The
First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians Chapter 1:5-9
Geneva
Bible Translation Ed. 1599
5
For our Gospel was not unto you in word only, but also in power, and
in the holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know after what
manner we were among you for your sakes. 6 And ye became followers of
us, and of the Lord, and received the word in much affliction, with
joy of the holy Ghost, 7 So that ye were as ensamples to all that
believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For from you sounded out the
word of the Lord, not in Macedonia and in Achaia only: but your faith
also which is toward God, spread abroad in all quarters, that we need
not to speak anything. 9 For they themselves show 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.
Study
Notes
The
apostle calls the Gospel "our Gospel", not because he and
his fellow ministers were the authors of it; for in this respect it
is solely of God, being the produce of his wisdom and grace, and by
the revelation of Jesus Christ, hence he calls it the Gospel of God,
nor because they were the subject of it, for they preached not
themselves, but a crucified Christ, and him only, though it was a
stumbling block to some, and foolishness to others; but because it
was committed to their trust, and they were the preachers of it, and
agreed in the ministration of it; and it is opposed to, and is
distinct from, that which was preached by the false teachers; and
here intends not barely the Gospel itself, but chiefly their
preaching of it: and this came unto them being sent of God, for
wherever the Gospel comes, it comes with a mission and commission
from God; and being brought unto them by the apostles, who were
bringers and publishers of the good tidings of good things, it came
unthought of, unsought and unasked for by them; and that not only
externally, which to have is a great blessing, but internally, "into
you" (as translated from Greek), it came not barely into their
ears vocally, and into their heads notionally; but into their hearts,
and worked effectually there; it was mixed with faith, and was
profitable; it became the ingrafted word, and dwelt richly in them:
for it came to them not in word only (Matthew
16:13-17)
, but in power; not merely preached in a powerful way, or attended
with miraculous operations, though doubtless both were true; for the
apostle was a powerful preacher, and his ministry was confirmed by
signs and wonders and mighty deeds; but from neither of these could
he conclude the election of these people: but the preaching of the
Gospel was accompanied with the powerful efficacy of the grace of
God, working by it upon them; so that it became the power of God unto
salvation to them; it came to them in the demonstration of the Spirit
of God, and of power, quickening them who were dead in trespasses,
and sin, enlightening their dark understandings, unstopping their
deaf ears, softening their hard hearts, and delivering them from the
slavery of sin and Satan; from whence it clearly appeared that they
were the chosen of God. The Gospel was not only preached under the
influence, and by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and attended
with his extraordinary gifts for the confirmation of it, which it
might be, and be no proof of the election of these persons to eternal
life; but it came by the power of the Holy Spirit to their souls,
working and implanting his graces in them, as faith, hope, and love,
and every other; and he himself was received along with it, as a
spirit of illumination and conviction, of regeneration, conversion,
and sanctification, and of faith and adoption; all which gave full
evidence of their election.
So
far followers of them as they were of Christ, in embracing the
Gospel, submitting to the ordinances of it, professing the name of
Christ, and suffering for his sake; the Alexandrian copy reads, "of
God", and others, "of Christ": having received the
word; the Gospel, the word of truth, peace, and righteousness, and of
salvation by Christ; which they received not as the word of man, but
of God and that it was received not with a carnal joy, or with a mere
flash of natural affection, as in the stony ground hearers, and in
the Jews, who rejoiced for a while in John's ministry, and in Herod,
who sometimes heard him gladly; but with a spiritual joy of the Holy
Ghost's producing in them, applying the word with power to them,
giving them a spiritual gust of it, and pleasure in it, raising in
their souls a joy upon the most solid foundation.
These
then became not only followers of Christ and his apostles, whom they
took for examples of faith, holiness, courage, meekness, and
patience; but they became patterns of good works; and of suffering
afflictions to other believers, even to all that knew them, or heard
of them.
Likewise
they proclaimed the Gospel, and it is so called because it is from
the Lord, as the author of it: and it is of the Lord, as the subject
of it; and it is by the Lord, as the minister or dispenser of it; and
it is owing to the efficacy of his grace that it is useful and
successful, and ought to be attended to, received, and obeyed, not as
the word of man, but as the word of the Lord. This is said to have
"sounded out", alluding to the blowing of a trumpet, to
which the Gospel is sometimes compared, as to the silver trumpet
under the law, for the gathering of the people of Israel; or to the
trumpet blown in the years of jubilee, which proclaimed liberty,
release of debts, and restoration of inheritances, as the Gospel in a
spiritual sense does; or to the trumpet used in war to prepare for
the battle, and therefore should not give an uncertain sound; or as
used musically, the Gospel being a joyful sound; and this sounding of
it may denote the clear publication and open declaration, and large
spread of it far and near: though, when it is said to sound forth
from the Thessalonians, it is not to be understood as if the Gospel
first began to be preached among them, and from thence went to other
places; it was preached at Philippi before it came to them, and at
many other places before it was there; the word of the Lord,
according to the prophecy of ( Isaiah
2:2
) came from Jerusalem; Christ and his apostles first preached there,
and from thence their words and sound went to the ends of the earth;
but not so much the preaching of the Gospel, as the fame and report
of its being preached in this place, is here meant: and so the Latin
translation of the Syriac version renders it, "for from you went
the report of the word of our Lord"; the fame of its being
preached and received at Thessalonica, in the manner it was, spread
itself.
Finally,
and how ye turned to God from idols; immediately and at once, upon
the preaching of the Gospel to them, being first turned by the
powerful and efficacious grace of God; for the first work of
conversion is God's work; then they themselves, under the influence
of the same grace, turned to the one God, from their internal idols,
their sins and lusts, and from their external idols, their many false
and fictitious deities: for the Thessalonians before the Gospel came
among them were idolaters; here the "Dii Cabiri", the great
and chief gods of the Gentiles, were worshipped; as Jupiter and
Bacchus, Ceres and Proserpina, Pluto and Mercury, Castor and Pollux,
and Esculapius; these the Macedonians, and particularly the
Thessalonians, worshipped with great devotion and reverence but now
they turned from them and forsook them to serve the living and true
God because he has life in and of himself, and is the fountain of
life to others; from whom all living creatures have their life, and
are supported in it by him; and in opposition to the above idols,
which were inanimate things made of wood or metal, and were images of
men that had been dead long ago: and the "true" God,
because he is truth itself, and cannot lie, who faithfully performs
all his promises, and is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth; and
in opposition to the nominal and fictitious deities of the Gentiles,
which were only in name, not in truth and reality, or by nature gods:
now though these Thessalonians had before done service to these
idols, they now turned from them to serve the one living and true
God; not only externally, by embracing and professing his Gospel,
submitting to his ordinances, and walking according to the rules
prescribed by him; but also internally, in the exercise of faith,
hope, love, and every other grace.
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