Background: Paul founded the Corinthian church on his second missionary journey as described in Acts 18. He had come to Corinth from Athens where the soils for spiritual growth were evidently quite sterile because of its many philosophies and the propensity of people there to “spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing…
2Th 3:1 For what did Paul request prayer? What picture does the phrase “run and be glorified” conjure up? See 1 Cor 9:24. How can the word of God “run and be glorified”? See 1 Thess 1:5,8, 2:1,13. 2Th 3:2 What does this verse teach us about Paul’s present circumstances in Corinth? See Acts 18:6,9,12-17. Given the…
2Th 2:1 What three terms does Paul use as referring to the same event in this verse and the next? Note: recall that the “coming” of the Lord is from the Greek “parousia” which refers to His coming to be present; see Mat 24:3, 1 Thess 3:13, 4:15, 5:23. What event does our “gathering together” to…
Background: Shortly after Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians he heard of some additional problems that had arisen among them that he needed to address. They were still experiencing persecution for their faith, and so he writes in this letter to encourage them to persevere in their afflictions, reminding them that the day of the…
1Th 5:1 “Times” refers to an extended period of time and “epochs” to a fixed time or date. See Luke 20:9-10. Why did the Thessalonians need no one to teach them about times and dates? See verse 2, and Mat 24:36, Acts 1:6-7. 1Th 5:2 In what way will the day of the Lord come…
Having reminded the Thessalonians of his ministry among them and expressed his joy that they were remaining steadfast in their new Christian faith (chapters 1-3), Paul now directs his attention to encouraging them on to a still greater depth of Christian maturity while addressing some minor issues and concerns that Timothy had reported to the…
1Th 3:1 Explain the chronology and locations of Paul’s interaction with the Thessalonians. See Acts 17:1-18:5. Who is the “we” here? What does this verse tell us about the deep concern Paul felt for those children he had begotten in the Lord? Was travel free in those days? How might Paul’s experience with the Galatian…
1Th 2: 1 What does Paul mean that his coming to the Thessalonians was not in vain? 1Th 2:2 What gave Paul such boldness to proclaim the gospel in the midst of such persecution? 1Th 2:3-6 How was Paul different from other religious teachers? 1Th 2:5 In what way have religious teachers throughout history used…
Background: What is the background for this letter? See Acts 16-17, esp. Act 17:1-15, 1Th 3:1-3 and notes below. 1Th 1:1 Who wrote the letter to the Thessalonians? Who was with Paul when he wrote it? 1Th 1:2 How often did Paul pray for the Thessalonians? See Rom 1:8-9, Eph 1:15-16, Phil 1:3-4, Col…
In 1 Timothy 4:2 Paul writes that those lying advocates of false religion have been “seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron”. Such is a particularly vivid image likening them to slaves who like unreasoning animals (2 Pet 2:12, Jude 10) have been branded with a spiritual mark of ownership. For the true sons…