1 Thessalonians
Introduction
Possibly the first
letter written by Paul, Thessalonians was written in the early 50 s A.D.
Thessalonica was an
ancient city, named after the daughter of King Philip, father of Alexander the
Great.The former name of the city was Thermae, which was defeated by Philip in his victory over
the Thessalians.
Thessalonica was
located on the coast, a seaport in today s eastern Greece and remained so until conquered
in the 1400 s by the Turks
The story of the
Thessalonians picks up in the early 50 s A.D., when Paul and Silas visited the
city and introduced the gospel to the people there, Acts 17.
The Jews there were set
into an uproar when Paul taught that the gentiles could possess the same
salvation benefits but without the requirements of the Levitical laws. Thus Paul was run out of town, escaping to
Athens and from there, on to Corinth.
Hearing good news from
Timothy and Silas, regarding the success of their conversions of gentiles (not
so much in the Jewish folks), it was then that Paul wrote the first letter to
the Thessalonians and that was followed shortly thereafter by the second
letter.
These letters were
written to comfort and encourage the Thessalonians, and to give them instructions
in the spiritual life, and to clarify some of the mistaken beliefs that they
had of the day of judgment. The subject of 1 Thessalonians is waiting. And
the subject of the second letter is sin.
1 Thessalonians Outline (New
Unger's Bible Dictionary)
I. Salutation (1:1)
II. The exemplary church (1)
A.
Gratitude for the Thessalonians (1:2-4)
B.
Operation of the gospel among them (1:5-10)
III. The exemplary minister (2)
A.
Paul's ministry at Thessalonica (2:1-12)
B.
The Thessalonians' response (2:13-16)
C.
The apostle's subsequent relations with the Thessalonians (2:17-20)
IV. The exemplary brother (3)
A.
Apostolic concern and their welfare (3:1-8)
B.
The apostolic intercession (3:9-13)
V. Exemplary walk (4)
A.
The walk described (4:1-12)
B.
The coming of Christ, the dynamic of a holy walk (4:13-18)
VI. Exemplary watchfulness and the Day of the
Lord (5:1-24)
A.
The Day of the Lord and the need for watchfulness (5:1-11)
B.
Duties of church and private life (5:12-22)
C.
Prayer for sanctification (5:23-24)
VII. Conclusion (5:25-28)
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