1 Thessalonians
Chapter 1
Greeting
Paul, Sylvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
Thanksgiving
We give thanks to God always for you, and we remember you in our prayers.
We constantly recall before God, our Father, the work of your faith, the labor of your love, and your endurance in waiting for Christ Jesus our Lord.
We remember, brothers and sisters, your calling.
The gospel we brought you was not just in words. Miracles, the Holy Spirit, and plenty of blessings were given to you. You also know how we dealt with you, for your benefit.
In return, you became followers of us and of the Lord, when you received the word and experienced joy from the Holy Spirit despite great opposition.
And you became a model for the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
The word of the Lord has spread from you to Macedonia and Achaia, and beyond. The faith you have in God is well known in many places, so we need not say more.
Others tell how you welcomed us and turned from idols to the Lord. For you serve the living and true God,
and you await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from upcoming trouble.
Commentaries
Greeting.
As this is Paul’s first letter and probably the oldest Christian document, written around the year 51, it is worth pausing to consider the greeting. The Apostle, following the rules of epistolary courtesy of his time, begins his letter by mentioning the sender and the recipients, ending with an expression of good wishes. Paul always gives Christian content to this traditional format. “Grace” is a Greek greeting; in Christian terms, it is God’s favor now bestowed through his Son. “Peace” is a Hebrew greeting. The Christian context enriches its content, also giving it a sense of “alternative peace” to “Roman peace”: “I give you my peace, and I do not give it as the world gives it” (Jn 14:27).
Thanksgiving.
Paul’s remembrance of his communities is always connected to prayer and gratitude for them. The “fruit of the gospel” that the Apostle reminds them of is their joyful acceptance of his preaching and witness “amid severe trials” (6). Paul then briefly summarizes what this initial preaching involved, which resulted in the conversion of the Thessalonians, for which he gives thanks to God: abandoning idols to follow the living God and entering into the hope of Jesus’ coming, “who rescues us from upcoming trouble” (10). This hope for Christ’s return at the end of time will be a central theme of the letter.