1 Thessalonians 1

1Th 1:1-10.

ADDRESS:

SALUTATION:

HIS

PRAYERFUL

THANKSGIVING FOR

THEIR

FAITH,

HOPE, AND

LOVE.

THEIR

FIRST

RECEPTION OF THE

GOSPEL, AND

THEIR

GOOD

INFLUENCE ON

ALL

AROUND.

1. Paul--He does not add "an apostle," because in their case, as

in that of the Philippians (see on

Php 1:1),

his apostolic authority needs not any substantiation. He writes

familiarly as to faithful friends, not but that his apostleship was

recognized among them

(1Th 2:6).

On the other hand, in writing to the Galatians, among whom some had

called in question his apostleship, he strongly asserts it in the

superscription. An undesigned propriety in the Epistles, evincing

genuineness.

Silvanus--a "chief man among the brethren"

(Ac 15:22),

and a "prophet"

(Ac 15:32),

and one of the deputies who carried the decree of the Jerusalem council

to Antioch. His age and position cause him to be placed before

"Timothy," then a youth

(Ac 16:1;

1Ti 4:12).

Silvanus (the Gentile expanded form of "Silas") is called in

1Pe 5:12,

"a faithful brother" (compare

2Co 1:19).

They both aided in planting the Thessalonian Church, and are therefore

included in the address. This, the first of Paul's Epistles, as being

written before various evils crept into the churches, is without the

censures found in other Epistles. So realizing was their Christian

faith, that they were able hourly to look for the Lord Jesus.

unto the church--not merely as in the Epistles to Romans,

Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, "to the saints," or "the faithful

at Thessalonica." Though as yet they do not seem to have had the

final Church organization under permanent "bishops" and

deacons, which appears in the later Epistles (See on

Php 1:1;

1

and

2 Timothy).

Yet he designates them by the honorable term "Church," implying their

status as not merely isolated believers, but a corporate body with

spiritual rulers

(1Th 5:12;

2Co 1:1;

Ga 1:2).

in--implying vital union.

God the Father--This marks that they were no longer heathen.

the Lord Jesus Christ--This marks that they were not Jews, but

Christians.

Grace be unto you, and peace--that ye may have in God that

favor and peace which men withhold

[ANSELM]. This is the salutation

in all the Epistles of Paul, except the three pastoral ones, which have

"grace, mercy, and peace." Some of the oldest manuscripts support,

others omit the clause following, "from God our Father and the Lord

Jesus Christ." It may have crept in from

1Co 1:3;

2Co 1:2.

2.

(Ro 1:9;

2Ti 1:3.)

The structure of the sentences in this and the following verses, each

successive sentence repeating with greater fulness the preceding,

characteristically marks Paul's abounding love and thankfulness in

respect to his converts, as if he were seeking by words heaped on words

to convey some idea of his exuberant feelings towards them.

We--I, Silvanus, and Timotheus.

Ro 1:9

supports ALFORD in translating, "making mention of

you in our prayers without ceasing"

(1Th 1:3).

Thus, "without ceasing," in the second clause, answers in parallelism

to "always," in the first.

3. work of faith--the working reality of your faith; its alacrity

in receiving the truth, and in evincing itself by its fruits. Not

an otiose assent; but a realizing, working faith; not "in word only,"

but in one continuous chain of "work" (singular, not plural,

works),

1Th 1:5-10;

Jas 2:22.

So "the work of faith" in

2Th 1:11

implies its perfect development (compare

Jas 1:4).

The other governing substantives similarly mark respectively the

characteristic manifestation of the grace which follows each in the

genitive. Faith, love, and hope, are the three great Christian

graces

(1Th 5:8;

1Co 13:13).

labour of love--The Greek implies toil, or

troublesome labor, which we are stimulated by love to bear

(1Th 2:9;

Re 2:2).

For instances of self-denying labors of love, see

Ac 20:35;

Ro 16:12.

Not here ministerial labors. Those who shun trouble for others,

love little (compare

Heb 6:10).

patience--Translate, "endurance of hope"; the

persevering endurance of trials which flows from "hope."

Ro 15:4

shows that "patience" also nourishes "hope."

hope in our Lord Jesus--literally, "hope of our Lord Jesus,"

namely, of His coming

(1Th 1:10):

a hope that looked forward beyond all present things for the

manifestation of Christ.

in the sight of God and our Father--Your "faith, hope, and love"

were not merely such as would pass for genuine before men, but

"in the sight of God," the Searcher of hearts

[GOMARUS]. Things are really what they are before

God. BENGEL takes this clause with "remembering."

Whenever we pray, we remember before God your faith,

hope, and love. But its separation from "remembering" in the order, and

its connection with "your . . . faith," &c., make me to

prefer the former view.

and, &c.--The Greek implies, "in the sight of Him who is

[at once] God and our Father."

4. Knowing--Forasmuch as we know.

your election of God--The Greek is rather, "beloved by

God"; so

Ro 1:7;

2Th 2:13.

"Your election" means that God has elected you as individual

believers to eternal life

(Ro 11:5, 7;

Col 3:12;

2Th 2:13).

5. our gospel--namely, the Gospel which we preached.

came--Greek, "was made," namely, by God, its Author and Sender.

God's having made our preaching among you to be attended with such

"power," is the proof that you are "elect of God"

(1Th 1:4).

in power--in the efficacy of the Holy Spirit clothing us with power

(see end of verse;

Ac 1:8; 4:33; 6:5, 8)

in preaching the Gospel, and making it in you the power of God unto

salvation

(Ro 1:16).

As "power" produces faith; so "the Holy Ghost," love; and

"much assurance"

(Col 2:2,

full persuasion), hope

(Heb 6:11),

resting on faith

(Heb 10:22).

So faith, love, and hope

(1Th 1:3).

as ye know--answering to the "knowing," that is, as

WE know

(1Th 1:4)

your character as the elect of God, so YE

know ours as preachers.

for your sake--The purpose herein indicated is not so much that of

the apostles, as that of God. "You know what

God enabled us to be . . . how mighty in preaching the word . . . for

your sakes . . . thereby proving that He had chosen

(1Th 1:4)

you for His own" [ALFORD]. I think, from

1Th 2:10-12,

that, in "what manner of men we were among you," besides the power

in preaching, there is included also Paul's and his fellow

missionaries' whole conduct which confirmed their preaching; and

in this sense, the "for your sake" will mean "in order to win you."

This, though not the sole, yet would be a strong, motive to holy

circumspection, namely, so as to win those without

(Col 4:5;

compare

1Co 9:19-23).

6. And ye--answering to "For our Gospel,"

1Th 1:5.

followers--Greek, "imitators." The Thessalonians in their

turn became "ensamples"

(1Th 1:7)

for others to imitate.

of the Lord--who was the apostle of the Father, and taught the

word, which He brought from heaven, under adversities

[BENGEL]. This was the point in which they

imitated Him and His apostles, joyful witness for the word in

much affliction: the second proof of their election of God

(1Th 1:4);

1Th 1:5

is the first (see on

1Th 1:5).

received the word in much affliction--

(1Th 2:14; 3:2-5;

Ac 17:5-10).

joy of--that is, wrought by "the Holy Ghost." "The oil of

gladness" wherewith the Son of God was "anointed above His fellows"

(Ps 45:7),

is the same oil with which He, by the Spirit, anoints His fellows too

(Isa 61:1, 3;

Ro 14:17;

1Jo 2:20, 27).

7. ensamples--So some of the oldest manuscripts read. Others,

"ensample" (singular), the whole Church being regarded as one. The

Macedonian Church of Philippi was the only one in Europe converted

before the Thessalonians. Therefore he means their past conduct is an

ensample to all believers now; of whom he specifies those "in Macedonia"

because he had been there since the conversion of the Thessalonians, and

had left Silvanus and Timotheus there; and those in "Achaia," because he

was now at Corinth in Achaia.

8. from you sounded . . . the word of the Lord--not

that they actually became missionaries: but they, by the report

which spread abroad of their "faith" (compare

Ro 1:8),

and by Christian merchants of Thessalonica who travelled in various

directions, bearing "the word of the Lord" with them, were

virtually missionaries, recommending the Gospel to all within

reach of their influence by word and by example

(1Th 1:7).

In "sounded," the image is that of a trumpet filling with its

clear-sounding echo all the surrounding places.

to God-ward--no longer directed to idols.

so that we need not to speak any thing--to them in praise of your

faith; "for

(1Th 1:9)

they themselves" (the people in Macedonia, Achaia, and in every place)

know it already.

9. Strictly there should follow, "For they themselves show of

you," &c.; but, instead, he substitutes that which was the instrumental

cause of the Thessalonians' conversion and faith, "for they themselves

show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you"; compare

1Th 1:5,

which corresponds to this former clause, as

1Th 1:6

corresponds to the latter clause. "And how ye turned from idols to

serve the living . . . God," &c. Instead of our having

"to speak any thing" to them (in Macedonia and Achaia) in your praise

(1Th 1:8),

"they themselves (have the start of us in speaking of you, and)

announce concerning (so the Greek of 'show of' means) us,

what manner of (how effectual an) entrance we had unto you"

(1Th 1:5; 2:1).

the living and true God--as opposed to the dead and

false gods from which they had "turned." In the English

Version reading,

Ac 17:4,

"of the devout Greeks a great multitude," no mention is made, as

here, of the conversion of idolatrous Gentiles at Thessalonica;

but the reading of some of the oldest manuscripts and Vulgate

singularly coincides with the statement here: "Of the devout AND of Greeks (namely, idolaters) a great

multitude"; so in

Ac 17:17,

"the devout persons," that is, Gentile proselytes to Judaism, form a

separate class. PALEY and LACHMANN, by distinct lines of argument, support the

"AND."

10. This verse distinguishes them from the Jews, as

1Th 1:9

from the idolatrous Gentiles. To wait for the Lord's coming is a

sure characteristic of a true believer, and was prominent amidst the

graces of the Thessalonians

(1Co 1:7, 8).

His coming is seldom called his return

(Joh 14:3);

because the two advents are regarded as different phases of the same

coming; and the second coming shall have features altogether new

connected with it, so that it will not be a mere repetition of the

first, or a mere coming back again.

his Son . . . raised from the dead--the grand proof of

His divine Sonship

(Ro 1:4).

delivered--rather as Greek, "who delivereth us." Christ has

once for all redeemed us; He is our Deliverer

ALWAYS.

wrath to come--

(1Th 5:9;

Col 3:6).