1 & 2 Thessalonians

A Critical & Exegetical Commentary

Gareth L Reese

• Publisher: Scripture Exposition Books LLC
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9780998451879
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

This is a phrase-by-phrase commentary and exposition of the New Testament books of 1 & 2 Thessalonians.This commentary is in use as a college textbook, yet is suitable for the lay church member.

1 & 2 Thessalonians were written by Paul, Silas & Timothy to a new church whose members were still learning what it means to live out their newfound faith.While working in Thessalonica, the missionaries had spent much time encouraging and instructing the recent converts in the basics of the faith (1 Thessalonians 2: 8-12).Since both epistles appear to have been penned within the 2-year span immediately after leaving Thessalonica, it is not surprising to find the three writers continuing their efforts to strengthen the beliefs and practices of the new Christians.In the face of criticism from enemies of the gospel, the letters staunchly defend the gospel message and messengers, and encourage the believers to remain faithful in the face of the warned-about opposition.For those Christians who had developed mistaken ideas about what happens to those who die prior to Christ's second coming, the letters paint a vivid picture of the events preceding Jesus' return, and of the events that will happen as He returns.And because there were certain areas of Christian living where many of the Thessalonians were missing the mark, the epistles offer direct and clear instruction as to how Christians are to live in the present.Being the first of the letters signed by Paul which have been preserved, 1 & 2 Thessalonians give us an important window of insight on the gospel Paul preached from the beginning of his apostolic work - including his understanding about the deity and Lordship of Jesus, the expected timing of Christ's return, and about how faith about the future works itself out in present-day living.

This commentary is conservative evangelical Christian in its outlook, yet skillfully examines the Scriptures from multiple theological viewpoints. Introductory Studies cover authorship and attestation, the place and date of writing, the original purpose for writing, an overview of several topics discussed by contemporary commentators and Biblical critics, and an extended review of Paul's eschatology, including his views regarding the timing of the Lord's second coming.Of note, four Special Studies address topics unique to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and which inextricably color the interpretation of that thorny chapter:

• The Day of the Lord
• The Apostasia
• The Man of Lawlessness
• The Restrainer

Since this commentary presumes the God-inspired nature of all Biblical writing, the author seeks to harmonize the teachings of 1 & 2 Thessalonians with other relevant Scriptures, and also helpfully examines the original language in which the epistles were written.A fully annotated bibliography of other commentaries on 1 & 2 Thessalonians is included to encourage readers to extend the

Commentary On

1 Thessalonians

CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO
1 THESSALONIANS

One of the earliest apostolic letters to be preserved

Chronologically, 1 Thessalonians has the distinction of being the first of the letters signed by the apostle Paul which has been preserved. (A letter written to the churches in AD 51 at the close of the Jerusalem Conference is included in Acts 15.)

Perhaps one other New Testament epistle, that of James, antedates 1 Thessalonians. This commentator has suggested that just after the Jerusalem Conference is a likely time when the epistle of James was written. At that Jerusalem Conference, some Pharisees who pretended to be Christians (Galatians 2:4) misused the example of James as an argument against Christian liberty. A date of AD 51 for the writing of the epistle of James thus makes that letter a wonderful rebuttal to the claims of the Pharisees who had been misusing James' name and example.

Today, some European scholars have proposed that Galatians was written prior to the Jerusalem Conference. However, such proposals are contradicted by Galatians 4:13 which has Paul visiting Galatia twice before this letter was written to them. Paul did not visit the churches of Galatia a second time until his visit during the second missionary journey, which post-dated the Conference at Jerusalem.

Authorship

Three names occur in the signature - Paul, Silas, and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1) - and throughout the letter the verbs used tend to be plural ("we"). However, in one or more places, Paul does indicate his own personal concerns (2:18).

Destination

The destination given in the epistolary opening is "to the church of the Thessalonians." According to Acts 17:1-9, the church at Thessalonica was founded by Paul and Silas during Paul's second missionary journey, which we date AD 51-54.

Place of Writing

From the history recorded in Acts, after the planting of the church in Thessalonica, it was in Corinth when the three men whose names appear in the signature were next together (Acts 18:5). The subscription found in the KJV, which has the letter written from Athens, is in error.

Date

About AD 51, or perhaps early AD 52, the church at Thessalonica was planted (Acts 17:1-4). From Thessalonica, Paul went to Berea and Athens (Acts 17:10,16). Probably several months after leaving Thessalonica, Timothy was sent back from Athens to Thessalonica (3:1,2). Several months more would intervene before Timothy could return to Paul at Corinth. This letter was written after Timothy's return. It is therefore probable that the letter was written late AD 52 or early AD 53, perhaps a year after the congregation was planted.

Purpose

Written only a short time after the congregation at Thessalonica was started, this letter was called forth by the trials and needs of a young congregation of Christians. Paul and Silas had been forced to leave the city by an uproar stirred up by Jews. Shortly after their departure, the persecution which had driven them away turned upon the church (2:14, 3:3).

When Timothy returned from Thessalonica (3:6), he reported that the new Christians were being persecuted by both Jewish and Gentile adversaries. There were also some matters of practical Christian living that needed emphasis. The missionaries who planted the congregation wanted desperately to visit again (2:18), but were prevented. The next best thing was to write such instructions as they would have given had they been present in person.

Contents

B.W. Johnson has succinctly stated that "the letter is full of comfort, instruction, and encouragement." Two chapters especially emphasize events that will take place at the second coming of Christ, so the letter is often characterized as having an eschatological emphasis.

Outline of 1 Thessalonians

Epistolary Opening - Signatures, Address and Greeting. 1:1

I. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Faith and the Reasons for the Thanksgiving. 1:2-10.

II. The Writers' Vindication of Their Lives and Ministry among the Thessalonians. 2:1-16

III. The Writers' Desire to Visit Thessalonica Again. 2:17-3:13

IV. Calls to Action. 4:1-5:22

A. Exhortations About Living to Please God. 4:1-12

1. An exhortation to improve their keeping of the instructions learned from their missionaries. 4:1-2

2. An exhortation to sexual purity. 4:3-8

3. An exhortation to brotherly love. 4:9-12

B. Exhortations Concerning the Second Coming of Christ. 4:13-5:11

1. Encouraging words concerning Christians who have already died. 4:13-18

2. Further instruction about the day of the Lord. 5:1-11

C. Exhortations to Aid Preparation for the Lord's Return. 5:12-22

1. Concerning responsibilities to congregational leaders. 5:12,13a

2. Concerning the responsibility to live in peace with one another. 5:13b-15

3. Concerning responsibilities to oneself. 5:16-18

4. Concerning responsibilities during public worship. 5:19-22

V. Some Final Prayers and Requests. 5:23-27

A. More wish-prayers for the Thessalonian Christians. 5:23,24

B. Three things requested from the Thessalonians. 5:25-27

Epistolary Closing. 5:28

THE EPISTLE OF
1 THESSALONIANS

Epistolary Opening. Signatures, Address & Greeting. 1:1

1:1 - Paul and Silvanas and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy - Writers of ancient letters signed their names at the beginning of the letter. In this epistle there are three men's names included in the signature. For those familiar with the books of the New Testament, little needs to be said about the man whose name heads the list, "Paul." Acts 9-28 is filled with information about this man's call to be an apostle of Jesus and of his subsequent ministry, especially to the Gentiles. "Silas" (such is the Greek spelling of the man's name in Acts) is a shortened form of "Silvanus," which is the regular Roman transliteration of the man's Jewish name in Paul's letters. Silas was a Jewish Christian (Acts 15:22, 16:20) and was, like Paul, a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37,38). He was chosen by Paul to accompany him on what is known as Paul's second missionary tour (Acts 15:40). He was a New Testament prophet (Acts 15:32), so his input into the content of this letter would be as inspired as was the apostle Paul's. "Timothy" was recruited by Paul to accompany him and Silas on that second tour (Acts 16:1-3). If Timothy served as the amanuensis in the composition of this letter,¹ his input, too, has the possibility of being inspired since Paul had imparted a special gift to Timothy by the laying on of hands (2 Timothy 1:6). All three men were known to the readers to whom the letter is addressed. Paul and Silas were instrumental in planting a new church in Thessalonica during that second missionary tour (Acts 17:1-9). Timothy evidently was sent to Thessalonica after Paul and Silas left (1 Thessalonians 3:2), and he has joined the other two men before this letter was composed and sent.² The only time we know these three men were together after the planting of the church at Thessalonica is when they were in Corinth (Acts 18:5). So we determine this first letter to the Thessalonians was written from Corinth, about AD 52.³

To the church of the Thessalonians - The address is the second element in the opening of ancient letters. A "church" (ekklēsia) is a local assembly of Christians. The word translated "church" did not refer to a building in which the Christians assembled, but to the meeting or congregation of those who had been "called out" of the world into fellowship with Jesus Christ. The assembly, or church, in the city of Thessalonica consisted of a group of baptized believers (implied in the fact they had received the Holy Spirit, 1 Thessalonians 4:8), with a recognized leadership (1 Thessalonians 5:12,13), which met together regularly, at which meetings the apostolic epistles were read as inspired scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:27) and folk greeted each other with a holy kiss (1 Thessalonians 5:26).

In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ - Since God's Old Testament people could be called a "church" (Acts 7:38) and since "called out" meetings for conducting city business could be called a "church" (Acts 19:41), this phrase serves to identify in particular the "assembly" in the city of Thessalonica to which this letter is addressed. It is not a pagan or non-religious assembly (cf. "God the Father"); it is not a Jewish assembly (cf. "the Lord Jesus Christ"). It is a congregation of God's new people. Here the church is not called "the church of God" but the church "in God." This is an unusual expression in Paul's writings. Perhaps the preposition "in" has an instrumental force; the church was brought into being by God the Father. Or perhaps it is a dative of sphere; God and Christ are the sphere in which the church exists. There is also need to call special attention to what all three words, "Lord Jesus Christ," are saying to us. "Lord" is not a title added to Jesus' name. "Lord" was the word the Jews said when they came to the four-letter sacred name of Yahweh. To call Jesus "Lord" is to affirm His deity. The modern insinuation that no one called Jesus "Lord" (i.e., attributed deity to Him) until the close of the 1^st century is contradicted by most every book in the New Testament. Before 1 Thessalonians was written where He is called "Lord," the Gospels record that even during Jesus' earthly ministry they called Him "Lord." "You call me Lord, and that is right. That is who I am" (John 13:13). "Jesus" is the earthly name of the One who became incarnate at Bethlehem (Matthew 1:18-23), coming to earth on a mission to save people from their sins. "Christ" tells us that this incarnate One was the long-promised Messiah, God's specially anointed one.

Grace to you and peace - The greeting or salutation was the third element in the opening of ancient letters. These words of greeting are in the form of a prayer.⁴ The usual Greek salutation was chairein ("greeting," cf. James 1:1, Acts 15:23). By a slight change of spelling, the word of salutation becomes charis ("grace"), a word full of spiritual connotation. "Grace" is God's attitude of loving-kindness; in the LXX, charis translates the Hebrew chesed ("loving-kindness"). "Peace" may refer to a right relationship with God and man. "Peace" signifies spiritual well-being in its widest sense. To a persecuted congregation like at Thessalonica, "peace (to you)" may be a prayer for cessation of hostilities from the persecutors.

I. THANKSGIVING FOR THE THESSALONIANS' FAITH AND THE REASONS FOR THE THANKSGIVING. 1:2-10.

1:2 - We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;

We give thanks to God always for all of you - Ancient letters usually included a word of thanksgiving to deity for blessings received. In most of Paul's letters, he thanks God for what the readers are doing, though in 1 Corinthians he thanks God for what God has done for the Corinthians, and he has no word of thanksgiving in the letter to the Galatians for disappointment and indignation ruled out any thanksgiving. Paul's thanksgivings usually anticipated the major topics to be covered in the body of the letter. Verses 2-5 form a single sentence in Greek. The main verb "we give thanks" (present tense, continuous action implied, "we keep on giving thanks") is followed by three participial phrases: "making mention" (verse 2), "bearing in mind" (verse 3), and "knowing" (verse 4). These detail some of the things for which the writers are thankful. All three men ("we") who signed the letter are giving thanks for the same things. "Always" does not mean Paul and his companions prayed around the clock without ceasing; it rather says that every time they prayed for the Thessalonians, they give thanks for all the Christians at Thessalonica for all the reasons about to be enumerated. "All of You" reflects the fact that a "great multitude" of Thessalonians had turned to the Lord (Acts 17:4 KJV). The note of thanksgiving is sounded over and over in the first part of this letter, as far as 1 Thessalonians 3:13.

Making mention of you in our prayers - This first of three participial phrases tells how Paul and his fellow workers expressed their thanks. They did it in their prayers.

A reminder of recent events will help us get the feel of this thanksgiving. A few months earlier, the stay of Paul and Silas in Thessalonica had been cut short by opposition to them from Jewish antagonists. They had been forced to leave town suddenly (Acts 17:5-10), and such a hasty departure under cover of darkness undoubtedly might make some people wonder whether they were just another set of fast-talking, fast-moving religious con-men. Paul devotes much of the first three chapters of 1 Thessalonians to assuring these Christians that their preachers were not con-men, and in fact neither God nor their preachers had abandoned them, nor forgotten them. Paul was anxious to know how the new converts were handling the persecution they were facing. He had been so anxious that he sent Timothy to see how the Thessalonian Christians were doing and to encourage them (1 Thessalonians 3:1-8). Timothy has returned from his mission, and upon hearing from Timothy that they were strong and unfaltering in their faith, the hearts of Paul, Silas and Timothy overflowed with gratitude, and that in turn led them to express thanks to God for the Thessalonian believers.

1:3 - constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• PART ONE: 1 THESSALONIANS
• PART TWO: 2 THESSALONIANS
• PART THREE: DETAILED INTRODUCTIONS
• PART FOUR: SPECIAL STUDIES
• Annotated Bibliography
• Index