BRUCE C WEARNE looks at a passage in which Paul gives thanks for the church at Thessalonica…
We are ever giving thanks for you, continually remembering you in our prayers, bringing to mind – before the God and Father of us all – your work of faith and your labour of love, your patient endurance in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing [as we do], brothers [and sisters] belovèd of God, your election and the circumstances thereof. – I Thessalonians 1:2-4/transliteration Bruce C Wearne.
Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) today is the second most populous city in Greece. PICTURE: Eugene Zagidullin (licensed under CC BY 2.0)
“[B]elievers in Christ Jesus at Thessalonica had, by the anointing of God’s Spirit, found the fulfilment of the Law and the prophets when they embraced the Good News about Jesus Christ. In truth they had embraced Christ Himself in the conviction that they had now, through the Son, come within the family embrace of God the Father.”
In our translation of these two letters we have consistently noted that when the Greek says “brothers” we are to mean the entire congregation, male and female. The term is actually inclusive of the “sisters”. It is a familial term referring to all with household rights. In the household of God, there is neither male nor female exalted over the other but all are one in Christ Jesus.
And in this particular instance our assertion of this can be confirmed by what Luke tells us in Acts 17:4 – the congregation of the church of the Thessalonians included a number of wealthy Greek women. This demographic pattern could also be observed in the young congregation of Beroea where the apostle and his associates had been taken to stay out of harm’s way when persecution erupted at Thessalonica.
Now in the midst of that persecution, there were those – especially one fellow identified as Jason – who were prepared to take a stand and defend those who had proclaimed this Good News about Jesus Christ. Jason was a spokesperson for a group who had accepted this proclamation on the basis of a careful re-consideration of Biblical teaching.
That, no doubt, is part of the “work of faith, the labour of love, the patient endurance” that is referred to here. But the letter is much more than a “thankyou for standing with is” note. It is that. And an explicit statement of that is to come (verses 5 to 10), but first there is a commendation Paul is eager to make.
Their joint study of the Law and the prophets confirmed God’s choosing of these believers in Christ before the persecution broke out. Now, we might ask, what are we to make of the phrase: “the circumstances by which your election became evident”?
When on one Sabbath, some years before, Jesus read from Scripture’s scroll in his hometown of Nazareth, it was about the disclosure to God’s people of the Spirit’s anointing of the “humble servant of the Lord”. “Today in your hearing”, Jesus said, “this reading is finally and definitively fulfilled”. And thus arose a persistent public ambivalence toward Jesus.
Likewise, believers in Christ Jesus at Thessalonica had, by the anointing of God’s Spirit, found the fulfilment of the Law and the prophets when they embraced the Good News about Jesus Christ. In truth they had embraced Christ Himself in the conviction that they had now, through the Son, come within the family embrace of God the Father (4:9).
This is a letter that is part of the family’s inheritance. It is also a treasure for us because it has become an important part of our life. God has chosen not only that we be part of the Good News, but that the Good News is truly an ongoing part of our lives.
OPEN BOOK: I THESSALONIANS – GIVING THANKS FOR THE BRETHREN
BRUCE C WEARNE looks at a passage in which Paul gives thanks for the church at Thessalonica…
We are ever giving thanks for you, continually remembering you in our prayers, bringing to mind – before the God and Father of us all – your work of faith and your labour of love, your patient endurance in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing [as we do], brothers [and sisters] belovèd of God, your election and the circumstances thereof. – I Thessalonians 1:2-4/transliteration Bruce C Wearne.
Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) today is the second most populous city in Greece. PICTURE: Eugene Zagidullin (licensed under CC BY 2.0)
“[B]elievers in Christ Jesus at Thessalonica had, by the anointing of God’s Spirit, found the fulfilment of the Law and the prophets when they embraced the Good News about Jesus Christ. In truth they had embraced Christ Himself in the conviction that they had now, through the Son, come within the family embrace of God the Father.”
In our translation of these two letters we have consistently noted that when the Greek says “brothers” we are to mean the entire congregation, male and female. The term is actually inclusive of the “sisters”. It is a familial term referring to all with household rights. In the household of God, there is neither male nor female exalted over the other but all are one in Christ Jesus.
And in this particular instance our assertion of this can be confirmed by what Luke tells us in Acts 17:4 – the congregation of the church of the Thessalonians included a number of wealthy Greek women. This demographic pattern could also be observed in the young congregation of Beroea where the apostle and his associates had been taken to stay out of harm’s way when persecution erupted at Thessalonica.
Now in the midst of that persecution, there were those – especially one fellow identified as Jason – who were prepared to take a stand and defend those who had proclaimed this Good News about Jesus Christ. Jason was a spokesperson for a group who had accepted this proclamation on the basis of a careful re-consideration of Biblical teaching.
That, no doubt, is part of the “work of faith, the labour of love, the patient endurance” that is referred to here. But the letter is much more than a “thankyou for standing with is” note. It is that. And an explicit statement of that is to come (verses 5 to 10), but first there is a commendation Paul is eager to make.
Their joint study of the Law and the prophets confirmed God’s choosing of these believers in Christ before the persecution broke out. Now, we might ask, what are we to make of the phrase: “the circumstances by which your election became evident”?
When on one Sabbath, some years before, Jesus read from Scripture’s scroll in his hometown of Nazareth, it was about the disclosure to God’s people of the Spirit’s anointing of the “humble servant of the Lord”. “Today in your hearing”, Jesus said, “this reading is finally and definitively fulfilled”. And thus arose a persistent public ambivalence toward Jesus.
Likewise, believers in Christ Jesus at Thessalonica had, by the anointing of God’s Spirit, found the fulfilment of the Law and the prophets when they embraced the Good News about Jesus Christ. In truth they had embraced Christ Himself in the conviction that they had now, through the Son, come within the family embrace of God the Father (4:9).
This is a letter that is part of the family’s inheritance. It is also a treasure for us because it has become an important part of our life. God has chosen not only that we be part of the Good News, but that the Good News is truly an ongoing part of our lives.
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