Paul's First Letter to the Church at ThessalonikiIntroductionAs we begin our study of this wonderful Pauline letter we must remember that it is indeed a letter and actually not a book. It is written to the congregation at Thessaloniki and therefore the text must be expounded with this in mind. That is, we should not over complicate our understanding of it but simply endeavor to discover what the letter intended to say to old and young alike. By doing this we will honor Paul, the context and be encouraged by what he had to say to his readers.Also, as we have noted in our introduction, in our previous podcast, the letter is general in content addressing many themes that are important to understand as we, like the believers at Thessaloniki, set out to follow Christ and end well.A. The Greeting 1:1Paul begins with his familiar greeting by affirming the congregations standing and position with God. They are in God the Father and in Christ Jesus and therefore he draws our attention immediately to the nature of the Godhead. Jesus then enjoys equality with God, something that He surrendered for a season in order to redeem the world from sin. Not that He ceased to be fully God but instead laid aside some of the attributes of divinity in order to become fully man. In his letter to the Church at Philippi Paul writes of this glorious truth (Philippians 2:5-7). To some extent this holds mystery, a fact that Paul acknowledges in his first letter to Timothy:"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:God was manifested in the flesh,Justified in the Spirit,Seen by angels,Preached among the Gentiles,Believed on in the world,Received up in glory."1 Timothy 3:16Having asserted the nature of the godhead he then extends God's grace and peace to the congregation. Our relationship with God, by Jesus Christ, is entirely rooted in His unmerited favor extended toward us which brings us, who were once His enemies, into a place of peace with Him. This is truly wonderful and the goal of our earthly pilgrimage.

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