Paul and Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
Truth to Learn
All Christians can know peace in the midst of attack.
Behind the Words
“Church” is translated from the Greek word ekklēsia, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” and a form of the verb kaleō, meaning “to call.” It literally refers to “the called out ones.” Originally, this word referred to an assembly of citizens who were called out by civil authorities. It is used throughout the New Testament, however, to refer to the church, either a local assembly or the world-wide church.
The word “Thessalonians” is transliterated (not translated, but moved directly from Greek into English) from the Greek word Thessalonikeus. The city of Thessalonica, located on the coast of Macedonia (northern Greece), was built beside a large natural harbor on the Aegean Sea. At the time of this letter it was the capital of Macedonia with a population of about 200,000 people. It was located on the Via Egnatia (the main east-west highway of the Roman Empire),.
Meaning Explained
Paul starts off this letter with a very short introduction, shorter than most of his letters. He indicates that it comes not just from him, but from Silvanus and Timothy as well.
Silvanus, also called Silas, was Paul’s chosen companion for his second missionary journey (Acts 15:40). Also, in the fifteenth chapter of Acts we find that Silas is referred to as a prophet (Acts 15:32). It is believed by some that he is also the Silvanus mentioned as the scribe of Peter’s first general epistle (1Peter 5:12), but this has not been historically verified. We first encounter Silvanus (Silas) in Acts 15:22 where he was chosen by the apostles and elders of the church in Jerusalem to accompany Paul and Barnabas in carrying an important letter to the church at Antioch. This same Silvanus was the one imprisoned with Paul in Philippi where they prayed and sang hymns together, resulting in the conversion of their jailer (Acts 16:15-34).
Timothy was also a constant companion to the Apostle Paul. His name is mentioned in all of Paul’s letters with the exception of those to the Galatians and the Ephesians. Although a younger man, the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother, he had a good reputation among those who knew him (Acts 16:1, 2). After their short stay in Thessalonica, while Paul was ministering in Corinth, Timothy was the one whom he chose to return to Thessalonica to establish and comfort the church members there.
Paul’s opening message to the Thessalonian church is one of grace and peace. These two represent the source and the result of our salvation. For by grace we are saved (Ephesians 2:5), and this salvation results in a peace that is beyond our understanding (Philippians 4:7). His desire of peace for them is especially important given the persecution and confusion that existed in the church at that time.
Application
This letter was intended to provide peace and comfort to Christians who are under attack from within and without. Let’s study it carefully to know this peace that Paul proclaims.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved