Epistle for October 22, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

According to most scholars, 1 Thessalonians is the earliest written work included in the New Testament.  Paul may have written this letter to the church in Thessalonika from Corinth sometime around 52 AD.

He had only recently left Thessalonika.  He was at this time on what is called his Second Missionary Journey, which took him through Syria, Cilicia, Galatia and Asia — and then, for the first time, across the Aegean Sea into Europe. His journeys in Europe took him to key cities where he planted churches — in Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonika and Berea) and in Achaea (Athens and Corinth).

This letter to the Thessalonians represents one of the earliest samples of Christian preaching and doctrine, some twenty years after the resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost.

As was common with ancient letters, Paul begins with a salutation.  He is writing this as a corporate letter, with greetings from the other two missionaries who are with him in Corinth — Silvanus, and Timothy. And the recipient of the letter is also corporate — the entire church at Thessalonika.

Silvanus and Timothy both appear elsewhere throughout the New Testament record.

Silvanus is believed to be the same person known as Silas in the book of the Acts of the Apostles.  At one of the key councils in Jerusalem, Silas was chosen, along with Judas Barsabbas, to accompany Paul and Barnabas as they set out for Antioch (Acts 15:22).  This was the beginning of the very missionary journey that would take them to their present location in Corinth. Silas is mentioned twelve times in Acts. One of those accounts describes Paul and Silas in jail together in Philippi, which proved to be a pivotal moment in their ministry there (Acts 16:25-32).  Paul mentions his colleague and travelling companion Silvanus three times in his letters (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:19). And we also find Silvanus mentioned by the Apostle Peter in his first letter, giving the impression that Silvanus actually helped Peter in the drafting of the letter (1 Peter 5:12).

Timothy, of course, is well-known as Paul’s young protege. The relationship of Paul and Timothy is that of an affectionate father with an adopted son. We know much more about Timothy — he was from Lystra in Galatia, the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek father.  Paul made a point of having Timothy circumcised because of his Jewish heritage, in order to avoid offending the Jews in Galatia (Acts 16:1-3).   Timothy often acted as a messenger for Paul, bearing his letters and bringing personal possessions that had been left behind.  We last see Timothy in Acts saying farewell to Paul in Asia, and there is some evidence that Timothy became the overseer (Greek episcopos, or bishop) of the church in Ephesus.  Timothy is mentioned six times in Acts; twelve times in Paul’s letters (not including the two letters that were written specifically to Timothy by Paul, 1 & 2 Timothy), and once in Hebrews 13:23.

These co-workers in the Gospel may also have been co-writers with Paul of this letter.

But let’s return to the Thessalonians.  Their identity and relationship with God are immediately established. The church is described as:

 in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…

While we might be tempted to scan this greeting rather quickly, we do well to pause just a moment.  Because this is likely the first written record of the New Testament, these are significant words.  It is clear that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are being given equal billing.  Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned until verse 5 and 6 in this passage, we have the beginnings of a doctrine of the Trinity.

That God is Father is a given from the Jewish perspective.  But when Paul says that Jesus is Lord and Christ, he is making an important claim about Jesus.  Jesus is not only the Christ (aka Messiah), fulfilling the Hebrew prophecies and expectations — he is also Lord.  Lord denotes more than merely a title of aristocracy for Paul.  In Hebraic thought, the word Lord is synonymous with the title given to Yahweh in the Old Testament — Adonai.  Based on that evidence, Paul is describing Jesus the Christ as God.   

And Paul offers a greeting that will become familiar to the reader of his epistles:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace is one of Paul’s consistent themes throughout his epistles.

As he continues the body of his letter, Paul is personal when remembering the Thessalonians, their faith and their work.  He speaks in the first person plural on behalf of Silvanus, Timothy and himself, describing their intercession for the church:

We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.

Paul calls the Thessalonians his brothers, and reminds them of their new identity.  They are chosen — the theological term is elect — and Paul celebrates the fact that they not only heard the Gospel, but the Holy Spirit reinforced this word with power and assurance. 

This provides a glimpse into the doctrine of Pneumatology (theology related to the Holy Spirit).  A survey of the work of the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament suggests that power and assurance are frequently associated with the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit’s power is manifested in such events as:

• The Holy Spirit overshadows Mary and conceives the holy child within her, despite her virginity (Luke 1:35).
• The Holy Spirit anoints Jesus with power, enabling him to heal all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38).
• The outpouring on Pentecost, with its mighty wind, tongues of fire, and speaking in tongues (Acts 2).

And along with power, there is the unique work of assurance — what is also called the witness of the Spirit.  This sense of assurance describes the inward witness given by the Holy Spirit within the spirit of the believer. This inward witness makes possible the personal relationship that exists between believer and the Spirit:

• The Spirit affirms the believer’s identity as a child of God:
  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17).
• The Spirit is also the intimate agent of communication between God the Father and the believer. Because the Spirit is God’s Spirit, he knows the mind of the Father; and because the Spirit is omniscient (all-knowing) he can penetrate every person’s thoughts, motives and emotions:
  In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered.  He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God (Romans 8:26-27).

Paul then continues by reminding the Thessalonians of the ministry that he and his colleagues offered when they were in Thessalonika, and the impact that it has had on the church.  He says boldly that the Thessalonians became imitators of the three missionaries, and of the Lord.  The implication is clear — Paul is an imitator of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 11:1). Therefore the example that the Thessalonians see in these missionaries is a good role model for new believers.

Moreover, because the Thessalonians received the Gospel with joy, despite their affliction (presumably persecution), they now have become:

an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.  For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out; so that we need not to say anything.

The rumors of Thessalonian receptivity and repentance have preceded the three missionaries throughout Macedonia and Achaia even before Silvanus, Timothy and Paul arrived in those regions!

For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you; and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

At the very conclusion of this portion of 1 Thessalonians, which serves as a salutation, Paul sums up the essence of the Christian Gospel that he proclaims:

• That God is the true God, and no idol such as the Greeks have previously been worshipping.
• That Jesus is the very Son of God, and therefore divine.
• That God has raised Jesus from the dead.
• And faith in Jesus delivers us from the consequences of sin.

This is the eschatological hope for which they are waiting — for Christ who will come from heaven for his church.

APPLY:  

Anyone who has ever tried acting on the stage knows that part of what he or she is doing is imitating a character — and the best actors learn to think, feel, move, and behave like the character they are seeking to portray. This applies to one of the themes of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians — that we are to imitate those who imitate Christ, so that we may be an example to others. The ripple effect of such a lifestyle can be profound.  The more we imitate Christ, the more others are drawn to Christ.

As Paul and his colleagues have proclaimed the Gospel and lived in imitation of Christ, the Thessalonians have sought to replicate that example in their own lives.  And as the Thessalonians have lived in this radical, new way, others have also been influenced.

We see this clearly when Paul writes:

You became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.

The concept of the Imitation of Christ has a long and distinguished history.  Although Thomas a Kempis wrote his famous book by the same name sometime between 1418 and 1427, the principle originates in the New Testament.

This is a serious challenge to all Christians, which has both inspired and discouraged multitudes for many centuries. On the one hand, this is a high calling to a heroic life.  As C.S. Lewis says:

Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ. If we do, we shall then be sharing a life which was begotten, not made, which always existed and always will exist. Christ is the Son of God. If we share in this kind of life we also shall be sons of God. We shall love the Father as He does and the Holy Ghost will arise in us. He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of life He has — by what I call “good infection.” Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else (from Mere Christianity).

Sadly, we also have many bad examples of Christians and Christian leaders who have failed to follow the teachings and example of Christ.  Today, we tend to hear this excuse most often — quite often even on bumper stickers — Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven. This becomes a rationale for behavior that is quite unChristlike.

The excuse “well, I’m only human” may be true.  And, yes, it may be necessary for Christian leaders to publically repent and apologize — but a lifestyle that is inconsistent with the life and teaching of Christ can be subversive to those who seek to be disciples, especially when those leaders refuse to change because “they’re only human.”

The saying is cliche — which makes us prone to dismiss it — but it is nonetheless true:

Your life is the only Bible some people will ever read.

The Thessalonians saw the Gospel and the character of Jesus Christ when they saw Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.  And they were inspired not only to believe, but to follow their example.  And they in turn became an example to others.

This is the way the Gospel spreads — when our words and our works are in harmony with one another.

RESPOND: 

A family member of mine used to say that her God was a “God of love, not a God of wrath.”  I think I understand where she was coming from.  She had been raised in the church, and I’m sure had heard more than a few sermons from the “fire and brimstone” genre. I surmise that God’s wrath was a frequent theme in those days instead of God’s love.

And yet.  And yet.  We cannot escape language about wrath, and judgment, and, yes, Hell.  Not if we are faithful to the Biblical text. After praising the Thessalonians for their faith, love and patience of hope, Paul assures them that they are loved by God and are chosen.  And then he reminds them that they now worship the living and true God who raised his Son from the dead, who is:

—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

How do we reconcile God’s love and God’s wrath?

Perhaps the simplest way to do so is to be reminded that for humans, love  really describes our desire that the one we love be happy and blessed and receive good things.  Isn’t that generally true when we think of God’s love for us?  God desires that we have abundant life, blessing, and receive good things.  That seems to be a consistent theme of the Bible. God’s ultimate goal is our well-being. And that goal requires great sacrifice on his part to achieve it for us.  And it also doesn’t mean that we won’t endure temporary suffering before we receive an everlasting reward.

What is wrath?  Wrath is anger, and in terms of relationship, anger occurs when we are disappointed in someone or something, or when something has fallen short of the goal.  Wrath describes God’s reaction to the disparity between his will for us and, our will for us! This is what happens when we settle for something less than God’s best for us.  Biblically, God is angry when our lives and character separate us from him, harm others, and harm ourselves.  This is another way to describe sin.  Therefore God’s anger can be seen as an expression of God’s love.

God the Son has given up his life that we might be saved.  When we read language about God’s wrath we can often miss the point that his wrath — his anger — is not at us. God’s anger is against sin and evil and injustice.

As I’ve often said, expanding on an oft used cliche —

God loves the sinner, but hates the sin, because of what sin does to the sinner. 

Another way of putting this is another expression —

We aren’t punished for our sins; we are punished by our sins.

The following metaphor helps me get a little closer to understanding this concept, although I admit it is a very imperfect picture — suppose you, your family, and your whole neighborhood have been captured by a terrorist band.  They are holding you hostage.  They are threatening to shoot all of you, and the danger is imminent.  A rescuer arrives to rescue you, and he manages to free you so that you and the others are able to run away from the terrorists.  The rescuer warns you that you must run as far and as fast as you can, because he intends to destroy the terrorists and their weapons.  But instead of running away, you linger.  You have grown fond of your captors. But they are not fond of you.  They have you in their clutches, and are raising their weapons to fire on your family. your neighbors, and on you. They begin to fire. The rescuer must prevent the terrorists from harming all of the other people. He must fire immediately in order to prevent their violence. They will be destroyed. And because you did not separate yourself from the terrorists, you are also destroyed because you did not flee the wrath to come!

Granted, this is a crude analogy.  Our damnation is collateral damage because we refused to seek the safety that was offered.

John Wesley once answered his critics, who denounced him for suggesting that there was only one way to be saved. He said that his critics were right.  He did believe that:

For as there is but one heaven, so there is but one way to it, even the way of faith in Christ, (for we speak not of opinions or outward modes of worship,) the way of love to God and man, the highway of holiness. And is it uncharitable to think or say that none can be saved but those who walk in this way?

He then offers Biblical evidence that it is God who warns us that we must believe or be damned, follow holiness or we won’t see the Lord, and love God and neighbor.  But all of these warnings, from God or from God’s messengers, are inspired by love:

But is there any uncharitableness  [charity is also translated as love; so to be uncharitable is to be unloving] in this, in warning sinners to flee from the wrath to come? On the contrary, not to warn a poor, blind, stupid wretch that he is hanging over the mouth of hell, would be so inexcusable a want of charity, as would bring his blood upon our own head. (John Wesley: A Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion, Section III,paragraph 3).

Our ultimate goal is to grow in grace, become imitators of Christ, and anticipate his return and the joy of fellowship with him in heaven.  But we must begin with the admission that we are sinners, and as such deserve the wrath of God.  We are immensely grateful for the grace and mercy that God has shown us in his love by sending his Son on our behalf.  And that means that we ask his forgiveness.

This is illustrated by John Wesley’s description of the early Methodists who met regularly to “watch over one another in love”:

There is one only condition previously required in those who desire admission into this society, — “a desire to flee from the wrath to come, to be saved from their sins.”  (from A Plain Account of the People Called Methodists, Section I, paragraph 8).

So, to my family member who believed in “love” over “wrath,” I would have to say that the most loving thing we can do is be aware that God’s wrath is the flip side of God’s love — he destroys the poisons and the pestilences that corrupt the good world that he has made.  And we must flee those poisons and pestilences and find refuge in God in order to be saved.

Our Lord, I pray that I might be encouraged to faith, love and patience as I seek to imitate you.  Thank you for delivering me from the wrath that is to come against all evil.  Amen.

 PHOTOS:
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Epistle for October 30, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Sometimes when we read the Bible we begin to realize that we are walking into a flower garden — in which someone seems to have buried landmines!  What may seem clear on the surface actually becomes uncertain, and maybe even dangerous to one’s faith.

So it seems with Biblical commentaries, and with Lectionary Texts.  In the case of Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians, there are disputes among scholars about its authorship and its date.  Historical-critical scholars in the late 18th century questioned whether Paul had actually written 2 Thessalonians because the language seems different than 1 Thessalonians. They also believed that there is a less urgent tone in 2 Thessalonians concerning the Second Coming of Jesus.  However, the traditional, orthodox view has maintained the Pauline authorship of 2 Thessalonians.

In the final analysis, even scholarly opinions are conjectures that cannot overshadow the fact that the books of the New Testament were completed no later than the early 2nd century. The Bible is ultimately the Church’s book, not a landmine in a flower garden.

Although formal canonization of all 27 of the New Testament books by the councils of bishops didn’t come for several centuries (Synod of Hippo Regius in North Africa 393; the Councils of Carthage in 397 and 419; Pope Damasus I’s Council of Rome in 382), 2 Thessalonians was one epistle whose authority was never in doubt.

Having said all of that, I assume that 2 Thessalonians was written by Paul.

Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy had established a church in Thessalonica around 50 A.D., one of the very first churches in Macedonia after Philippi.  Thessalonica was a key port city on the Aegean Sea.  It was also situated on the Egnatian Way, a Roman highway which a traveler could take from Byzantium to the East, through Philippi, and all the way through Thessalonica to the coast of the Adriatic Sea.  From there a traveler could catch a ship at Dyrrachium and sail to Brundisium in the heel of Italy.  Needless to say, Thessalonica was a strategically located city.

Paul had already written a first letter to the Thessalonians, seeking to comfort them and to clarify Christian teachings about the Second Coming of Jesus.  Although 2 Thessalonians is shorter, it addresses many of the same issues that the first letter does — with information about the Second Coming, and how they are to live in the meantime.

Paul writes in the name of himself and his co-workers, with a greeting that is somewhat typical of his letters:

 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul speaks of his thanksgiving for the church, and praises the growth of their faith and mutual love.  He tells them that he boasts of them wherever he goes:

we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure.

Already, we are seeing the persecution of the church as a counter-cultural organization, although Paul doesn’t specify the source of the persecution.  From Acts 17 we learn that there was stringent resistance to Paul and his message by some of the members of the synagogue.   We also learn that these folks enlisted the help of a mob and accused Paul and his cohorts of sedition by seeking to promote the kingship of Jesus over Caesar.  Paul may be aware that though the church at Thessalonica has been successfully planted, they are still being falsely accused of acts that are:

contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus! (Acts 17:7).

Their accusers were right about one thing, though.  These Christians had:

turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).

Now we come to a second problem with our epistle for this week — the lectionary editors skip from verse 4 to verse 11.  So when we read in verse 11, To this end we also pray always for you, we don’t know what Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy are praying for unless we connect the dots by reading verses 5 to 10.

There, we see Paul’s continuing argument from verse 4, that the persecutions are a sign of the coming judgment of God, and that God will requite those who afflict God’s people.  His language is quite dramatic:

it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,  giving vengeance to those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,  who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,  when he comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in that day (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).

This is why Paul and company are praying so fervently, because of the persecutions that the Thessalonian church is suffering.  He is seeking to encourage them so that:

God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power; that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The goodness and faith and power of the persecuted church are a compelling witness to their character.

APPLY:  

I sometimes think that only Christians in the persecuted church around the world should be allowed to read the apocalyptic books in the New Testament, like 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Revelation, and certain other books.  The reason I say that is that they understand these books better than those of us in the West whose Christianity is fairly easy.

All the more reason that the “un-persecuted church” must be even more faithful than we are now. When the world sees us, do they see that we are:

worthy of our calling, fulfilling every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power?

Or do they see a country club of congenial consumer Christians who conform the Gospel to their own lifestyles, rather than taking up the cross and being conformed to Christ?

RESPOND: 

I sometimes wonder how I would handle real persecution.  Not the imagined persecution that Christians sometimes become a little too hysterical about in the U.S. — “we can’t wish each other a Merry Christmas anymore!   Why can’t we have public invocations and prayers at ball games and graduations?” 

I have the feeling that Christians in Iraq and Syria and Egypt and Indonesia and China would gladly exchange the fear of beheading, desecration of their churches, and job discrimination with our petty concerns.

What I am hearing in my own American culture is that Christianity is becoming increasingly irrelevant. “Christians” don’t look or act particularly different than their non-Christian neighbors. Christians tend to divorce at the same rate, tend to have similar rates of alcoholism, tend to be just as materialistic, etc., etc., etc.

There is room for improvement.  How are we to be the leaven, the salt and the light in our secularized culture?  Perhaps we can do no better than seek to replicate the observation by pagan Romans as they described Christians in the early church:

See how these Christians love one another (Tertullian).

May our faith, our power and our love be our Christian witness!

Lord, give me the faith and power to be the witness you have called me to be.  Amen.  

 PHOTOS:
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Epistle for October 18, 2020

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

According to most scholars, 1 Thessalonians is the earliest written work included in the New Testament.  Paul  may have written this letter to the church in Thessalonika from Corinth sometime around 52 AD.

He had only recently left Thessalonika.  He was at this time on what is called his Second Missionary Journey, which took him through Syria, Cilicia, Galatia and Asia — and then, for the first time, across the Aegean Sea into Europe. His journeys in Europe took him to key cities where he planted churches — in Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonika and Berea) and in Achaea (Athens and Corinth).

This letter to the Thessalonians represents one of the earliest samples of Christian preaching and doctrine, some twenty years after the resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost.

As was common with ancient letters, Paul begins with a salutation.  He is writing this as a corporate letter, with greetings from the other two missionaries who are with him in Corinth — Silvanus, and Timothy. And the recipient of the letter is also corporate — the entire church at Thessalonika.

Silvanus and Timothy both appear elsewhere throughout the New Testament record.

Silvanus is believed to be the same person known as Silas in the book of the Acts of the Apostles.  At one of the key councils in Jerusalem, Silas was chosen, along with Judas Barsabbas, to accompany Paul and Barnabas as they set out for Antioch (Acts 15:22).  This was the beginning of the very missionary journey that would take them to their present location in Corinth. Silas is mentioned twelve times in Acts. One of those accounts describes Paul and Silas in jail together in Philippi, which proved to be a pivotal moment in their ministry there (Acts 16:25-32).  Paul mentions his colleague and travelling companion Silvanus three times in his letters (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:19). And we also find Silvanus mentioned by the Apostle Peter in his first letter, giving the impression that Silvanus actually helped Peter in the drafting of the letter (1 Peter 5:12).

Timothy, of course, is well-known as Paul’s young protege. The relationship of Paul and Timothy is that of an affectionate father with an adopted son. We know much more about Timothy — he was from Lystra in Galatia, the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek father.  Paul made a point of having Timothy circumcised because of his Jewish heritage, in order to avoid offending the Jews in Galatia (Acts 16:1-3).   Timothy often acted as a messenger for Paul, bearing his letters and bringing personal possessions that had been left behind.  We last see Timothy in Acts saying farewell to Paul in Asia, and there is some evidence that Timothy became the overseer (Greek episcopos, or bishop) of the church in Ephesus.  Timothy is mentioned six times in Acts;  twelve times in Paul’s letters (not including the two letters that were written specifically to Timothy by Paul, 1 & 2 Timothy), and once in Hebrews 13:23.

These co-workers in the Gospel may also have been co-writers with Paul of this letter.

But let’s return to the Thessalonians.  Their identity and relationship with God are immediately established. The church is described as:

 in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…

While we might be tempted to scan this greeting rather quickly, we do well to pause just a moment.  Because this is likely the first written record of the New Testament, these are significant words.  It is clear that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are being given equal billing.  Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned until verse 5 and 6 in this passage, we have the beginnings of a doctrine of the Trinity.

That God is Father is a given from the Jewish perspective.  But when Paul says that Jesus is Lord and Christ, he is making an important claim about Jesus.  Jesus is not only the Christ (aka Messiah), fulfilling the Hebrew prophecies and expectations — he is also Lord.  Lord denotes more than merely a title of aristocracy for Paul.  In Hebraic thought,  the word Lord is synonymous with the title given to Yahweh in the Old Testament — Adonai.  Based on that evidence, Paul is describing Jesus the Christ as God.   

And Paul offers a greeting that will become familiar to the reader of his epistles:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace is one of Paul’s consistent themes throughout his epistles.

As he continues the body of his letter, Paul is personal when remembering the Thessalonians, their faith and their work.  He speaks in the first person plural on behalf of Silvanus, Timothy and himself, describing their intercession for the church:

We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.

Paul calls the Thessalonians his brothers,  and reminds them of their new identity.  They are chosen — the theological term is elect — and Paul celebrates the fact that they not only heard the Gospel,  but the Holy Spirit reinforced this word  with power and assurance. 

This provides a glimpse into the doctrine of Pneumatology (theology related to the Holy Spirit).  A survey of the work of the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament suggests that power and assurance are frequently associated with the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit’s power is manifested in such events as:

• The Holy Spirit overshadows Mary and conceives the holy child within her, despite her virginity (Luke 1:35).
• The Holy Spirit anoints Jesus with power, enabling him to heal all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38).
• The outpouring on Pentecost, with its mighty wind, tongues of fire, and speaking in tongues (Acts 2).

And along with power, there is the unique work of assurance — what is also called the witness of the Spirit.  This sense of assurance describes the inward witness given by the Holy Spirit within the spirit of the believer. This inward witness makes possible the personal relationship that exists between believer and the Spirit:

• The Spirit affirms the believer’s identity as a child of God:
  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17).
• The Spirit is also the intimate agent of communication between God the Father and the believer. Because the Spirit is God’s Spirit, he knows the mind of the Father; and because the Spirit is omniscient (all-knowing) he can penetrate every person’s thoughts, motives and emotions:
  In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered.  He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God (Romans 8:26-27).

Paul then continues by reminding the Thessalonians of the ministry that he and his colleagues offered when they were in Thessalonika, and the impact that it has had on the church.  He says boldly that the Thessalonians became imitators of the three missionaries, and of the Lord.  The implication is clear — Paul is an imitator of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 11:1). Therefore the example that the Thessalonians see in these missionaries is a good role model for new believers.

Moreover, because the Thessalonians received the Gospel with joy, despite their affliction (presumably persecution), they now have become:

an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.  For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out; so that we need not to say anything.

The rumors of Thessalonian receptivity and repentance have preceded the three missionaries throughout Macedonia and Achaia even before Silvanus, Timothy and Paul arrived in those regions!

For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you; and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

At the very conclusion of this portion of 1 Thessalonians, which serves as a salutation, Paul sums up the essence of the Christian Gospel that he proclaims:

• That God is the true God, and no idol such as the Greeks have previously been worshipping.
• That Jesus is the very Son of God, and therefore divine.
• That God has raised Jesus from the dead.
• And faith in Jesus delivers us from the consequences of sin.

This is the eschatological hope for which they are waiting — for Christ who will come from heaven for his church.

APPLY:  

Anyone who has ever tried acting on the stage knows that part of what he or she is doing is imitating a character — and the best actors learn to think, feel, move, and behave like the character they are seeking to portray. This applies to one of the themes of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians — that we are to imitate those who imitate Christ, so that we may be an example to others. The ripple effect of such a lifestyle can be profound.  The more we imitate Christ, the more others are drawn to Christ.

As Paul and his colleagues have proclaimed the Gospel and lived in imitation of Christ, the Thessalonians have sought to replicate that example in their own lives.  And as the Thessalonians have lived in this radical, new way, others have also been influenced.

We see this clearly when Paul writes:

You became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.

The concept of the Imitation of Christ has a long and distinguished history.  Although Thomas a Kempis wrote his famous book by the same name sometime between 1418 and 1427, the principle originates in the New Testament.

This is a serious challenge to all Christians, which has both inspired and discouraged multitudes for many centuries. On the one hand, this is a high calling to a heroic life.  As C.S. Lewis says:

Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ. If we do, we shall then be sharing a life which was begotten, not made, which always existed and always will exist. Christ is the Son of God. If we share in this kind of life we also shall be sons of God. We shall love the Father as He does and the Holy Ghost will arise in us. He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of life He has — by what I call “good infection.” Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else (from Mere Christianity).

Sadly, we also have many bad examples of Christians and Christian leaders who have failed to follow the teachings and example of Christ.  Today, we tend to hear this excuse most often — quite often even on bumper stickers — Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven. This becomes a rationale for behavior that is quite unChristlike.

The excuse “well,  I’m only human” may be true.  And, yes, it may be necessary for Christian leaders to publically repent and apologize — but a lifestyle that is inconsistent with the life and teaching of Christ can be subversive to those who seek to be disciples, especially when those leaders refuse to change because “they’re only human.”

The saying is cliche — which makes us prone to dismiss it — but it is nonetheless true:

Your life is the only Bible some people will ever read.

The Thessalonians saw the Gospel and the character of Jesus Christ when they saw Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.  And they were inspired not only to believe, but to follow their example.  And they in turn became an example to others.

This is the way the Gospel spreads — when our words and our works are in harmony with one another.

RESPOND: 

A family member of mine used to say that her God was a “God of love, not a God of wrath.”  I think I understand where she was coming from.  She had been raised in the church, and I’m sure had heard more than a few sermons from  the “fire and brimstone” genre. I surmise that God’s wrath was a frequent theme in those days instead of God’s love.

And yet.  And yet.  We cannot escape language about wrath, and judgment, and, yes, Hell.  Not if we are faithful to the Biblical text. After praising the Thessalonians for their faith, love and patience of hope, Paul assures them that they are loved by God and are chosen.  And then he reminds them that they now worship the living and true God who raised his Son from the dead, who is:

—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

How do we reconcile God’s love and God’s wrath?

Perhaps the simplest way to do so is to be reminded that for humans, love  really describes our desire that the one we love be happy and blessed and receive good things.  Isn’t that generally true when we think of God’s love for us?  God desires that we have abundant life, blessing, and receive good things.  That seems to be a consistent theme of the Bible. God’s ultimate goal is our well-being. And that goal requires great sacrifice on his part to achieve it for us.  And it also doesn’t mean that we won’t endure temporary suffering before we receive an everlasting reward.

What is wrath?  Wrath is anger, and in terms of relationship, anger occurs when we are disappointed in someone or something, or when something has fallen short of the goal.  Wrath describes God’s reaction to the disparity between his will for us and, our will for us! This is what happens when we settle for something less than God’s best for us.  Biblically, God is angry when our lives and character separate us from him, harm others, and harm ourselves.  This is another way to describe sin.  Therefore God’s anger can be seen as an expression of God’s love.

God the Son has given up his life that we might be saved.  When we read language about God’s wrath we can often miss the point that his wrath  — his anger —  is not at us. God’s anger is against sin and evil and injustice.

As I’ve often said, expanding on an oft used cliche —

God loves the sinner, but hates the sin,  because of what sin does to the sinner. 

Another way of putting this is another expression —

We aren’t punished for our sins; we are punished by our sins.

The following metaphor helps me get a little closer to understanding this concept, although I admit it is a very imperfect picture — suppose you, your family, and your whole neighborhood  have been captured by a terrorist band.  They are holding you hostage.  They are threatening to shoot all of you, and the danger is imminent.  A rescuer arrives to rescue you, and he manages to free you so that you and the others are able to run away from the terrorists.  The rescuer warns you that you must run as far and as fast as you can, because he intends to destroy the terrorists and their weapons.  But instead of running away, you linger.  You have grown fond of your captors. But they are not fond of you.  They have you in their clutches, and are raising their weapons to fire on your family. your neighbors, and on you. They begin to fire. The rescuer must prevent the terrorists from harming all of the other people. He must fire immediately in order to prevent their violence. They will be destroyed. And because you did not separate yourself from the terrorists, you are also destroyed because you did not flee the wrath to come!

Granted, this is a crude analogy.  Our damnation is collateral damage because we refused to seek the safety that was offered.

John Wesley once answered his critics, who denounced him for suggesting that there was only one way to be saved. He said that his critics were right.  He did believe that:

For as there is but one heaven, so there is but one way to it, even the way of faith in Christ, (for we speak not of opinions or outward modes of worship,) the way of love to God and man, the highway of holiness. And is it uncharitable to think or say that none can be saved but those who walk in this way?

He then offers Biblical evidence that it is God who warns us that we must believe or be damned, follow holiness or we won’t see the Lord, and love God and neighbor.  But all of these warnings, from God or from God’s messengers, are inspired by love:

But is there any uncharitableness  [charity is also translated as love; so to be uncharitable is to be unloving] in this, in warning sinners to flee from the wrath to come? On the contrary, not to warn a poor, blind, stupid wretch that he is hanging over the mouth of hell, would be so inexcusable a want of charity, as would bring his blood upon our own head. (John Wesley: A Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion, Section III,paragraph 3).

Our ultimate goal is to grow in grace, become imitators of Christ, and anticipate his return and the joy of fellowship with him in heaven.  But we must begin with the admission that we are sinners, and as such deserve the wrath of God.  We are immensely grateful for the grace and mercy that God has shown us in his love by sending his Son on our behalf.  And that means that we ask his forgiveness.

This is illustrated by John Wesley’s description of the early Methodists who met regularly to “watch over one another in love”:

There is one only condition previously required in those who desire admission into this society, — “a desire to flee from the wrath to come, to be saved from their sins.”  (from A Plain Account of the People Called Methodists, Section I, paragraph 8).

So, to my family member who believed in “love” over “wrath,” I would have to say that the most loving thing we can do is be aware that God’s wrath is the flip side of God’s love — he destroys the poisons and the pestilences that corrupt the good world that he has made.  And we must flee those poisons and pestilences and find refuge in God in order to be saved.

Our Lord, I pray that I might be encouraged to faith, love and patience as I seek to imitate you.  Thank you for delivering me from the wrath that is to come against all evil.  Amen.

 PHOTOS:
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Epistle for November 3, 2019

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Sometimes when we read the Bible we begin to realize that we are walking into a flower garden — in which someone seems to have buried landmines!  What may seem clear on the surface actually becomes uncertain, and maybe even dangerous to one’s faith.

So it seems with Biblical commentaries, and with Lectionary Texts.  In the case of Paul’s Second Letter to  the Thessalonians, there are disputes among scholars about its authorship and its date.  Historical-critical scholars in the late 18th century  questioned whether Paul had actually written 2 Thessalonians because the language seems different than 1 Thessalonians. They also believed that there is a less urgent tone in 2 Thessalonians concerning the Second Coming of Jesus.  However, the traditional, orthodox view has maintained the Pauline authorship of 2 Thessalonians.

In the final analysis, even scholarly opinions are conjectures that cannot overshadow the fact that the books of the New Testament were completed no later than the early 2nd century. The Bible is ultimately the Church’s book, not a landmine in a flower garden.

Although formal canonization of all 27 of the New Testament books by the councils of bishops didn’t come for several centuries (Synod of Hippo Regius in North Africa 393; the Councils of Carthage in 397 and 419; Pope Damasus I’s Council of Rome in 382), 2 Thessalonians was one epistle whose authority was never in doubt.

Having said all of that, I assume that 2 Thessalonians was written by Paul.

Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy had established a church in Thessalonica around 50 A.D., one of the very first churches in Macedonia after Philippi.  Thessalonica was a key port city on the Aegean Sea.  It was also situated on the Egnatian Way, a Roman highway which a traveler could take from Byzantium to the East, through Philippi, and all the way through Thessalonica to the coast of the Adriatic Sea.  From there a traveler could catch a ship at Dyrrachium and sail to Brundisium in the heel of Italy.  Needless to say, Thessalonica was a strategically located city.

Paul had already written a first letter to the Thessalonians, seeking to comfort them and to clarify Christian teachings about the Second Coming of Jesus.  Although 2 Thessalonians is shorter, it addresses many of the same issues that the first letter does — with information about the Second Coming, and how they are to live in the meantime.

Paul writes in the name of himself and his co-workers, with a greeting that is somewhat typical of his letters:

 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul speaks of his thanksgiving for the church, and praises the growth of their faith and mutual love.  He tells them that he boasts of them wherever he goes:

we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure.

Already, we are seeing the persecution of the church as a counter-cultural organization, although Paul doesn’t specify the source of the persecution.  From Acts 17 we learn that there was stringent resistance to Paul and his message by some of the members of the synagogue.   We also learn that these folks enlisted the help of a mob and accused Paul and his cohorts of sedition by seeking to promote the kingship of Jesus over Caesar.  Paul may be aware that though the church at Thessalonica has been successfully planted, they are still being falsely accused of  acts that are:

contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus! (Acts 17:7).

Their accusers were right about one thing, though.  These Christians had:

turned the world upside down  (Acts 17:6).

Now we come to a second problem with our epistle for this week — the lectionary editors skip from verse 4 to verse 11.  So when we read in verse 11,  To this end we also pray always for you, we don’t know what Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy are praying for unless we connect the dots by reading verses 5 to 10.

There, we see Paul’s continuing argument from verse 4, that the persecutions are a sign of the coming judgment of God, and that God will requite those who afflict God’s people.  His language is quite dramatic:

it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,  giving vengeance to those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,  who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,  when he comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in that day (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).

This is why Paul and company are praying so fervently, because of the persecutions that the Thessalonian church is suffering.  He is seeking to encourage them so that:

God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power; that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The goodness and faith and power of the persecuted church are a compelling witness to their character.

APPLY:  

I sometimes think that only Christians in the persecuted church around the world should be allowed to read the apocalyptic  books in the New Testament, like 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Revelation, and certain other books.  The reason I say that is that they understand these books better than those of us in the West whose Christianity is fairly easy.

All the more reason that the “un-persecuted church” must be even more faithful than we are now. When the world sees us, do they see that we are:

worthy of our calling, fulfilling every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power?

Or do they see a country club of congenial consumer Christians who conform the Gospel to their own lifestyles, rather than taking up the cross and being conformed to Christ?

RESPOND: 

I sometimes wonder how I would handle real persecution.  Not the imagined persecution that Christians sometimes become a little too hysterical about in the U.S. — “we can’t wish each other a Merry Christmas anymore!   Why can’t we have public invocations and prayers at ball games and graduations?” 

I have the feeling that Christians in Iraq and Syria and Egypt and Indonesia and China would gladly exchange the fear of beheading, desecration of their churches, and job discrimination with our petty concerns.

What I am hearing in my own American culture is that Christianity is becoming increasingly irrelevant. “Christians” don’t look or act particularly different than their non-Christian neighbors. Christians tend to divorce at the same rate, tend to have similar rates of alcoholism, tend to be just as materialistic, etc., etc., etc.

There is room for improvement.  How are we to be the leaven, the salt and the light in our secularized culture?  Perhaps we can do no better than seek to replicate the observation by pagan Romans as they described Christians in the early church:

See how these Christian love one another (Tertullian).

May our faith, our power and our love be our Christian witness!

Lord, give me the  faith and power  to be the witness you have called me to be.  Amen.  

 PHOTOS:
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Epistle for October 29, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage provides some fascinating personal details about Paul’s missionary journey and how he was received in both Philippi and Thessalonika.  In Philippi, he and Silas were briefly imprisoned and flogged by the Roman authorities as Jewish troublemakers. They were accused of teaching customs contrary to Roman values.

In Thessalonika, ironically, it was the Jewish leaders of the local synagogue who were hostile to this new teaching about Jesus the Messiah, who had been raised from the dead.  In Thessalonika, their teaching stirred up riots.

It seems they couldn’t win!  The Romans and Gentiles suspected them of corrupting Roman culture; and the Jews, (their own countrymen), feared their new teaching!

But Paul cites the boldness of their preaching even in the face of stiff opposition.  It seems from his words that some were accusing the missionaries of self-interest or trickery, perhaps because their preaching was sometimes accompanied by healing and exorcism.  And Paul is making very clear that their preaching, though it provoked persecution, was motivated only by the desire to please God.

In fact, Paul is making quite clear that the good opinion and flattery of the crowds is not what motivates him to preach the Gospel.  He only has an eye to the approval of God.  Their motivation as missionaries is only to care for the Thessalonian Christians as children in Christ, driven purely by love.  He even uses a vivid image:

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

His message isn’t just words — he shared himself as well.  His commitment wasn’t merely a duty — it was personal.

APPLY:  

Perhaps missionaries today can identify with the persecution and trials that Paul and Silas experienced in Philippi and Thessalonika.  A few years ago, a missionary to Tanzania visited our church and preached the Sunday morning sermon.  He  shared stories afterward with my wife and I about other missionaries who had been persecuted, and one Catholic priest on the coast of Tanzania who had been beheaded.  It was a sobering conversation.

Whatever our difficulties as Christians in the U.S., we don’t experience that level of suffering for our faith.  However, we are still called to be people of integrity.

We can learn from Paul’s clear self-differentiation that we are to be differentiated ourselves.  Here’s what I mean by that — Paul makes clear to the Thessalonians that he is motivated not by praise or flattery. His only desire is to please God.  Do we do what we do for the sake of praise or affirmation, or because we are seeking to do what we believe God wants us to do?  Flattery and praise can easily turn to criticism (given the fickleness of popularity), but if we are committed first and foremost to pleasing God alone, then criticism and even persecution will be bearable.

The Puritans used to have a saying: “I have an audience of One.”  In other words, ultimately I am accountable to God, and I really only want his praise and approval.

One more thing – having said all that, it is clear that Paul is motivated to preach the Gospel and serve these people because he loves them.  He embodies the teaching of the Gospels — that we are to love God with all our being, and love our neighbor as ourselves.  So his sharing of the Gospel is not just the message, but also himself.  He has put his whole being out there for their sake!

RESPOND: 

I resolve to make my aim only obedience to God, and seek to please him, not seeking the praise and approval of other people.  If I please God, then nothing that anyone gives or takes away from me will ever match hearing God say “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Our Lord, I confess that my head is easily turned by the praise and approval of others; and that I’m also too easily hurt by criticism.  Sink my roots so deeply into your love and grace that I don’t look anywhere else to have my emotional needs met.  At the same time, help me to be so in love with you that I love other people for your sake.  Amen.

 PHOTOS:
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Epistle for October 22, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

According to  most scholars, 1 Thessalonians is the earliest written work included in the New Testament.  Paul  may have written this letter to the church in Thessalonika from Corinth sometime around 52 AD.

He had only recently left Thessalonika.  He was at this time on what is called his Second Missionary Journey, which took him through Syria, Cilicia, Galatia and Asia — and then, for the first time, across the Aegean Sea into Europe. His journeys in Europe  took him to key cities where he planted churches — in Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonika and Berea) and in Achaea (Athens and Corinth).

This letter to the Thessalonians represents one of the earliest samples of Christian preaching and doctrine, some twenty years after the resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost.

As was common with ancient letters, Paul begins with a salutation.  He is writing this as a corporate letter, with greetings from the other two missionaries who are with him in Corinth — Silvanus, and Timothy. And the recipient of the letter is also corporate — the entire church at Thessalonika.

Silvanus and Timothy both appear elsewhere throughout the New Testament record.

Silvanus is believed to be the same person known as Silas in the book of the Acts of the Apostles.  At one of the key councils in Jerusalem, Silas was chosen, along with Judas Barsabbas, to accompany Paul and Barnabas as they set out for Antioch (Acts 15:22).  This was the beginning of the very missionary journey that would take them to their present location in Corinth. Silas is mentioned twelve times in Acts. One of those accounts describes Paul and Silas in jail together in Philippi, which proved to be a pivotal moment in their ministry there (Acts 16:25-32).  Paul mentions his colleague and travelling companion Silvanus three  times in his letters (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:19) . And we also find Silvanus mentioned by the Apostle Peter in his first letter, giving the impression that Silvanus actually helped Peter in the drafting of the letter (1 Peter 5:12).

Timothy, of course, is well-known as Paul’s young protege. The relationship of Paul and Timothy is that of an affectionate father with an adopted son. We know much more about Timothy — he was from Lystra in Galatia, the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek father.  Paul made a point of having Timothy circumcised because of his Jewish heritage, in order to avoid offending the Jews in Galatia (Acts 16:1-3).   Timothy often acted as a messenger for Paul, bearing his letters and bringing personal possessions that had been left behind.  We last see Timothy in Acts saying farewell to Paul in Asia, and there is some evidence that Timothy became the overseer (Greek episcopos, or bishop)  of the church in Ephesus.  Timothy is mentioned six times in Acts;  twelve times in Paul’s letters (not including the two letters that were written specifically to Timothy by Paul, 1 & 2 Timothy), and once in Hebrews 13:23.

These co-workers in the Gospel may also have been co-writers with Paul of this letter.

But let’s return to the Thessalonians.  Their identity and relationship with God are immediately established. The church is described as:

 in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…

While we might be tempted to scan this greeting rather quickly, we do well to pause just a moment.  Because this is likely the first written record of the New Testament, these are significant words.  It is clear that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are being given equal billing.  Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned until verse 5 and 6 in this passage, we have the beginnings of a doctrine of the Trinity.

That God is Father is a given from the Jewish perspective.  But when Paul says that Jesus is Lord and Christ, he is making an important claim about Jesus.  Jesus is not only the Christ (aka Messiah), fulfilling the Hebrew prophecies and expectations — he is also Lord.  Lord denotes more than merely a title of aristocracy for Paul.  In Hebraic thought,  the word Lord is synonymous with the title given to Yahweh in the Old Testament — Adonai.  Based on that evidence, Paul is describing Jesus the Christ as God.   

And Paul offers a greeting that will become familiar to the reader of his epistles:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace is one of Paul’s consistent themes throughout his epistles.

As he continues the body of his letter, Paul is personal when remembering the Thessalonians, their faith and their work.  He speaks in the first person plural on behalf of Silvanus, Timothy and himself, describing their intercession for the church:

We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.

Paul calls the Thessalonians his brothers,  and reminds them of their new identity.  They are chosen — the theological term is elect — and Paul celebrates the fact that they not only heard the Gospel,  but the Holy Spirit reinforced this word  with power and assurance. 

This provides a glimpse into the doctrine of  Pneumatology (theology related to the Holy Spirit).  A survey of the work of the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament suggests that power and assurance are frequently associated with the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit’s power is manifested in such events as:

• The Holy Spirit overshadows Mary and conceives the holy child within her, despite her virginity (Luke 1:35).
• The Holy Spirit anoints Jesus with power, enabling him to heal all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38).
• The outpouring on Pentecost, with its mighty wind, tongues of fire, and speaking in tongues (Acts 2).

And along with power, there is the unique work of assurance — what is also called the witness of the Spirit.  This sense of assurance describes the inward witness given by the Holy Spirit within the spirit of the believer. This inward witness makes possible the personal relationship that exists between believer and the Spirit:

• The Spirit affirms the believer’s identity as a child of God:
  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17).
• The Spirit is also the intimate agent of communication between God the Father and the believer. Because the Spirit is God’s Spirit, he knows the mind of the Father; and because the Spirit is omniscient (all-knowing) he can penetrate every person’s thoughts, motives and emotions:
  In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered.  He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God (Romans 8:26-27).

Paul then continues by reminding the Thessalonians of the ministry that he and his colleagues offered when they were in Thessalonika, and the impact that it has had on the church.  He says boldly that the Thessalonians became imitators of the three missionaries, and of the Lord.  The implication is clear — Paul is an imitator of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 11:1). Therefore the example that the Thessalonians see in these missionaries is a good role model for new believers.

Moreover, because the Thessalonians received the Gospel with joy, despite their affliction (presumably persecution), they now have become:

an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.  For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out; so that we need not to say anything.

The rumors of Thessalonian receptivity and repentance have preceded the three missionaries throughout Macedonia and Achaia even before Silvanus, Timothy and Paul arrived in those regions!

For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you; and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

At the very conclusion of this portion of 1 Thessalonians, which serves as a salutation, Paul sums up the essence of the Christian Gospel that he proclaims:

• That God is the true God, and no idol such as the Greeks have previously been worshipping.
• That Jesus is the very Son of God, and therefore divine.
• That God has raised Jesus from the dead.
• And faith in Jesus delivers us from the consequences of sin.

This is the eschatological hope for which they are waiting — for Christ who will come from heaven for his church.

APPLY:  

Anyone who has ever tried acting on the stage knows that part of what he or she is doing is imitating a character — and the best actors learn to think, feel, move, and behave like the character they are seeking to portray. This applies to one of the themes of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians — that we are to imitate those who imitate Christ, so that we may be an example to others. The ripple effect of such a lifestyle can be profound.  The more we imitate Christ, the more others are drawn to Christ.

As Paul and his colleagues have proclaimed the Gospel and lived in imitation of Christ, the Thessalonians have sought to replicate that example in their own lives.  And as the Thessalonians have lived in this radical, new way, others have also been  influenced.

We see this clearly when Paul writes:

You became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.

The concept of the Imitation of Christ has a long and distinguished history.  Although Thomas a Kempis wrote his famous book by the same name sometime between 1418 and 1427, the principle originates in the New Testament.

This is a serious challenge to all Christians, which has both inspired and discouraged multitudes for many centuries. On the one hand, this is a high calling to a heroic life.  As C.S. Lewis says:

Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ. If we do, we shall then be sharing a life which was begotten, not made, which always existed and always will exist. Christ is the Son of God. If we share in this kind of life we also shall be sons of God. We shall love the Father as He does and the Holy Ghost will arise in us. He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of life He has — by what I call “good infection.” Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else (from Mere Christianity).

Sadly, we also have many bad examples of Christians and Christian leaders who have failed to follow the teachings and example of Christ.  Today, we tend to hear this excuse most often — quite often even on bumper stickers — Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.    This becomes a rationale for behavior that is quite unChristlike.

The excuse “well,  I’m only human” may be true.  And, yes, it may be necessary for Christian leaders to publically repent and apologize — but a lifestyle that is inconsistent with the life and teaching of Christ can be subversive to those who seek to be disciples, especially when those leaders refuse to change because “they’re only human.”

The saying is cliche — which makes us prone to dismiss it — but it is nonetheless true:

Your life is the only Bible some people will ever read.

The Thessalonians saw the Gospel and the character of Jesus Christ when they saw Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.  And they were inspired not only to believe, but to follow their example.  And they in turn became an example to others.

This is the way the Gospel spreads — when our words and our works are in harmony with one another.

RESPOND: 

A family member of mine used to say that her God was a “God of love, not a God of wrath.”  I think I understand where she was coming from.  She had been raised in the church, and I’m sure had heard more than a few sermons from  the “fire and brimstone” genre. I surmise that God’s wrath was a frequent theme in those days instead of God’s love.

And yet.  And yet.  We cannot escape language about wrath, and judgment, and, yes, Hell.  Not if we are faithful to the Biblical text. After praising the Thessalonians for their faith, love and patience of hope, Paul assures them that they are loved by God and are chosen.  And then he reminds them that they now worship the living and true God who raised his Son from the dead, who is:

—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

How do we reconcile God’s love and God’s wrath?

Perhaps the simplest way to do so is to be reminded that for humans, love  really describes our desire that the one we love be happy and blessed and receive good things.  Isn’t that generally true when we think of God’s love for us?  God desires that we have abundant life, blessing, and receive good things.  That seems to be a consistent theme of the Bible. God’s ultimate goal is our well-being. And that goal requires great sacrifice on his part to achieve it for us.  And it also doesn’t mean that we won’t endure temporary suffering before we receive an everlasting reward.

What is wrath?  Wrath is anger, and in terms of relationship, anger occurs when we are disappointed in someone or something, or when something has fallen short of the goal.  Wrath describes God’s reaction to the disparity between his will for us and, our will for us! This is what happens when we settle for something less than God’s best for us.  Biblically, God is angry when our lives and character separate us from him, harm others, and harm ourselves.  This is another way to describe sin.  Therefore God’s anger can be seen as an expression of God’s love.

God the Son has given up his life that we might be saved.  When we read language about God’s wrath we can often miss the point that his wrath  — his anger —  is not at us. God’s anger is against sin and evil and injustice.

As I’ve often said, expanding on an oft used cliche —

God loves the sinner, but hates the sin,  because of what sin does to the sinner. 

Another way of putting this is another expression —

We aren’t punished for our sins; we are punished by our sins.

The following metaphor helps me get a little closer to understanding this concept, although I admit  it is a very imperfect picture — suppose you, your family, and your whole neighborhood  have been captured by a terrorist band.  They are holding you hostage.  They are threatening to shoot all of you, and the danger is imminent.  A rescuer arrives to rescue you, and he manages to free you so that you and the others are able to run away from the terrorists.  The rescuer warns you that you must run as far and as fast as you can, because he intends to destroy the terrorists and their weapons.  But instead of running away, you linger.  You have grown fond of your captors. But they are not fond of you.  They have you in their clutches, and are raising their weapons to fire on your family. your neighbors, and on you. They begin to fire. The rescuer must prevent the terrorists from harming all of the other people. He must fire immediately in order to prevent their violence. They will be destroyed. And because you did not separate yourself from the terrorists, you are also destroyed because you did not flee the wrath to come!

Granted, this is a crude analogy.  Our damnation is collateral damage because we refused to seek the safety that was offered.

John Wesley once answered his critics, who denounced him for suggesting that there was only one way to be saved. He said that his critics were right.  He did believe that:

For as there is but one heaven, so there is but one way to it, even the way of faith in Christ, (for we speak not of opinions or outward modes of worship,) the way of love to God and man, the highway of holiness. And is it uncharitable to think or say that none can be saved but those who walk in this way?

He then offers Biblical evidence that it is God who warns us that we must believe or be damned, follow holiness or we won’t see the Lord, and love God and neighbor.  But all of these warnings, from God or from God’s messengers, are inspired by love:

But is there any uncharitableness  [charity is also translated as love; so to be uncharitable is to be unloving] in this, in warning sinners to flee from the wrath to come? On the contrary, not to warn a poor, blind, stupid wretch that he is hanging over the mouth of hell, would be so inexcusable a want of charity, as would bring his blood upon our own head. (John Wesley: A Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion, Section III,paragraph 3).

Our ultimate goal is to grow in grace, become imitators of Christ, and anticipate his return and the joy of fellowship with him in heaven.  But we must begin with the admission that we are sinners, and as such deserve the wrath of God.  We are immensely grateful for the grace and mercy that God has shown us in his love by sending his Son on our behalf.  And that means that we ask his forgiveness.

This is illustrated by John Wesley’s description of the early Methodists who met regularly to “watch over one another in love”:

There is one only condition previously required in those who desire admission into this society, — “a desire to flee from the wrath to come, to be saved from their sins.”  (from A Plain Account of the People Called Methodists, Section I, paragraph 8).

So, to my family member who believed in “love” over “wrath,” I would have to say that the most loving thing we can do is be aware that God’s wrath is the flip side of God’s love — he destroys the poisons and the pestilences that corrupt the good world that he has made.  And we must flee those poisons and pestilences and find refuge in God in order to be saved.

Our Lord, I pray that I might be encouraged to faith, love and patience as I seek to imitate you.  Thank you for delivering me from the wrath that is to come against all evil.  Amen.

 PHOTOS:
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Epistle for October 30, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Sometimes when we read the Bible we begin to realize that we are walking into a flower garden — in which someone seems to have buried landmines!  What may seem clear on the surface actually becomes uncertain, and maybe even dangerous to one’s faith.

So it seems with Biblical commentaries, and with Lectionary Texts.  In the case of Paul’s Second Letter to  the Thessalonians, there are disputes among scholars about its authorship and its date.  Historical-critical scholars in the late 18th century  questioned whether Paul had actually written 2 Thessalonians because the language seems different than 1 Thessalonians. They also believed that there is a less urgent tone in 2 Thessalonians concerning the Second Coming of Jesus.  However, the traditional, orthodox view has maintained the Pauline authorship of 2 Thessalonians.

In the final analysis, even scholarly opinions are conjectures that cannot overshadow the fact that the books of the New Testament were completed no later than the early 2nd century. The Bible is ultimately the Church’s book, not a landmine in a flower garden.

Although formal canonization of all 27 of the New Testament books by the councils of bishops didn’t come for several centuries (Synod of Hippo Regius in North Africa 393; the Councils of Carthage in 397 and 419; Pope Damasus I’s Council of Rome in 382), 2 Thessalonians was one epistle whose authority was never in doubt.

Having said all of that, I assume that 2 Thessalonians was written by Paul.

Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy had established a church in Thessalonica around 50 A.D., one of the very first churches in Macedonia after Philippi.  Thessalonica was a key port city on the Aegean Sea.  It was also situated on the Egnatian Way, a Roman highway which a traveler could take from Byzantium to the East, through Philippi, and all the way through Thessalonica to the coast of the Adriatic Sea.  From there a traveler could catch a ship at Dyrrachium and sail to Brundisium in the heel of Italy.  Needless to say, Thessalonica was a strategically located city.

Paul had already written a first letter to the Thessalonians, seeking to comfort them and to clarify Christian teachings about the Second Coming of Jesus.  Although 2 Thessalonians is shorter, it addresses many of the same issues that the first letter does — with information about the Second Coming, and how they are to live in the meantime.

Paul writes in the name of himself and his co-workers, with a greeting that is somewhat typical of his letters:

 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul speaks of his thanksgiving for the church, and praises the growth of their faith and mutual love.  He tells them that he boasts of them wherever he goes:

we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure.

Already, we are seeing the persecution of the church as a counter-cultural organization, although Paul doesn’t specify the source of the persecution.  From Acts 17 we learn that there was stringent resistance to Paul and his message by some of the members of the synagogue.   We also learn that these folks enlisted the help of a mob and accused Paul and his cohorts of sedition by seeking to promote the kingship of Jesus over Caesar.  Paul may be aware that though the church at Thessalonica has been successfully planted, they are still being falsely accused of  acts that are:

contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus! (Acts 17:7).

Their accusers were right about one thing, though.  These Christians had:

turned the world upside down  (Acts 17:6).

Now we come to a second problem with our epistle for this week — the lectionary editors skip from verse 4 to verse 11.  So when we read in verse 11,  To this end we also pray always for you, we don’t know what Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy are praying for unless we connect the dots by reading verses 5 to 10.

There, we see Paul’s continuing argument from verse 4, that the persecutions are a sign of the coming judgment of God, and that God will requite those who afflict God’s people.  His language is quite dramatic:

it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,  giving vengeance to those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,  who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,  when he comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in that day (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).

This is why Paul and company are praying so fervently, because of the persecutions that the Thessalonian church is suffering.  He is seeking to encourage them so that:

God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power; that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The goodness and faith and power of the persecuted church are a compelling witness to their character.

APPLY:  

I sometimes think that only Christians in the persecuted church around the world should be allowed to read the apocalyptic  books in the New Testament, like 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Revelation, and certain other books.  The reason I say that is that they understand these books better than those of us in the West whose Christianity is fairly easy.

All the more reason that the “un-persecuted church” must be even more faithful than we are now. When the world sees us, do they see that we are:

worthy of our calling, fulfilling every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power?

Or do they see a country club of congenial consumer Christians who conform the Gospel to their own lifestyles, rather than taking up the cross and being conformed to Christ?

RESPOND: 

I sometimes wonder how I would handle real persecution.  Not the imagined persecution that Christians sometimes become a little too hysterical about in the U.S. — “we can’t wish each other a Merry Christmas anymore!   Why can’t we have public invocations and prayers at ball games and graduations?” 

I have the feeling that Christians in Iraq and Syria and Egypt and Indonesia and China would gladly exchange the fear of beheading, desecration of their churches, and job discrimination with our petty concerns.

What I am hearing in my own American culture is that Christianity is becoming increasingly irrelevant. “Christians” don’t look or act particularly different than their non-Christian neighbors. Christians tend to divorce at the same rate, tend to have similar rates of alcoholism, tend to be just as materialistic, etc., etc., etc.

There is room for improvement.  How are we to be the leaven, the salt and the light in our secularized culture?  Perhaps we can do no better than seek to replicate the observation by pagan Romans as they described Christians in the early church:

See how these Christian love one another (Tertullian).

May our faith, our power and our love be our Christian witness!

Lord, give me the  faith and power  to be the witness you have called me to be.  Amen.  

 PHOTOS:
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