Living Intentionally before God

Reflections on 1 Thessalonians

Jeon

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781621895268
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

There is perhaps no Christian virtue more undervalued than intentionality. Although we know God calls us to be set apart as followers of Jesus Christ, that is, to march to a different drummer, we find ourselves not at all very different from the world around us. Living Intentionally before God is a summons to redeem the quality of being intentional--of being purposeful--in all areas of our lives as we seek to live before the Audience of One.

1

Reflections on 1:1

Always in the Presence of God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ

The prescript of the letter, which includes the writers (“Paul, Silas, and Timothy”), the audience (“the church of the Thessalonians”), and greeting (“Grace to you and peace”), sets the stage for the rest of the letter. Paul usually addresses a church by the particular city wherein it dwells—such as “the churches of Galatia” or “the saints in Ephesus.” Not so here. In this instance, Paul addresses his immediate audience as “the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul is highlighting the fact that the Thessalonians, as an assembly of people gathered for worship and fellowship, forever live in and before the presence of “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” We may ask why this reminder was necessary on Paul’s part.

Paul’s intention for the Thessalonians becomes clear when we consider the very circumstances that defined these Thessalonians’ lives. As the rest of the letter makes clear, the Thessalonians were undergoing severe persecution—to the point that Paul had become anxious over the possibility of their fall from grace (see 3:1-5). Paul’s anxiety, of course, was not unwarranted. After all, is it really far-fetched to suggest that the faith of believers tends to be radically shaken when their circumstances are tumultuous? Whether it’s in the form of an uncaring boss, a debilitating condition, or a rocky marriage, our circumstances possess an uncanny ability to raise questions about God’s goodness, wisdom, and power. As much as we know that we’re called to live by faith—not by sight—the reality is what we see affects what we believe. When all is well, we conclude that God must be good; when all is not well, we begin to wonder whether God is really in control.

We are not too different from the Thessalonians. And so here, from the outset Paul gently reminds the saints that believers are always under the care and protection of “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” through whom they find all-sufficient grace and peace for each day. This promise holds true for all eternity because of Christ Jesus, whose perfect life, atoning death, and vindicating resurrection have won for them God’s favor.

Questions for Further Reflection

1. Do you believe that as a Christian you are always in the presence of “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”? How is your confidence in his care and rule expressed during times of struggle? How is your integrity manifested when the only one looking is the Audience of One?

2

Reflections on 1:2

Always in Prayer, Always in Remembrance of the Saints

One truly remarkable trait of Paul was that he always lived the very life he preached. For instance, the declaration “We give thanks to God always” (1:2a) later resurfaces as a command “Give thanks always” (5:18). Similarly, the phrase “constantly making remembrance of you in our prayers” (1:2b) is later echoed in the command “Pray constantly” (5:17). Paul doesn’t simply instruct the Thessalonians by his word; rather, he presents himself as a worthy model of the faith to follow.

No doubt Paul’s declaration of being in constant prayer for the Thessalonians would have comforted them and established an even stronger bond between Paul and the Thessalonians. Paul was not shy about communicating his deep affection for them, expressed especially in regular prayer on their behalf. But, perhaps more importantly, the words “always” and “constantly” conveyed to the audience that Paul himself was living in regular and intimate communion with God through prayer. As a loving brother in Christ, Paul is here intimating that prayer is the basic means for pursuing a life centered on God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In addition, Paul introduces here the important theme of remembrance. This theme is repeatedly expressed in various forms—in Paul’s remembrance of God’s goodness towards the Thessalonians (1:2); in his remembrance of the faith, love, and hope of the Thessalonians (1:3); in his reminder to them of the example he and his colleagues set for them by toiling day and night in order not to be a financial burden to anyone (2:9); in the Thessalonians’ remembrance of Paul and his colleagues (3:6); and in the general exhortation to the Thessalonians to remember what they have been taught (4:1-2).

Remembering is an unappreciated but important Christian virtue. A few simple examples from life remind us of the power of this virtue. Marriages are built—not on falling in love—but on remembering the vows that husbands and wives make to each other. Many are motivated to work hard in honor of the sacrifices made by their parents and others on their behalf—in short, in remembrance of others. Christianity generosity is in response to remembering God’s overwhelming generosity to us through the sacrifice of His beloved son. In summary, remembering the past has tremendous influence on how we live in the present and future. It’s no wonder that Paul begins this letter by highlighting his own remembrance of the Thessalonians in his prayers. In doing so, he will call them to remember and hold tightly to their own confession of faith in the face of persecution.

Questions for Further Reflection

1. Are you in regular and deep communion with God through prayer? How might your life be different if you took regular time (perhaps an hour a week) to engage in the discipline of remembering God and others through prayer?

3

Reflections on 1:3

The Memory of the Thessalonians

Verse 3 begins with Saint Paul remembering several qualities about the Thessalonians that give rise to his thanksgiving in 1:2. Before reflecting on each of these in more detail, we shouldn’t miss the overall message that Paul rejoices in the fact that the Thessalonians are authentic believers, as evidenced in the way their faith leads to good works, their love to ceaseless toil, and their hope to perseverance (1:3). Here we do well to consider not only whether we display such signs of life that gladden Paul’s heart, but also whether we rejoice when we see them in others. After all, what gets us excited reveals what our hearts holds as precious.

The first two qualities (faith resulting in works, love producing labor) are related, both centering on some type of industrious effort. The precise “work” and “labor” Paul has in mind is unclear. Is he referring to work and labor done for other believers in Thessalonica or for people in general or even for believers beyond Thessalonica? Nevertheless, one thing is clear: their work and labor were unforgettable. More to the point, such work and labor represented the visible and concrete manifestations of what are otherwise invisible and intangible, namely “faith” and “love.” As Paul writes in all his letters, genuine faith in and love for God must be expressed in faithful works and labors of love.

The last quality, which is preserved in the New American Bible as “endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father,” requires some explanation. Paul is referring to the quality of perseverance that stems from hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Such hope is not merely an abstract wish, but a profoundly personal hope in the One who has risen from the dead and is now in the presence of God interceding on our behalf. Hence, a fuller translation would read “endurance from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ who is before our God and Father.” Hope for Christians, therefore, is founded on the certainty of someday being in the presence of both the risen Lord Jesus and God the Father. No tribulation in life can rob us from the promise of someday being with the One who laid down His life for us; and it is this truth that empowers believers just the same today as it did the Thessalonians nearly two thousand years ago to endure every trial with joyful expectation.

Questions for Further Reflection

1. Does your life exhibit such signs of life? What are concrete and visible ways your faith, love, and hope are being regularly expressed?

4

Reflections on 1:4–5a

Evident Salvation

Saint Paul was thankful for the Thessalonians not only because of their work of faith, labor of love, and perseverance of hope (1:3), but also because of their gospel-reception and transformation. Paul writes “the gospel came not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and in full conviction” (1:5a). There’s no need here to parse the meaning of each phrase in the statement. Paul’s point is that their acceptance of gospel resulted in a noticeable change described in terms of “power” and “the Holy Spirit” and “full conviction.” That is, their embrace of the gospel expressed itself in the conviction that life must change radically if the gospel is true. This transformation, in turn, assured Paul of their elect status as those loved by God (1:4).

Verse 4 suggests that Paul regularly sought to identify Spiritual fruit that evidenced genuine gospel-conversion. For Paul Jesus’s exhortation to “first take the log out of your own eye” (Matthew 7:5a) did not mean tha...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Reflections on 1:1
• Chapter 2: Reflections on 1:2
• Chapter 3: Reflections on 1:3
• Chapter 4: Reflections on 1:4–5a
• Chapter 5: Reflections on 1:5b–8
• Chapter 6: Reflections on 1:9–10
• Chapter 7: Reflections on 2:1–2
• Chapter 8: Reflections on 2:3–4
• Chapter 9: Reflections on 2:5–9
• Chapter 10: Reflections on 2:10–12
• Chapter 11: Reflections on 2:13
• Chapter 12: Reflections on 2:14–16
• Chapter 13: Reflections on 2:17–20
• Chapter 14: Reflections on 3:1–5
• Chapter 15: Reflections on 3:6–10
• Chapter 16: Reflections on 3:11–13
• Chapter 17: Reflections on 4:1–2
• Chapter 18: Reflections on 4:3–5
• Chapter 19: Reflections on 4:6–8
• Chapter 20: Reflections on 4:9–10
• Chapter 21: Reflections on 4:11–12
• Chapter 22: Reflections on 4:13–18
• Chapter 23: Reflections on 5:1–11
• Chapter 24: Reflections on 5:12–13
• Chapter 25: Reflections on 5:14–15
• Chapter 26: Reflections on 5:16–18
• Chapter 27: Reflections on 5:19–22
• Chapter 28: Reflections on 5:23–24
• Chapter 29: Reflections on 5:25–28