Faith & Reason Nexus

AUTHOR: Paul

TIME WRITTEN: A.D. 51, from Corinth

POSITION IN THE BIBLE:

• 52nd Book in the Bible
• 13th Book in the New Testament
• 8th of 21 Epistle Books (Romans – Jude)
• 1st of Paul’s 13 letters
• 14 Books to follow it

CHAPTERS: 4
VERSES: 89
WORDS: 1,875

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT 1 THESSALONIANS:

• Paul’s First Letter: 1 Thessalonians is not only the first of two letters to the church at Thessalonica, but it is also Paul’s first letter overall. His second letter, 2 Thessalonians, followed soon after.
• Establishing the Church: Paul established the congregation at Thessalonica during his second missionary journey, staying there for about a month. His departure was abrupt due to forced separation.
• Concern for the Church: After leaving, Paul grew increasingly concerned about the young church’s faith. Upon receiving a favorable report from Timothy regarding their progress, Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians to encourage and instruct them.
• Key Themes:
• Paul commends the Thessalonian believers for remaining steadfast under difficult afflictions.
• He exhorts them to continue growing in their Christian walk.
• Paul consoles them regarding the death of Christian loved ones.
• He encourages them to increase in brotherly love, to pray, to rejoice, and to give thanks always.
• Customary Greetings: In his salutation, Paul combines the customary Greek greeting “grace” with the Hebrew greeting “peace.”
• The Second Coming of Christ: A significant portion of 1 Thessalonians focuses on the Second Coming of Christ, a theme prevalent in 23 of the 27 New Testament books. In the New Testament, 370 out of 7,959 verses (approximately 1 in every 21 verses) reference Christ’s return.
• Thessalonica: The city of Thessalonica was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. It was a prominent seaport situated on the major northern military highway from Rome to the east, located about 100 miles west of Philippi.
• Notable Verse: “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)