Friday, August 13, 2010

The First Epistle of Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians

The First Epistle of Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians

Notes:

3 times the evangélion (the gospel or message of good news, that Jesus, the prophesied and promised Messiah of Israel, has come and has become the Savior of Jew and Gentile alike by His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to heaven) is noted as not having originated with men, but from the living God directly, with power, conviction and the Holy Spirit, entrusted to and to be delivered by the apostles to the world. Those in the world who place their trust in the evangélion, like the Thessalonians, are elected to partake of salvation and now are incorporated into the invisible church, and on the local level, can form into church congregations.

5 times the maturity of the Thessalonians is attested to by Apostle Paul: that they are not in need of added instruction, but that their faith is still resounding, as it was in the early days of their discipleship, which produced faith, love and hope thru work, labor and perseverance.

Twice, Apostle Paul testifies that the Thessalonians have become imitators of the apostles, imitators of the Jewish churches in Judea, and even imitators of the Lord Jesus Himself, because they have suffered similar tribution as the aforementioned three have. The result of this is that they have become a pattern for the other churches in Macedonia and Achaia to emulate.

4 times the prayers and thanksgivings of the apostles are mentioned, concerning the Thessalonians, who are the crown and joy of the apostles; a proof before the Father that the apostles labor has not been vain but has produced fruit and the proper result.

The parousía (the second coming or appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ) is made mention towards the end of each chapter, for a total of 5 times, and 8 times in all throughout the letter.

No comments:

Post a Comment