Chapter 1

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10

Literary Context

Letters have always followed conventional forms; such predictability allows the reader to grasp the message with less need for conscious interpretation. In this letter, Paul’s opening address to the readers (1:1) resembles the standard Greco-Roman form. Nevertheless, one can also speak of a Pauline style—he amplifies the standard form with theological meaning, thus “Christianizing” it. The church exists “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:1c). As in many letters of the day, the apostle gives them a greeting, but again, he expresses himself in familiar gospel terms, “grace” and “peace” (1:1d).

In the trove of ancient letters we now possess, the author might then give brief thanks to the gods before moving on. Here in 1:2–10, Paul shows gratitude to heaven precisely because of the Thessalonians’ relationship to God and because of God’s working in them through Christ. The thanksgiving ceases to be a formality and reveals itself at the very heart of the message.

This extended giving of thanks also functions as an exordium.1 In ancient rhetoric, the exordium was a section of short to moderate length in which an author called to mind the positive aspects of their mutual relationship. In an age when time and distance might have a chilling effect on a friendship, an author did well to reestablish the reality and the value of their attachment before going on to deal with new issues. In Paul’s hands, this exordium not only sets the tone of the letter (in the case of 1 Thessalonians, gratitude and appreciativeness), it also foreshadows how the new disciples have abandoned their previous Gentile conduct and how they now hope in the Lord’s return. Some debate exists over the extent of the exordium in this letter, whether it is 1:2–5 or 1:2–10.2 Nevertheless, what matters for today’s reader is the content of this exordium, not its precise boundaries.

More so than in the typical Pauline letter, 1 Thessalonians should be read “from the inside out.” That is, the modern reader may begin with 2:17–3:13 in order to discover the ground of the apostles’ overwhelming gratitude: “But just now Timothy has come to us from you and has announced the good news of your faith and your love” (3:6). The original readers, of course, knew of Timothy’s mission before they first broke the seal of this letter. First Thessalonians is all the more effective because Paul omits a detailed retelling of the events that had led to this deep joy until several paragraphs into the body of the letter.3 That is, in the written version, result (our joy) precedes cause (you have survived).

Paul’s thanksgiving here is effusive: “all the time,” “when,” “without fail.” He is repetitive, with the artlessness of true emotion, as he describes their eagerness to hurry into God’s presence in order to give thanks. Why this passion? And why does their gratitude seem less breathless in the second letter (2 Thess 1:3–4)? It is because at the precise point of writing the first letter, communication with Thessalonica had just been reopened after weeks or months of silence. Their thankfulness is sharpened by the fear that things might have turned out “in vain” (1 Thess 3:5)—but thank God, they did not!

In other letters (e.g., 2 Thessalonians, Romans, Ephesians) Paul moves directly from thanksgiving to the main theme. And so in 1 Thessalonians, the exordium is a bridge to teaching about the apostolic team (2:1–12). But thanksgiving does not end after 1 Thess 1—a distinctive trait of this letter is that three times more Paul has recourse to grateful words (2:13; 2:19–20; 3:9–10; see also 5:16, 18).

1. I. Introduction (1:1)
2. II. Thanksgiving for God’s Saving Intervention (1:2–10)
   1. A. The apostolic team regularly gives thanks for them (1:2)
   2. B. The apostles gratefully affirm the Thessalonians’ salvation before God (1:3–5)
   3. C. The apostles recognize growth in the believers (1:6–10)
3. III. The Apostolic Team as a Pattern for the Thessalonians (2:1–12)

Main Idea

Paul, Silas, and Timothy greet the Thessalonians and then declare that they regularly and fervently give thanks to God for them. The team’s gratitude is based on their confidence that the new disciples are among the elect, a judgment that is based first on their own eyewitness testimony and second on the talk about their changed behavior that has spread to Macedonia, Achaia, and “everywhere.”4

Translation

Structure

The letter begins with a normal Greco-Roman introduction: name of the sender; name of the recipient; greeting (see also 2 Thess 1:1–2). Paul’s style is at its most sparse in this letter; in other letters his introductions give more detail.

“We give thanks to God” (1:2) sets the emotional tone for the rest of chapter 1. Paul develops in 1:2–3a how they give thanks and pray. First is the adverb “all the time” (πάντοτε); then “for every one of you”; then in 1:2d an adverbial participle “with gratitude we speak concerning you.” Following the punctuation of NA²⁷, we attach the adverb (ἀδιαλείπτως) at the end of 1:2 to the participle in 1:3: “without fail remembering before God.” The syntax is not tightly structured, with the result that the thoughts seem to come all in a rush. It is this very flood of words that reflects the high emotion of Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.

Paul then moves on to the content of their prayers (1:3–5), doing so with participles that unpack the initial “we give thanks,” as in Eph 1:16; Phlm 4. The first, “remembering” (1:3), leads to a description of the Thessalonians’ three Christian activities in the now: work, hard labor, and endurance, which are inspired by the three divine graces of faith, love, and hope.

With the other participle Paul turns his attention to God and his work in the Thessalonian Christians: “we acknowledge” God’s choice of them (1:4). They are able to perceive God’s election for a reason, “because” (causal use of ὅτι) of what they have seen in Thessalonica. Paul uses, as he does in 1 Cor 4:20 and elsewhere, the rhetorical device known as antithesis: the gospel came not (οὐκ) in word only but (ἀλλά) with miracles and (καί) in the Holy Spirit and (καί) in a great sense of certainty. The final clause of this set uses reminder language (“and you know”) to point to the behavior of the missionaries in Thessalonica. He thus foreshadows the truth that God will not work through people of whom he does not approve (1 Thess 2:4).

In 1:6 we highlight Paul’s change of focus to the Thessalonians, “in your turn, you” (καὶ ὑμεῖς). Verse 6 outlines the initial effects of the gospel in Thessalonica: they became “imitators” of Paul and of the Lord Jesus and received the message in tribulation and with the Spirit’s joy. Then in 1:7–10 Paul shows how, having received the message, they have quickly become the caliber of Christian that others could imitate; they “became the pattern” for other believers in the region. It was natural for the Thessalonians to be examples of gospel life, once they had truly received it, and the clause is marked with “as a result” (ὥστε).

But Paul is not finished there, for the Thessalonians have also sent forth the gospel as evangelists. With the marker of clarification “for” (γάρ) he expands on what he said in 1:7. I will argue that the apostles expected their disciples to be evangelistic, and that that is precisely what the Thessalonians were doing. Paul begins to conclude the section with a result clause, “so that [ὥστε] we have no need to say anything.”

Paul goes on to develop further why the apostles don’t have to say anything, reinforced by a marker “for, because” (γάρ): they are saying what kind of an entrance the apostles had and how the Thessalonians reacted. They turned to God—their conversion represented by two infinitives, “serve” God and “await” his Son from heaven. The apostle goes beyond the mere description of their conversion: he recounts the apostolic kerygma, emphasizing its christological and eschatological elements in a way that anticipates the teaching of the rest of the letters.

Exegetical Outline

1. I. Introduction (1:1)
2. II. Thanksgiving for God’s Saving Intervention (1:2–10)
   1. A. The apostolic team regularly gives thanks for them (1:2).
   2. B. The apostles gratefully affirm their salvation before God (1:3–5).
      1. 1. Their faith, love and hope are manifested in their behavior (1:3).
      2. 2. The gospel was not simply words but the medium for God’s power (1:4a).
      3. 3. God’s love and election are witnessed by the Spirit’s miracles and the apostles’ confidence in the gospel (1:5c-e).
      4. 4. The believers have the apostolic team as an example (1:5f).
   3. C. The apostles recognize growth in the believers (1:6–10).
      1. 1. They have become imitators of the apostolic team (1:6).
      2. 2. They have become a model for the gospel (1:7–10).
         1. a. In every place people are talking about them (1:7–9a).
         2. b. Their conversion is exemplary (1:9b–10).
            1. i. They welcomed the apostolic team (1:9b).
            2. ii. They turned away from paganism (1:9c).
            3. iii. They turned to the true God and now await the eschatological salvation (1:10).

Explanation of the Text

1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace (Παῦλος καὶ Σιλουανὸς καὶ Τιμόθεος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεσσαλονικέων ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη). Paul follows the common formula of naming the sender (in the nominative case), naming the recipient (dative case), and then offering a blessing or greeting. Paul and Silvanus were Roman citizens (Acts 16:37–38) and bore Latin names that served as the equivalents of their Hebrew names, Saul and Silas. Silvanus was a prophet and a leading member of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:27, 30, 32, 40). Timothy was a member of the church at Lystra and probably came to faith in Christ during Paul’s first missionary journey. From the moment he joined Paul and Silas (Acts 16:1–3), Timothy became a regular fixture in Acts and the Pauline letters (though not in Galatians or Ephesians), not to mention in Heb 13:23: “I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released.”

It is not unusual for Paul to mention others as senders of a letter, without meaning to imply that they were coauthors. Nevertheless, the first person plural “we,” “us,” and “our” will be found in an unusually high frequency throughout this first letter (though note 2:18; 3:5; 5:27; in the first two, Paul is referring to his individual reaction to events). Paul oscillates between “we” and “I” in 2:17–3:6, “we” being he and Silas (not Timothy; see comments).

According to Malherbe, Paul is using an “editorial we,” and Paul alone must be considered the author.5 But this theory does not satisfactorily explain how “I” can also mean Paul. He uses the “we” as he does in Colossians (1:3, 4, 9; 4:8), to speak concretely of himself and other associates. Silvanus and Timothy are present with him in Corinth and are true cosenders of the message. We cannot now determine to what extent Silas (or Timothy) has a hand in the letter’s composition.6 The facts that Paul speaks of “I” and gives his signature in the second letter show that his voice is the dominant one in their composition.

Usually Paul refers to “the church/saints in such-and-such a city.” Only here and in 2 Thess 1:1 does he speak of the people (“the church of the Thessalonians”) rather than the city (those in Rome, those in Colossae). Paul remarks that they are “in [ἐν] God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” which denotes the relationship in which the church dwells.

“Grace to you and peace” is the stereotypical Pauline greeting, the pair found in all his epistles except 1–2 Timothy (which have “grace, mercy and peace,” as does 2 John 3). Divine “grace” (χάρις) is a Hellenistic concept, and Paul may have adopted the term from his pagan environment. For that reason many have suggested that he has combined a Greek term with the Hebrew šālôm. But this explanation does not do justice to the evidence. The closer parallel to Paul’s greeting is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew ḥesed (“kindness, loving-kindness”; see Exod 34:6, Yahweh abounds in “love and faithfulness”). That is, “grace” too has its roots in the OT. For Paul and the other Christian authors, a prayer for God’s grace is typically found at the end of letters as well (all Pauline letters; Heb 13:25; 1 Clem. 65.2; also Rev 22:21).

The greeting “peace” comes from the Hebrew greeting (1 Sam 1:17; found in Greek Jewish literature, e.g., in Jdt 8:35, “go in peace”). The prophets had also announced the coming “good news … [of] peace” (Isa 52:7; Nah 1:15). “Grace and peace” came to greater prominence as part of the stock vocabulary of the earliest Christian church (see, e.g., 1 Pet 1:2; 2 Pet 1:2; Rev 1:4; 1 Clement inscr.—“May grace and peace from almighty God through Jesus Christ be yours in abundance”).

The Textus Receptus and hence the KJV add “from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ” after “peace.” The clause has some manuscript support, but it is best explained as an addition by some early scribe who was thinking of 2 Thess 1:2.

1:2 We give thanks to God all the time for every one of you; [with gratitude] we speak concerning [you] when we pray (Εὐχαριστοῦμεν τῷ θεῷ πάντοτε περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν, μνείαν ποιούμενοι ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν ἡμῶν). Paul, Silas, and Timothy pray regularly for the Thessalonians and give God thanks for them. This prayer report is not polite religious jargon, such as Christians tend to fall into (“I’ll be praying for you!”). Rather, it is a realistic and powerful description of how they speak when they enter the presence of God.7 The Christian’s prayer is efficacious because there is a living God who hears prayers and responds. It is frequent because it is proper to offer him regular thanks for what he has done and to pray for his further intervention.

The language of 1:2 is similar to 2 Thess 1:3 (the latter does not have “every one,” πάντων). This is the first of several thanksgivings in 1 Thessalonians that are based on “to give thanks” (εὐχαριστέω), a verb common in Paul’s letters.8 While the verb could mean “to pray,” Paul’s orientation here is thankfulness for God’s past and present work in the Thessalonians. “All the time” (πάντοτε) is the first of many references to time in the two letters. It expresses positively the same truth that is communicated by the litotes “without fail” at the end of 1:2.9

The prepositional phrase “for every one of you” (περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν) goes with “we give thanks.” Alternately it could be attached to what follows, yielding a meaning like “concerning every one of you we speak, whenever we pray.” There are two reasons why the first option—“we give thanks for every one of you”—is the better. First, many manuscripts insert “you” after “remembering” (μνείαν); while it may not have been part of the original text, nevertheless “for every one of you” was thought by koinē speakers to go more naturally with “we give thanks.” Second, the parallel in 2 Thess 1:3 suggests that the former option is correct.10

The plural “you” does not indicate “you as a group” but “all of you individually.” The thanksgiving in Rom 1:8 closely parallels our section: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.” That letter was addressed to a city where many of his Christians friends were known individually (Rom 16:3–15) and could be prayed for by name.

“We speak concerning you” (μνείαν ποιούμενοι) in our expanded translation is a well-attested use of the middle voice of the verb “to do, make” (ποιέω). The reader might be tempted to translate this hyperliterally, rendering it something like “to make remembrance for oneself.” Nevertheless, in this case usage determines meaning, and the phrase should be smoothed out as “to remember someone” to a third party; even better is “to mention someone” or “to speak to someone concerning another.” The NT has several examples where this construction is used as prayer language (see Rom 1:9; Eph 1:16; Phlm 4).11

We supply “with gratitude” in the second clause, since the verbal participles (e.g., “we speak,” ποιούμενοι) are connected with the “give thanks” (εὐχαριστοῦμεν) and further develop it. The Greek calls for stronger language than the “make mention” that is found in most translations, a rendering that might leave the reader with the idea that the apostles speak casually about them. As an example of how this phrase is appropriate for describing passionate prayer, 1 Clem. 56.1 says that the Corinthians are to pray fervently for the repentance of the rebellious Christian. “When” (ἐπί) in this context refers to the time(s) of their prayers.12

1:[2e]–3a Without fail remembering [before God] (ἀδιαλείπτως μνημονεύοντες). Paul describes how he and his company pray concerning the Thessalonians; gratitude is an overarching theme of their ministry to the church. Some interpreters attach “without fail” (the adverb ἀδιαλείπτως) to “we speak” (μνείαν ποιούμενοι) in 1:2 (“we speak concerning [you] without fail when we pray”).13 It is better to follow the NA²⁷ text, which links it with “remembering” (μνημονεύοντες) in 1:3. First, the parallel in Rom 1:9 suggests that Paul favored placing the adverb before the verb. Second, the rhythm of the Greek is smoother if the adverb is attached to 1:3.14 This is the view we adopt in our translation.

In English, 1:3 and 5:17 are traditionally rendered “pray without ceasing.” But can this really mean perpetual intercession, given the demands of daily life? Should prayer claim the sum total of one’s waking hours? Fortunately there are some ancient Jewish and Christian parallels that help to unlock its specific meaning. In 3 Macc 6:33 there is a banquet during which there is uninterrupted thanksgiving to heaven.15 In this case, the author could be referring to long hours of prayer. This would lead to an understanding of 1:2e-3a as “we pray often and heedless of the time.”

Paul’s letters themselves hint at this meaning here. Especially noteworthy is 2 Cor 11:28, which many commentators take to be a reference to prayer: “I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” Even more clear are Col 2:1 and 4:12, where Paul’s prayer for the believers is a fight or struggle. How wonderfully this mirrors the prayers of our Lord, who was known to arise before dawn to pray (Mark 1:35) or to pray long into the night (Matt 14:23). He taught his followers to pray and never give up (Luke 18:1). Be sure also to study the example of Moses, who told Israel how “I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights because the Lord had said he would destroy you” (Deut 9:25).

Praying “night and day” also has a pedigree in the Psalms, where the phrase does not mean “evening and morning prayers” but desperate, unending intercession for God’s help: “Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry” (Ps 88:1–2). During the Maccabean revolt the people were summoned to call on the Lord day and night (2 Macc 13:10–12), which added up to three straight days of prayer, weeping and fasting “without ceasing.”

Here is where the immediate postapostolic literature can also shed some light, since it purports to be faithful to the apostolic practice of the first century. In those books, “prayer without ceasing” bears a close resemblance to the uninterrupted prayer of thanksgiving in 3 Macc 6:33. Ign. Eph. 10.1 seems to quote 1 Thess 5:17 and applies it to a regular ministry of prayer. Ignatius and also Polycarp in Pol. Phil. 4.3 use the adverb “ceaselessly” (ἀδιαλείπτως); yet they do not give specifics as to prayer’s duration. Further along in the second century, however, Herm. Sim. 9.11.7, “without ceasing” (ἀδιαλείπτως) refers to an all-night prayer vigil. Ign. Pol. 1.3 likewise refers to losing sleep. Polycarp for his part did “nothing else night and day except praying for everyone and for the churches throughout the world, for this was his constant habit” (Mart. Pol. 5.1). Even on the verge of arrest Polycarp prayed two full hours for “everyone who had ever come into contact with him, both small and great, known and unknown, and all the universal church throughout the world” (Mart. Pol. 7.3–8.1). In other words, the apostolic fathers believed that Christians should pray daily and for extended periods of time, and that this practice had been learned from the apostles.

It seems best to conclude that Paul and team engaged in regular, extended, and strenuous prayer. “It would not be adequate to make an equation [of praying without ceasing] with what we call today ‘the spirit of prayer,’ a readiness to place oneself in the presence of God.”16 In no fashion does unceasing prayer transgress the Lord’s command, “when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans” (Matt 6:7). The Gentiles in Jesus’ day viewed prayer as efficacious to the extent that it repeated large quantities of “power” words, which would somehow effect change in the cosmos. Christian prayer, by contrast, is powerful in that it is directed to a powerful God. Today there are Christians who reason that repeated prayer somehow reflects a person’s lack of faith. I have heard too many times, from the pulpit or in conversation, that the Christian should learn to speak to God once and for all about some necessity, and then simply “leave it with him.” Yes, surely in some extraordinary case the Spirit might lead in that direction. Nevertheless, this practice has no basis in the doctrine of prayer as taught by the OT, Jesus, the apostles, or the earliest church fathers.

For all this, we translate “without fail” in an attempt to capture the regimen of their intercession and thanksgiving. The NLT also does well with “we … pray for you constantly” (see also 1 Thess 2:13; Rom 1:9; 2 Tim 1:3). Since Paul directs that his readers follow the same discipline in 5:17, he must have regarded it as practicable for a nonapostle to obey. In other texts, Paul, Ignatius, and Polycarp thought it a reasonable standard for bishops and widows as well as for the laity.17

The verb “remembering” (μνημονεύοντες) refers to prayer in Ign. Magn. 14.1, “Remember me in your prayers.” As with “we speak” (μνείαν ποιούμενοι) in 1:2, a participle unpacks the previous verb “we give thanks.” This verbal participle could be causal (“because we remember”) or temporal (“when[ever] we remember”). Yet, since there is nothing that demands either of these interpretations, it is best to follow the rule of leaving it an attendant circumstance, thus: “we give thanks and we remember.”18

1:3b-d Your work that arises from your believing, and your hard labor that comes from your love [for others], and your endurance that comes from the hope you have (ὑμῶν τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως καὶ τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος). The Thessalonian disciples are carrying out activities that confirm the inner changes they have experienced. Here is one of the “triads” (patterns of three; sometimes Paul uses dyads, patterns of two) that are sprinkled throughout the two letters. The dyads and triads have the effect of communicating Paul’s effusiveness as he reflects on Thessalonians’ response to an appalling situation. The three virtues of faith, love, and hope are given as fundamentals in 1 Thess 3:5–6; 5:8; and then in 1 Cor 13:13.19

Each virtue—faith, love, hope—is in the genitive case. Translators have tried to capture Paul’s meaning, given the various options for translating these genitive words. Among the solutions, the two most viable are attributive genitives: “your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have” (NLT).20 Meanwhile, the NIV offers a genitive of production/producer:21 “your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope.”

Is one option more credible than the others? Yes, especially if one begins by looking at all three genitives (“faith,” “love,” and “hope”) together rather than one at a time. While there is no rule of grammar that demands that all genitives in a triad must be of the same type, it is the logical place to start. “Endurance of hope” (τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος) makes best sense if “hope” (ἐλπίδος) is a genitive of production/producer: “your endurance that is produced by your hope.” It then yields a smooth reading to make the other two this same type of genitive, as does the NIV. This is also the interpretation given by John Chrysostom in his homily to a koinē-speaking congregation.22 It is the view reflected in our translation.

“Faith,” “love,” and “hope” are not some invisible qualities that bear no relationship to the real world. They are vibrant realities that express themselves visibly. “Faith” (πίστεως) in this context is not a creed but the action of believing that produces hard work (see comments on 1:8; see also 3:5). Likewise, love manifests itself in “your hard labor,” or as Green puts it, “hard, strenuous, and exhausting labor.”23 But, to whom is their love directed? Although “faith” and “hope” are Godward, “love” in this verse seems to be the love between people. For example, Paul regularly speaks of love one for another (3:12; 4:9–10; 5:13), and it seems to be this mutual love in which they are flourishing (3:6; also 2 Thess 1:3).

The Thessalonians passed through extraordinary testing, even while Paul was still present in the city (Acts 17:5–9). Jason and others had to post bail as guarantee against further disturbances. If they forfeited the bond or lost their income because of their commitment to Christ, some of the believers would be laboring simply to survive.

Love is a theme repeated throughout this letter, and for good reason: Paul bases his teaching on the Olivet Discourse (see Introduction). Although we hear little preaching today about a particular sign of the end, one is that “the love of many will grow cold” (Matt 24:12; see also the prophecy in 2 Tim 3:2–3, that people will become “without love”). I have translated it as “love for others,” since it may have extended beyond the Christian family and included the love that leads to evangelism.

“The endurance of hope” is a common NT motif; likewise, “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved,” as Jesus said (Mark 13:13). In 2 Thess 1:4 the traits of faith and endurance are thrown into sharper relief during tribulation (see also 2 Thess 3:5; 2 Cor 1:6). The same holds true in Revelation, where Ephesus is noted for its endurance (Rev 2:2–3; see also 3:10; 13:10). In 2 Thess 3:5 Paul prays that the Thessalonians might endure, since they know what the future holds. By contrast, the pagans are known as those who have no hope in the resurrection (see comments on 1 Thess 4:13) and thus grieve piteously at the death of their friends.

1:3e-f [Faith, love, and hope] in our Lord Jesus Christ, [as you live] in the presence of our God and Father (τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶν). The Thessalonians are to define themselves with reference to the Father and the Son and (in 1:5) with reference to the Spirit. There are two ways to connect this clause with the preceding context: (1) it refers only to the third part of the triad, hope;24 (2) it refers to each of the three parts. Some versions purposely leave it vague. The second option is preferable; since Paul is speaking in triads, it is natural that he follows a triad with language that qualifies all three parts (there are two further examples of triads doing so in 2:10 and 12). For this reason we include the triad in brackets. All three have their source in “our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The phrase “in the presence of our God and Father” is not immediately clear. First Thessalonians offers some parallels: (1) perhaps the phrase is prayer language, as in 3:9. This might suggest that “the presence of God” is where the apostles are praying and giving thanks, and Paul is looking ahead to 1:4. (2) Perhaps it is eschatological language, referring to being in Christ’s or God’s presence after the parousia in 2:19 and 3:13. (3) The best interpretation is that it is relational language, as shown by what immediately precedes it, “our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul describes the sphere in which the Thessalonians experience faith, love, and hope in Christ, that is, in the presence of the gracious God.25

1:4 We acknowledge [before God], brothers and sisters whom God loves, that you were chosen (εἰδότες, ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν). The prayer of Paul, Silas, and Timothy consists in thanksgiving, and their thanksgiving rests on assumptions regarding the Thessalonians’ standing before God. “We acknowledge” (εἰδότες, based on οἶδα) means “recalling” or “recognizing”;26 their confident thanksgiving is because they possess the information that follows. In the LXX “know” (γινώσκω) is the verb typically used for “acknowledging” or “confessing”; for example, “because I knew that the Lord is great, and our Lord in comparison with all the gods” (Ps 134:5 LXX [NETS] [135:5 MT]). Therefore, either form of “to know” (οἶδα or its synonym γινώσκω) could have worked equally well in 1 Thess 1:4. With regard to Greek synonyms, misunderstanding may arise, especially by using outdated word study tools. To give a recent example: “Oida (perfect of horaō) is to see with the mind’s eye (that is, ‘to know by reflection’), while ginōskō is to know by observation.”27 This sort of distinction yields no light on verses such as 1:4. Preachers should exercise care on this point, anticipating that their listeners may previously have heard these outdated myths.

Paul then affirms their membership in God’s family: they are “brothers and sisters” (ἀδελφοί). The Christian use of “brothers and sisters” is predicated upon their adoption by God the Father (Gal 3:26–29) and their status as heirs of Abraham. It is correct in 1:4 to translate the term as “brothers and sisters,” as do GNB, NRSV, NLT, and the NIV. It is the faithful contemporary rendering of the noun, more accurate than “brothers” or “brethren” (NASB, HCSB, ESV, NKJV).28 “Brothers and sisters” is also much better than the colorless “dear friends” (so the CEV). Paul uses the term about 130 times. He and the other NT authors invest it with a meaning that goes well beyond the Jewish idea of co-membership in the chosen race.29 The NT concept also supersedes the Greco-Roman ideal of friendship.30 Paul’s constant use of kinship language is a characteristic trait of 1 Thessalonians.

“Whom God loves” (ἠγαπημένοι) is a perfect participle, indicating that God’s love was initiated in the past. In this verse Paul is not speaking generally of God’s love for humanity, but more particularly of love for his redeemed people (see also 2 Thess 2:13, 16; Col 3:12). Divine love is a natural counterpart to divine “election” (ἐκλογήν), which refers to a past event (Eph 1:4, Col 3:12). “Your” (ὑμῶν) technically could denote either the subject or the object of that action. As a subjective genitive, it would mean “your choice of something.” But clearly in this context it is an objective genitive, implying that “someone chose you.”31 There is an implied “divine passive” here, the name of the deity being omitted, as was often the case in Jewish and Christian God-language.

The same sort of syntax is found in 2 Pet 1:10: “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election,” that is: eagerly make sure that God really has called and elected you. “Election” is also used of God’s choice of his people in Rom 9:11; 11:5. A parallel in 2 Thess 2:13 employs the synonymous “choose” (αἱρέω). Paul combines the vocabulary of love and election in Rom 11:28–29: despite Israel’s hardening toward the gospel, “as far as election [of the Israelites] is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Thus, in this one short statement, the apostle applies two fundamental biblical attributes to the Thessalonian church: like Israel of old, they are beloved and they are chosen. (See “Theology in Application” under 2 Thess 2:13–17 for Paul’s doctrine of election). Later in 1 Thess 2:16, it is the synagogue, not the church, that hinders the gospel’s spread to the nations and thus faces God’s wrath.

1:5a-e Because the gospel that we brought came to you not simply as words [that we spoke], but also with miracles and in [the operation of] the Holy Spirit, and in the great sense of certainty [we had in the gospel] (ὅτι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐγενήθη εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν λόγῳ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν δυνάμει καὶ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ [ἐν] πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ). Paul now points to the visible evidences of their conversion. He begins by describing the apostles’ ministry. The word we have translated “because” (ὅτι) may be taken in a variety of ways (the reader should consult BDAG). (1) Indirect discourse that would be based on the participle “knowing” (εἰδότες) in 1:4. In that case it would be translated: “we acknowledge that you were chosen … that the gospel came to you.” (2) An explanatory clause: “we acknowledge that you were chosen … in that the gospel came to you.” (3) A causal clause: “we acknowledge … because, or on the basis that, the gospel came to you.” In response to these options, it can be observed that (2) would be awkward theologically, since it would equate election with the manner in which the gospel went forth. The first option works better syntactically and theologically, but it would indicate that Paul and the others are using the language of v. 5 in prayer, as if they were informing God how the gospel entered Thessalonica. The most pleasing option is (3); the apostolic team has good cause for acknowledging God’s election of the Thessalonians, in that God worked through them in an effective way. In choosing (3) we side with the majority of English versions.32 “Paul here shows none of the contemporary Western church’s anxiety about appealing to experience as part of the overall reality of coming to Christian faith.”33

“Come to you” is the best rendering of the Greek expression (γίνομαι εἰς) that is capable of other interpretations. Despite the lack of a definite article before “in the Holy Spirit” (ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ), it is clear from the context that the Holy Spirit is the referent.34

It is typical of Paul to contrast a positive declaration with its negative (see also 1 Thess 2:4, 13).35 Here he prefaces the triad “miracles … Holy Spirit … certainty” with “not simply as words that we spoke” (οὐκ … ἐν λόγῳ μόνον); in 1:6 and 7 as in 2:12 Paul shows that the ministry of course was “of the word.” A parallel may be found in Rom 10:17, that faith comes by hearing (ἀκοή, as in 1 Thess 2:13), and hearing comes by a word (ῥῆμα) about Christ. For someone whose ministry was fundamentally verbal—speaking, writing, and even, as here, praying—Paul was dismissive of any undertaking fueled by grandiloquence or mere talk. His aversion is most clear in 1 Cor 4:20, where the apostle cuts the support from under the pseudo-intellectuals of the Corinthian church. No, the kingdom of God is not a matter of mere “word” but of “power.” This contrast is foreshadowed in 1 Thess 1:5, which is made less harsh by the addition of “not simply” (or “not only”) and “but also.” Verbal communication is fine, says Paul, but only insofar as it is empowered by the Spirit.

“Power” or, as we have it, “miracles” (δύναμις), could point in two directions: Paul may be speaking of an efficacious message—that is, the gospel message that powerfully changed lives. Or he may be speaking of powerful miraculous deeds that confirmed the message.36 Both are semantically and theologically workable. In the first case, the changed lives of the Thessalonians are a most effective proof that the Spirit has worked in them—no one saw the Spirit, but the effects of his presence are obvious (see John 3:8; Rom 1:16). Nevertheless, the evidence for the second interpretation is stronger. The early church often linked the authentic proclamation of the gospel with impressive miracles. According to Mark 16:20, “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” Hebrews 2:4 is similar: “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”37

Paul uses the same language elsewhere in less ambiguous ways. His northeastern Mediterranean work was characterized “by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God” (Rom 15:19; also Gal 3:5). Our verse differs from Rom 15:19 mainly in that here Paul adds “and” before Spirit, thus creating a characteristic triad—in miracles and in the Spirit and in certainty.38 The new disciples in Thessalonica have cast their lot with the living and true God (1:9), a God who does miracles (1:9), unlike their old dead, impotent idols.

The Christian today takes as assured that the Holy Spirit is at work within the church. But how revolutionary that paradigm was in AD 50, when Paul declared that his ministry was done through the power of the Spirit. With few exceptions, the Jews did not regard themselves as people of the Spirit. Two decades earlier, the young rabbi Saul engaged in religious work that was in the main verbal: teaching, dialogue, argument and counterargument, citation of tradition. It is only as an apostle of the new covenant that he finds himself empowered by the Spirit of whom the ancients prophesied (see, e.g., Ezek 36:22–32; Joel 2:28–29). There is some indication that the first-century Essenes thought that some of their members were prophets, yet their perspective cannot compare with Christian theology (see comments on 1 Thess 5:19–20). “The sect of the Nazarenes was evidently marked out within first-century Judaism by its claim to have been given the Spirit of God in a new and exceptional way.”39 And to stretch the point further, we now hear of the Spirit working in this mainly Gentile congregation in Macedonia. Its members are numbered with God’s chosen ones, and they experience the work of the Spirit, the signs and the prophetic gifting foreseen by Joel and Ezekiel.

Besides the Spirit and power, Paul perceives a third expression of God’s working, in what we have translated a “great sense of certainty” (πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ).40 Most lexical reference works understand the phrase as we have, as one’s deep confidence that the gospel message is true. A minority opinion suggests that it is not a subjective feeling but rather “every kind of richness.”41 Spicq argues that “if St. Paul had meant [complete assurance], he would have written en pasē parrēsia (Phil 1:20; cf. 2 Cor 3:12; 7:4; 1 Tim 3:13; meta pasēs parrēsias, Acts 28:31); and at any rate it would be odd for the apostle to emphasize his personal conviction.”

Spicq’s argument is unsustainable: (1) it rests on his supposition of how an author should have expressed himself, always a tricky business; (2) he insists that “confidence” (παρρησία) was the Pauline expression for confidence (it is not, see πείθω and πεποίθησις); (3) πληροφορία as “fullness” supposedly is the meaning that best fits in the other NT usages (it does not, as we will see); (4) how rare could it really have been for Paul to mention his personal conviction, if seven verses later he marvels at the fact that “we found courage in our God” to speak to the Thessalonians (2:2)?

The more common interpretation of the phrase is that it refers to one’s inner confidence (so in Col 2:2; Heb 6:11; 10:22). This is not some mere human disposition; Paul regards it as proof of God’s involvement in the Thessalonian campaign, ranking it along with miracles and the Spirit as a manifestation of the supernatural.

Paul does not specify who experienced this inner certainty. Is it the Thessalonian readers,42 or is it the team of confident preachers?43 In favor of the former, Paul is clearly impressed by the change that has taken place in their lives. His message has turned out to not be mere words, but the channel of the Spirit’s work in them—hence the NLT’s interpretation, “the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true.” This is the sense we find in Col 2:2, where Paul struggles for the Colossians and is present in the Spirit (in prayer?) so that all Christians might have “complete confidence” (NLT; see also Heb 6:11; 10:22).

Nevertheless, there is strong evidence in other passages that it was the apostles who acted with “complete assurance” in God and in his gospel message. In Acts, one of the supernatural signs of the Spirit’s work is that the apostles have confidence to speak out in the face of tribulation (see the use of “courage” [παρρησία] in Acts 4:13, 29, 31; also the use of “speak fearlessly” [παρρησιάζομαι]). Since the first two parts of the triad refer to manner in which the message was brought, it is more likely that the third part of the triad would follow suit, thus favoring the thought that “great sense of certaintiy” would refer to the heralds of the gospel. It is later, in 1:6, that Paul moves on to show how the Thessalonians responded, with “in your turn” apparently indicating a change of focus. Thus the context guides us to follow the lead of the GNB, which renders 1:5 as “we brought the Good News to you … with complete conviction of its truth.”

There are other texts that back up this interpretation and amplify it. First, Paul seems to be glancing at Matthean tradition (see Introduction): “When they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matt 10:19–20).

Second, some decades later, it appears that Clement of Rome has this passage in mind: “Having therefore received their orders and being fully assured [from the cognate verb πληροφορέω] by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and full of faith in the Word of God, they went forth with the firm assurance [πληροφορία] that the Holy Spirit gives, preaching the good news that the kingdom of God was about to come” (1 Clem. 42.3). Here is evidence that the earliest of Paul’s readers attributed this “confidence” not to the Thessalonians but to the apostles.

Finally, there is a parallel in 1 Corinthians, which also describes the arrival of Paul in a new city. First Corinthians 2:3 could be read to mean that Paul’s courage in Macedonia had turned into “weakness with great fear and trembling.” Nevertheless, I do not find the contrast between 1 Cor 2 and 1 Thess 1–2 to be stark. First Corinthians goes on to parallel Paul’s point in our letter, that the Holy Spirit was the invisible actor in that drama: “What I spoke and proclaimed was not meant to convince by philosophical argument, but to demonstrate the convincing power of the Spirit, so that your faith should depend not on [the mere verbiage of] human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Cor 2:4–5 NJB).

1:5f And you know how we were among you for your sake (καθὼς οἴδατε οἷοι ἐγενήθημεν [ἐν] ὑμῖν δι’ ὑμᾶς). Paul concludes for now his description of the apostles’ work; he will pick up and develop the theme in detail in 2:1–12. This verse contains the first use of “reminder language,” by which Paul states a truth and then tells the Thessalonians that they already know that truth. First Thessalonians is saturated with “reminder language”; 2 Thessalonians features it to a lesser extent.44 He typically uses “know” (οἶδα), “remember” (μνημονεύω), or “witness” (μαρτύρομαι).

Paul does not introduce reminder language a propos of nothing, as if to casually remark that the Thessalonians have heard or seen certain things before now. Nor in 1–2 Thessalonians is it a way to offer rebuke (“you should know better!”), as it is in another context (1 Cor 6:2–3). Rather, he is evoking the shared experience of his audience. The fact that he uses reminder language six times in 1 Thess 2:1–12 indicates that he is striving to link what he now says with what they already know, thus cementing in their minds that these declarations have a sturdy base in their previous experience.

The verb he now uses is one of the most common in the New Testament, “to be, become, etc.” (γίνομαι). It sometimes is used to denote behavior (see “how we lived” in the NIV). But in 1:5 his theme is the supernatural characteristics of their ministry in that city—not ministerial ethics, but ministerial modus operandi.

1:6a-d In your turn, you became imitators of the pattern given by us and by the Lord [Jesus] (καὶ ὑμεῖς μιμηταὶ ἡμῶν ἐγενήθητε καὶ τοῦ κυρίου). The Thessalonians were converted to the evangel and also to being evangelists (see below, “In Depth: Were the Thessalonian Believers Evangelistic?”). The apostles “were” a certain way among them, whereas the Thessalonians “came to be” imitators. It is useful to add “in your turn” to account for the emphatic “and you too” (καὶ ὑμεῖς) and to play up the repetition of the verb “to be, become” (γίνομαι). “By ([lit.] ‘of’) us and by the Lord” (ἡμῶν … καὶ τοῦ κυρίου) are objective genitives attached to “imitators.”45 Later in the verse Paul shows how the Thessalonians imitated the behavior of the apostolic team. They also followed the pattern of the Judean church (2:14). In the second letter Paul tells them to pattern themselves after the apostles’ work ethic (2 Thess 3:6–13). See “Theology in Application” for more discussion concerning “imitation.”

S. E. Fowl examines this imitation language and claims that “as the letter unfolds, it seems [to the reader] that the Thessalonians are less steadfast than they once were…. Paul hopes to confirm the Thessalonians’ faith.”46 His analysis shares the weakness of a certain erroneous hermeneutic, that any positive exhortation in a letter exists in order to correct an existing negative situation in the church. That is, if an apostle says “Love one another,” it must follow that the recipients were not doing so. In the case of this letter, that sort of approach is particularly unconvincing; it does not do justice to Paul’s consistently positive tone.

1:6e-f You received the message in highly distressing circumstances (δεξάμενοι τὸν λόγον ἐν θλίψει πολλῇ). Paul, like all followers of Jesus’ teaching, knows that the Christian gospel is inherently coupled with persecution; in Paul’s letters this link is nowhere more apparent than in 1–2 Thessalonians. “Receive the message [word]” (δεξάμενοι τὸν λόγον) is a common term for receiving the gospel47 (see also 2:13). “Received” (δεξάμενοι) is adverbial to the principal verb “you became” (ἐγενήθητε). The syntax of this participle is hard to pin down. Some options are: You became imitators of us and of Jesus

• - by receiving the message in highly distressing circumstances (participle of means or cause)
• - with the result that you received the message (participle of result)
• - when or after you received the message (temporal participle)
• - and you received the message (attendant circumstance participle)

Some NT students assume that the use of an aorist participle implies that “receiving” came first and “became imitators” second. Although this can happen, the tendency is toward contemporaneous action, as Wallace notes: “When the aorist participle is related to an aorist main verb, the participle will often be contemporaneous (or simultaneous) to the action of the main verb.”48

Each of the four options is to some degree suitable; the difficulty lies in how the “in highly distressing circumstances” fits with the previous action. Did the Thessalonians receive the word in tribulation, thus imitating the pattern of Jesus and the Pauline team? It is unlikely, since Jesus did not “receive” the gospel. Option 2 avoids that problem, as does 3. Perhaps the key lies in making the participle “receiving” less strongly connected with the main verb than it would be in Option 1. Option 4 (“and you received the message”) is best; it maintains the two actions in a loose relationship. Thus, we might paraphrase: “At the moment when you received the gospel, and in much affliction, you started out on a path of discipleship that entails imitating Jesus and his apostles.”49

The expression “highly distressing circumstances” could refer to eschatological tribulation (Matt 24:21, which is itself based on Dan 12:1 LXX); or, as in 1:6, to trials and tribulations in general (all other Pauline references to θλίψις and θλίβω, including 1 Thess 3:3–4 and 2 Thess 1:4). The second option is correct, since Paul knows that the day of the Lord is not at hand, and Christians should not fear that they are in the eschatological period (2 Thess 2:3). His teaching on the trials of this age is neatly summed up in Acts 14:22: “we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” What makes the Thessalonian case notable is that they were in the middle of extreme tribulation (see Introduction) when they had hardly taken their first breaths as Christian disciples.50

1:6g [Yet] with the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit (μετὰ χαρᾶς πνεύματος ἁγίου). The Thessalonians’ joy, like the apostles’ confidence in the gospel (1:5), is a manifestation of the supernatural. Its astounding presence proves that God is at work in them. “From the Spirit” (πνεύματος) is best taken as a genitive of source.51 There is a parallel in Rom 14:17, with its joy “in the Holy Spirit” (ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ), and of course in the list of the Spirit’s fruit in Gal 5:22. Paul’s theology in our letter is similar to that found in Gal 5. How do we know that the Thessalonians are the elect and the beloved of God? Because they have received the Spirit. But, how do we know that they have the Spirit? Through behavioral evidence—in this case, the disciples are filled with joy despite their circumstances.

There is an important pastoral principle here. How does Paul (or any pastor) know that they aren’t just experiencing the initial high spirits that are present in fresh converts to any movement? For even the Lord warned that “the seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy [μετὰ χαρᾶς]. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble [θλίψις] or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away” (Matt 13:20–21; is this another case of Paul interacting with the Matthean tradition?). Apart from their “fruit” (behavior), there exists no method for divining that they are true believers; perhaps sufficient time has passed, and they are still rejoicing after an initial stretch of tribulation. In any case, time would bear out Paul’s assurance. The Macedonian churches still enjoyed a reputation for joy in tribulation some seven years later, providing Paul with a fulcrum for his appeal in 2 Cor 8:2: “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”

1:7 As a result you [in your turn] became the pattern for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia (ὥστε γενέσθαι ὑμᾶς τύπον πᾶσιν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἐν τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀχαΐᾳ). The Thessalonians have not only imitated the apostles and Jesus; they have themselves become a pattern for others Christians.52 We add “in your turn” again to play up the repetition of “became.” Paul and his team served as patterns (1:6; 2 Thess 3:7) and expected that Christian leaders would do the same (Phil 3:17; 1 Tim 4:12; Titus 2:7). Peter likewise employed this technical use of “example” (τύπος; see 1 Pet 5:3). Yet in this letter, Paul observes that not only the leaders of the Thessalonian church function as models; the believers in general have become patterns for others.

In the phrase “for all the believers” (πᾶσιν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν), the dative shows how the Thessalonians gave some advantage to others.53 There are two directions we could assign the participle: (1) for all who were already believers when they heard of the Thessalonians, these believers benefitting from sound direction on how to live; (2) all who were coming to believe as a result of hearing about the lifestyle that these Christians exhibited. The Greek is not specific, and so we leave it vague as well.

A geographical note is in order. The Thessalonians, in the far north, had already affected people as far south as Achaia, some weeks journey away whether by land or sea. Yet, Paul had probably not been apart from the Thessalonians for more than several months. Had their reputation reached Athens and Corinth before Paul dictated 1 Thessalonians? This is almost certainly what has happened, given that Paul speaks of third parties in 1 Thess 1:9; unnamed people appear on stage to say what they know about the events in Thessalonica. This is amazingly rapid, but not implausible; Thessalonica and Corinth were ports, and other cities with churches were strung along major land routes.

1:8a-d For you see, from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but everywhere, news of your faith in God has gone out (ἀφ’ ὑμῶν γὰρ ἐξήχηται ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου οὐ μόνον ἐν τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ καὶ [ἐν τῇ] Ἀχαΐᾳ, ἀλλ’ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐξελήλυθεν). We now detect that the Thessalonians are engaged in evangelism. We supply “you see,” since Paul is giving proof for his claim he has made in 1:7, and since “for” (γάρ) is a marker of clarification.54 “The word of the Lord” in this context is as a traditional label for the gospel message (see also 2 Thess 3:1). “Lord” (κύριος) is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, as it usually is in 1–2 Thessalonians. The genitive “of the Lord” may refer to the message about Jesus or the message that comes from him; the context indicates that it is a message about Jesus to which Paul refers.

“Sounded forth” (ἐξήχηται) is the perfect tense of a verb (ἐξηχέω) that is found in the NT only here. The verb conveys a sense of a loud, clear sound. Now, it is common to hear in sermons that the verb “literally” means the sound of a thunderclap (its reference in Sir 40:13) or that it “literally” means that the Thessalonians “gossiped” the gospel (it refers to the spread of a rumor in 3 Macc 3:2). This is the fallacy of importing into one context all the significance that a word can take elsewhere. Here it simply means to “sound forth.”

The phrase “faith toward God” (ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν) is a figure of speech in which the part is used for the whole (a synecdoche): Paul uses the part (“your faith”) to represent the whole (the preaching of the gospel by the Pauline team and its reception by the Thessalonians). This verse contains a chiastic structure:

1. A The word of the Lord has sounded forth
   1. B not only in Macedonia and in Achaia
   2. B´ but everywhere
2. A´ news of your faith in God has gone out.

The apostle expands on the specific geographical reference of 1:7: not only in the two provinces of Macedonia and Achaia, but “everywhere.” Hyperbole is typical of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, including geographical exaggeration (2 Thess 3:1; see Rom 16:19: “everyone has heard about your obedience”). Still, it is not outlandish to imagine that there were reports from beyond Macedonia and Achaia; perhaps they were already coming in from Asia Minor or Rome (as reported by Priscilla and Aquila? Acts 18:2) by the time of 1 Thessalonians.

There is some indication that Paul wrote 1 Thess 1:7–8 under the literary influence of Isa 66 LXX. The Septuagint differs significantly from the Hebrew (as shown here in the NETS translation of Isa 66:18b–19f):

I am coming to gather all the nations and tongues,

And they shall come and shall see my glory.

And I will leave signs upon them [“upon the nations,” apparently],

and from them I will send forth those who are saved to the nations,

to Tharsis and Phoud and Loud and Mosoch and Thobel55

and to Greece56 (Ἑλλάς); and to the islands far away—

those who have not heard my name or seen my glory,

and they shall declare my glory among the [Gentile] nations.

First, the saved remnant—which in Isa 66 is the remnant of Israel—will “go forth”57 to Gentile nations. Paul alludes to the same chapter of Isaiah (Isa 66:15–16) in 2 Thess 1:7–8, leaving the impression that the passage was one to which he had frequent recourse.58 Thus, by coming to Christ, the Thessalonian Greeks have fulfilled prophecy: Javan (Greece) was turning to God. What is more, depending on one’s reading of the last phrase, they go on to declare God’s glory among the nations. See “In Depth: Were the Thessalonian Believers Evangelistic?”

In Depth: Were the Thessalonian Believers Evangelistic?

As the Macedonian Christians knew, “the first task of the Church is to preach the Word.”59 Nevertheless, Christians have interpreted the Thessalonians’ “mission” in two broad ways: Does Paul mean that “the gospel is going forth from you” through conscious evangelism on their part?60 Or does he refer to a spreading awareness of their “personal testimony” that may in turn attract others to Christ?61 Some use the terms “centrifugal” mission (believers go out to win others) and “centripetal” (people are drawn inward to the faith through the church’s good testimony). There is evidence that the first interpretation is Paul’s intent, that he expected the Thessalonians to take part in evangelism and that they were succeeding in that task.

The language that “from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth” implies conscious effort.62 James Ware looks at other NT uses of “word of the Lord,” “word,” or “word of God” and argues that these phrases must refer to the active transmission of the gospel: the word of the Lord sounding out “cannot refer to mere reports of the Thessalonians’ conversion.”63

In other words, people in Macedonia and Achaia are hearing about the Thessalonians’ conversion to the gospel (1:8–9a). Yet this is no confused rumor; they possess details; that is, they could coordinate what they know of the Thessalonians’ testimony with a basic outline of the apostolic kerygma (1:9–10). This implies that somebody is purposefully communicating the theological meaning of the Thessalonian experience.

The Thessalonians are to have love for non-Christians (3:12), in imitation of the apostles’ love for their converts. In that case, they should have the same concern for their Gentile neighbors that Paul and his team showed for them. It is possible that “love for others” is love for outsiders that results in evangelism.

Because of the Thessalonians’ love, they are (for the most part) willing to support themselves by hard labor (1:3). Paul uses language that parallels how the apostles themselves operated in the same manner (2:9).64 We will see in 2 Thess 3:6–16 that Paul may have been speaking about Thessalonian evangelists in 1 Thess 1:3. Moreover, there are other Pauline texts that indicate he planted evangelistic churches.65

It is the heart of Christian discipleship that the beginner imitate the teacher. In the case of Thessalonica, they imitate Jesus and the Pauline team and thus provide a model for other Christians. Nevertheless, it is not simply the Christian ethic that the Thessalonians determined to follow. They also imitated that which evangelistic Christians like Paul, Silas, and Timothy were doing.66

Conclusion: The Thessalonians have come full circle and have become “evangelized evangelists.” This was likely the team’s desire in all their churches. For the most part the apostle did not need to push his churches to do evangelism: “Paul was confident that his congregations would continue his missionary activity, as the power of God at work in his preaching of the gospel continued to be active in those who had believed the message.”67 So, why does Paul bring up the point in 1 Thessalonians? First, he seems pleased that a church that labored under heavy persecution was active in the faith. They couldn’t even get a message out to Paul, who was desperate to get some news; yet they somehow managed to circulate the gospel around Greece. Second, he mentions evangelism because their level of success had made it absolutely clear that the Spirit was at work. They imitated Paul in such a way that they too showed themselves approved by God (1 Thess 2:4) and carried his gospel with heavenly power.

1:8e So that we have no need to say anything [about you] (ὥστε μὴ χρείαν ἔχειν ἡμᾶς λαλεῖν τι). Paul uses more hyperbole, but justifiably. The evidence of the Thessalonians’ conversion is so arresting that it stands on its own without fear of contradiction.

1:9a-b That’s because they themselves are talking about us, about what kind of welcome we had from you (αὐτοὶ γὰρ περὶ ἡμῶν ἀπαγγέλλουσιν ὁποίαν εἴσοδον ἔσχομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς). It was their “welcome,” their initial contact with the Thessalonians that has struck people as noteworthy. They are talking “about us” (περὶ ἡμῶν), that is, the apostolic team.68 Who is talking? First, the Macedonians (1:8): their neighbors in Philippi and Berea and others are recounting the marvelous thing that had happened in Thessalonica. The unusual severity of the tribulations in Thessalonica itself seems to have disrupted interchurch communication so badly that Paul could not rely on the regular network that he favored, personal reports (1 Cor 1:11) and official communiqués (1 Cor 7:1). Yes, talk trickled in from everywhere, though not from the church itself. When, Paul wondered, would Timothy come back to him with a first-hand report (3:1–2)?

The “welcome we had” (εἴσοδον ἔσχομεν) may be paraphrased as “we received a welcome.”69 Paul interprets the team’s “welcome” in Thessalonica in the light of gospel tradition. He echoes the Markan tradition of Jesus’ charge to the disciples, which is expanded in Matt 10:11–14:

Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

Later on we will argue that Paul interprets his Macedonian experience in terms of Matt 10:17–18, where Jesus predicts that the synagogues will flog the disciples. But Paul and team had also encountered at least a few willing ears in the Macedonian towns. They received an open door from the new convert Lydia, a hostess who refused to take “no” for an answer (Acts 16:14–15); hospitality from Jason (17:7); and a receptive Jewish audience in Berea (17:11).

1:9c And how you turned away from idols to God (καὶ πῶς ἐπεστρέψατε πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων). Paul gives an outline of the gospel message in 1:9b–10. It has a rhythmic style, implying that it might be a formula. In other passages Paul will capture the readers’ attention with “reminder language.” Here he accomplishes the same end by repeating a teaching that they recognized and probably knew by heart. Acts 26:20 is similar to 1 Thess 1:9: “I preached that they should repent and turn to God.”70 Perhaps he has written 1:9–10 by turning imperative verb forms (“you, turn away from idols!”) into infinitives, so that it fits syntactically with his point in this chapter.

Language such as “turn,” “serve,” and the “living and true God” is straight from the OT.71 This religious use of “turned away” (ἐπιστρέφω) is well attested in the LXX to denote conversion to God or, negatively, apostasy from God. It appears only three times in the Pauline letters (here; 2 Cor 3:16; Gal 4:9), but is attributed to Paul twice more in Acts (14:15; 26:18); Jesus sends Paul to the Gentiles “to open their eyes and turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (26:18; see also James in Acts 15:19).

So striking is the resemblance of this language with the LXX that some have theorized that 1:9b–10 was originally composed by Hellenistic Jewish proselytizers, not by Christians or by Paul. Supposedly they designed these lines in order to convince Gentiles of the folly of idolatry.72 Bruce, for example, wonders how this statement could have been composed by a Christian when it doesn’t even mention the death of Jesus; he points to the weight given Jesus’ death in the kerygma in 1 Cor 15:3–8. He concludes that it began as a Jewish statement, and that the church later tacked on the reference to Jesus’ resurrection and future coming in 1:10 in order to Christianize it.73

The better explanation is that this is a Christian evangelistic formula that happened to be an apt description of Gentile converts. Of its five lines, three (C, B´, A´) could make sense only as specifically Christian teaching:

1. A Turn away [or “you turned”] from idols to God,
   1. B to serve the God who is living and true
      1. C and to await his Son from heaven,
   2. B´ he whom God raised from the dead,
2. A´ Jesus our Savior from God’s coming wrath.

The word here rendered as “idol” (εἴδωλον) appears as early as Homer, where it means “shadow, form.”74 No pagans would call their cult images “idols,” since it would imply that the god was a fake. Here it has its pejorative meaning as used by the Jews and later the Christians: “Many even from Israel gladly adopted [Antiochus’s] religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath” (1 Macc 1:43, emphasis added).75 Paul saw idols everywhere he turned; it had not been long since he had passed through Athens, and “he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16).

It is not now possible to determine which Thessalonian idols Paul means—there were so many gods and goddesses in Thessalonica that to list them would have taken up the bulk of the letter!76 The important thing is that the Thessalonians had turned away from their cult images in order to serve Christ; in so doing, the Gentile converts were tacitly accepting that the statues were not tangible representations of a deity.

Paul was in Corinth as he wrote this letter. In a twist of irony, some of the believers in that city would later fail to grasp that an idol is “nothing.” Those disciples were “weak” in the Christian faith (see 1 Cor 8:4–13).

1:9d To serve the God who is living and true (δουλεύειν θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ). Turning away from idols does no good unless idolaters turn to serve the Creator. Paul uses a term that in this context speaks of religious service: “serve” (δουλεύω) underlies Paul’s understanding of his own vocation, as seen in his frequent use of “servant” (δοῦλος). This verb is used of “serving” or “worshiping” a deity in pagan, Jewish, and Christian literature.

“Living God” was language typical of the synagogue.77 By contrast, idols are dead and false, as Isaiah pointed out (Isa 40:18–24; 41:21–24; 44:9–20; 46:5–7), and Hellenistic Jews spoke in the same terms: “The Apostle, in ascribing to God the epithets true and living, indirectly censures idols as being dead and worthless inventions, and as being falsely called gods.”78 The later Christian apologists directed to their pagan audiences the same message:

The majesty of the one God, which keeps together and rules all things, has come to be so forgotten, that the only befitting object of worship is, above all others, the one which is especially neglected; and that men have sunk to such blindness, that they prefer the dead to the true and living God, and those who are of the earth, and buried in the earth, to Him who was the Creator of the earth itself.79

1:10a And to await his Son from heaven (καὶ ἀναμένειν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν). The gospel message is inherently eschatological: believers await the future intervention of God through his Son. The Christian hope is sometimes pictured in heavenly or spatial terms (“our citizenship is in heaven,” Phil 3:20), sometimes in future-temporal terms (“we eagerly await a Savior,” same verse).80 First Thessalonians 1:10 is the earliest extant formulation of the Christian expectation of the parousia. It is not simply a future hope, but it also has a “heavenly” aspect, since the Son is now in heaven until his coming.81 This dual temporal and vertical orientation in the earliest NT literature lends credence to the authenticity of the speech attributed to Peter in Acts 3:20–21a: “that [the Lord] may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything.”

The rare verb “await” (ἀναμένω) is a hapax in the NT. In the LXX it refers to waiting for God’s intervention (Jdt 8:17; cf. also Ign. Phld. 5.2). The Thessalonians have been converted not merely to monotheism, but to a christological-eschatological faith: they await God’s Son. The creed in 1:10 is intrinsically Christian. Throughout this letter, Paul portrays the Thessalonians as people who live in expectation of Christ and orient their lives to that event.

1:10b He whom [God] raised from the dead (ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ [τῶν] νεκρῶν). The resurrection of Jesus lies at the heart of the gospel. The reference here foreshadows the eschatological hope in 4:13–18, where the believers’ destiny is determined by Jesus’ resurrection. “He whom” (ὃν) has as its antecedent “Son” (τὸν υἱόν). The stereotyped phrase “he raised Jesus from the dead” (ἤγειρεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐκ νεκρῶν) is common in Paul’s letters, especially Romans and 1 Corinthians. Christians by definition confess their faith in the resurrection of Jesus (Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 15:4).82 Our verse also has other language that is typical of Paul: the Son rose not “from the state of death” but “from among (ἐκ) dead people” (see, e.g., the pivotal use of the phrase in 1 Cor 15 and Rom 6).

In 1:9d and 10a Paul lays emphasis on the power of the true God: “to serve the God who is living and true” (1:9d) has as its companion “he whom [God] raised from the dead.” That is, the living God alone is able to give life. It is this very combination of ideas that the Athenians found so incredible (Acts 17:22–32): that God is the Creator, that he cannot be represented by idols, that he is the life-giver, that he raised Jesus from the dead, and that he has fixed a day of judgment. Paul preached in Athens the basic message that he had recently preached in Thessalonica. And because God truly exists and gives life, the Thessalonians have experienced his ability to changes their lives.

1:10c-d Jesus our Savior from [God’s] coming wrath (Ἰησοῦν τὸν ῥυόμενον ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς ὀργῆς τῆς ἐρχομένης). Salvation is eschatological; that is, it may be framed in terms of Jesus’ future coming to damn the unbeliever or to rescue the believer (see esp. 2 Thess 1:5–10). Paul speaks of “Jesus”; the Savior is the same Jesus who walked on the earth in Judea (1 Thess 2:14–15), died, and was raised. Paul refuses to distinguish Jesus from the Son of God or the Christ, as later errorists did (see 1 John 2:22). Jesus is entitled God’s “Son” in 1:10; “our Lord Jesus” in 2:19 and 3:13; “Jesus,” “Lord,” and “Christ” in 4:13–17; “Lord” in 5:2; “our Lord Jesus Christ” in 5:9.

Because “rescues” or “saves” (ῥυόμενον) is an attributive participle, it might be rendered “Jesus who saves us,” “who will save us,” or even “who has saved us.” “Jesus our Savior” is the best choice; as in the Greek, it leaves vague whether it denotes past, present, or future deliverance.83 The verb may imply “to rescue from danger, with the implication that the danger in question is severe and acute.”84 Isaiah emphasized that no idol could “save” (Isa 44:17, 20); but the living God can, declares Isaiah (Isa 45:17), and Paul reaffirms that teaching.

The Thessalonian letters emphasize a pattern of earthly tribulation for the believers, future rescue for them, and divine destruction for their tormenters and for all the wicked. By entering into the faith, the Thessalonians have opened the door to persecution: “And in fact, you yourselves know that we were destined for this very thing, because even when we were with you, we told you that we would be put through such afflictions” (1 Thess 3:3b–4b).

The disciples also know that they are part of God’s saving work on the planet: Jesus is coming to spare them from the coming wrath. Verse 10 is closely parallel to 5:9: “Because God has not assigned us to feel his coming wrath [ὀργή], but rather to obtain salvation [σωτηρία] through our Lord Jesus Christ” (see also Heb 9:28). Paul will continue to develop the teaching on divine retribution (as seems the likely interpretation of 1 Thess 2:16d; also 5:1–10; 2 Thess 1:5–9; 2:8; 2:12), reflecting on God’s wrath in the two letters almost as much as his salvation.

Like his salvation, God’s wrath too is future, it is “coming” (ἐρχομένης). Paul’s language reflects the Hebrew habbā ʾ (“to come,” from bô ʾ), which was a popular attribution of the eschatological time, as in the key Jewish phrase hā ʿôlām habbā ʾ (“the age to come”; Paul uses a Greek version of that phrase in Eph 1:21).

This commentary takes the view that the coming of Christ to “rapture” the church in 4:15–17 is synchronous with the coming of the Son of Man to gather the elect in Matt 24:30–31. There are others who argue that if the church will not face God’s wrath (1 Thess 1:10, 5:9), and if by definition the tribulation is God’s wrath, then it is necessary for the church to already be “off-planet” when the tribulation begins.85 The logic is weak: in Matthew 24 and throughout Revelation, God’s people are said to be on earth during the end-time tribulation but not as the recipients of God’s wrath. When Paul corrects the Thessalonians’ fear that they were in the final tribulation (2 Thess 2:1–12), he does not state, “Oh, but as you know, by definition, no Christian will face God’s wrath, and therefore will not enter the tribulation.” Rather, he argues that the great Apostasy and the Man of Lawlessness are not present.

Apart from “wrath” (ὀργή), there is a second biblical term for wrath or anger (θυμός). Why does Paul use one term and not the other, given that both were available to him? Older commentaries tended to concentrate on the various synonyms for wrath, love, life, and so forth. Some of the data they used are now outdated. It can now be shown, for example, whether a NT author invented a particular Greek term or whether two terms that had distinct meanings in the classical Greek came to be interchangeable in the koinē period.86 In the case of “wrath” there is no fine shade of contrast between the two synonyms. Either may refer to human or divine anger in the LXX and NT, and their meanings broadly overlap.

Both Testaments show that the wrath of God should not be whittled down to mere “anthropomorphism.” Most famously, C. H. Dodd took this reductionist approach in his commentary on Rom 1:18, calling God’s wrath “a thoroughly archaic idea.” Wrath denotes “some process or effect in the realm of objective facts,” not “a certain feeling or attitude of God towards us.”87 That is, the divine working could only have been grasped by the primitive human mind by analogy to human anger: “God will deal with your sin as an angry man would.” But in reality, said Dodd, God does not feel anger; rather, he is showing us that sin leads inevitably to one’s doom.

Dodd’s interpretation seems to have been shaped more by his philosophical assumptions than by a close reading of Scripture. For the exegete who wishes to know what God’s wrath means in 1:10, there is no better instructor than the rest of the Thessalonians letters: it is something from which people must be “saved” (1 Thess 1:10; 5:9), it is “unexpected destruction” (5:3), “tribulation,” “blazing fire,” “retaliation,” “eternal destruction,” “separated from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thess 1:6–9), and “perishing” (2:10). The Bible describes God’s wrath as a personal attitude, with all the seriousness that it uses to describe his love or his mercy (cf. Exod 32:11–12).

Paul had to chart a careful course when he spoke to pagans about God’s anger. On the one hand was the popular notion of the gods as beings of quick and fiery tempers. Virgil based the plot of his hugely influential Aeneid (late first century BC) on the anger of Juno:

I tell about a war and the hero … a man [Aeneas] much travailed on sea and land by the powers above, because of the brooding wrath of Juno…. Can a divine being be so persevering in anger? (Aeneid 1.1–10)

In popular religion, the gods were capricious, irritable, and easily offended. What human knew when they might commit some action or neglect some duty that a divinity might find irksome?

On the other hand, the philosophers rejected what they regarded as the foolish myths of these people. A deity could not have passion, since that implied change. God was changeless, immutable, forever existing in a state of perfect detachment. On that basis, the second-century Celsus made fun of the Christian God, who had “passions” such as wrath. Origen’s rebuttal is found in the majestic Contra Celsum; unfortunately his answer to Celsus consisted in a capitulation to the philosopher’s position, anticipating Dodd’s view:

We speak, indeed, of the “wrath” of God. We do not, however, assert that it indicates any “passion” on His part, but that it is something which is assumed in order to discipline by stern means those sinners who have committed many and grievous sins.88

That is, both Origen and Celsus favored the Greek doctrine of the “impassibility of God.” In that form, it is an unbiblical idea that has found favor among many theologians throughout the centuries, but one which does not capture the biblical revelation of a God of holy passion.

These Thessalonians knew they would escape God’s wrath, even though as Gentiles they used to do precisely those deeds that would bring his judgment on the human race. Their conversion was a striking demonstration of the power of God to bring about his will on the earth already during this age. According to Judaism, the world would have to wait until the eschatological kingdom before God would eliminate the cluster of sins associated with the apostate Gentiles, particularly idolatry and sexual sin.

That kind of universal change is predicted in Zech 14:9: “The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.” Zechariah shows how the Shema confession of God’s name (Deut 6:4) will finally be actualized on earth. But what is the situation already in Macedonia? Before the coming of the end, Macedonian Gentiles have turned their backs on idolatry and the fornication associated with it (1 Thess 4:1–8) and, as we will see, are being called into the future kingdom and made worthy of it during this age (2:12; 2 Thess 1:5). This is a living God indeed, who can effect powerful conversion through his Spirit.

Thus Paul has come full circle. The Thessalonians are thriving within tribulation; God has preserved them; and the God in whom they believe is the God who through Jesus will deliver them from the ultimate end-time horror.

Theology in Application

The Gentile converts to Christian faith had experienced a fundamental paradigm shift when they came to accept the existence of only one God. They would have been impressed that this new God had somehow “beaten” Fate by resurrecting one who was destined to die. How then should the apostles teach these people to pray to this sovereign and powerful God? First Thessalonians is a source for a number of doctrines; two special contributions happen to be intertwined in ch. 1: a theology of prayer, and teaching and learning by imitation. To this we will add learning to pray by imitation.

Theology of Prayer

The two Thessalonian letters not only serve as archives of Paul’s prayers; they are “holographs,” recordings of prayer even as they are being offered.89 They provide a challenge for pastors, who might find great benefit in imitating the apostles. In his A Call to Spiritual Reformation, D. A. Carson goes directly to the Pauline prayer passages and uses them as a guide for Christians today. Unfortunately, notes Carson, “by and large, our thanksgiving seems to be tied rather tightly to our material well-being and comfort.”90 Is our gratitude stronger for the rescue of a lost sheep or for the retrieval of lost car keys? If, as Carson proposes, we look to the apostle and judge our prayers by the priorities shown in his prayers, we are unlikely to be found wanting with regard to our hierarchy of values. In other terms, our “thank-you” list is like the dipstick of a car; it is a gauge of what lies hidden in the heart.

One point is clear: Paul prayed a great deal. Perhaps we don’t regard prayer with apostolic seriousness, giving it the sort of gravity the apostles gave it in Acts 6:4, who maintain they “will give … attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Here are a few suggestions:

1. 1. Pray and give thanks for all your believers, all the time. As a pastor of a church of 125 members some years ago, I wrote up a list of cards on which I wrote people’s names. No matter what the size, there must be some plan for praying for the sheep by name, and “at all times.”
2. 2. Pray and give thanks in the “gaps.” Instead of complaining about the red light or when the computerized answering service puts you on hold, fill these spaces with prayer. And by the way, this does not excuse you from carving out larger uninterrupted spaces so that you may pray with full attention.
3. 3. Above all, pray and give thanks with an eye to biblical content. Pray with a gratitude that reflects what God is doing. How easy it is to have a constant, low-grade level of resentment toward the flock. How easy to dissipate that cloud by thanking God for each individual, and for specific gospel reasons.
4. 4. Finally, let “leak out” the things you’ve told God. Paul allowed his churches to listen in on his prayers. There is joy in visiting a family or seeing children in Sunday school and being able to say, “I pray for you, you know.”

Teaching and Learning by “Imitation”

One cannot appreciate the distinctive contribution of the Thessalonian letters without a basic understanding of the apostles’ method of teaching/learning. Mimesis is literally the “imitation” of the teacher, who for his or her part provides a “model” or “pattern” (τύπος, see 1:7). For example, 3 John 9–12 is at heart a call to imitation, where the elder holds up Demetrius as a proper model and Diotrophes as a negative one: “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good” (3 John 11).91 Of course the ultimate pattern is provided by Jesus, to whom all the faithful should look (Heb 12:2).

Mimesis was especially suitable to a culture where few were literate. Pastors could not ask their people to read a guide to discipleship and then fill in the accompanying workbook. Rather, the teachers lived out the qualities of the well-rounded disciple, giving a pattern of character, behavior, and skill sets.

Mimesis was a favorite of the rabbis, Jesus (“Follow me!”), and the apostles.92 Paul provided a living pattern when he was present; he also went on to develop a sort of “distance teaching”—holding himself up as a model to his disciples in writing, usually connecting their present need with something his readers had earlier seen him do with their own eyes. Examples of mimesis abound in the Pauline letters. In 1 Cor 9, Paul urges the Corinthians to suspend their rights for the sake of love, imitating his own pattern even as he imitated Christ (1 Cor 11:1; see more broadly, 1 Cor 4:16). Paul not only offered himself as a model, but he trained his protégées to do the same for their own disciples (1 Tim 4:12; Titus 2:7).

Christian leaders must assume that they are always being watched and imitated. At no time may they “let down their hair.” Mimesis is not the same as an instructional video, which asks the viewer to imitate a skill set without concerning themselves with the moral character of instructor. Mimetic discipleship is the imitation of the pattern holistically, and the pattern is in theory always on duty. A flawed model will result in a flawed disciple, who will beget flawed followers in turn.93

Today mimesis has largely fallen out of favor in Western education, which tends to encourage students to discover their own personal style. Nevertheless, imitation of a “master” is widely used to teach such divergent skills as cooking, art, gardening, home renovation, tennis, the martial arts, golf, aerobics, and even surgery. The church often overlooks this potent method, which can be employed to teach the basic skills of prayer, Bible study, teaching methods, and others. Evangelism Explosion employs mimesis to good effect.

Learning to Pray by “Imitation”

Let us combine the first two applications. In general the North American church fails to teach its people to pray. For some the training begins and ends with, “Forget about formal prayers you may have learned. Prayer is just talking to God, so just speak to him as you would to another person.” Given the importance of good praying and its difficulty, this sort of negligence is appalling.

Solid biblical praying is best created through a living model for people to imitate. Paul taught the new converts the relevant truths; he also said, in effect, “Listen to me and pray as I do.” Rather than teaching a class on prayer, why not select a smaller number of people and say to them, “Let’s pray together for three months, and we’ll also talk about what the Bible says about prayer”?

Your church’s prayer list is in itself didactic, since it provides Christians with a pattern to imitate, coaching them: “Here we show what the church regards as the hierarchy of God’s values, so pray according to these priorities.” I’ve done a nonscientific study of the prayer lists of a handful of churches. They implicitly transmitted that the highest duty in prayer was for the sick or bereaved. Next in importance: people in the armed services. Those are good things, but out of proportion to their importance. The missionaries seemed a bit squeezed. Rarely were the people asked to pray as Paul did in this letter, that the church would be steadfast, grow in love, and be generally blameless.