First Thessalonians 1:1

The Bible says in First Thessalonians 1:1 “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul regarded those who worked with him as equals. In these last days such an attitude will be hard to find among many in the clergy. The clergy in these groups are always creating hierarchies, fighting to get to the top of the hierarchy, and then looking down on those whom they consider to be below them. And people want to know what is wrong with modern Christianity. Everything is wrong with it, and the problems start with the leaders. Too bad that the clergy today is filled with selfish, self-willed, and unspiritual individuals totally unlike the Apostle Paul in every regard, but especially in regards to how they treat others. The clergy of today are the Pharisees of yesterday. The Pharisees were very conservative. Being conservative does not guarantee anything, except that there is a good chance that you will become a Pharisee, and the Pharisees opposed the work of God.

Paul did not oppose the work of God, and thus he included Silvanus and Timotheus with himself in the introduction. Also in the introduction Paul identifies exactly to whom he is writing: “the church of the Thessalonians.” This is the church that existed locally in the city of Thessalonica. Of course, everyone in the world who is saved by faith in Christ is a member of the one true church, but from a practical standpoint the only church that I can be involved with is the local church. That is why most references in the New Testament are to the local church just like here in this Bible verse.

The word “church” is an important word to understand. Whoever understands this word will avoid several common errors that are committed by some who call themselves “Christian.” First of all the word “church” does not refer to a building. The word church means literally “those who are called out.” In other words it refers to people. It absolutely does not refer to a building. Anyone who uses the word “church” to refer to a building has changed the word into an unscriptural and unspiritual meaning. It is fine to call it a “church building,” but do not call it a church. How did this happen? One problem has to do with the signs that are put up in front of church buildings. Almost every sign says something like the following: “The First Baptist Church” or “The Presbyterian Church.” To be more accurate and more Biblical the signs could say something like, “The Meeting Place of the First Baptist Church,” or “The Meeting Place of the Presbyterian Church.”

In First Thessalonians 1:1 Paul gave the physical location of the church to whom he was writing, and Paul also gave their spiritual “location.” He said that they were “in the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.” One thing interesting about this verse is that it says literally in the original language, “in the Father and Lord Jesus Christ.” If you are in one, then you are in both. Paul is reminding these people who grew up in the Greek polytheistic culture that there is one true God and His Son Jesus Christ.

In this first verse Paul gives what we could call a benediction. Paul declares his desire that these believers would receive grace and peace. Of course, we receive saving grace and peace in our relationship with God when we receive Christ as our Savior. But in our daily life on this earth we also need grace to face the difficulties. And we need peace in our hearts daily because of the turmoil that can rage around us. Grace and peace come from the Father and from Jesus Christ equally because they are One.

In First Thessalonians 1:2 Paul wrote, “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” Notice that Paul’s prayers involved thanksgiving. There is nothing wrong with a prayer that contains only thanksgiving. You do not have to always ask God to do things. You can thank Him for what He has already done. Perhaps the most important thing that God does is to work in the hearts of people. If you know someone who has been touched by God, then you have something for which to be thankful. There is nothing more valuable than a human soul, and therefore there is nothing more important than to see someone touched by Christ.

Paul mentions three things for which he was thankful about these believers in First Thessalonians 1:3. It says, “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God our Father.” These believers had great Christian qualities already. They had faith, hope, and love. These are qualities that are internal, yet if they are present, they result in external actions. That is why we are told that these Christians had a “work of faith,” a “labor of love,” and a “patience of hope.” Faith must come before works, but true faith never stands alone. “Faith without works is dead.” The manner in which to do work for Christ is to do it by faith. You work, but your faith is in Christ while you work. If you are not doing a work of faith, then your work is a dead work: a work of the will of man and of the flesh.

They had a work of faith and they also had a “labor of love.” They toiled, and they worked hard in their service to the Lord, but they were motivated by love. They loved God, they loved Jesus Christ, they loved the lost souls in the community around them, and they loved the other believers with whom they were in contact. It is a good thing that they were motivated by love, because without such a motivation their labors would have been totally in vain. The Bible says in First Corinthians 2:2-3, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.” Love is what motivated the Father to send Jesus Christ into the world. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”

It is interesting to notice how the “patience of hope” differs from the work of faith and the labor of love. Work and labor indicate action, but patience in a way indicates no action. When you have patience, you bear up under the burden that you were given to bear. You do not take action to get out of it by the arm of the flesh. You have hope in Christ and what He will do in His time and in His way. You understand the reality that this is a world of woe, and you know that the hope for the world and all of the problems of the world is the return of Christ.

Concerning the work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope we are told in First Thessalonians 1:3 that they are “in the sight of God and our Father.” In other words God sees and he knows. Christians should realize more than anyone that “in Him we live and move and have our being.” No one else may know about your work of faith, or labor of love, or patience of faith; but God knows about it, and that is all that matters. Hopefully, you are doing what you are doing because of what God sees and not because of what man sees. God sees the heart: man sees only the outward appearance.

In the next several verses of First Thessalonians we see the progression that should take place in the life of every Christian. There must be a calling that goes with the work of the Spirit. A person who has been saved should know that he is saved, and should therefore have assurance. Such a person should then have a change of life and become a follower of Jesus Christ. Those who follow Christ should then be witnesses for Christ. Paul wrote in First Thessalonians 1:4, “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” This verse speaks of the fact that God has made a choice. You could not be saved unless God chose to save you. Salvation is an act of God.

Of course, we are made in the image of God, and He has also given us a choice. Sometimes when the Bible speaks of salvation, it speaks of it from the standpoint of what God does. It says here in this verse that God makes a choice. Man also makes a choice in order to be saved. The choice of man is mentioned in verse 6 that says, “having received the word.” When God’s choice coincides with a man’s choice, a soul is saved. God does things to help an individual realize that they need to choose God. First Thessalonians 1:5 says, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.”

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” But there must be something else in addition to the Word of God if someone’s heart is going to be touched: the power of the Holy Spirit. When the gospel came to those in Thessalonica, notice what came with it: the Word, power, the Holy Spirit, assurance. The Word is important because the Word of God is alive. Power is important, because unless the power of God is involved, no conversion experience will take place. Without this divine “enabling” indoctrination may happen in the same way that it happens among those who are involved in a cult, but there will be no true change of heart. Salvation is a spiritual birth in which the Holy Spirit comes over someone, convicts them of their sins, and leads them to Christ. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, no one gets saved no matter how many times they go forward in an invitation and no matter what words they repeat at the insistence of a preacher or personal worker. Notice carefully that these believers in Thessalonica had the Word, the power, and the Holy Spirit when the gospel came unto them. They also had “much assurance.” If you get saved by the gospel with “the Word,” the power of God,” and the “Holy Ghost,” then you will also have “much assurance.” All of these believers to whom Paul was writing evidently had “much assurance.” There is something terribly wrong if someone claims to have been saved, but has no assurance. There may be several reasons that such a thing would happen, and one of those reasons is that the person was never really saved in the first place. A person who receives the gospel of Christ in Word, and in power, and in the Holy Ghost will also have “much assurance.”

Concerning the gospel that was received by the believers in Thessalonica, there was one more important factor that influenced them. It says, “As ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” God uses believers to present the gospel. The gospel is spread from “faith to faith,” but in order to spread the gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit, we must be rightly related to Christ. Also, we must be living lives that do not quench the Holy Spirit. If you try to speak forth the Word without the power of the Holy Spirit, little good will be done and no one will be touched by God. If you try to speak forth the Word and your life does not match what you are saying, the gospel of Christ will be diminished and people will be repelled from the gospel instead of attracted to it.

Jesus said, “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” To lead someone to Christ is more than to just tell them certain words. To lead someone to Christ also has to do with attracting them to Christ because of the difference that Jesus has made in your life. If you are a person of compassion and love, then you will help to attract them to Christ. Human beings may ask you how many people you have lead to Christ. But Jesus may ask you how many people you have loved to Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son.” “God is love.”

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