1 and 2 Thessalonians and Titus: Living Faithfully in View of Christ's Coming

By John F. MacArthur

Pastor John MacArthur will take you through the Thessalonians and the short letter to Titus, passage by passage, so that you can better understand Paul's audience, his message, and his reminder to live a life of faithfulness.

Like a tender shepherd, Paul wrote the letters of 1 & 2 Thessalonians to the church he founded in the large city of Thessalonica. These were friends he knew, loved, and missed. His purpose in writing was to thank them for their work of faith, their labor of love, and their continued hope in the Lord Jesus Christ . . . and His coming again.

Similarly, Paul's letter to Titus—a young pastor in Crete—is filled with personal affirmation, counsel, and guidance on how to prepare church leaders for effective evangelism. These letters of instruction are as inspirational for us today as they were for these first-century Christ followers.

—ABOUT THE SERIES—

The MacArthur Bible Study series is designed to help you study the Word of God with guidance from widely respected pastor and author John MacArthur. Each guide provides intriguing examinations of the whole of Scripture by examining its parts and incorporates:

• Extensive, but straight-forward commentary on the text.
• Detailed observations on overriding themes, timelines, history, and context.
• Word and phrase studies to help you unlock the broader meaning and apply it to your life.
• Probing, interactive questions with plenty of space to write down your response and thoughts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: May 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9780718035327

John F. MacArthur

Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker. He has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four married children and fifteen grandchildren. John's pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly two thousand English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, and digital recordings by John MacArthur. John is chancellor of The Master's University and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Bestselling titles include The Gospel  According to Jesus, Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, Slave, and The MacArthur Study Bible, a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION TO 1 THESSALONIANS

In the Greek New Testament, 1 Thessalonians is listed literally as "To the Thessalonians." This represents the apostle Paul’s first canonical correspondence to the church in the city of Thessalonica.

AUTHOR AND DATE

The apostle Paul identified himself twice as the author of this letter (1:1; 2:18). Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy (3:2, 6), Paul’s traveling companions on the second missionary journey, when the church was founded (Acts 17:1–9), were also mentioned in Paul’s greeting (1:1). Though Paul was the single inspired author, most of the first-person plural pronouns (we, us, our) refer to all three men. However, during Timothy’s visit back to Thessalonica, they refer only to Paul and Silvanus (3:1, 2, 6). Paul commonly used such editorial plurals because the letters came with the full support of his companions.

Paul’s authorship has not been questioned until recently by radical critics. Their attempts to undermine Pauline authorship has failed in light of the combined weight of evidence favoring Paul, such as: (1) the direct assertions of Paul’s authorship (1:1; 2:18); (2) the letter’s perfect correlation with Paul’s travels in Acts 16–18; (3) the multitude of intimate details regarding Paul; and (4) the confirmation by multiple, early historical verifications, starting with Marcion’s canon in AD 140.

The first of Paul’s two letters written from Corinth to the church at Thessalonica is dated ca. AD 51. This date has been archeologically verified by an inscription in the temple of Apollos at Delphi (near Corinth) which dates Gallio’s service as proconsul in Achaia to AD 51–52 (Acts 18:12–17). Since Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia was probably written ca. AD 49–50, this was his second piece of canonical correspondence.

BACKGROUND AND SETTING

Thessalonica (modern Salonica) lies near the ancient site of Therma on the Thermaic Gulf at the northern reaches of the Aegean Sea. This city became the capital of Macedonia (ca. 168 BC) and enjoyed the status of a free city, which was ruled by its own citizenry (Acts 17:6) under the Roman Empire. Because it was located on the main east-west highway, Via Egnatia, Thessalonica served as the hub of political and commercial activity in Macedonia and became known as the mother of all Macedonia. The population in Paul’s day reached 200,000 people.

Paul had originally traveled 100 miles from Philippi via Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica on his second missionary journey (AD 50; Acts 16:1–18:22). As was his custom upon arrival, he sought out the synagogue in which to teach the local Jews the gospel (Acts 17:1–2). On that occasion, he dialogued with them from the Old Testament concerning Christ’s death and resurrection in order to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the promised Messiah (Acts 17:2, 3). Some Jews believed, and soon after Hellenistic proselytes and some wealthy women of the community also were converted (Acts 17:4). Mentioned among these new believers were Jason (Acts 17:5), Gaius (Acts 19:29), Aristarchus (Acts 20:4), and Segundus (Acts 20:4).

Because of their effective ministry, the Jews had Paul’s team evicted from the city (Acts 17:5–9), so they went south to evangelize Berea (Acts 17:10). There Paul had a similar experience to Thessalonica, with conversions followed by hostility; so the believers sent Paul away. He headed for Athens, while Silvanus and Timothy remained in Berea (Acts 17:11–14). They rejoined Paul in Athens (see Acts 17:15, 16 with 3:1), from which Timothy was later dispatched back to Thessalonica (3:2). Apparently, Silas traveled afterwards from Athens to Philippi while Paul journeyed alone to Corinth (Acts 18:1). It was after Timothy and Silvanus rejoined Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:5), that he wrote 1 Thessalonians in response to Timothy’s good report of the church.

Paul undoubtedly had multiple reasons for writing, all coming out of his supreme concern for the flock from which he had been separated. Some of Paul’s purposes clearly included: (1) encouraging the church (1:2–10); (2) answering false allegations (2:1–12); (3) comforting the persecuted flock (2:13–16); (4) expressing his joy in their faith (2:17–3:13); (5) reminding them of the importance of moral purity (4:1–8); (6) condemning the sluggard lifestyle (4:9–12); (7) correcting a wrong understanding of prophetic events (4:13–5:11); (8) defusing tensions within the flock (5:12–15); and (9) exhorting the flock in the basics of Christian living (5:16–22).

HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL THEMES

Both letters to Thessalonica have been referred to as the eschatological epistles. However, in light of their more extensive focus upon the church, they would better be categorized as the church epistles. Five major themes are woven together in 1 Thessalonians: (1) an apologetic theme with the historical correlation between Acts and 1 Thessalonians; (2) an ecclesiastical theme with the portrayal of a healthy, growing church; (3) a pastoral theme with the example of shepherding activities and attitudes; (4) an eschatological theme with the focus on future events as the church’s hope; and (5) a missionary theme with the emphasis on gospel proclamation and church planting.

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

Primarily the challenges for understanding this epistle involve the sections that are eschatological in nature: (1) the coming wrath (1:10; 5:9); (2) Christ’s return (2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23); (3) the rapture of the church (4:13–18); and (4) the meaning and time of the Day of the Lord (5:1–11).

NOTES

[Your Response Here]

1

A VIBRANT CHURCH

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10

DRAWING NEAR

When it comes to communicating with friends and loved ones, are you more of a letter writer, an e-mailer, a pick-up-the-phone-and-call person, or a let’s-visit-face-to-face person?

[Your Response Here]

If you were to a write a letter to your church family, what God-honoring traits and practices would you praise?

[Your Response Here]

THE CONTEXT

Paul carried on his shoulders an overwhelming burden of responsibility and care for all the churches. In view of such heavy responsibilities, it must have been refreshing for Paul to minister to the Thessalonian Christians, whom he deemed worthy of commendation and encouragement.

He began his first letter with a recognition of their Christian virtues. He arranged them under two categories: the Thessalonians’ present condition (a faith that works, a love that labors, a steadfastness of hope) and their past conversion (a reception of the gospel in power and the Holy Spirit, a genuine imitation of the Lord, a joyful endurance in tribulation, a behavior that exemplifies all believers, a proclamation of the Word everywhere, a total transformation from idolatry, and an expectant looking for the return of Christ). Between those two lists, Paul paused to affirm his understanding that the church in Thessalonica was part of God’s elect.

KEYS TO THE TEXT

Election by God: The church is commonly called the elect (see Rom. 8:33 and Col. 3:12). In salvation, God, not man, is the initiator. Our will participates in response to God’s promptings, as Paul makes clear when he says the Thessalonians received the Word and they turned to God from idols (vv. 6, 9). These two responses describe faith and repentance, which God repeatedly calls sinners to do throughout Scripture. In His own sovereign plan, God has chosen some Jews—and some Gentiles—but not all, for salvation. Election unto spiritual life is unrelated to any human effort and is based only on the prerogative of God who makes His selection.

Wait: This word used by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 comes from the Greek word anamenein, meaning to wait for, expect. It is used only here in the New Testament and refers to expectant waiting—sustained, patient, trusting waiting. Waiting is a recurring theme in the Thessalonian letters.

To have an expectant looking for Jesus’ return from heaven is just one more important aspect in this first chapter that defines a Christian.

UNLEASHING THE TEXT

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10, noting the key words and definitions next to the passage.

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10 (NKJV)

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Silvanus (v. 1)—a companion of Paul on the second missionary journey (Acts 15–18), later a writer for Peter (1 Pet. 5:12), also called Silas

Timothy (v. 1)—Paul’s most notable disciple (Phil. 2:17–23) who traveled on the second and third missionary journeys and stayed near Paul during his first Roman imprisonment (Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; Philem. 1). Later he served in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3) and spent some time in prison (Heb. 13:23). Paul’s first letter to Timothy, while he was ministering in the church at Ephesus, instructed him regarding life in the church (see 1 Tim. 3:15). In his second letter, as he faced death and was about to turn his ministry over to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:1–8), Paul called Timothy to be strong (2 Tim. 2:1) and faithfully preach.

2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,

our prayers (v. 2)—Paul and his companions prayed frequently for the entire flock; three of those prayers are offered in this letter (1:2–3; 3:11–13; 5:23–24).

3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

work of faith (v. 3)—The threefold combination of faith, hope, and love is a Pauline favorite (5:8; 1 Cor. 13:13; Col. 1:4–5). Paul refers here to the fulfillment of ministry duties which resulted from these three spiritual attitudes (see vv. 9–10).