A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1 Thessalonians 1:5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

In our last verse we spoke of the election of the Thessalonians, and of my refocused understanding of that particular verse. As a reminder, it is all about the love of God, not the choosing of us, whatever that may mean to my reader.

It is the love of God that is so importance for us to remember!

In verse 5, Paul will remind the saints of Thessalonica why he makes such a claim as in verse 5.

Why Can Paul Say this

Paul made a bold claim in verse 5, speaking of God choosing the Thessalonians, and more importantly of the love of God these saints (and all saints!) have possessed in their lives.

He now enters into a short passage that provides for us the reason he makes such a claim of their lives being the recipients of the love of God.

Word

Paul, with his team came into the town of Thessalonica, with a message. That message was delivered verbally, to all the people hearing them, through a teaching that all in the audience heard. Yet for these called out people, for these chosen folks, that message became a message of life. They recognized truth and it became a message to be trusted.

Think of that. Vibrations from the apostles throat entered into the audience’s ears, a series of ideas were offered to those who listened, and some of those listening acknowledged the truth of the message.

The word, or the message delivered to these folks became a fact that they accepted. It was not merely a claim that was developed and offered without consideration, but the message became factual for them, and for those who accepted it, it was the foundational factual truth of the life they now lived in.

Now some may say that their choice simply became the Thessalonian’s truth, as the common argument in todays culture. You know how those who reject the gospel will excuse their position. “If it works for you that is great”, or “everyone has their personal truth.”

Absolute truth exists. The grave is empty. Those who recognize this truth make it their truth, but not in the manner of denigrating this message to a personal preference. The gospel is factual, and these people recognized it and “joined the party!”

Power

For the message came to these people, and they recognized the truth of a resurrected man who is God Almighty. Upon this realization, the power of God was unleashed in their lives. The facts became energized. The message and the power were delivered simultaneously.

It is very interesting that the word “power” in this Greek term δύναμις dýnamis speaks of inherent power, power that resides in itself, that the nature of the gospel exerts authority, the message has power resident within it.

Paul is speaking of the Word being accepted by the hearer, and at the same time of the power resident in the message impacting the audience.

As you may know, I sometimes chase rabbits, but for this post I will simply offer a thought experiment. Did the power resident in the gospel impact those who rejected it? We know it did with the saints!

Holy Spirit

Here is the person of the message and the power.

A short witness of my history regarding the Spirit of God. Many years ago, as I was struggling with understanding the message of the charismatic movement, a dear brother once quipped that the Holy Spirit is the silent member of the Trinity. By saying this he was referring to the relative number of time the Word of God speaks of the Holy Spirit being referred to in the Word. He did not intend to communicate, as far as I understood, that the Holy Spirit did not communicate to God’s people. It was just that the communication the Spirit of God provided was to glorify Jesus, not Himself.

Consider

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

As I have sought to understand and follow Jesus, many distractions and tripping opportunities have been provided to me. When the Spirit of God reminds me of Jesus and His life, His teaching, His authority, His resurrection, His glory and His love, I am confident in the message is from the Spirit of God. There are many who seek a following, both man and spirit, but it is the Spirit of God that provides the life and teaching of Jesus in a living way to believers as they seek to honor God.

It is truly an amazing life to live, a life that is not dependent on me being good, but on listening and accepting the truth of His goodness, and out of a heart of thankfulness and wonder worshipping such a great Messiah.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

He will change us as we look to Him!

It is a common understanding that what/who we worship is what type of people we eventually become. For the believer, the Spirit of God provides us the day to day message of the Messiah, of His worthiness and His ministry in our lives. To worship the Living God is to become more and more like Him in His loving, self sacrificing nature, of His commitment to truth, for He is the Truth, and of His resurrecting power that is the core of our faith.

Much Assurance

Assurance. First off, may I suggest that assurance and security are two different concepts.

Security, specifically eternal security in relation to our faith is a topic that I have discussed on this blog numerous times since 2019. For a sampling of passages I have addressed, consider Conditional Security – Passage List.

Regarding assurance, may I suggest that assurance in a continuing work of the Spirit. February 19th of 1981, as I bowed my knee and confessed my sin, The Spirit of God provided me assurance of salvation by the Risen Lord. Surety of salvation was real, to the point I was willing to enter a building on fire to help someone if trapped. (If I haven’t told the story, and any are interested, let me know.)

As I have faltered and failed through my walk with Him, my assurance ebbed and flowed also. As I focused on my own abilities, needs, wants and desires, I found my assurance waned also. As I refocused on the Messiah, and centered on Him, I found my assurance being reestablished based on His abilities and not my own.

Assurance is an obedience issue. On the other hand, security, (that is eternal security), may sometimes become for the believer a crutch to depend on, understanding that the initial faith in the Messiah is a binding contract between God and the “believer”. Eternal Security may even an opportunity to avoid the Word of the Savior, thinking that refusal of obeying will only cost a crown in heaven and not the entrance to it.

My friend, if you are of the persuasion of the OSAS teaching, that is of the Once Saved Always Saved thinking, be sure you test it, as the apostle directs us later in this letter.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.

Do not, as I have in my previous experience, depend a select number of verses without considering the opposing view. Be diligent in your study, and face difficult passages that will challenge your current thinking. Our faith is a life of repentance, not only in moral issues, but also in our understanding of the ways of God.

Nevertheless, in each of our understandings of the message of the gospel, we are to look to Him for all things, encourage those we come in contact with, and exhort those who are claiming a faith they are not living.

He is the One we are to look to and it is from the Spirit of God that we will receive the direction we so desperately need to honor the Father!

---

Follow Considering the Bible on WordPress.com

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.