The Grace Commentary – Your free verse by verse grace Bible resource!1 Thessalonians 1

1 Tessaloniker 1:1

Paulus og Silvanus og Timoteus,
Til tessalonikernes menighet i Gud Faderen og Herren Jesus Kristus: Nåde med dere og fred.

(en) Paul. The author of the first epistle to the Thessalonians was the Apostle Paul. After leaving Philippi, Paul visited the seaport of Thessalonica. He preached in the synagogue for three Sabbaths before being driven out of the city by angry Jews (Acts 17:1-10). His stay was brief, only three weeks, but in that short time he planted a church (Acts 17:4). He didn’t do it alone. With him were two other men, Silvanus and Timothy. The visit to Thessalonica likely happened in A.D. 49 or 50 and the letter was sent not many months after that.

(b) Silvanus was the Romanized name of Silas, Paul’s colleague and friend. After experiencing imprisonment and an earthquake in Philippi, Paul and Silas travelled along the Macedonian coast to Thessalonica. Together they planted the church in the face of strong opposition.

(c) Timothy. Paul’s spiritual son and co-worker, was with Paul and Silas when they visited Thessalonica. Paul met Timothy in Lystra (Acts 16:1), a few stops prior to Macedonia. We next encounter Timothy’s name in Berea, the city Paul and Silas visited immediately after Thessalonica (Acts 17:14). It seems Timothy had joined Paul and Silas on their travels.

Timothy was well-known to the Thessalonians. Sometime after they had been driven out of the city, Paul sent Timothy back to check on the health of the new church. Timothy returned with a good report prompting Paul to write this letter (1 Th. 3:2, 6). Like Silvanus, Timothy was with Paul when he wrote this letter, hence the greeting.

(d) Kirken. Det opprinnelige ordet (ekklēsia) means an assembly of people. In the New Testament, it normally refers to a church, but not always (e.g., Acts 19:32).

(e) Tessalonikerne bodde i Thessalonica, en velstående havneby i Makedonia.

(f) I Gud. Kirken er "i Gud og Herren Jesus Kristus", som betyr at vi er i koinonia-fellesskap med treenigheten. Det er vi ikke her nede mens Gud er der oppe. He is God with us (Matt. 1:23). Our home is the Lord (Matt. 28:20, John 14:20). We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16).

(g) Herren Jesus Kristus. Paul introduces the Lord Jesus Christ at the start of all his letters, and he encourages his readers to confess Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9, Php. 2:12). True preachers reveal Jesus as Lord of all. Jesus is not merely a teacher or historical figure. He is the exalted Son of God and his Name is above all names (Php. 2:9). Before the cross, Jesus was known as the Christ or anointed one. But after the cross, Jesus is the Lord or kyrios eller «den som er den øverste over alt».

(h) Nåde til deg og fred. Nådens apostel begynte alle sine brev med denne nådige hilsenen. Se inngang for Rom. 1:7.

1 Tessaloniker 1:2

Vi takker Gud alltid for dere alle, og nevner dere i våre bønner;

Vi takker. Paul’s gratitude for the Thessalonians is the heartfelt gratitude of a parent for their children (1 Th. 2:7-8, 11). What made Paul happy was seeing the Thessalonians standing firm in the Lord (1 Th. 3:8). The Thessalonians were much more than another notch on Paul’s church-planting belt. They were his crowning joy (see 1 Th. 2:19).

1 Tessaloniker 1:3

stadig i tankene ditt verk av tro og arbeid i kjærlighet og standhaftighet i håp til vår Herre Jesus Kristus i vår Guds og Faders nærhet,

Ditt trosverk. Like James, Paul spoke of works that accompany faith (Jas. 2:14). See inngang for tro.

1 Tessaloniker 1:4

vel vitende, brødre elsket av Gud, Hans utvalg av dere;

(en) Brødre. I Det nye testamente refererer ordet brødre vanligvis til kristne brødre og søstre (se inngang for Heb. 2:11).

(b) Kjære. Alle brevforfatterne omtalte troende som Guds elskede eller høyt elskede barn (se inngang for Rom. 1:7).

1 Tessaloniker 1:5

for vårt evangelium kom ikke til dere bare i ord, men også i kraft og i Den Hellige Ånd og med full overbevisning; akkurat som du vet hva slags menn vi viste seg å være blant deg for din skyld.

(en) Vårt evangelium. Alternatively, “the gospel that I preach.” Paul did not preach a different gospel from Jesus or any of the other apostles (see Gal. 1:8).

The gospel that was sometimes known as the gospel of Christ (Rom. 15:19) or the gospel of God (Rom 15:16) or the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23), was the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24) that Paul referred to as “my gospel” (Rom. 2:16, 16:25, 2 Tim. 2:8) and “our gospel” (2 Cor. 4:3, 2 Th. 2:14). See inngang for evangeliet.

(b) Ved makten. The gospel of the kingdom is a show and tell gospel (Matt. 4:23). When we preach the good news, the Holy Spirit confirms the word with supernatural signs (Mark 16:20).

1 Tessaloniker 1:9

For de forteller selv om oss hva slags mottakelse vi hadde med deg, og hvordan du vendte deg til Gud fra avgudene for å tjene en levende og sann Gud,

(en) vendte seg til Gud. In the new covenant, repentance is often described as a return or turning to God (see entry for Acts 26:20).

(b) Fra idoler. Some of the Thessalonian Christians were Jewish converts (see Acts 17:4). Others were idol-worshipping Gentiles.

1 Tessaloniker 1:10

og å vente på sin Sønn fra himmelen, som han oppreiste fra de døde, det er Jesus, som utfrir oss fra den kommende vrede.

(en) Wait for His Son. There is nothing in scripture to suggest the apostles thought the Lord’s return would be soon (see inngang for Rev. 22:20). In fact, Jesus told them they would not see it (see inngang for Luke 17:22). Jesus told stories of masters, noblemen, and bridegrooms being gone a long time (Matt. 24:48, 25:5, 25:19), and this is why Jesus, and the epistle writers all spoke of the need to wait patiently but eagerly for the Lord’s return (Luke 12:36, Rom. 8:23, 1 Cor. 1:7, 4:5, Php. 3:20, Jas. 5:7, Jude 1:21). See also the inngang for Rom. 8:25.

(b) Hans Sønn fra himmelen. Jesus var ikke bare et menneske nedstammet fra den falne Adam, men et menneske fra himmelen, den levende Guds Sønn.

(c) Han reiste seg fra de døde. Jesu Kristi oppstandelse lå i hjertet av Paulus' evangelium. Se inngang for 1 Cor. 15:3.

(d) Vrede som kommer refers to Judgment Day when God will dispense everlasting destruction upon those things which are opposed to him and his rule (2 Th. 1:8). It does not refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. Living in distant Macedonia, the Thessalonians had nothing to fear from the Roman invasion of Judea. Yet Paul does mention Roman wrath later in his letter. See inngang for 1 Th. 2:16.

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1 Tessaloniker 1