Introduction

What is the Book of
1 Thessalonians About?

Read this 3-minute introduction to help you find your bearings in the Bible story, and be inspired to read 1 Thessalonians!

Videos
on 1 Thessalonians

Historical Context
of 1 Thessalonians

Accordion Content

Paul wrote this letter to the church in Thessalonica.He probably wrote in AD 49–51 from Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–18). 

From Bibles.net: Remember that the ultimate author of every book of the Bible is the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). He has written this book to equip you for life, to help you know the true God, and to give you hope (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4). The Holy Spirit wrote 1 Thessalonians for your good and to lead you into joy.

As we have already seen, Paul, Silas [as he is called in Acts, although the Greek here has the Latin form ‘Silvanus’] and Timothy were the missionary team who evangelized Thessalonica. It is natural, therefore, for Paul to associate Silas and Timothy with him in both his letters to the Thessalonians. This does not necessarily mean that they shared in composing them; it is more likely to have been a courteous gesture, since Silas and Timothy were so well known in the Thessalonian church, together with a general indication that they were in agreement with what Paul wrote. 

—John R. W. Stott 

Source: Stott, John. The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991.

Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia, a Roman province in northern Greece. Boasting a population of more than 100,000, the city was a powerful commercial center in the Greco-Roman world. It was strategically located on the coast of the Aegean Sea at a key juncture along the Via Egnatia (a major Roman east-west highway). The city, therefore, attracted a diverse array of people and philosophies. This cosmopolitan makeup shaped its religious climate as well. While primarily polytheistic,[1] Thessalonica included a sizable number of monotheistic Jews.

In Acts 17:1–11, Luke recounts Paul’s visit to the city. He entered the local synagogue and on three consecutive Sabbaths “reasoned with them from the Scriptures” and proclaimed Jesus as the Christ (Acts 17:2–3 ESV). Some of the Thessalonians “were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women” (Acts 17:4 ESV). Nevertheless, a band of jealous Jews “formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd” (Acts 17:5 ESV). Unable to find Paul, Silas, or Timothy, they dragged Jason and some others before the authorities and charged them with sedition: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:6–7 ESV). Narrowly escaping by night, Paul and his associates journeyed west to Berea, where, Luke notes, the Jews were “more noble than those in Thessalonica” (Acts 17:11 ESV). However, on learning that Paul was in Berea, some of the Thessalonian Jews “came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds” (Acts 17:13 ESV). Paul again escaped, sailing south to Athens (Acts 17:16–33).

1. Polytheism—The belief in or worship of multiple (poly) gods (theism). The Thessalonians served and revered various Greco-Roman deities, including Aphrodite, Demeter, Dionysus, and Zeus. Idolatry was rampant in the city (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

—Matt Smethurst

Source: Content taken from 1–2 Thessalonians: A 12-Week Study © 2017 by Matt Smethurst. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Paul has received a report from Timothy about the Thessalonian church. Paul writes to them to restore their hope, which has been tested by unexpected deaths in the church. He reassures them that both the dead and the living believers will be safe at the second coming (1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11). In addition, Paul wants (1) to stress the authenticity of himself, Silas, and Timothy as preachers of the gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:1–12; 2:17–3:10); (2) to teach them that persecution is normal for Christians (1 Thessalonians 3:3–4); and (3) to challenge them to take responsibility for earning their own living (1 Thessalonians 4:9–12). 

The Setting of 1 Thessalonians

c. AD 49-51 

Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians from Corinth near the end of his second missionary journey. Paul and his companions had established the church in Thessalonica but were forced to leave by opponents of the gospel. Later, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to check on the church there, and Timothy’s report led Paul to write this letter. Thessalonica enjoyed privileged status as the capital of Macedonia and was located on a natural harbor along the busy east-west Egnatian Way.

Unless otherwise indicated, this content is adapted from the ESV Global Study Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©2012 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Books

Message Series
on 1 Thessalonians

Living Like There Is No Tomorrow by Colin Smith

In this 8-part message series, Pastor Colin Smith encourages us from the book of 1 Thessalonians to live with a godly urgency. Our lives are passing. Christ is coming. The truth is, we really don’t know what tomorrow will bring. You will be motivated, challenged, and strengthened as you listen.

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1 Thessalonians Dictionary

As you read through 1 Thessalonians, you might come across words and ideas that are foreign to you. Here are a few definitions you will want to know! Note that this dictionary was created for the New International Version (NIV) Bible.

Chief angel. The term in the New Testament refers to Michael.

To have faith or to trust that something is true. The Bible tells us that we can believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and trust him to keep his promise to forgive sins. We show that we believe that God loves us and wants what is best for us by obeying his commands.

A piece of metal armor that protected a soldier’s throat and chest.

The Greek word that means “God’s Chosen One.” “Messiah” is the Hebrew word meaning the same thing. Jesus was the Christ.

An assembly or gathering. The word church is used to refer both to local groups of believers in Christ (church) as well as to all believers (Church).

(1) To be certain about the things we cannot see or to trust someone because of who he or she is. For example, a Christian has faith that Jesus is God’s Son. (2) The whole message about Jesus Christ—that he is God’s Son and that he came to take the punishment for our sin so that we may become members of God’s family. This describes the faith of a Christian.

(1) Literally, “good news.” The good news of the Bible is that God sent his Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for sin and then raised him from the dead so that any person who believes may have new life. (2) The story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ told in the first four books of the New Testament. The books are also called the four Gospels.

Pure; set apart; belonging to God. God is holy. He is perfect and without sin. Jesus is holy too. He is without sin and dedicated to doing what God wants. Because Jesus died to take the punishment for sin and then rose again, people who believe in him have the power to be holy too. God helps them to become more and more pure and loving, like Jesus.

The personal but unseen power and presence of God in the world. The book of Acts tells us that the Holy Spirit came to followers of Jesus in a special way after Jesus had gone back to heaven. The Holy Spirit lives within each person whose sins have been forgiven. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is our helper and comforter. The Holy Spirit teaches us truth about God. He helps us understand the Bible and helps us pray in the right way. He gives us the power and strength to do what Jesus wants.

To continually treat someone cruelly or unfairly, even though the person has done nothing wrong. The early Christians were persecuted for teaching that Jesus is God’s Son.

(1) To be rescued (or delivered) from evil. (2) To be kept from danger or death. In the New Testament, salvation usually means to be rescued from the guilt and power of sin. By his death and resurrection, Jesus brings salvation to people who believe in him.

To be set apart for God’s use. A Christian’s sanctification is an ongoing process. When a person becomes a Christian, he or she is sanctified. The Holy Spirit continues helping him or her become more and more like Jesus, which is the process of sanctification.

Very great anger.

Dictionary Source

This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. 

Tough Questions
from 1 Thessalonians

We have found answers to some tough questions that we anticipate may arise as you read 1 Thessalonians. We know we can’t answer every question you will have; therefore, we have written this article, so you know how to find answers for your kids: How Do I Answer Tough Questions About the Bible?

Insights about 1 Thessalonians

The following insights are from pastors and scholars who have spent significant time studying the book of 1 Thessalonians.

The letters of 1–2 Thessalonians resound with the news that salvation—deliverance from God’s wrath through the blood of his Son—is available, for free, to all who will turn to, trust in, and treasure the Lord Jesus. These letters resound with the news that the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in the hearts of Christians, empowering us to walk in a manner worthy of God. And these letters resound with the news that this world is not the way it always will be. One day, King Jesus will split the skies and return for his people, establishing justice and renewing all things. 

—Matt Smethurst 

Source: Matt Smethurst, quoted from his article, “Don’t Underestimate 1-2 Thessalonians.” This article originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition

Interestingly, the title “Lord Jesus” appears 11 times throughout this five-chapter letter—more than in any other New Testament epistle except 2 Thessalonians (12 times) and 1 Corinthians (11 times). For all of Paul’s emphasis on other important matters, then, the letter’s ultimate focus is on the one who pervades its pages: the Lord Jesus Christ.

—Matt Smethurst

Source: Content taken from 1–2 Thessalonians: A 12-Week Study © 2017 by Matt Smethurst. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

What Paul and his companions especially remembered about the Thessalonians were the three most eminent Christian graces (faith, love, and hope) which characterized their lives… Two aspects of these Christian qualities need to be noted.

First, each is outgoing. Faith is directed towards God, love towards others (both within the Christian fellowship and beyond it), and hope towards the future, in particular the glorious coming of our Lord Jesus Christ… Every Christian without exception is a believer, a lover, and a hoper (not necessarily an optimist, since ‘optimism’ is a matter of temperament, ‘hope’ of theology). Faith, hope, and love are thus sure evidences of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Together they completely reorient our lives, as we find ourselves being drawn up towards God in faith, out towards others in love and on towards the parousia [second coming of Jesus] in hope. The new birth means little or nothing if it does not pull us out of our fallen focus on ourselves and redirect us towards God, Christ, and our fellow human beings.

Second, each is productive. It is this that Paul emphasizes. Faith, hope, and love sound [like] rather abstract qualities, but they have concrete, practical results. Faith works, love labors, and hope endures. A true faith in God leads to good works, and without works faith is dead… A true love for people leads to labor for them; otherwise it degenerates into mere sentimentality… And a true hope, which looks expectantly for the Lord’s return, leads to endurance, which is patient determination in the face of opposition.

So comprehensive is the vision conjured up by your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ that Calvin did not exaggerate when he called it ‘a brief definition of true Christianity.’[20]

20. John Calvin, The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Romans and to the Thessalonians, translated by Ross Mackenzie (Oliver and Boyd, 1961), 335.

—John R. W. Stott 

Source: Stott, John. The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991.

Through the Thessalonians, the transforming gospel message of faith in Christ had greatly spread. And this came about through their daily work. The Thessalonian believers didn’t become a monastic community, nor did they pull up stakes and head out en masse as overseas missionaries. These first-century believers saw their gospel stewardship through the lens of their vocations and stations in life. Having embraced the gospel, they were honoring their King in the various stations of life they were in when they were called. 

—Tom Nelson

Source: Tom Nelson, quoted from his article, “Tent Making Is Not Second Class.” This article originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition

Paul also urges us not to live a life of idleness while waiting for Christ’s glorious appearing (see 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). Looking for Christ never makes idle hands. If we were expecting a loved one to return home after a long absence, we would not just sit down as the day of his return approached. Rather, we would be busy getting everything ready, doing the things the loved one wanted done. Can you imagine a mother waiting for her son to come home from the service or from college just sitting down and letting everything go! She would be fixing up her son’s room, making his favorite cake and preparing his favorite food as she listened for his footsteps. This is the true Christian’s attitude concerning our blessed Lord’s return… The second coming of Christ was the bright hope of the Early Church, just as it should be for us. The greatest fact of the past is that Christ came the first time, as a man, and died on the cross to free us from the penalty of sin. The greatest fact of the future is that he is coming again, as King, to free us from the presence of sin (see Matthew 24:42).  

—Henrietta Mears  

Source: This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. 

What is a holy kiss? It’s a culturally appropriate, morally chaste, physical expression of love for other believers. It’s a hand on a shoulder, a warm smile with a hand-clasp, or a friendly hug—a touch that publicly acknowledges our bond with other members of Christ’s body. It’s not just a kiss, it’s a holy kiss, a kiss reclaimed from a fallen world and repurposed for the glory of God. 

And it’s not optional. Pastor A. N. Martin notes that in 2 Corinthians 13:12, the holy kiss comes at the end of a list of imperatives that we would unanimously consider Christian obligations: rejoice, aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace, greet one another with a holy kiss. One of the essential marks of the body of Christ is physical affection.

—Megan Hill

Source: Megan Hill, quoted from her article, “Bring Back the Holy Kiss.” This article originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition

1 Thessalonians Playlist

Discover music inspired by the message and content of the book of 1 Thessalonians.

Days That Are Remaining
by Scott Krippayne | Indie
Undone
by Sovereign Grace Music | Praise & Worship
It Is Not Death to Die
by Sovereign Grace Music | Hymn
We Shall Always Be With the Lord
by Ellie Holcomb | Folk
Everywhere I Go
by Charles Billingsley | Smooth Jazz
Keep the Faith
by 116 feat. Tedashii and Diamone | Rap
Before You I Kneel (A Worker's Prayer)
by Keith & Kristyn Getty | Praise & Worship
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