The Hope of the Gospel (Past: The Thessalonians' Conversion)

“If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.” (Colossians 1:23) This verse could almost serve as the key verse for the Thessalonian letters; especially 1 Thessalonians. In the heart of the verse we have the hope of the gospel, that hope that is founded on and grows out of God's word, a hope for the future. And we have the exhortation to live and act in a certain way in the present so that we will not lose out on that hope. But there is also a reference to the past. The Colossians didn't simply have this hope innately. They hadn't come up with it on their own. They had heard it through the general preaching of the Christian church, the preaching of men like Paul.

And that is true of Thessalonians as well. These books are focused on hope, on the hope of the gospel, the hope we have for what God will do in the future. But that hope also requires and implies that we will act in a certain way in the present; that, so to speak, we must act in a certain way to hold true to that hope. But that hope doesn't exist in a vacuum. The Thessalonians (like the Colossians) didn't have hope just because they were naturally upbeat, optimistic people; they didn't have it because they chose out of pure volition to have hope in defiance of probability. They had a history.

I want to use this as our outline to study these books--we have the future, the present, and the past. That past, specifically, is the Thessalonians' past. This gives the context and explains how and why the Thessalonians had this hope in the first place and why Paul was in a position to be telling them about it. This first section tells specifically how it was that the Thessalonians came to know and embrace the gospel—because you cannot have the hope of the gospel without the gospel.

"Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: so that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: but even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention." (1 Thessalonians 1:4-2:2)

Several years after Paul's conversion, he and Barnabas were sent out by the church at Antioch to go on a missionary tour. This was probably around AD 47. At the end of the tour, they returned to Antioch and this is probably when Paul wrote the book of Galatians to correct the error that had crept into these new churches. Following this, he journeyed to Jerusalem to attend the Jerusalem Council which discussed the place of Gentiles within the church. The conclusion of the church was the fact that Gentiles could be saved by faith without being part of the Jewish covenant. “Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren.” (Acts 15:22) Silas and Judas were to travel with Paul and Barnabas to tell the people of Antioch about the church's decision. This is our first introduction to Silas; we know him as someone described as a “chief man” and well enough trusted and respected by the Jerusalem church to act as their representative. He was assumably a Jew but he also seems to have been a Roman citizen, like Paul.

So Judas and Silas went to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. Judas returned to Jerusalem shortly afterward, but Silas remained. And then: “And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.” (Acts 15:36) Paul wanted to go back and visit the churches they had started during the first missionary journey. He may have particularly been concerned with seeing how the Galatian churches had dealt with false teaching and the rebuke of his letter. (Acts 16:4 mentions that Paul specifically made a point of spreading the decision of the Jerusalem Council concerning the Gentiles which makes sense if this had been a controversial issue in these churches.) Paul's initial plan was to travel again with Barnabas, but when that didn't work out, he chose Silas. This is what is called Paul's Second Missionary Journey.

Paul began by preaching to the cities he had preached in before, including Lystra where he met Timothy and brought him onto the team. It seems after they had finished their preaching tour, Paul wanted to travel west into the area of western Turkey or what was then known as Asia. However, God prevented Paul—probably by a direct revelation or possibly by circumstances. Paul then traveled north towards Bithynia, but once again, God prevented him. So in the end Paul came to Troas, where Luke seems to have joined the team.

And at Troas, on the coast of the Aegean Sea, Paul received a vision: “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” (Acts 16:9) The picture seems to be that the minute Paul woke up the next morning, he was packing his bags and buying his ticket. He took a boat to Neapolis in Macedonia (which would be northern Greece in modern geography) and traveled to Philippi. He seems to have had a successful time in Philippi and founded a church which he would continue to have a good relationship with during his future ministry.

However, events took a turn for the worse. In our text, Paul speaks of being shamefully entreated or suffering “ill-treatment and insult” as the MNT puts it. Acts 16:22-23 describes exactly what happened: “And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely.”

Paul and Silas were thrown into prison; then they were supernaturally delivered from prison and then were naturally delivered. When the authorities found out that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens (and that they had beaten and imprisoned them without formal trial), they were afraid of possible repercussions and so pleaded with them to leave the city. Paul agreed and after a farewell to the church, he and Barnabas left. (Luke appears to have stayed behind or gone on another journey. It is not clear whether or not Timothy accompanied Paul or not. He may have caught up later.)

And all of that brings us to Acts 17:1: “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews.” Paul traveled west to the city of Thessalonica. Thessalonica was an important city because it lay one one of the made roads of the day and had a good harbor. Kostenberger says that it was “the largest and most important city in Macedonia” at this time.

We don't know how long Paul was in Thessalonica, but we do know that while he was there, he (and Silas) preached. And all of that brings us back to our text. This text describes how “our gospel came... unto you.” This is how the the people of Thessalonica came to hear of Christianity; how they came to be in the position to receive these letters in the first place—this is how they first received the hope of the gospel.

In looking at this, we should notice how the gospel came—it came through Paul (and Silas) and it came with boldness. Paul says “We were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention” or “in spite of much opposition” as the NET Bible translates it. 

And this is why all of that history matters. Just looking at those words “we were bold... to speak unto you the gospel”--it doesn't mean that much. But it meant so much more to the people of Thessalonica. They knew that Paul showed up in their city straight from being publicly beaten in the next city down the road because of his preaching. (Thessalonica and Philippi were close enough and had easy enough access to each other that the news probably spread between them even without Paul specifically bringing it up.) It is possible that when Paul arrived, he was still experiencing physical difficulties because of his treatment. They knew what Paul had gone through because of the gospel; and we also know that in Thessalonica there was opposition, especially from the Jews.

And yet despite all that, Paul was bold to preach the gospel. He was an example of courage in the face of opposition. He was willing to take risks and suffer for the sake of the gospel. 

But you can be courageous for many reasons. You must be as brave to spread an unpopular lie as to spread an unpopular truth. But there was something more to the gospel than simple human courage. Verse 5 says the gospel came not only in word, not merely by Paul's preaching but “also in power, and in the Holy Ghost.” There was a spiritual power at work. Perhaps that means some kind of miraculous manifestation, as we see elsewhere in Paul's journeys. Or perhaps it means something more internal—that God's Spirit witnessed and worked within the hearts and souls of the Thessalonians. Either way, the gospel came with God's power.

We see both human and divine action at work in Thessalonica. God used Paul and Paul relied upon God. There was human boldness and divine power. That was how the gospel came.

How did the Thessalonians react to this gospel?

They reacted with faith. Verse 5 says that the gospel came “in much assurance.” Barnes paraphrases that: “That is, with firm conviction, or full persuasion of its truth.” He goes on: “It was not embraced as a doubtful thing, and it did not produce the effect on the mind which is caused by anything that is uncertain in its character... There was the firmest conviction of its truth, and they embraced it "heart and soul."” (1Th 1:5) Verse 6 says that they “received the word.” Maybe I'm reading too much into that, but I think it is significant that they received the word, that is, God's word, the gospel. Why that is significant is that not everyone did receive it. Some of those who heard it—some even in Thessalonica—heard the word and rejected it. But these ones, these within the church—they received it; they were convinced of its truth and so accepted it—all of which is to say, they had faith. 

And this faith led to a change. Verse 6: “Ye became followers of us, and of the Lord.” We know that Paul's audience at Thessalonica included both Jews and Gentiles. These were people of very different backgrounds and ethnicity and previous religious experience. But when they heard the gospel, they changed from their past; they started living a way that was different from how they had lived before.

Note verse 9, where Paul tells how the Thessalonians “turned from idols to serve the living and true God.” The Gentiles among the converts had once served various idols—there were many to choose from in the first-century Greco-Roman religious world—but now they had turned from that. They had given up their idols in favor of the true God.

Perhaps for the Jews among them, the change wasn't quite as dramatic. Indeed, for those Jews who were truly and to the best of their knowledge following God, embracing the gospel may have been a simple and easy matter. But for all of them, there was a change.

What else did this change entail? It involved courage. When Paul speaks of them receiving God's word in verse 6 he says they received it “in much affliction.” 

We already talked about some of the persecution Paul went through—it was persecution that specifically had led to him being in Thessalonica in the first place. He continued to experience persecution while in Thessalonica. And it was persecution that ultimately led to his leaving Thessalonica.

Paul was the epicenter of this persecution since he was the leading missionary. It's easy to forget that it probably spread to his converts as well. But look at the events which forced Paul to leave the city: “But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.” (Acts 17:5-6)

Paul's enemies among the Jews formed a mob to cause problems for Paul and Silas—and when Paul wasn't around to bother, they moved their attack to Jason, the Thessalonian man with whom Paul was saying—perhaps it was his house that Paul was using for a church since he seemingly was no longer allowed in the synagogue at this point. Either way, this man had his house attacked and he was dragged into court where a mob accused him of causing trouble or even treason—accusations strong enough to cause uneasiness among the city leaders. Acts 17:9 tells of their course of action: “And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.” It's not 100% clear what is meant by taking security, but most think this was a bond, a sum of money put up by Jason to guarantee the good behavior of Paul.

This was the experience Jason had because of his willingness to accept the gospel and provide hospitality to Paul and Silas. It is not much of a stretch to imagine that at least some persecution and opposition was coming among most of the Christians in the city. And yet, despite all that, they chose to accept and believe the gospel. Paul preached with boldness and the Thessalonians heard with boldness.

And yet, despite all this, they had joy. Verse 6: they received the word “with joy of the Holy Ghost.” They had found something great enough to bring them joy even while they were suffering. 

And this change in the Thessalonians was great enough that it provided a witness to others. Verses 7-9 speak of how people all over the area saw the change that had happened in their life, their faith in God, and their rejection of their old life. Paul says that the word “sounded out.” Robertson says that this word calls up the picture of something like the call of a trumpet or the crash of thunder, something that sounds and reverberates and echoes. (Robertson's Word Pictured, 1Th 1:8) Their life was the trumpet which did not give an uncertain sound. This was their example, but Barnes thinks this also implies that they were actively sending out workers to tell of what God had done for them.

And all of this was done in hope. Verse 10 describes the Thessalonians turning from their sins to serve God “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” This is one of those verses where Paul squeezes a lot of doctrine into a very small space. But the main thing to notice is that the Thessalonians had hope. Paul describes this hope both positively and negatively, showing both what they did and did not have to look forward to. What they did not look forward to—or, better, what they did not have to fear, was the wrath to come. A time was coming when judgment would be poured out on the world, but they had deliverance from that; they had hope of safety. On the other hand, they had something to look forward to, to hope for--and that was to see Jesus. Here Paul doesn't delve into the whens and hows of that yet. The point is just that they had hope.

And while Paul doesn't go deeper into it here, it is worth noting how he connects this future hope with the past fact of Jesus' resurrection. The historical facts of the incarnation and resurrection are the anchor and foundation of our future hope. This truth—the incarnation of Christ, His death, and resurrection—is the gospel Paul preached everywhere; it was the gospel specifically that he preached at Thessalonica. Luke records this regarding his ministry there: “Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.” (Acts 17:3) And that is the doctrine which is the foundation of the Christian's hope.

It is interesting to note that, in describing the Thessalonians' conversion, Paul says not only that they became followers of the Lord but of him. Paul, as the leader of the missionary team, the one bringing the gospel to these people, was the example they had of Christianity. This was the only practical example they had to work with. This was something Paul was aware of and he tried to live so that he was an example worth following; this is a point that comes up again later in the Thessalonian letters. Note verse 5 where Paul makes a point of reminding them of the example he set: this is how the NET Bible translates it: “(surely you recall the character we displayed when we came among you to help you)” He tried to leave a lasting good example. And I bring that up here because if we look at these points—these things which were evident in the life of the Thessalonians after their conversion—they are all things we see clearly in the life of Paul. 

Now we come back to the very first verse of this passage: “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” Or, as Weymouth translates it: “knowing as we do, brethren, that you are beloved by God and that He has chosen you.” BBE: “Being conscious, my brothers, dear to God, that you have been marked out by God's purpose.” They were among God's chosen people.

Obviously, that statement raises some controversial questions: what makes someone chosen by God? Is this choice of God's absolute or could anybody be chosen? We went over some of this back in Romans and we aren't going to retread that here, because here that isn't the main point. The point is that God does have a people and that the Thessalonians were among that people. This doesn't mean, necessarily, that every single person in the church was a true Christian, but it does mean that the church as a whole was a true, living church of Christ.

How could Paul be sure of that? How could Paul say he knew that? Because of everything else that we just talked about--because of what God was doing in them and through them--because they had accepted the gospel and acted upon that belief. This was evidence that they were truly among God's people. They were in God's army because they were wearing His uniform. These things, which had followed on Paul's preaching, was proof of the genuineness of their experience and the genuineness of the gospel which brought about it.

This is the context we have to remember as we read Thessalonians. This is a letter written to the church. It was written to a specific church, but in a more general sense, it is written to all of the church—all those who are among God's chosen people as evidenced by a change of life. But it is not written for everyone. As Arminians, we believe that the gospel and therefore the hope of the gospel is open to everyone. But we shouldn't let that belief devolve into a formless optimism. The hope is the hope of the gospel and therefore it is operative only for and in those who have embraced the gospel.