Welcome to Hope and Holiness
The writing team and I are excited to announce the beginning of our 1 Thessalonians study, Hope and Holiness - title inspired by The Visual Word! The book of 1 Thessalonians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in Thessalonica. The main theme of this epistle is the second coming of Jesus Christ, and the hope that it brings to believers. In this blog series, we will be exploring each chapter of 1 Thessalonians and discussing its relevance to our spiritual lives today. Each member of our writing team will break down the Scripture verse by verse, week after week. We are so excited for how this in-depth approach will help us to soak in everything the Lord has for us in this passage, and exercise it’s application as we go.
So, where does 1 Thessalonians kick off?
Here is some context you’ll want to know before we dig in together.
1 Thessalonians was written by Paul, in Corinth, between 49-51 AD. Paul is on his second missionary journey. He knows that the church might be disappointed because he isn’t coming in person, so that may explain the mention of Silas and Timothy throughout - he wanted them to know that they are on the same team, ministers of the same gospel.
Thessalonica was the proud capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. The population was around 100,000. It was an extremely busy place, because it was conveniently located for trade routes. There were lots of Jews in the capital city. Cults were prominent, and the growth of philosophy was rampant.
As mentioned, the second coming of Jesus is the primary theme of Paul’s letter. It is mentioned in every chapter. Together we will ask: What does it mean for us now? How are we going to live in response, because of all we have to look forward to?
The missionary team has an existing relationship with the Thessalonian Christians, but were forced to leave prematurely because of rioters on their last visit. In light of this, Paul is concerned for new Christians. They are overall doing well, but recent deaths in the church have made them believe that they will never be reunited with those brothers and sisters again.
He needs to reassure them of their salvation secured by Christ, and simultaneously help them see the importance of holy living this side of heaven.
They were a people full of anxiety and questions.
They were not expecting the persecution they were experiencing.
He also calls stewardship into question as some wealthier Christians began to wholly fund other believers.
Paul wrote this letter from a place of relief having just heard from Timothy. Sure, there were clarifications and assurances to be made, but overall they were hanging in there. He tackles the areas they were struggling with head-on such as employment, sexual purity, and persecution.
He honors the local leaders and puts the glory off of himself.
This was an informal epistle, meaning that it was a public letter addressed to a group.
Together, we will explore the reality of our faith and then what it looks like in practice. Patrick Schreiner explains it this way: “eschatology determines ethics”.
What we believe about how this all ends informs the way we live in the present.
Something that is really important to note is that the Thessalonian church has all the “essential marks of a Christian life” - faith, hope, and love.
This is the perfect study for us at With The Shepherd, because if you are in our community of disciples, it’s likely that the essential marks of the Christian life also rest in your life. Even when we have the essential marks of a Christian, there is more for us - Paul doesn’t neglect the church in Thessalonica because their appearance was generally good. He thanked God for His work in their lives, for their everyday faithfulness, and also encouraged them to push harder in hope and holiness. As we study 1 Thessalonians with cultural context, we will be stretched right alongside them.
Be encouraged, dear Christian! Our future is safe and secure. And in this place, God is not done with us. In light of this truth, we aren’t pushed to the side until He comes back — there are daily ramifications that call for our worshipful response!
When we are reminded of the certainty of our salvation, may that propel us to worship in grace and truth all our days!
May we live hope-filled, holy lives that puts the gospel on display!
We don't want to live exhausted and cynical. We want to live hopeful, holy lives.
We want to live expectant for Christ Jesus coming back.
We want to be ready, and we want to help our brothers and sisters GET READY.
See you next week where we will begin doing just that as we unpack 1:4-7!
