1 & 2 Thessalonians

Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians to encourage new believers in their faith, to give them assurance about the eternal state of believers who had died, to remind them of "the coming of the Lord" (4:15), and to exhort them to godly living. He urged them to be at peace, and to "give thanks in all circumstances" (5:18). Thessalonica (present-day Thessaloniki, Greece) was the capital of Roman Macedonia. It was on important trade routes. Paul, twice identified as the author (1:1; 2:18), visited Thessalonica on his second missionary journey but was forced to flee because of Jewish opposition. He sent Timothy to work with the largely Gentile church there, and Timothy brought him good news of their faith (3:6). This is perhaps Paul's first letter, written in a.d. 51. 2 Thessalonians was probably written shortly after the first letter to the church in Thessalonica. He had been boasting of them to other churches, telling of their faith and their love for each other in the face of persecution. Paul reminded them that God will repay their persecutors. He also addressed two recurring problems in this church. First, as seen in 1 Thessalonians, they were concerned that the Lord had already returned. Paul urged them not to become "shaken in mind or alarmed," fearing that "the day of the Lord" (2:2) had already come. Second, he admonished them not to be idle, commanding them that, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" (3:10).