Letter 8 of 14 · Overview available
1 Thessalonians
Keep living to please God; the Lord will return, and those who died in Christ will rise.
Probably the earliest surviving Christian writing (unless Galatians is earlier). Paul had been forced out of Thessalonica after a short stay (Acts 17:1–10); Timothy returned with good news of their faith (3:6).
Paul recalls his gentle ministry "like a nursing mother" (2:7), urges sexual holiness and quiet work, and comforts them about believers who had died: "the dead in Christ will rise first" (4:13–18). The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, so they are to live as children of light (5:1–11).
- Date
- c. AD 50–51
- Written from
- Corinth
- Recipients
- The church of the Thessalonians
- Chapters
- 5
- Stage
- Second journey (Corinth)
- Author
- Paul the Apostle
Written from Corinth soon after Timothy's return (1 Thess 3:6; Acts 18:5).
Why Paul wrote it
Timothy's report (3:6) and questions about those who had died.
Why it matters today
It grounds Christian hope and grief in the resurrection.
Related Acts passages
- Acts 17:1–15
- Acts 18:5
The World Behind the Letter
Thessalonica was a free city and provincial capital loyal to Rome; Christians were accused of acting against Caesar's decrees (Acts 17:7).
Purpose and Problems
Literary Structure
- 1
Thanksgiving for their faith · 1:1–10
- 2
Paul's ministry and longing · 2:1–3:13
- 3
Living to please God · 4:1–12
- 4
The Lord's coming · 4:13–5:11
- 5
Final exhortations · 5:12–28
Key passages
Passage-by-Passage
Theological Themes
My Notes
Sources
- Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians (NIGTC, 1990)