1:1 Paul wrote this letter from Corinth less than a year after he had written 1 Thessalonians. He and his companions, Timothy and Silas, had visited Thessalonica on Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 17:1-10). They established the church there, but Paul had to leave suddenly because of persecution. This prompted him to write his first letter (1 Thessalonians), which contains words of comfort and encouragement. Paul then heard how the Thessalonians had responded to this letter. The good news was that they were continuing to grow in their faith. But the bad news was that false teachings about Christ’s return were spreading, leading many to quit their jobs and wait for the end of the world. So Paul wrote to them again. While the purpose of Paul’s first letter was to comfort the Thessalonians with the assurance of Christ’s second coming, the purpose of his second letter is to correct false teaching about the Second Coming.
1:1 Paul, Silas, and Timothy were together in Corinth (Acts 18:5). Paul wrote this letter on behalf of all three of them. Paul often included Timothy as a co-sender of his letters (see Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1). For more information about Paul, see his profile in Acts 9, p. 2395. Silas’s profile is in Acts 15, p. 2425, and Timothy’s profile is found in 1 Timothy 1, p. 2689.
1:1 Thessalonica was the capital and largest city of the Roman province of Macedonia. The most important Roman highway—extending from Rome to the Orient—went through Thessalonica. This highway, along with the city’s thriving seaport, made Thessalonica one of the wealthiest and most flourishing trade centers in the Roman Empire. Recognized as a free city, Thessalonica was allowed self-rule and was exempt from most of the restrictions placed by Rome on other cities. Because of this open climate, however, the city had many pagan religions and cultural influences that challenged the Christians’ faith.
1:3ff Regardless of the contents of Paul’s letters, his style was affirming. Paul began most of his letters by stating what he most appreciated about his readers and the joy he felt because of their faith in God. We also should look for ways to encourage and build up other believers. For more on encouragement, see the note in 1 Timothy 4:12-16.
1:4 The keys to surviving persecution and trials are endurance and faithfulness. When faced with crushing troubles, we can have faith that God is using our trials for our good and for his glory. Knowing that God is fair and just will give us patience in our suffering because we know that he has not forgotten us. In God’s perfect timing, he will relieve our suffering and punish those who persecute us. Do you trust God’s timing? That is the first step toward growing in endurance and faithfulness.
1:4-6 Paul had been persecuted during his first visit to Thessalonica (Acts 17:5-9). No doubt those who had responded to his message and had become Christians were continuing to be persecuted by both Jews and Gentiles. In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he had said that Christ’s return would bring deliverance from persecution for the believers and judgment on the persecutors. But this caused the people to expect Christ’s return right away to rescue and vindicate them. So Paul had to point out that while waiting for God’s Kingdom, believers could and should grow in their endurance and faithfulness through the hardships they were suffering.
1:5 As we live for Christ, we will experience troubles because we are trying to be God’s people in a perverse world. Some people say that troubles are the result of sin or lack of faith, but Paul teaches that they may be a part of God’s plan for believers. Our problems can help us look upward and forward, instead of inward (Mark 13:35, 36; Philippians 3:13, 14), they can build strong character (Romans 5:3, 4), and they can provide us with opportunities to comfort others who also are struggling (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Your troubles may be an indication that you are taking a stand for Christ. When you do so, you are experiencing the privilege of showing that you are worthy of God’s Kingdom (see also 1:11).
1:7 The “rest” mentioned by Paul has two dimensions. We can rest in knowing that our sufferings are strengthening us, making us ready for Christ’s Kingdom. We can also rest in the fact that one day everyone will stand before God. At that time, wrongs will be righted, judgment will be pronounced, and evil will be terminated.
1:9 The “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord” that Paul describes is the lake of fire (see Revelation 20:14)—the place of eternal separation from God. Those people who will be separated from God in eternity will no longer have any hope for salvation.
1:11, 12 As Christians, our calling from God is to become like Christ (Romans 8:29). This is a gradual, lifelong process that will be completed when we see Christ face to face (1 John 3:2). To be “worthy” of this calling means to want to do what is right and good (as Christ would). We aren’t perfect yet, but we’re moving in that direction as God works in us.