the apostle’s anxiety had been quieted: Now, however, Timothy having come to us from you and having brought us the good news of your faith and love, and that you have a good remembrance of us always, eagerly desiring to see us, just as also we are to see you, for that reason we were comforted, brethren, concerning you, in all our own distress and trouble, through your faith, because now we live if you stand firm in the Lord. Timothy had now joined the apostle at Corinth, and it was his report that had urged the apostle to pen these lines at once. Good news he had brought, an excellent account of their faith and love. The Gospel had not been preached in their midst in vain. It had not only worked faith in the hearts of the Thessalonians, but it had kept them in the faith, and it had brought forth the fruit of faith in their lives, love toward God and their fellow-men. Their attachment to the apostle was also as warm as ever; they still remembered him kindly, they were filled with anxious longing to see him, their eagerness in this respect equaling his own. All these factors combined in giving Paul the greatest comfort and cheer. Amidst all his own troubles and afflictions he was at least fully satisfied about them. Their perseverance in faith was such a source of consolation to him that all considerations of his own state dwindled into insignificance. He felt refreshed, revived, he was full of the true joy of living. If they would but remain firm in the Lord, in faith, he would consider that he had not lived and was not living in vain. It was an appeal which was intended to stimulate the Thessalonians to their highest efforts in their Christian life.

The apostle prays for their further establishment in faith and love:

Paul here rises to an enthusiasm bordering on ecstasy. The high satisfaction and peculiar joy which he felt are strongly shown in the language which he uses: What sufficient thanks can I render to God, in return, concerning you for all the joy with which we rejoice on your account before our God, night and day praying most fervently that we may see your face, and might perfect the deficiencies of your faith? The apostle has received definite information of the stability of the Thessalonians in faith. This wonderful condition he attributes entirely to God, whose power has been manifested through the Gospel. He is anxious to make some return of appropriate thanksgiving to the Lord of grace; he is casting about for ways and means which would adequately express the gratitude which is overflowing from his heart. His reason for thanksgiving he has in the joy which is now striving for utterance, in his exultant rejoicing on their account. Without ceasing, night and day, his fervent supplications are rising to the Throne of Grace that God would grant him the boon of seeing his pupils at Thessalonica face to face. For that would give him an opportunity of perfecting any deficiencies which their faith still had, it would give him the chance to rectify certain matters of belief and practise. The Thessalonians were still in need of instruction, of exhortation, of intercession; for no Christians attain to complete perfection in this life. The fundamental outlines of the truth were in their possession, but it was necessary to fill out these outlines, to supply the details, to make them perfectly fitted to every good word and work.

The prayer of the apostle now rises to still greater heights of fervor: But God Himself and our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way to you; you, however, may the Lord cause to increase and to excel in love toward one another and toward all, just as we stand toward you, in order that He may establish your hearts irreproachable in holiness before God and our Father at the coming (the royal visit) of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. Amen. The first petition of the apostle concerns himself, namely, that God would so arrange it, would so guide and direct matters, that it would be possible for him to visit Thessalonica as soon as possible. Note that his prayer is directed to both God the Father and to the Lord Jesus Christ, these two persons of the Godhead being equal in deity. Mark also that every prayer is heard by God through Jesus Christ, by whom we have access to the Father, in whom the Father gives all His gifts to His children on earth. Should there be any delay in his coming, however, or, no matter what would happen, he has another petition, namely, that the Lord, the Giver of all good gifts, would cause the Thessalonian Christians to become filled with, to increase in, love, and thus to excel, to superabound in love toward one another, in the midst of their own congregation and toward all men. In this respect Paul was their example and model, in the love which he bore them. The result of this work of the Lord would be that the hearts of all the believers in the congregation would be established as being without reproach in holiness. This includes the whole life in and from the Spirit. The purity and the soundness of a Christian’s holiness is based upon the disinterestedness of his love toward his fellow-Christians and toward all men. Thus would the Thessalonian Christians be prepared to stand before God the Father on the great day when our Lord Jesus Christ will pay His promised royal visit to the earth in visible form, accompanied by all His holy angels and the saints from heaven, Hebrews 12:22-23; Luke 21:25-28 ^■857 . Mark: The apostle never fails to call attention to the end and aim of the Christian life, the perfection of heaven, the reward of grace to those that remain steadfast in faith and love, in holiness of life, to the end.

Summary

The apostle gives further proof of his love for the Thessalonians in that he had sent Timothy to strengthen them, whose excellent report concerning their firmness had comforted him greatly; he includes a prayer for their further establishment in faith and love unto the end.

Verses 1-12

Warning regarding various sins

Concerning concupiscence:

It is a wise pastor that can make a cordial commendation precede a necessary correction. The report of Timothy had, in general, been very favorable, but he had not withheld from the apostle the fact that certain abuses stood in need of correction. But Paul’s tone of cordial affection does not change: Moreover, now, brethren, we beg you and beseech in the Lord Jesus that, as you have accepted of us how you should lead your lives and please God, even as you have led them, that you excel still more. The apostle here opens the hortatory part of his letter, basing its admonitions and warnings entirely upon the doctrine which he had just laid before them in such an appealing way. It is in this sense that he calls the Thessalonian Christians brethren, that he begs them, that he entreats them in the Lord Jesus, on the basis of whose redemption and for whose sake all Christians endeavor to lead such lives as are in conformity with their calling, such lives as will please the Lord. There is not a hint of faultfinding in the entire passage. It is not a new burden which the apostle is trying to lay upon their unwilling shoulders; he is merely reminding them of instructions which they had received from him and from his fellow-laborers. Those instructions included also apostolic advice as to how they should conduct themselves in harmony with the obligation resting upon them as Christians, in order to please God. The Thessalonians had learned from the apostle and his companions in just what way they should conduct themselves in the various situations and exigencies of life, just how they should arrange their lives in the light of the Word of God. St. Paul willingly concedes and praises the fact that they had been willing to accept and follow instructions, that they were, on the whole, leading Christian lives. Since, however, a Christian is always in the making and never attains to ultimate perfection in this life, therefore the apostle begs and entreats that they should aim to excel ever more in their Christian life.

Paul now substantiates his admonition: For you know what instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus. The instructions or commandments concerning their sanctification had not been given by Paul at random or according to his own ideas, but on the authority of Christ, and therefore these injunctions were in full force for all times. With all these facts the Thessalonian Christians were fully familiar, and more, the apostle had commended their willing obedience to the Word which had been preached in their midst, 1 Thessalonians 2:13. Without further argument, therefore, he now refers to the summary of the doctrine concerning their sanctification: For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you desist from fornication, that every one of you know that he should get his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the passion of lust like also the Gentiles that do not know God. This is God’s will, not His entire good and gracious will toward the Thessalonian Christians, but that part to which their attention needed to be drawn at this time, a point in which they should excel more and more. It is God’s will that the Christians should grow in sanctification, that they should flee from sin more and more, that they should consecrate themselves to Him, that they should walk in newness of life. Paul’s specific warning concerns the sin of fornication, of intercourse outside of holy wedlock. To this sin the converts at Thessalonica were exposed, partly on account of the filthy heathen cult which was practiced there, partly on account of the fact that there was always danger of becoming tainted with licentiousness in a large seaport. The Christians must abstain, desist, from such sexual impurity, they must flee from its contaminating influence. For, as they know, the only way in which the desire for procreation should find its expression should be in this way, that every one have his own wife, that marriage be entered upon in sanctification, with due propriety, as a Christian duty and vocation, and in honor, Colossians 2:23; 1 Peter 3:7, with the proper regard for the wife as an heir of salvation, or at least as standing high above all beasts, with a full sense of the moral dignity of the relationship. All sinful abuse, all carnal excesses, are excluded by this plain statement of the apostle. And he emphasizes his meaning by a disgusted reference to the passion of lust such as was found among the Gentiles that did not know God. Marriage was not instituted for the gratification of wild and untamed passion; such behavior characterizes people that are without all reverence toward God, whom they do not know, and for whose will they do not care. Christians will be careful to lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed also in the married state.

A warning against covetousness:

The apostle here points to a second vice, one which is often mentioned together with uncleanness, cp. Ephesians 4:19; Ephesians 5:3,5; Colossians 3:5, that of avarice, of greed: That no one overreach and defraud his brother in business, because that the Lord is an avenger concerning all these things, as we have said to you before and testified. The description given in these words fitly characterizes the sin of covetousness; for the greedy person goes beyond the limits set by the Law of God; he resorts to trickery and cheating. This will invariably result in fraud, in the deliberate attempt to get the better of every deal, to enrich oneself at the expense of one’s neighbor. Undoubtedly this vice was common in the great Aegean seaport and was not regarded as anything reprehensible, just as the average business man in our day deems it an evidence of extraordinary astuteness if he can indulge in profiteering without being detected. But the apostle holds up a warning finger, saying that the Lord is an avenger with respect to all these things. The sin may not become manifest before the eyes of men, but before the eyes of God nothing is hidden, and His punishment will strike the wicked in due time. The Christians being subject to the same sinful desires as all other men by reason of their evil flesh, Paul had included this warning in his instructions to the Thessalonians; he had, before, in an earnest testimony, told them the same thing.

With reference to both vices he therefore adds: For not has God called us for uncleanness, but in sanctification. The holy God wants clean hearts; to that end and object He called the believers, working faith and love in their hearts by His call. A Christian cannot live in any form of uncleanness with regard to any of the commandments; if that had been God’s purpose in calling him, He would become a servant of sin. The apostle, therefore, extends his warning: Wherefore, then, he that despises does not despise man, but God, who gave His Holy Spirit to you. To disregard the precept and warning which Paul here issues does not mean a mere despising of men. That in itself may be bad enough, but could at least be condoned. No, it is God’s will which the apostle has proclaimed with regard to these sins, and every one that despises his instructions thereby becomes guilty of despising God. Such a person is all the more culpable in the sight of God because the Lord, in issuing the call, in working conversion, gave His Holy Spirit, thereby granting the power to walk in newness of life. Any person that has once been converted and then deliberately indulges in such sins as here mentioned by the apostle, drives the Holy Spirit out of his heart and thus receives to himself damnation, unless he repents of his sin before it is too late. This fact cannot be emphasized too strongly in our days when indifference and worldliness is raising its head in the midst of the Christian Church ^■858 .

The apostle urges brotherly love and sober industry:

This passage is another masterpiece of pastoral exhortation, for it combines a ready acknowledgment of the progress already made in sanctification with a tactful reminder of the fact that the goal has not yet been reached: But concerning brotherly love you have no need to be written to, for yourselves are people taught of God to love one another. With what effective skill Paul brings out his point! By representing the situation in such a way as to call them men taught by God Himself, through the Holy Ghost in the Word, and stating that under the circumstances his writing concerning brotherly love would be superfluous, he places this virtue before their eyes with the sharpest accentuation, putting all those to shame that were not practising this love at all times. The apostle names a case of which he personally knows: For, indeed, you do it toward all the brethren in entire Macedonia. There was a lively intercourse between the Christians of those days, not merely in the home congregation, but also with the brethren in Philippi, Berea, and elsewhere in Macedonia. Toward all these Christians the members of the Thessalonian congregation were practising brotherly love as it was required.

But the goal had not yet been reached; they could not yet speak of perfection: But we exhort you, brethren, to abound yet more, and to make it a point of honor to live quietly, and to attend to your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we announced to you, that you may lead your life honestly toward those without and have need of nothing. The Thessalonians were to strive for ever greater perfection, also in the matter of brotherly love, since there are so many factors that tend to hinder its proper growth. At the same time, however, instead of seeking a false renown by their works of love, they were to strive most zealously, set their heart, soul, and honor upon that point, to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Nothing so aids to this end as minding one’s own business, tending strictly to one’s own affairs, not meddling with those of other people, an undertaking which almost invariably engenders strife. Also they should work with their own hands, they should be earnestly engaged, every one in his own occupation; for the devil finds work for idle hands, as the example of David shows. This commandment belonged to those which Paul had given from the beginning, for he may have foreseen the danger which would lead enthusiasts to expect the coming of Christ at any minute, and therefore to neglect their work with the plea that it was useless under the circumstances. Paul wants the Thessalonian Christians to lead a life that is honest, becoming, respectable, decent in the presence of the unconverted heathen. For by working in the manner as here outlined they would be provided with the necessaries of life and would thus be chargeable to no outsider for help. Note: It is altogether fitting that this passage find its application in all the relations of the believers as such toward the unbelievers. To ask the aid of enemies of the Cross in the matter of building churches or schools or charitable institutions is to declare that the Gospel has lost its power to make the hearts of the Christians willing to perform the work which the Lord has given them to do.

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Verses 13-18

Information about the resurrection of the dead

It seems that the Thessalonian Christians, in their excessive eagerness concerning the second coming of the Lord, had stumbled into various misunderstandings. Their solicitude for their dead, for instance, caused them to fear that the latter would occupy a position secondary to that which they themselves, who would live till the second advent of the Lord, hoped to attain. This anxious concern incidentally tended to plunge them into a grief which came dangerously near being like that of the Gentiles. Therefore Paul combines admonition with instruction: But we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those that have fallen asleep, lest you grieve for them as do also the others that have no hope. It is true indeed that the faith of the Christians does not stifle and eradicate the natural affections. Christ Himself wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus. But even in this opening verse the apostle brings out two points that show the wide difference between the sorrow of the Christians and that of the unbelievers. In the first place, if Christians die, they fall asleep in the Lord Jesus, 1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 Corinthians 15:20. Their death is like a gentle sleep, from which there will be a glorious awakening. For that reason, in the second place, the sorrow of the Christians at the death of their loved ones is altogether unlike that of the rest, of the outsiders, of the unbelievers, whose condition is aptly described by the words: They have no hope. When their friends and relatives die, they are gone, they are taken from them definitely, never to be seen again. Such a memory of a happiness lost beyond recovery, of a parting without the hope of meeting again, produces a hopeless, a terrible state.

But the Christians are in an altogether different position: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so also those who fell asleep through Jesus will God bring with Him. That is the belief of all Christians, that Jesus truly died on the cross, but that just as truly He rose again on the third day. The believers in Christ, however, belong to Christ, they are partakers of all His work of redemption and of all the blessings which He earned through His vicarious suffering. Therefore the Christians, all those that have fallen asleep in Christ, trusting in His complete salvation, will pass through death into life. Just as surely as we believe in the crucified and resurrected Christ, just as surely as we are united with Christ in life and in death through faith, just so surely the Lord will lead us and all believers that have fallen asleep in Jesus with our Savior into the realms of eternal glory. That is the comfort of the Christians with regard to those friends and relatives whom they have laid to rest in the grave. They are at rest, they are asleep in the Lord; even in death they are the Lord’s. When Christ, therefore, who is our Life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory, and all believers with us, Colossians 3:4.

The apostle now adds a word of instruction regarding those that will be living on earth at the coming of the Lord: For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we, the living ones, that remain over for the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede those that fell asleep. This was a word, a saying, of the Lord which had been preserved by the disciples and is here recorded by the apostle. When the last day comes, there will still be some believers living on earth, having been left over by God unto the return of Christ. But these believers will have no advantage over those that fell asleep in the Lord, whose bodies are lying in the grave. Both they and those that fell asleep in the Lord will be made partakers of the glory of their Lord and Savior. The Thessalonian Christians were evidently worrying lest their sleeping relatives and friends would not be present to see and receive Christ, the Victor, when He returns in the clouds of heaven for the Day of Judgment. They themselves, in the fervor of their first love, were so intensely eager for His coming, were so sure of His speedy advent, that this thought filled them with great anxiety. Paul therefore showed them that their fears were groundless.

He now also explains the sequence of events on the last day: Because the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud summons, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will arise first; thereupon we, the living ones, that remain over, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we always be with the Lord. The events of the last day are here unfolded before our eyes as successive acts. The first is that the Lord Himself, the exalted Christ, will appear in the clouds of heaven, visible, as He ascended up on high. With great power and might He will come down from heaven, Acts 1:11. With a loud summons, with a shout of command, as a victorious captain going forth to the destruction of His enemies, with the voice of an archangel summoning the great host of the heavenly spirits, with a trumpet of God, a majestic note that will strike terror into the hearts of His enemies and cause the hearts of the believers to beat higher with exultant joy, the great King will descend from His throne. It will be, as Luther writes, like the coming of a great and powerful king or emperor in full battle array, filling the air with the clamor of battle-cries and trumpets. The shouting of the victorious Conqueror of death and hell will reach the dead in their graves, the believers will hear the voice of their Savior, and they will come forth from their graves with glorified bodies, ready to join Him in His triumphal pageant, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; Philippians 3:21. That will be the first event of interest in this connection. But immediately afterwards the believers whom the Lord has left over till this day, who are still living in the flesh, will experience the power of Christ’s majesty in their own bodies. They will suddenly be caught up into the clouds to join the retinue of the King of kings. The mortality of their bodies will then also be left behind, this corruptible having put on incorruption, 1 Corinthians 15:52-53. In the company of their exalted Savior the believers will then appear in glory before the whole world, to be forever with the Lord, wherein the essence of eternal bliss consists, to be in His presence, to see Him face to face, world without end. With the certainty of such joy before us, the admonition of the apostle surely ought to find willing ears and ready obedience: So, then, encourage one another with these words. There is a world of consolation and comfort in this short passage, which can barely be indicated in a brief explanation ^■859 .

Summary

The apostle issues a warning concerning sexual vice and covetousness, as sins of uncleanness, he urges brotherly love and industrious frugality, and gives information about the events of Resurrection Day, with a view of comforting the believers of all times.

Verses 1-11

Christian watchfulness with reference to the last day

The unexpected coming of the last day:

The same enthusiasm which looked forward to the coming of the Lord with eager impatience was apt to lead into an unhealthy state of mind, to a morbid anxiety which tried to penetrate into the secrets which the Lord had hidden from the eyes of men. The apostle, therefore, reminds the Christians of Thessalonica of the doctrine which they had learned: Concerning the times and periods, brethren, you are not in need that we should write to you. Paul here corrects both impatient expectancy and drowsy security, choosing such words as may convey the idea of length and repeated alternation of periods as well as of crises which might be expected very soon. It was a most effective way of urging them to maintain a well-balanced judgment and Christian sanity. They should never forget the words of the Lord which they had been taught, Matthew 24:44; Matthew 25:13: For yourselves know exactly that the day of the Lord, as a thief in the night, so it comes. This saying of the Lord had been given them, they had received instruction concerning the last things, they had exact knowledge to that extent to which the Lord had revealed the truth for all times. The day of the Lord, the last day of this present world, the Day of Judgment, is coming, as a day of terrible doom to the unbelievers, as a day of inexpressible joy to the believers. That is a precise, a definite knowledge. At the same time, however, the date is not known; the day will be a surprise to the whole world. The signs of the times will, in general, indicate when it is due, but the exact date cannot be determined by men, and every attempt to do so must result in disgraceful failure. Unexpectedly, as a thief in the night, this day will come upon the world. Cp. 2 Peter 3:10. Such is the manner of its coming, without any definite regard to the time.

This unexpectedness of the last day’s coming is aptly illustrated by the apostle: For when they are saying, Peace and security, then suddenly will come upon them destruction, just as travail to her with child, and they will not escape. This is the attitude taken by the unbelievers, by the scoffers, whom Peter also pictures, 2 Peter 3:3-4. Their constant cry is: All’s well; Everything is all right; All is safe; The world was never so secure as to-day. But at the very moment when they will some time be crying so loudly, and with great suddenness, the destruction which they considered impossible will be upon them, will lay hold of them. Even as a woman with child knows the approximate time when her delivery may be expected, but cannot tell the day and the hour when labor will set in, being therefore often taken quite unawares, so the destruction of the last Judgment will strike the scoffers, and all escape will then be shut off: it will be too late to repent. There is a solemn warning in these words which needs to be heeded most seriously in our day.

The alertness and vigilance of the Christians:

The Day of Judgment will come suddenly to Christians and unbelievers alike; but the contrast which the apostle brings out is this, that only the latter will be surprised by it. Christians are watchful, open-eyed, alert; they do not know when the last day is to come, but they are wide awake to any signs of its coming. This fact is brought out by the apostle in describing the state of the Christians: But you, brethren, are not in darkness that the day should surprise you like a thief; for you all are children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night nor of darkness. The unbelievers, the scoffers, are in darkness; moral corruption and want of intellectual insight renders them unable to read the signs of the times. With this condition the believers have nothing in common; their spiritual and intellectual condition is not such as to give them a false security and to make them blind to the signs of the times. They cannot be surprised by the coming of the last day, as a person would be when sleeping soundly in the darkness. The apostle rather makes a broad and sweeping statement concerning all Christians, namely, that they are children of light and of the day. As converted saints the believers are partakers of the salvation in Christ; they are now a light in the Lord; they know Jesus, their Savior. And they have put on the armor of light; their reason, enlightened by the understanding of God’s will, chooses those things which will bear the inspection of all men in the sight of God; they walk honestly, as in the day, Romans 13:12-13. With pointed emphasis the apostle makes the personal application: Not are we (Christians) of the night nor of the darkness. We have nothing in common with the unfruitful works of darkness; we refuse to have our minds influenced by the judgment of unbelievers in spiritual matters.

With this thought the apostle now connects his admonition: Now, then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us be vigilant and alertly sober. For the sleepers sleep by night, and the drunkards are drunken in the night; we, however, being of the day, let us be in our alert senses, having put on the breastplate of faith and love and as our helmet the hope of salvation. It will not do for Christians to yield to drowsiness, to fall into spiritual sleep, in these last days of the world, which is the condition of the rest, of the great majority of the people in the world, of all the unbelievers. The Christians’ constant attitude is that of vigilance, of watchfulness, of alert soberness, 1 Peter 5:8. For the sake of comparison the apostle refers to the example of the spiritual sleepers, of those that are of the night and the darkness. Their habitual condition is the very opposite of sober alertness: they are asleep in the night of sins, they are like people under the influence of strong drink, drowsy, stupefied, unable to understand the dangers of these latter days. The unbelievers, in their carelessness and profligacy, indulge in the lusts of the flesh, avoid all means of instruction, are unable to discern the signs of the times, preferring their ignorance to the light of God’s Word in faith and life. We Christians, on the other hand, belong to the day, where the light of the Word of God rules. Therefore it behooves us at all times to make use of sober vigilance; for if the saying is true anywhere, it is true in spiritual matters, that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. To that end we should put on the armor of God, which enables us to guard both body and soul against attacks from all sides. There is the breastplate of faith and love, of a faith which rests upon the merits of Christ and therefore manifests itself in a life of love; there is the helmet, namely, the hope of salvation, the certain trust and confidence that God, who has made us sure of the redemption in Christ Jesus, will confirm us in this faith to the end, finally taking us from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven, where we shall enjoy complete salvation and deliverance from sin and death, world without end. Ephesians 6:13-17.

This point the apostle now drives home with the comforting assurance: Because God did not appoint us to wrath, but for the acquisition of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. God did not ordain us, set us forth, for the purpose of enduring His wrath; for it is not His will that any man should perish; He brought no man into being only to elect him to everlasting perdition. Of this fact the believers are so sure that no consideration of human logic can shake their position in the matter. We Christians know that we have been appointed by God for the obtaining or acquisition of eternal salvation, not by our own works or merits, but through our Lord Jesus Christ. How this salvation was gained and its possession by us made possible, St. Paul writes: Who died for us, in our behalf. By giving Himself into death in our stead, for our benefit, Christ gained a complete redemption for us. But this fact puts us under the obligation: So that, whether we are awake or asleep, we should live together with Him. Under all circumstances and conditions we Christians belong to the Lord, being in the most intimate fellowship with Him, partaking of His life, whether we are carrying out the obligation of alert watchfulness in this life, or whether our body is peacefully sleeping in the grave. On the great day of His coming, therefore, we shall appear as living with him, no matter whether this coming finds us watching in life or sleeping in death. In any event, to be with Him will be the true life out of death. Well may the apostle therefore add: Wherefore encourage one another, and let each one edify the other, even as you also do. While Paul’s fine courtesy and tact acknowledge the progress which has been made by the Thessalonian Christians in this respect, he does not hesitate for a moment to urge them forward toward further comfort and edification. Exuberant energy, joyful hopefulness, willing steadfastness must characterize the Christians at all times.

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Verses 12-28

Concluding admonitions and greeting

The conduct of Christians toward others:

In concluding his letter the apostle gives the Thessalonian Christians some rules of order as to how they ought to conduct themselves. He speaks first of all of their behavior toward their teachers: But we beg you, brethren, to know those which toil among you and preside over you in the Lord and maintain discipline, and regard them superabundantly in love for the sake of their work. He speaks of the members of the presbytery in the various functions of their office. In the spirit of true evangelical admonition he does not command and threaten, but he begs them to heed and follow his words. The Thessalonian Christians should know, acknowledge with due respect, give full credit to, those who in the work of their office are engaged in toil, in hard work, in their midst. For these officers were presiding over them in the Lord, they were guiding them, overseeing them in His behalf. Their work, moreover, was not merely in the nature of teaching and instructing, but also of admonishing and warning, both in a general way and in specific instances. In short, these men were both preachers and pastors. And theirs was a toil, a form of hard work. The persons outside of the ministerial office, and also those within the office that regard the work as a sinecure, have not the slightest conception of its requirements and responsibilities. But Paul, speaking in the name of the Lord, bids the Christians esteem the men that hold this office very exceedingly, superabundantly in love. They are not merely to be tolerated as necessary evils, but they are to be regarded in true love, not for the sake of their person (for they are but sinful men), but for the sake of their work, their office. The apostle assumes, of course, that all ministers that bear the title properly will also faithfully perform the serious work for the souls entrusted to their care. Note: This admonition is very timely also in our days; for though the ministers are given a certain amount of reverence, the love and esteem which the apostle here names is often sadly missing.

The next admonition of Paul concerns the brotherly relation which should obtain within the Christian congregation itself: Be at peace among yourselves. This exhortation is always timely and salutary, even where there are no serious disagreements afoot, and surely in Thessalonica, where Paul was obliged to point out the need of a quiet life, of every one’s attending strictly to his own business, and of making his living honestly. With these two basic points established, esteem for their ministers and peace among themselves, the Thessalonian Christians would be glad to follow also the other admonitions of the apostle: But we beseech you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak, be long-suffering toward all. See to it that no one render evil for evil to any one else, but always follow after the good toward one another and toward all. In a large congregation it was to be expected that not all members would prove to be model Christians. For that reason the disorderly, those that could not be induced to maintain order, but were always going forward in an aimless manner to the detriment of the work of the congregation, were to be admonished and set right, so that their work, done in an orderly way, would be of some benefit to the Church. The faint-hearted were to be encouraged; whatever the sorrow and grief was that was stirring their soul, they were to be cheered with comforting truth from the Word of God. The weak were to be supported, held up spiritually, by passing an arm around them, as it were, as being precious in the sight of God; the strong should not become tired of always deferring to the weakness of less enlightened brethren and of instructing them with all patience. Toward all men the Christians were so to comport themselves as never to lose their temper, always to let true equanimity of mind govern their every action. Closely connected with this is the thought that Christians should be on their guard at all times, lest some one pay back an evil, an insult in kind. It is essential that believers leave vengeance to the Lord. In short, they should always aim at that which is good, not only in the midst of their own congregation, but also toward others, toward all men, in fact. These are fundamental principles for proper Christian conduct, which every Christian will do well to heed; for it is only by the most assiduous pursuit of the virtues here mentioned that headway may be made in Christian sanctification.

The Christian’s personal bearing and conduct:

Of these brief admonitions one commentator says: “To comment adequately upon these diamond drops would be to outline a history of the Christian experience in its higher levels.” Always to rejoice is a characteristic of all Christians, even in poverty, sickness, misery, persecution, and whatever other mischance befall them, for they know that all things work together for good to them that love God, Romans 8:28. As far as the attitude toward God is concerned, it cannot be anything but joyful. It is not easy, of course, for weak flesh and blood to reach this level, but the Christian has the remedy and the tonic all in one: Without ceasing pray. Believers, as children of God in Christ Jesus, have the habit of praying, of bringing all their needs to their heavenly Father. The apostle does not merely urge regularity in the practice of prayer, but he wants our hearts always to be disposed toward prayer, always in the mood to make all our wants known to Him who never fails His children. There must be a constant spirit of prayer breathing through the Christian’s whole life. Incidentally, no prayer should be offered without thanksgiving, express or implied; every petition should be accompanied by thanksgiving, for the gift will surely be forthcoming if the prayer is made in faith, according to the will of God. The fulfilment may not agree with the form of our petition, but it surely is always in line with our needs; and so the will of God toward us in Christ Jesus, our Savior, is that we practice the giving of thanks at all times, in all things.

The apostle now passes on to the source from which prayer and thanksgiving flow, admonishing the Christians not to quench or oppress the Spirit. The Holy Ghost, received as a gift of God through the Word, works in the hearts of the Christians, distributing various gifts of grace, making intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered, Romans 8:26. To resist the influence of the Spirit, to grieve Him in His work, either by ingratitude or by any ever so slight transgression of the will of God, means to render His work ineffectual and even to drive Him out of the heart. For that reason the Thessalonian Christians were also not to disdain and despise prophetic revelations wherever they are given, since they are the work of the Spirit. Whenever a Christian, under this special influence of the Spirit, with this special gift, had a message to the Church, an explanation of some divine truth, especially with reference to the future, his proclamation should be received with all due respect. This does not mean, however, that every message purporting to be a prophecy should be accepted blindly and without judgment. All things prove, the good accept, the apostle says. We should apply a test, the test of the Word of God, to all matters that are presented for our consideration and for our acceptance, after the example of the Bereans, Acts 17:11. And what, according to this criterion, is found excellent, that we should hold fast, that we should cling to, that we should retain. At the same time, of course, we should abstain from everything that appears to be wickedness or from every kind of evil, even from the apparently spiritual form, in doctrine as well as in conduct. So many forms of evil, particularly in our days, appear under the guise of the greatest good, under a sacred pretense, that it requires the most careful application of the standard given by the Word of God to detect the swindle and to remain uncontaminated. There are few pious frauds in our days that do not find ready acceptance, as the increasing number of sects plainly indicates.

Concluding greetings:

The conclusions of Paul’s letters are always serene and restful, his last word invariably being one of evangelical kindness. Whether he here had in mind the vices to which he had alluded in the body of his letter, which tend to disturb the harmony of the Church, or not, his closing benediction is one of singular beauty: He Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, blameless, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. To the Lord, the God of peace, the apostle commends the Thessalonian Christians, for it is He that is the Author and Giver of peace; He it was that sent His Son, the Prince of Peace, for the redemption of the world, to restore the right relation between Himself and fallen mankind. This God, reconciled to them through the death of His Son, also had the power to consecrate the Christians through and through, working in them that perfection which He desires in His children, through the Word. The result of the Spirit’s sanctifying labors, then, would be that in the end the Christians would be blameless, irreproachable in soul, mind, and body. The soul, in its relation to God, the mind, in its judging of all matters pertaining to sanctification, the body, as the seat of the soul and the instrument of the mind: they all should make steady progress toward perfect sanctification. This goal may not be reached in this life, but at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ all the believers, clothed in the righteousness and holiness of their Redeemer, will be acceptable in the sight of God, washed by the blood of the Lamb that was slain. For the comfort of the Christians, who feel their own insufficiency all too well, the apostle adds: Faithful is He that calls you, who will also do this. The promises of God as to His keeping His own in the faith to the end are so numerous in Scriptures that every Christian should feel the calm certainty of the infallible Word, John 10:28; 2 Timothy 4:8,18.

So far as his own person is concerned, Paul feels constrained to add the appeal: Brethren, pray for me. Not only were great responsibilities resting upon the apostle, but he had an unusual measure of personal affliction to contend with and therefore stood in need of their constant intercession. Incidentally, ever full of kind remembrance toward all members of the churches, he bids his readers salute all the brethren with a holy kiss, a custom of the early Church which was retained for several centuries in the public services, the women saluting the women and the men the men, in a very dignified and solemn manner, to signify the sincerity of the love which united them. The apostle also impressed upon their minds with great solemnity that all the brethren should be given an opportunity to read this letter, for he wanted every single member of the congregation to be acquainted with its contents. Here again the apostle shows the fine character of a pastor who is concerned about every soul entrusted to his care and makes it a special point to reach them all by either public or private appeal. At the end of his letter the apostle places the ordinary benediction in its short form: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you! It is a wish which implies not only that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, whose redemption secured free grace for all, but also that He is divine and can freely dispense of His boundless store of grace and mercy, as He obtained it for men by His suffering and death.

Summary

The apostle describes the unexpectedness of the return of Christ, which makes constant vigilance on the part of the Christians necessary; he gives his readers short instructions as to their conduct toward others and as to their personal bearing; he closes with a beautiful benediction, an appeal, and the apostolic greeting.