Lord Jesus Christ in 1Thessalonians
Verses within this Study.
1:1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 10-Son; 2:6, 14, 15, 19; 3:2, 8, 11, 12, 13; 4:1, 2, 4:6, 4:14, 15, 4:16, 17; 5:2, 9, 12, 18, 23, 27, 28.Click on the following links to jump to a section within the study of this Bible Book: Lord only, Jesus only, Christ only, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Lord Jesus, Lord Christ, Lord Jesus Christ, Son
Study Overview.
In this book, Lord Christ
is not used although Lord
and Christ
are used separately in one verse; Jesus Christ
is not used; Christ Jesus
and Jesus
are only used twice each and Christ
is used by itself only three times. However; Lord
is used by itself 11 times; Lord Jesus Christ
is used 8 times and Lord Jesus
is used 3 times. The main doctrinal teaching of this book, according to many preachers, is the 'Rapture' and second coming of the Lord
(the Day of the Lord
). We can see that these events are linked to God the Son's role as Lord
. Specifically, as Lord
He judges the lost, provides protection for His saints, and assigns positions and responsibilities to men. We also see this same thing in the book of Revelation, which gives us the details of the Day of the Lord
. Revelation is not written to reveal future events, but as it says in Revelation 1:1, it is The Revelation of Jesus Christ
. What it reveals about the person of Jesus Christ
is that He is Lord
of all (Revelation 22:21) and that the lost fear this Lord
while the saved worship this Lord
. A lot of what we see in this epistle relates to what we also find in Revelation.
In addition, we find Lord
used a lot in this book because of the circumstances surrounding the founding of this church and the attitudes they had to deal with when confronted by Jews in their area. Paul came to Thessalonica (Acts 17) after he was illegally beat and thrown in prison in Philippi (Acts 16). In Thessalonica, the Jews couldn't win arguing the Bible, so they started a riot. Even when Paul and company left for another city, these Jews followed after them and threatened to start another riot. So, these people at Thessalonica have to contend with religious Jews who believe in using any method to win an argument, including to illegal acts. Among other things, Paul wants these people at Thessalonica to act legally and to trust their Lord
to deal with the Law-breaking Jews that torment them.
Lord only
1Thessalonians 1:6, 8; 3:8, 12; 4:6, 15, 17; 5:2, 12, 27.
Lord
is the most used role of God the Son in this book. Every verse that mentions the Lord
is dealing with His authority in one way or another. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord
.
1Thessalonians 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord , having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost :
1:6 and 1:7 form a single sentence which is divided by punctuation in the note for this sentence within the Book Study. It is divided by a colon that separates the verses and makes the two verses equivalent. The example that they were to be to everyone around (1:7) was based upon their actions specified in this verse (1:6). They didn't just 'talk the talk ' but they 'walked the walk '. 1:8-10 tells of the results of their testimony.
This sentence starts with And
, which means it is added unto (built upon) the prior sentence. It 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.
When they received salvation, they saw the power of God, saw Paul and others using the power of God to bring glory and honor to the Lord
and they also received the Holy Ghost
. As already mentioned Acts 16 and Acts 17 tell about Paul starting this church and others in the area while being persecuted by lost religious Jews and demonstrating God's power in spite of physical persecution. In addition, 1:8-10 says that these believers at Thessalonica also were persecuted, but still had a testimony that went not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad
. The book of Romans says that believers there also acted the same way (Romans 1:8; 10:18; 16:19). Therefore, we can conclude that this is the normal expected behaviour of saved people.
They followed the Lord
while in much affliction
. Those who follow while in much affliction
do so because they expect eternal rewards that far outweigh the physical pain and affliction
in this life. That reward comes from our Lord
when we are judged.
1Thessalonians 1:8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
This sentence starts with For
, which means it tells us the results of their testimony as stated in the prior sentence (1:6-7). Please see those verses and the associated note above. In addition, the next sentence starts with For
and the one after starts with And
, which means all three (1:8-10) need to be considered together.
Please note that this verse says the word of the Lord...sounded out
from them but 1Thessalonians 2:13 says that they received the word of God
. The word of God
occurs 44 times in the New Testament and the word of the Lord
only occurs 14 times. The word of the Lord
is a subset of the word of God
. While the word of God
contains things like the lie of Satan (Genesis 3:4), the word of the Lord
contains only those things which can be used in the court of God as binding promises of God. For these people to have received the word of God
and then send out the word of the Lord
, they had to understand the difference. Notice that this verse says in every place your faith to God-ward
. As mentioned, faith
is based upon a promise of God. They had to find the promises of God, that applied to them, within the word of God
in order to act upon faith
. Not only that, but 1:9 says their testimony included how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
. For them to switch authorities from false idols
to obeying God, they had to recognize the power and authority of the Lord
. Further, 1:10 says that their testimony was that they were waiting for his Son from Heaven
and expected their reward from their Lord
at that time. Since their service was based upon expected rewards when the Son of God returned, Satan sent people to teach them heresy about the return of the Lord
. That's why this book clears up heresy about the return of the Lord
.
1Thessalonians 3:8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord .
Verses 3:6 through 3:8 form a single sentence that is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Thessalonians.
Paul was not concerned about their salvation, but about their standing fast
in the faith. This is similar to what we found in other epistles, but there (Colossians, Ephesians, etc) they were encouraged to follow Christ
. I believe that the difference is due to who is being talked to. I grew up in a ghetto and have had several experiences living with different groups that were anti-establishment. In those areas of the country, the law is not respected, law enforcement people are not trusted and the people are often ignorant or confused about some details of law. However, personal commitment and loyalty to the group
is always high.
I also am a college graduate and involved in computer systems for major corporations. As such, I have also experienced several groups that are very law-abiding (even use and manipulate the law) but tend to be weak on personal commitment and can even be amoral. These are just two, of many, types of people found in this world.
We are all sinners, but not all the same type of sinners. When we get saved, God works on us about our personal sin to change us to be like the Son of God. The first group needs to learn about obeying law and respecting authority. The second group needs to learn to care about individuals on a personal level. They need more of the epistles that encourage us to develop our personal relationship with Christ
, and thereby care more for people as individuals. The Thessalonians are like the first group because 1Thessalonians 4:9 tells us But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another
. They
didn't need to learn about brotherly love
but needed to learn how to respect God appointed authority, how to tell godly authority from ungodly authority and how to live as Law abiding Christians. That's what is meant by ye stand fast in the Lord
.
The Lord
is the role of the Son of God that provides all of the things these people needed. That's why Paul was worried about their standing fast in the Lord
and was so joyful to hear that they were standing fast in the Lord
. In addition, it wasn't just the church in general, but the individuals (ye
) were doing this on a personal level (see the next sentence in 3:9-10).
1Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
Please see the notes on 1Thessalonians 2:19; 3:11, 13 and 5:2. The note for 1Thessalonians 2:19 and 5:2 deal with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints
(which is part of this sentence) and the other notes deal with the context of this verse.
Verses 3:12 and 3:13 form a single sentence that is separated by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Tessalonians. As can be seen in that note and sentence outline, each Equivalent Section of this sentence is talking about 'Obedience to the Lord
and His laws'. Each Equivalent Section tells us a different result that such obedience yields. While the details of the results are different, those results are obtained the same way. Therefore, we have equivalency within the sections of this message.
In this verse (First Equivalent Section of this sentence), we see that obedience to the Lord
and His laws will teach us how to increase our love for all men. Remember, as discussed for 3:8, these people were most likely anti-establishment. Even when 'the establishment ' are not good people, God says they are His ministers and we are to submit to them. These people had suffered persecution, (see notes for 1:6 and 2:4) and 'the establishment ' had not protected them. Further, they were warned that they would suffer tribulation
(please see 3:1-4 and associated notes). Given these circumstances, the flesh would definitely want to become more 'anti-establishment '. However, 'the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other
(Galatians 5:17). Therefore, when we go against the flesh
and obey the Spirit
we are going to please out Lord
.
Since this sentence reminds us that there is a judgment day coming when we will receive rewards or punishment, Paul is reminding them to keep their eye on what they will receive at that time. Along this line, there is a religious error taught by the 'super spiritual ' that we should serve God only to 'show our love for Him '. However, God is wiser than man and the truth is that when the going gets tough, these 'super spiritual ' people quit serving because our 'love ' isn't enough to keep us going. These people had already suffered persecution and were promised more and were already 'anti-establishment '. God didn't tell them to serve out of love, He sent a message that judgment day is coming and to keep their eye on the punishment and reward of that day.
The Lord
gives positions now and in the future. This sentence says that our future position from the Lord
will be based upon our current obedience to this command. If you submit to the 'super spiritual ' and only serve to show " your love of God ', you are in disobedience to this command and you will fail when the persecution comes. When we obey this command and keep our eye on the reward for obedience and on the punishment for disobedience, we realize that each is far greater than what is commonly believed among saved people. When we look as our Lord
commands, and let Him teach us how much is at stake, we will see what Paul talks about in 8:15-18 and 1Corinthians 2:9. This verse uses Lord
because the Son of God uses His role as Lord
to assign positions, judge and give rewards and punishments as a result of that judgment.
1Thessalonians 4:6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
In 4:1 and 4:2 Paul gave the general law from the Lord Jesus
. In 4:3-12, Paul gives examples of implementing that law. Please see all of these verses and associated notes as a single section.
Verses 4:3-6 form a single sentence that is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Thessalonians.
This sentence tell us to avoid fleshly lusts and tells us that this is a commandment from the Lord
. Our verse is included within this sentence so that there can be no question about this judgment by the Lord
being the result of our violating this particular commandment.
This commandment is written to saved people. Saved people are warned that Lord is the avenger of all such (fleshly lustful sins against brethren)
. Look at the next sentence which starts with For
(here's why the Lord is the avenger of all such
). We are give two reasons. First we are told God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness
. Lust is uncleanness
and God wants us to stop our sinning and be holy. Secondly, we are told He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit
. When we lust, we are trying to get the flesh to satisfy what can only be satisfied by God's holy Spirit
. When our actions show that we don't believe that God's holy Spirit
can satisfy our needs, we are despising God and God's holy Spirit
. Think about your reaction to being publicly humiliated and despised by someone that is dependent upon you. Think about their continuously doing that. You might still provide their basic needs, but how much beyond basic needs would you provide until they changed their attitude? Only fools despiseth God
and ignore the warning that the Lord is the avenger of all such
.
1Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
Please see all verses and associated notes together (4:14, 4:15, 4:16 and 4:17) which are connected to this verse. 4:14 gives a quick overview of the context of all of these verses and the notes within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians provide details and contextual considerations.
Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:13, Luke 16:17, 21:33 and other places in the Bible contain God's promise that His Word is more reliable than the laws of nature. So, when Paul says this we say unto you by the word of the Lord
, Paul is saying that we have a law from our Lord
which has a greater assurance than our belief in sun rise tomorrow. Please see the note for 1Thessalonians 1:8 about word of the Lord
.
In this verse, the coming of the Lord
is referring to the 'Rapture', and not the 1,000 years reign of Christ
, because it is tied to those that sleep
(Please see the note for 1Corinthians C11S34 which explains that Biblical 'sleep is physically dead but spiritually alive'). Please look at the verse and note for 4:14, which is talking about the 1,000 years reign of Christ
. Comparison of the wording in the two sentences should make clear the distinction between the two subjects of adjacent sentences.
The word prevent
has more to its definition than what many people realize. Prevent
, like many other English words, is a composite word. That means it is composed of two parts, pre
and vent
. Pre
is a prefix which means 'before'. vent
means to 'let out'. A pressure valve prevents
an explosion of a tank by 'venting' what is inside before it explodes. Common English usage concentrates on what is avoided (that is: the results) by the preventing
instead of concentrating on the actual action of preventing
. In this verse, prevent
is used for its proper definition (to 'get out' before something else happens). We find forms of the word prevent
in: 2Samuel 22:6, 19; Job 3:12; Job 30:27; Job 41:11; Psalms 18:5,18; Psalms 21:3; Psalms 59:10; Psalms 79:8; Psalms 88:13; Psalms 119:147-148; Isaiah 21:14; Amos 9:10; Matthew 17:25 and our current verse. A search of these verses, within their context, will show that this definition fits all Biblical usage of this word. Therefore, Paul is saying that 'we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not (get out of this world) before them which are asleep (dead).
The Lord
is coming to bring judgment to the saved and to the Lost within His role as Lord
. The Lord
will take all of the saved to Heaven at the 'Rapture' (the coming of the Lord
) before they stand for judgment at the judgment Seat of Christ
(Romans C14S16; 2Corinthians 5:10). It does not matter if we die physically or not before that time, all saved will be there. When the Lord
comes in the air and draws to Himself all who are saved, our verse tells us that people who have already been to Heaven (those that are asleep
) will be drawn to our Lord
before saved people who are still alive.
As to the usage of the phrase: the word of the Lord
, within our verse, it has commented on for the difference between the word of God
and the word of the Lord
in other notes. We see the word of the Lord
also explained in other notes, within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, in: verses and associated notes for Luke 22:61; Acts 8:25; 11:16; 13:48-49; 15:35-36; 16:32; 19:10; 1:8; 1Thessalonians 4:15; 2Thessalonians 3:1; 1Peter 1:25.
1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Please see the note under Lord Christ. Please see all verses and associated notes together (4:14, 4:15, 4:16 and 4:17) which are connected to this verse. 4:14 gives a quick overview of the context of all of these verses and the notes within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians provide details and contextual considerations.
1Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Please see the note for 4:16 under Lord Christ. Our verse starts with the word Then
, which means it is telling us what will happen after that verse. Please see all verses and associated notes together (4:14, 4:15, 4:16 and 4:17) which are connected to this verse. 4:14 gives a quick overview of the context of all of these verses and the notes within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians provide details and contextual considerations.
1Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; 34:8; Jeremiah 46:10; Lamentations 2:22; Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3; Joel 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7-8, 14, 18; 2:2-3; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1Corinthians 5:5; 1Thessalonians 5:2 and 2Peter 3:10 all contain the day of the Lord
. Many other verses also mention it using other words. You should study it for yourself rather than arguing for / against someone else's religious opinion. Because prophecy has a high interest factor with the lost and with the spiritually immature, and because such type of people will believe a lie that they agree with rather than accept the truth, there is a multitude of lies and wrong opinions to choose from. The main thing that this sentence and study are dealing with is the fact that the day of the Lord
is when the Lord
shuts the mouths of all dissenters. Look at the next few verses and you will see how the saved aren't to view this time like the lost do. We see the same thing in Revelation where the main theme is that Jesus Christ
is Lord
and the saved are to worship Him and the lost are to fear His judgment. His coming brings their destruction and our reward. Therefore, the saved are to treat this day of the Lord
differently than the lost do.
1Thessalonians 5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord , and admonish you;
Verses 5:12 and 5:13 form a single sentence which is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Thessalonians.
This sentence is basically adding (And
) another thing
to what has been said because the main subject is switched from reassuring one another with proper methods of interpreting prophecy to doing what will keep us assured of the love from our Lord
. This entire epistle, especially these sections, are based upon the role of the Lord
. Within that, we see, once again, that human positions are appointed by the Lord
. Therefore, when we obey this command, we are honoring and obeying our Lord
.
1Thessalonians 5:27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
This verse uses Lord
for all of the legal authority of our God who will judge us and reward or punish us based upon our obedience to His commandments. Please see the Message called A Pastor's Charge in order to understand the legal, and judgmental, aspects of this charge
.
Jesus only
Jesus
is used as 'God in the Flesh ' who died for our sins. Click here for all of the Verses that use Jesus
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Jesus
.
1Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from Heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus , which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Verses 1:9and 1:10 form a single sentence that is divided by punctuation in the note for this sentence within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians.
This sentence is divided into two Steps with the division being between the verses. In the first Step, Paul says that lost people were telling their testimony and proving that they have turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
. Since they did that, they can have assurance while they wait for his Son from Heaven
. This is because every place that the Bible uses son
it shows that the son
has a spirit and character like the father. When it uses capitalized Son
, the Bible is always talking about the Son of God
who is also the Son of man
. As the Son of God
He has all of the power necessary to fulfill all promises from God. As the Son of man
He lived as a weak human man and paid the price for our sins. He also left us an example of how to live in the flesh by the power of the Holy Ghost. 1John 5:13 assures those who believe on the name of the Son of God
that they have eternal life
. John 1:12-13 tells us that believe on the name of the Son of God
is equal to (even
) received him
(the Son of God for an ongoing personal relationship) and that because they received him
God gave them power to become the sons of God
. Romans 8:14 tells us For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God
. Since the testimony of these people at Thessalonica was that they were led by the Spirit of God
, they were definitely the sons of God
. Just as God raised from the dead
His Son
named Jesus
, God will do the same for His others sons of God
.
In addition, this sentence starts with For
that connects it to 1:8. Please see that verse and associated note under Lord Only. The wait for his Son
in 1:10 is telling us to wait for the 'Rapture' to deliver us from the wrath to come
and tells us that we will not go through the Great Tribulation
. We will go to Heaven and avoid both Hell and the Great Tribulation
because Jesus
(God in human flesh) paid the debt for our sin. As a man, Jesus
paid the debt for all men's sins. He will also physically return as a man (God in human flesh) and rule this physical world as a physical man (God in human flesh). This verse introduces the subject that Paul will cover in more depth in 1Thessalonians 4:13-18 and in 1Thessalonians 5:1-11.
1Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Starting in 1Thessalonians 4:9 Paul started talking about their brotherly love
and how it was helping to spread the gospel
. Then, as explained in the notes for these sentences within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians, the Devil tried to convince them that they had no hope
of eternal reward. This was to discourage their work for the Lord
. He did this by having men teach them doctrinal error that seemed to be unrelated, from a physical point of view, but was having Satan's desired spiritual results. Therefore, Paul is explaining what is going on from a spiritual point of view. This sentence starts with the word For
, and gives the reason why the prior sentence was true where Paul said: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
The next two sentences also start with the word For
and also give reasons why we need to continue to serve the Lord
in hope
.
Please see all verses and associated notes together (4:14, 4:15, 4:16 and 4:17) which are connected to this verse.
In most of this epistle Paul is dealing with the role of the Son of God called Lord
. As is pointed out everywhere on this site, the role of Lord
is no respecter of persons
(We find the phrase no respecter of persons
in: Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25 and 2:1. Also explained in the notes for Romans 14:10-LJC; Romans C7S3 and Romans C10S13. Please also see Romans C10S13 about the phrase no difference in people
.) In addition, the Bible uses the name of Jesus
for: 'a literal physical man'. In the case of this verse, understanding the doctrinal meaning of each of these names / roles is critical to understanding the meaning of the verse and what is said in the following sentences.
Since the Bible uses Jesus
for 'a literal physical man', what we see here is the Bible telling us that we, as 'a literal physical people' can expect to be treated by God (Lord
) in the exact same manner as he dealt with the 'a literal physical man' named Jesus
. Please , read again this verse with this understanding and see for yourself if it doesn't make more sense to you. After that, we will go on.
Our verse says if we believe that Jesus died and rose again
because all saved believe this. Anyone who denies this fact would prove that they are, in fact, lost (1John 2:22-23). Thus, Paul is separating true believers from lost religious liars with this if
.
Moving on, since the 'a literal physical man' named Jesus
rose from the dead, we have the evidence that we need to hope
for our own physical rise from the physical dead, if we are saved. As a 'a literal physical man', Jesus
is counted as the firstborn
(Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:5, 18; Hebrews 12:23) of the church. Of course, the word firstborn
means that there must be more or He could not be first. God the Father us as being like Jesus
, and therefore will raise us from the dead, just like He did for Jesus
. Them also which sleep in Jesus
means everyone that died physically while being saved spiritually is going to rise from the dead and physically return to this physical world.
Christ only
1Thessalonians 2:6; 3:2; 4:16.
Christ
is used for the apostles of Christ
, the gospel of Christ and the dead in Christ
in this book. In each case, the author is dealing with a subject that only some saved match and in each case, people spiritually matured after salvation. Click here for all of the Verses that use Christ
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Christ
.
1Thessalonians 2:6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ .
Each of the beginning sentences in chapter 2 start with For
, which means 'Here's why '. Chapter 1 ended with Paul talking about the testimony of the Thessalonians that was spread around the entire area. Then the first sentence in this chapter says that their testimony resulted from following the example of Paul. Paul had been bold with the gospel of God even while Jews that had him beat in the previous city were trying to do the same again in Thessalonica. Then Paul says that the reason that these religious men were trying to run Paul off was because Paul wouldn't deceive the people. He wouldn't lie even when politically powerful people demanded it. And Paul proved that he was only concerned with pleasing God. He then says, in this sentence, that the reason that they can know that he is telling the truth, is that he didn't try to get rich off them, like these other religious men wanted to do. In fact, Paul didn't even have them give him basic support as a teacher after they got saved, even though God said that the saved should support their preacher. By calling himself and his helpers the apostles of Christ
, Paul was specifically linking his ministry to the ministry of Christ
, which is the spiritual maturity of saved after their salvation. So we know that he is saying that he didn't even accept a pastor's salary (burdensome
) from saved people (see 1Corinthians 9; 1Corinthians 11; 1Timothy 5:17).
Paul mentions gospel of God in these sentences. It is only one of several gospel
found within the Bible. The gospel of God
is different from the gospel of Christ. All of the various gospels
are
dealt with in the Word Study on Gospel. Please see that Study for more detail as well as the Gospel Flowchart which pictures the relationship between various gospel
found within the Bible.
1Thessalonians 3:2 And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:
Verses 3:1 through 3:3 form a single sentence that is separated by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Thessalonians. As can be seen there, this sentence is talking about true Christians suffering for the gospel of Christ. Within this sentence we read that Paul was left at Athens alone
. He had just been beat and run out of several cities in a row and might not have been alive without those traveling with him. Therefore, this action by Paul literally put his life at risk. We also see Paul testify of this attitude in Acts 20:24. So, he was literally risking his life to send his companions to see to the spiritual maturity of newly saved people in Thessalonica.
In the Second Equivalent Section of this sentence, we read That no man should be moved by these afflictions
. The word afflictions
clearly lets us know the consequences of giving gospel of Christ.
Within our sentence (and in this verse), we see that the gospel of Christ is used to established
and comforted
saved people concerning
their faith
. Of course, faith
is an action word in the Bible (James 2) and, as we have seen in other places of this study, the true exercise of our faith is when we obey what we are shown in the Word and Christ
lives through us to do the actual spiritual work that is done (saving souls, etc) and we are spiritually matured in the process. As we see the results that Christ
accomplishes in response to our faith
, we become established
and comforted
in spiritual things.
1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Please see the note under Lord Christ. The sentences in 1Thessalonians4:13-18 are pretty self-evident. Please see all verses and associated notes together (4:14, 4:15, 4:16 and 4:17).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
is not used by itself in this book. Click here for all of the Verses that use Jesus Christ
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Jesus Christ
.
Christ Jesus
Christ Jesus
is used in this book to identify saved people who, in most cases, have spiritually matured after salvation to the point that their spiritual maturity is more important than their initial salvation. Click here for all of the Verses that use Christ Jesus
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Christ Jesus
.
1Thessalonians 2:14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus : for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:
In the First Equivalent Section of this sentence, the saved people at Thessalonica followed (acted like) the example of true Christians (the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus
) and they did the following on a personal basis (ye
). As a result, they received spiritual maturity on a personal basis that varied from person to person. Christ Jesus
is used in this verse because not all saved people mature spiritually. Thus, not all believers in the churches of God...in Judaea
were maturing spiritually. However, the people in this church at Thessalonica were not following the example of people who refused to grow spiritually. They followed the example of Paul's missionary team, who were part of the people who did grow spiritually. That is why our sentence uses the qualifier of: which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus
.
1Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Starting in 1Thessalonians 5:12, Paul is giving short instructions as to how we should act in the church. These are his last instructions
before closing this letter. They're similar to what a parent might tell a young adult as they walk out the door for a long trip. As part of these instructions, Paul gives this verse. Notice that there is a colon in this sentence. His In every thing
definitely includes the suffering that Paul mentioned in chapter 2. We are all to give thanks, but the only way that we can give thanks while in suffering is if we have spiritually matured after salvation. That's why the second half of this sentence uses Christ Jesus
. Giving thanks is for all saved, but giving thanks in suffering requires the ministry of Christ
(spiritual maturity after initial profession) more than that of Jesus
(initial salvation).
Our sentence has a colon in it to make the two Sections Equivalent. The equivalency is seen in the requirement for spiritual maturity, which comes from Christ Jesus
being required in order to truly In every thing give thank
. We also see it in the fact that someone who truly does In every thing give thank
, has the evidence of spiritual maturity which comes through our ongoing personal relationship that is in Christ Jesus. Please follow this link to see all other places within the Bible where the phrase in Christ Jesus
is used and to realize that the doctrinal usage of this phrase is consistent within the Bible.
Lord Jesus
Lord Jesus
is used in this book as the ultimate human leader and God in human flesh. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Jesus
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Jesus
.
1Thessalonians 2:15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus , and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
Verses 2:14-16 is a single sentence that is divided by punctuation and explained in the Book Study on 1Thessalonians. As pointed out in that note, since the resurrection, Jesus
has been Lord Jesus
and is our ultimate human leader and God in human flesh. The Son of God had to lay aside His power as Lord
when He was conceived as a human being, in Mary, for a variety of reasons. This includes the fact that He had to live and die as a weak human being in order for God to be righteous when God the Father counted the death of Jesus
as payment for our sins. Also, when God and death meet, death loses. Therefore, Jesus
could not die while holding His power as Lord
. However, after He dies and Satan took Him into Hell, He took back His power as Lord
and defeated Satan and all of the devils by Himself before rising and leading captivity captive
.
Since the time that the Lord Jesus
took back the rights and power on His role as Lord
, He will not give them up again and those who are foolish enough to not recognize Him as Lord
will have to do so when it will be to late to save them from the consequences of refusing to recognize His position earlier.
1Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
This sentence is explained in a lot of detail within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians. What is often put in the notes of this Study is there because those considerations are important when considering the context. Therefore, it is important for the reader to see that note.
With that in mind, we can say that Paul deliberately uses Lord Jesus
here to emphasize how power and position as Lord
even / especially as He tells us how to act in the flesh as Jesus
. In particular, the Lord Jesus
used Paul's missionary team to tell the members of this church how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more
. Please notice that Paul does not just say that they ought to walk and to please God
, but he says how
. This entire epistle is written to deal with doctrinal error that resulted from religious liars telling these saved church member how
to walk
in a wrong way. Now Paul is telling them the right way and we need to pay attention to how
we do things in addition to the requirement to do them.
1Thessalonians 4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus .
In 4:1 and 4:2 Paul gave the general law from the Lord Jesus
. In 4:3-12, Paul gives examples of implementing that law. Please see all of these verses and associated notes as a single section.
This verse basically says verse 1 a second time, which makes this commandment a matter of doctrine. We are told many places In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established
(Matthew 18:16; 26:60; 2Corinthians 13:1; 1Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28; Revelation 11:3; and more). It should be very obvious that Lord Jesus
is our ultimate human leader while we are on this Earth. We are to obey His commandments
that were given to us in the Bible and expect to be judged by Him for our obedience or lack thereof.
Lord Christ
1Thessalonians 4:16.
Lord Christ
does not occur but Lord
and Christ
are used together only in 4:16. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Christ
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Christ
.
1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Thessalonians 4:16 and 4:17 are about the 'Rapture'. I'm not going to cover the 'Rapture' with all of the other opinions that are already in print. In this verse, Lord
is clearly talking about God the Son and not God the Father since God the Son has a physical body and God the Father does not. In 3:13 we were told the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints
. In this sentence, we are told that we will meet the Lord
. Here He is coming for His saints and there He is coming with His saints. Therefore, these two sentences are obviously talking about two different events.
In this verse we see the Lord himself shall descend
because, as explained in the note for this verse within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians, the Lord
will be taking the saved to be judged at the judgment seat of Christ
(Romans C14S16; 2Corinthians 5:10). Within this epistle we have seen Paul trying to clear up doctrinal error taught by lost religious Jews. Within our sentence, Paul used the phrase the dead in Christ
to distinguish between the truly saved and lost religious people who claim to be saved. For example, people who 'Asked Jesus to be their savior', but who refused to have a life changing relationship with Christ
, will not be part of the dead in Christ
.
Please see all verses and associated notes together (4:14, 4:15, 4:16 and 4:17) which are connected to this verse. 4:14 gives a quick overview of the context of all of these verses and the notes within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians provide details and contextual considerations.
Lord Jesus Christ
1Thessalonians 1:1, 3; 2:19; 3:11, 13; 5:9, 23, 28.
Lord Jesus Christ
is used in this book in Paul's standard opening and closing, in reference to the 'Rapture' and to the 1,000 years reign of our Lord Jesus Christ
, in reference to salvation and reference to his final authority over what happens to saints. Each of these uses of this title show that some things require God the Son working in each of His roles. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Jesus Christ
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Jesus Christ
.
1Thessalonians 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 .
This sentence has a colon, which divides it into two equivalent parts and each part uses Lord Jesus Christ
. In addition, since we have the phrase God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ
appearing twice in this sentence, we can say that this is a matter of doctrine. That is, God the Father
works with each and every role of God the Son as Lord
and Jesus
and Christ
and every combination of those roles. John 14:6 tells us Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
We have seen several places in this study where that claim applies to each and every role of the Son of God. God the Father
has given everything into the hand of God the Son and supports Him on everything that He does in each and every one of His roles. This is very important because the Law-breaking Jews of the area (please see general note above) were claiming the authority of God the Father
and Paul wanted these saved people at Thessalonica to know that the Jews did not have the backing they claimed because they refused to come through the God ordained roles of the Son of God.
Grace and peace
come from each and every role of the God the Son and from God the Father. Grace and peace
come from the Father because of the Son. Grace and peace
come from the Lord
because the legal problem of sin has been removed and our Lord
expects us to obey the Law of the New Testament. Grace and peace
come through Jesus
when He provides the debt for our sin and gets us out of hell and into Heaven. Grace and peace
come through Christ
as we obey and become more Christ
-like by that obedience. We not only have the one time grace and peace
of initial salvation, but we have the ongoing grace and peace
of an ongoing personal relationship with our Lord
through Christ
. We have grace and peace from God our Father, and (each and every role of) the Lord Jesus Christ
because we are in the Lord Jesus Christ
.
1Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ , in the sight of God and our Father ;
1Thessalonians1:2-4 form a single sentence where Paul tells them of his prayers for them. In his prayer, Paul notes their service (your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope
) that they did in
each role of God the Son. That is, they did these things at His direction and by using His power. This sentence is divided by punctuation in the note for this sentence within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians.
The best way to get a promotion from God is to be faithful in the position He gives you using the gifts that He gives you. When they were told about salvation, they didn't have a New Testament, there weren't a lot of other Gentile churches for them to use as an example and the Jewish hierarchy was calling Paul and his supporters heretics. However, Acts 17:11 tells us
These (people at Berea)were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that
they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
This tells us that the Jews at Thessalonica closed their minds and rejected the Word. However, 1Thessalonians :13 tells us For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
So, we can conclude that the difference between those who are saved and those who were lost at Thessalonica was directly related to whether they received the word of God
or not. Those who did receive the word of God
also received true Biblical salvation, which requires each and every role of the Son of God, as is specifically stated in 1Thessalonians :9. Please see that verse and associated note.
We also see here that those who truly did get saved acted upon it. Paul mentions their work of faith
and faith
is truly an action word where the action is based upon a specific promise of God. Paul also says that they had patience of hope
. Patience
requires waiting while there is no evidence. Hope
acts the same way as faith
does except where faith
has a promise to be based upon, hope
is based upon the character of the person. In this case, they didn't have any New Testament full of promises but they hoped
based upon their experience with each and every role (Lord Jesus Christ
) of the Son of God. Based upon the love
they had received, they went out and did labour of love
. Paul reminds them that they did these things in the sight of God and our Father
and that they will receive rewards for these things because their election of God
was sure. Paul uses Lord Jesus Christ
in this verse because these people showed that they dealt with each and every role of the Son of God.
1Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
When the Lord Jesus Christ
returns to reign for 1,000 yearss, He will be returning to exercise each of His roles. As Lord
, he will reign over all other governments and rulers. As Jesus
he prevailed to loose the seals on the title deed of the Earth (Revelation 5:5) and He will rule as a physical man. As Christ
, He is leading the church which will rule with Him, which will fulfill prophecy. Teaching about the Lord's
return is one of the main reasons for this book. While others might claim that you are going to be there reigning with the Son of God, I would recommend that you carefully check God's requirements, especially those where God makes a difference between those that are in Christ and those that are not in Christ.
1Thessalonians 3:11 Now God himself and our Father , and our Lord Jesus Christ , direct our way unto you.
Paul wrote this sentence and the next (3:12-13) as his personal prayer to be able to go see these people at Thessalonica and praise God for their testimony. (Please see the verses for 3:12-13 and associated notes). This prayer was Paul's conclusion upon receiving great news about these people when he was really worried that they had not stuck to the truth since he was run out of town before he could really disciple them. (Please see the verses and notes for 1Thessalonians 3, especially for 3:8). We see Paul using this combination (God...our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ
) mainly in opening and (possibly) closing of epistles when he is praying for the people to have grace
and peace
. I believe that Paul includes this combination here because he knows that his personal visit will result in these people receiving grace
and peace
from God...our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ
.
1Thessalonians 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God , even our Father , at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
Please see the notes on 2:19; 3:11, 12 and 5:2. The note for 2:19 and 1Thessalonians 5:2 deal with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints
and the other notes deal with the context of this verse. In particular, the note for 3:12 gives the Equivalent Section of this sentence and has important considerations for this verse. Finally, this sentence is divided by punctuation in the note for this sentence within the Book Study on 1Thessalonians along with the contextual considerations.
As already noted, the phrase the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints
is talking about the 'Second Coming ' of our Lord Jesus Christ
and his saints
will receive reward or punishment based upon their obedience to the Lord
and His laws in this present day. That's why Paul says the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God
. The end
is when we are judged but that judgment is based upon what we do now. The only way that we will have our hearts stablished unblameable in holiness
at that day is if we do it now. If every little circumstance knocks us off our service to our Lord
, then we aren't stablished
and won't be found to be unblameable
.
We will face our Lord Jesus Christ
and give an answer for how we submitted to His ministering through each and every one of those roles. We will be rewarded or punished based upon that judgment. That is the main interpretation of this verse and sentence.
1Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ ,
5:9and 5:10 form a single sentence which is divided by punctuation in the Book Study on 1Thessalonians
Again we see that each of God the Son's roles are involved in salvation. Jesus
paid the price to get us out of Hell and into Heaven. The Lord
set aside the legal charge against us based upon the payment by Jesus
. Christ
maintains the relationship with us, which is the reason that God saves us in the first place. No man marries a woman to go through the ceremony but he marries her for the relationship that happens afterwards. Since God tells us that marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ
and the church (Ephesians 5), we can know that God (also) saved / married us for the relationship that comes afterwards. Just as a man continues to provide for his wife throughout the relationship, so also does Christ
provide for the church. This salvation
is not just salvation
from Hell, but (as it says in the same sentence), this salvation
provides all of the provisions of this relationship based upon the promise that we should live together with him
.
1Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ .
The phrase unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
is another reference to the 'Rapture'. See notes on 1:10, 4:15 and 4:16.
1Thessalonians 5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
This is a repeat of the blessing that was offered in the opening sentence of this epistle. Our receiving grace
from each and every role of the Son of God depends upon our submitting and being obedient to Him within each of those roles.
Son
1Thessalonians 1:10.
Son
is only used one time in this book for the Son of God
Who is also the Son of man
and our example of how to be the sons of God
. Click here for all of the Verses that use Son
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Son
.
1Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from Heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus ,
which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Please see the note for this verse under Jesus.