Receiving the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13-15)
In the previous section (2:1-12), Paul had been rehearsing the manner in which his gospel team had worked in Thessalonica, all with the aim of his listeners coming to serve God in a manner worthy of him. Now he proceeds to state how that aim had been realised in these Thessalonians, and in what way he and his colleagues Silas and Timothy responded to the changed life of the Thessalonians.
Thankfulness
Paul returns to the theme of thanksgiving in verse 13. He has just described the way that he and his colleagues had served God during the few weeks they were in Thessalonica. Their time there had been very successful, yet it is important to see that they acknowledged that the success in winning converts was due to God alone. Faithfulness to God in Thessalonica required that they lived holy lives there as they served him; faithfulness to God after Thessalonica required that they freely and thankfully confess that all the praise must be given to God alone. This is the secret of ongoing gospel prosperity.
Paul and his friends were now in Corinth and we know from elsewhere that Paul was apprehensive there initially. The good news that Timothy brought from Thessalonica would have encouraged them to persevere in evangelising in Corinth. Is there not an important lesson here – part of the fuel for current evangelism is information about the success of evangelism elsewhere, whether by ourselves or by others. Reading about the success of the gospel should cause thankfulness to rise in our hearts and we will become on fire, through God’s blessing, as this kind of fuel burns within us.
We can also deduce from their harmony that a key factor in maintaining leadership concord in a difficult situation is ongoing thankfulness for the work of God in other places. Paul, Silas and Timothy would have been stimulated in serving God together in Corinth by what they had found out of his work in Thessalonica after they had moved on from there.
What does Paul mean here by the ‘word of God’?It is obvious that Paul does not mean our entire Bible because the New Testament did not then exist, so he must have something else in mind when he says that he the Thessalonians heard the word of God from him. Was he then referring to the Old Testament? Luke tells us in Acts 17 that Paul did use the Old Testament when in Thessalonica, ‘and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” As his audience listened to him, they realised that what he was declaring was what the Old Testament meant, and they believed him.
When Paul says that his readers had not regarded his explanation of the Scriptures as the word of men, he is indicating that others were probably making such an assertion. It would not be surprising if such had been the response of the Jewish leaders who refused to listen to his message. Therefore, when his readers accepted that he was speaking the word of God, they had to go against very powerful authority figures. But such was their conviction that they not only initially went against these leaders, they also persisted in regarding the Old Testament as speaking about Jesus. Paul tells us that his readers were willing to go through intense persecution (vv. 14-16) because they were persuaded that they had discovered the meaning of the Old Testament. His description indicates that many who believed his message were Gentiles, probably those who had a connection to the synagogue.
Recognising the truth
Acts 17 tells us that Paul preached for three Sabbaths when he was in Thessalonica. In his messages, he proved from the Old Testament that the prophesied Messiah would both suffer and rise from the dead. The Jews had never accepted the possibility that the Messiah would suffer, so Paul’s message would be new to them when they first heard it.
Was it difficult for Paul to find passages in the Old Testament that indicated the Messiah would suffer? Out of many possible references, here are three which clearly say that the Messiah will suffer.
The first mention of a promised deliverer is found almost at the beginning of the Old Testament in Genesis 3:15 when God informs the Tempter that a Champion would come from Eve’s descendants: ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’ Whatever else is meant by bruising of his heel, it must include suffering caused by the devil. So Paul could have used that Old Testament reference.
Another passage that Paul could have mentioned is Isaiah 52:13–53:12. The individual referred to in this passage is called ‘my servant’ by God. Of this servant, we are told that he would suffer greatly before being exalted very high. His sufferings would result in his death (‘cut off out of the land of the living’, v. 8), yet his death would be instead of transgressors. In fact, the passage indicated he would make intercession for such transgressors and bear the divine punishment due for them.
A third passage to which Paul could have referred is Daniel 9:26 which says that the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing. That passage is even more amazing because it says that at that time the Messiah who is to die will, among other things, finish the transgression, put an end to sin, atone for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righteousness. The passage makes clear that the Messiah will suffer, but his sufferings are connected to undoing sin and its effects.
Yet these passages also indicate that the Messiah would emerge triumphant from his sufferings. The one in Genesis indicates he would have complete victory over the devil, the passage from Isaiah states that the Messiah would have universal dominion after his death, and the passage from Daniel states that the Messiah, despite being cut off, would inaugurate the period in which a new covenant would be set in place by him. In order for all this to happen, the Messiah would have to rise from the dead. So it would not have been difficult for Paul to show that the Old Testament predicted a Messiah who would suffer unto death and then be raised from the dead.
Having done so, Paul then could tell his listeners that all this had taken place recently in Palestine in the experience of an individual called Jesus. Paul could point out how Jesus had engaged in conflict with the devil, how Jesus had suffered on the cross where he interceded for sinners and endured abandonment by God, and how Jesus had been raised from the dead (he could detail how his body had not been found and how he had appeared to Paul on his journey to Damascus to destroy the Christian church).
In listening to such an explanation, the readers described by Paul must have recognised the truth of what he had taught. But recognition was only part of their response.
Receiving the word of God
Paul describes their response as ‘accepting’ the word of God. The word translated ‘accepted’ indicates that they welcomed the message of Paul. Why would they have given such a hearty response to his explanation?
One reason why Greeks had identified themselves with the Jewish synagogue was their awareness that the Jews had a superior religion to the Gentiles. Tied up with the coming of the Messiah were promises of deliverance from death. Within the heart of every person is a longing for eternal life and this longing was met for them in Jesus the Messiah. His resurrection proved that he had defeated death, and he now was the source of eternal life. Even when death came to them, it would be different because through Jesus they would experience resurrection in the future. The realisation of this reality would have caused them to accept gladly the message of Paul.
Another reason for the glad response was their desire for forgiveness. Every man has a conscience, which convicts him of his faults. In a sense, most religions are expressions of man’s attempt to find a way of acceptance with the god whose rules have been broken. These Greeks had heard about the true God as they attended the synagogue services and discovered the extent of his commandments, each of which they had broken many times in their hearts. They realised that they needed forgiveness from God, a forgiveness that extended to the pardon of all their sins. It is difficult to imagine Paul not saying that his sins had been forgiven. As they heard about such wonderful forgiveness, they would have embraced Paul’s message eagerly.
What does it mean to welcome the word of God? Who are the kind of people who can welcome it? The answer to such questions is that it is those who despair of self-rescue who welcome it, it is those who acknowledge their inability to recover themselves from sinful tendencies and practices who embrace it. They feel the awfulness of their sin, and they repent of their sinful thoughts, words and actions. Aware of their helplessness, they gladly embrace the Saviour who suffered for them and who offer to them, in addition to forgiveness, his strength. Faith, as Calvin said, is the warm embrace of love. Delighted to embrace him, they find themselves depending on him alone.
Reality of the word of GodThe test of a product is that it lives up to its claims in the most difficult of circumstances. Steel which passes the test of intense heat can be relied upon. The time for assessing the reality of Jesus’ salvation is when his followers face problems. These Thessalonians embraced Jesus in a time of opposition, but how would they get on if the opposition did not end? Paul tells us that they continued to experience the power of the Scriptures even although the opposition remained strong. What did they discover?
First, they discovered that through the message of the Old Testament about Jesus the power of God was revealed. The previous chapter describes how the church in Thessalonica engaged in effective evangelism throughout a wide region. No doubt they saw the gospel overcome the outlooks and prejudices and sinful intentions of many people. Persecution is often the time when the church grows.
Second, they discovered that through the message of the Old Testament, they could appreciate the presence of God. In it they found out how to prepare for meeting with him, the high and the lofty One. His promises of welcome into his presence, which are many, would have encouraged them through those days of opposition.
Third, as they went through those days of difficulty, they would have discovered the rich variety of promises that the Old Testament contains, and how suitable they are for all kinds of situations. These promises, when fulfilled, would show them that they were not depending on a dead idol, but on the living and true God who was more than able to answer their prayers.
Fourth, they would have discovered from the Old Testament that it contains songs to sing to God during days of struggle. As they participated in the singing of psalms of praise, they would note that many of them were written by believers undergoing harassing situations. How relevant these songs would be, and how comforting as well as they assured these Thessalonians that God is always a refuge and a strength in times of trouble.
What happens when the word of God is not received?The answer to this question is given in verses 14-16. The Jews in Palestine and the inhabitants of Thessalonica both exhibited the same response after they rejected the message of the Old Testament about Jesus the Messiah. Rejecting the word of God results in opposing the work of God. It is impossible to be neutral. Persistent rejection leads to increased opposition, not only to the people of God, but also to the spread of the word of God (v. 16). Those who reject it do their utmost to prevent others accepting it.
In addition, Paul states that refusal to obey the word of God means living under the wrath of God. It is offensive to God when his offer of pardon through the work of his Son is ignored. To be under the wrath of God is to live each day with the prospect that he may judge severely those who persist in rejecting the gospel. Such a situation is the opposite of the security those who receive the word of God enjoy! Fortunately, for those Christ-rejecters in Thessalonica, the message was still being declared. But for how much longer would they hear it?
Thankfulness
Paul returns to the theme of thanksgiving in verse 13. He has just described the way that he and his colleagues had served God during the few weeks they were in Thessalonica. Their time there had been very successful, yet it is important to see that they acknowledged that the success in winning converts was due to God alone. Faithfulness to God in Thessalonica required that they lived holy lives there as they served him; faithfulness to God after Thessalonica required that they freely and thankfully confess that all the praise must be given to God alone. This is the secret of ongoing gospel prosperity.
Paul and his friends were now in Corinth and we know from elsewhere that Paul was apprehensive there initially. The good news that Timothy brought from Thessalonica would have encouraged them to persevere in evangelising in Corinth. Is there not an important lesson here – part of the fuel for current evangelism is information about the success of evangelism elsewhere, whether by ourselves or by others. Reading about the success of the gospel should cause thankfulness to rise in our hearts and we will become on fire, through God’s blessing, as this kind of fuel burns within us.
We can also deduce from their harmony that a key factor in maintaining leadership concord in a difficult situation is ongoing thankfulness for the work of God in other places. Paul, Silas and Timothy would have been stimulated in serving God together in Corinth by what they had found out of his work in Thessalonica after they had moved on from there.
What does Paul mean here by the ‘word of God’?It is obvious that Paul does not mean our entire Bible because the New Testament did not then exist, so he must have something else in mind when he says that he the Thessalonians heard the word of God from him. Was he then referring to the Old Testament? Luke tells us in Acts 17 that Paul did use the Old Testament when in Thessalonica, ‘and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” As his audience listened to him, they realised that what he was declaring was what the Old Testament meant, and they believed him.
When Paul says that his readers had not regarded his explanation of the Scriptures as the word of men, he is indicating that others were probably making such an assertion. It would not be surprising if such had been the response of the Jewish leaders who refused to listen to his message. Therefore, when his readers accepted that he was speaking the word of God, they had to go against very powerful authority figures. But such was their conviction that they not only initially went against these leaders, they also persisted in regarding the Old Testament as speaking about Jesus. Paul tells us that his readers were willing to go through intense persecution (vv. 14-16) because they were persuaded that they had discovered the meaning of the Old Testament. His description indicates that many who believed his message were Gentiles, probably those who had a connection to the synagogue.
Recognising the truth
Acts 17 tells us that Paul preached for three Sabbaths when he was in Thessalonica. In his messages, he proved from the Old Testament that the prophesied Messiah would both suffer and rise from the dead. The Jews had never accepted the possibility that the Messiah would suffer, so Paul’s message would be new to them when they first heard it.
Was it difficult for Paul to find passages in the Old Testament that indicated the Messiah would suffer? Out of many possible references, here are three which clearly say that the Messiah will suffer.
The first mention of a promised deliverer is found almost at the beginning of the Old Testament in Genesis 3:15 when God informs the Tempter that a Champion would come from Eve’s descendants: ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’ Whatever else is meant by bruising of his heel, it must include suffering caused by the devil. So Paul could have used that Old Testament reference.
Another passage that Paul could have mentioned is Isaiah 52:13–53:12. The individual referred to in this passage is called ‘my servant’ by God. Of this servant, we are told that he would suffer greatly before being exalted very high. His sufferings would result in his death (‘cut off out of the land of the living’, v. 8), yet his death would be instead of transgressors. In fact, the passage indicated he would make intercession for such transgressors and bear the divine punishment due for them.
A third passage to which Paul could have referred is Daniel 9:26 which says that the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing. That passage is even more amazing because it says that at that time the Messiah who is to die will, among other things, finish the transgression, put an end to sin, atone for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righteousness. The passage makes clear that the Messiah will suffer, but his sufferings are connected to undoing sin and its effects.
Yet these passages also indicate that the Messiah would emerge triumphant from his sufferings. The one in Genesis indicates he would have complete victory over the devil, the passage from Isaiah states that the Messiah would have universal dominion after his death, and the passage from Daniel states that the Messiah, despite being cut off, would inaugurate the period in which a new covenant would be set in place by him. In order for all this to happen, the Messiah would have to rise from the dead. So it would not have been difficult for Paul to show that the Old Testament predicted a Messiah who would suffer unto death and then be raised from the dead.
Having done so, Paul then could tell his listeners that all this had taken place recently in Palestine in the experience of an individual called Jesus. Paul could point out how Jesus had engaged in conflict with the devil, how Jesus had suffered on the cross where he interceded for sinners and endured abandonment by God, and how Jesus had been raised from the dead (he could detail how his body had not been found and how he had appeared to Paul on his journey to Damascus to destroy the Christian church).
In listening to such an explanation, the readers described by Paul must have recognised the truth of what he had taught. But recognition was only part of their response.
Receiving the word of God
Paul describes their response as ‘accepting’ the word of God. The word translated ‘accepted’ indicates that they welcomed the message of Paul. Why would they have given such a hearty response to his explanation?
One reason why Greeks had identified themselves with the Jewish synagogue was their awareness that the Jews had a superior religion to the Gentiles. Tied up with the coming of the Messiah were promises of deliverance from death. Within the heart of every person is a longing for eternal life and this longing was met for them in Jesus the Messiah. His resurrection proved that he had defeated death, and he now was the source of eternal life. Even when death came to them, it would be different because through Jesus they would experience resurrection in the future. The realisation of this reality would have caused them to accept gladly the message of Paul.
Another reason for the glad response was their desire for forgiveness. Every man has a conscience, which convicts him of his faults. In a sense, most religions are expressions of man’s attempt to find a way of acceptance with the god whose rules have been broken. These Greeks had heard about the true God as they attended the synagogue services and discovered the extent of his commandments, each of which they had broken many times in their hearts. They realised that they needed forgiveness from God, a forgiveness that extended to the pardon of all their sins. It is difficult to imagine Paul not saying that his sins had been forgiven. As they heard about such wonderful forgiveness, they would have embraced Paul’s message eagerly.
What does it mean to welcome the word of God? Who are the kind of people who can welcome it? The answer to such questions is that it is those who despair of self-rescue who welcome it, it is those who acknowledge their inability to recover themselves from sinful tendencies and practices who embrace it. They feel the awfulness of their sin, and they repent of their sinful thoughts, words and actions. Aware of their helplessness, they gladly embrace the Saviour who suffered for them and who offer to them, in addition to forgiveness, his strength. Faith, as Calvin said, is the warm embrace of love. Delighted to embrace him, they find themselves depending on him alone.
Reality of the word of GodThe test of a product is that it lives up to its claims in the most difficult of circumstances. Steel which passes the test of intense heat can be relied upon. The time for assessing the reality of Jesus’ salvation is when his followers face problems. These Thessalonians embraced Jesus in a time of opposition, but how would they get on if the opposition did not end? Paul tells us that they continued to experience the power of the Scriptures even although the opposition remained strong. What did they discover?
First, they discovered that through the message of the Old Testament about Jesus the power of God was revealed. The previous chapter describes how the church in Thessalonica engaged in effective evangelism throughout a wide region. No doubt they saw the gospel overcome the outlooks and prejudices and sinful intentions of many people. Persecution is often the time when the church grows.
Second, they discovered that through the message of the Old Testament, they could appreciate the presence of God. In it they found out how to prepare for meeting with him, the high and the lofty One. His promises of welcome into his presence, which are many, would have encouraged them through those days of opposition.
Third, as they went through those days of difficulty, they would have discovered the rich variety of promises that the Old Testament contains, and how suitable they are for all kinds of situations. These promises, when fulfilled, would show them that they were not depending on a dead idol, but on the living and true God who was more than able to answer their prayers.
Fourth, they would have discovered from the Old Testament that it contains songs to sing to God during days of struggle. As they participated in the singing of psalms of praise, they would note that many of them were written by believers undergoing harassing situations. How relevant these songs would be, and how comforting as well as they assured these Thessalonians that God is always a refuge and a strength in times of trouble.
What happens when the word of God is not received?The answer to this question is given in verses 14-16. The Jews in Palestine and the inhabitants of Thessalonica both exhibited the same response after they rejected the message of the Old Testament about Jesus the Messiah. Rejecting the word of God results in opposing the work of God. It is impossible to be neutral. Persistent rejection leads to increased opposition, not only to the people of God, but also to the spread of the word of God (v. 16). Those who reject it do their utmost to prevent others accepting it.
In addition, Paul states that refusal to obey the word of God means living under the wrath of God. It is offensive to God when his offer of pardon through the work of his Son is ignored. To be under the wrath of God is to live each day with the prospect that he may judge severely those who persist in rejecting the gospel. Such a situation is the opposite of the security those who receive the word of God enjoy! Fortunately, for those Christ-rejecters in Thessalonica, the message was still being declared. But for how much longer would they hear it?
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