EVIDENCES OF ELECTION
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on May 9, 2018 under PM Bible Study |
PM Bible Study Group; May 9, 2018 – Introduction; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Theme: How a believer first receives the message of the gospel provides evidence of his or her election.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Around 315 B.C., one of the four generals who had served under Alexander the Great—the mighty Grecian general Cassander—settled into an ancient city of the great Macedonian empire named Therma. Therma got its name from the fact that there were many hot springs there; so it’s no wonder he wanted to settle down there! He changed its name, though. He had married the half-sister of Alexander; and chose to name this city after her. And thus, the place became known as Thessalonica.
About a century and a half later, the Romans conquered Macedonia, and divided it up into four different districts. It made Thessalonica the capital of one of those districts. And then, about another century later, Caesar Augustus declared it to be a Roman colony—a free city. And then, about another century later after that, the apostle Paul arrived with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Originally, Paul had intended to go in the other direction—that is, to Asia—in preaching the Gospel; but the Holy Spirit prevented him—guiding him by the ‘Macedonian Call’ instead (Acts 16:6-10). Paul and his new ministry partner Silas (also known by his longer name Silvanus)—along with their young ministry intern Timothy—first brought the gospel of Jesus to the nearby city of Philippi. And then, after moving on from Philippi, they came to Thessalonica. Acts 17:1-9 tells us the story:
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas (Acts 17:1-4).
They saw great success for the gospel in Thessalonica—and only after having preached in its synagogue for three weeks! But then, things began to get very rough. Verses 5-9 go on to tell us;
But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go (vv. 5-9).
But even though they met up with a great deal of resistance, the missionaries nevertheless remained very devoted to Jesus Christ. Paul and his co-laborers were thrilled with the wonderful transformation that had occurred in the lives of the new Thessalonian believers—and so quickly. Paul went on from there to Berea; and then—leaving the others behind in Berea, with instructions to come to him as soon as they could—he himself went on to Athens; and then on to Corinth.
And while in Corinth, Timothy came to Paul with news of how the Thessalonians were doing. Out of concern for them, Paul sent Timothy back to find out more. And when Timothy came back with the good news of their growth in Christ, Paul was thrilled; and as a result, he wrote a letter and sent it back to them. That letter is one of the first of Paul’s letters that we have in the New Testament. It was written around 52-54 A.D.
It’s is in our Bible as 1 Thessalonians.
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Paul deeply loved these dear believers in Thessalonica. In fact, he often gushed about them. He considered them his “crown of rejoicing” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20). One of the things that stood out to him was the marvelous way in which they had received the gospel of Jesus Christ and were so profoundly and so evidently transformed by it. He was able to testify of his certainty that they were among the elect of God (see 1:4). Even in his second letter to them, he told them;
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).
When Paul wrote to them in his first letter to them, it appears that he did the main writing. But he included the others who had ministered there with him in his greeting. It would, no doubt, have brought a smile to the Thessalonian believers when they realized it was a greeting from the whole trio of missionaries that had first ministered the gospel to them. Paul begins 1 Thessalonians with these words;
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:1).
Note how he doesn’t hesitate to call this community of believers “the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. They clearly belonged to God, and they were a great encouragement to him of just how powerful the gospel is to transform lives. Paul was very proud to be able to point to them as proofs of the gospel’s life-changing impact.
We can divide Paul’s first letter to them into two main parts. Chapters 1-3 contain a long expression of how thankful he was for the way that the gospel had transformed them—and also of how proud and thankful to God that he was of them. And chapters 4-5 contain his doctrinal instructions to them and the answers to some of the questions that they had. He had only been with them for a short while, but he had clearly established deep theological truth into their hearts and into their thinking, and their questions to him were profound. One of the things that it’s very clear that he taught them about is the doctrine of the return of Jesus. They had learned to anticipate the imminent return of Jesus. It’s a subject that weighs in heavily in both this letter and the second letter that he wrote to them (2 Thessalonians). And so, we can take this as a letter that teaches God’s people how to live faithfully for Jesus in a hostile world while anticipating the Lord’s return. The key verses to this letter might be the ones we find in 5:23-24—almost serving as a summary statement to all the instructions Paul had given them in this letter:
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
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Now; the manner in which the Thessalonian believers had received Paul’s gospel message is a lesson to us today. It gives us an example of how the gospel message should be heard and received—particularly in such a way as to give evidence of God’s elect.
There were some professing believers whose true spiritual condition Paul wasn’t so sure about. He once wrote to the disobedient and feisty Corinthians,
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified (2 Corinthians 13:5).
He also once severely scolded the Galatian believers—believers who were caught in the trap of disregarding the grace of God and were trying to earn His favor through the ceremonial laws—and told them;
My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you (Galatians 4:19-20).
But Paul had absolutely no doubts whatsoever about the Thessalonian believers. He was as sure as he could be that they were the elect of God—chosen by Him for eternal glory. He could tell by the way the gospel—from the very beginning—had a great impact upon them.
So; what was it about them that convinced him of this? First, we see …
I. THE EVIDENCE OF THEIR CURRENT BEHAVIOR IN THE GOSPEL (vv. 2-4).
After introducing himself, Silvanus (that is, Silus) and Timothy—that is, the ministry team that first brought the gospel to them and that saw first-hand how it become established in them—Paul begins by writing;
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God (1 Thessalonians 1:2-4).
Note how Paul and his co-laborers were always faithful to remember these believers in prayer. And by the way; what a lesson this is for us! Our growth in Christ together—and our witness for Christ together—depends upon our faithful prayers for one another. These foundational ministers of the gospel to the Thessalonians exemplified this to us.
But note also that their prayers were mingled with great and continual thanksgiving to God for the Thessalonian believers. They gave thanks to God as they remembered certain things:
1. They remembered their “work of faith”. These believers didn’t try to use works as a substitute for faith. They didn’t try to earn their salvation. Rather, having believed, their faith then went to work! They labored with Paul and Silas and Timothy in such a way as to help advance the gospel that they heard to others. The word went out from them to others; so that Paul and his co-workers didn’t need to say anything (v. 8).
2. They also remembered their “labor of love”. These Thessalonians were generous; and they gave to meet the needs of others. Did you now that Paul used them as an example of giving in order to encourage the believers in Corinth? (See 2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
3. And they also remembered their patience of hope. They suffered faithfully in persecution—looking ahead to the return of Jesus (see 2 Thessalonians 1:4-8).
These things didn’t just happen once; but they were the ongoing pattern of the lives of the Thessalonians—proving the present impact that the gospel first had—and went on to have—on them. Paul continually remembered the current manner of their living; in which he encouraged that they continue (4:9-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:15). His remembrance of these things confirmed to him their election by God.
And that should lead us to ask: Did we hear the gospel? Did we believe it? Then what impact does it continue to have in our lives? Can people see—by looking at us today—that we truly believed it back then?
Then, we see …
II. THE EVIDENCE OF THEIR PAST RECEPTION OF THE GOSPEL (v. 5-7).
Paul goes on in his introductory words, looking back to that initial missionary visit, and recalls also how the gospel “came” to them (that is, its impact on them when they first received it). He wrote;
For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe (vv. 5-7).
When the message of the gospel comes to someone in word only, they may nod in hearty and approving agreement with it; but that doesn’t mean that they have allowed it to take root in them. They may be like the soils that Jesus told in His parable—all receiving the word, but only one type of soil receiving it in such a way as for it to bear fruit (Matthew 13:18-23). Anyone can receive it by just ‘receiving’ it—and sadly, many do. When it comes with “power” however, that means that there was genuine life-transformation. It is received in such a way that it truly changes them, and their reception thus gives measurable evidence of its power. This was the case for these Thessalonian believers.
It was also said to have come to them “in the Holy Spirit”. It was manifestly clear that the Spirit was at work in them—empowering them to live a new life. This is much like what Paul said to the Corinthians. He came to them, not with fancy words, but with weakness and humility; “not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
It also came “in much assurance”. This was communicated not just through the message alone, but also in the character of the messengers themselves. Paul and his co-laborers were careful, in that three week’s time, to live the kind of lives that adorned the gospel and made it possible for the Thessalonians to hear and believe it. (Paul will, in fact, go into great detail about his conduct—and the conduct of the other missionaries—in 2:1-12.) The Thessalonians received the gospel as if it were the real-deal; because the missionaries were careful to live like the real deal!
The evidence of the election of the Thessalonians also came by the way they followed the example that Paul and the others set; particularly in their steadfastness for Christ in the face of great opposition. Those missionaries had just come from Philippi, and it had been there that they had even been jailed for preaching the gospel. They also had experienced great suffering and persecution and opposition in the gospel ministry while in Thessalonica and Berea. Those Thessalonians saw how the apostle not only experienced great affliction in bringing the gospel to them, but also how they had great joy in the Holy Spirit in spite of those trials. And as a result, the Thessalonians imitated their behavior—and also the behavior of the Lord Jesus. It was just as Peter had written;
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
“Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:21-24).
And finally, the way that those Thessalonians had received the gospel became a textbook example of how to be transformed by it. They became an example “to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe”. They truly demonstrated that they were the real thing. All Paul had to do to prove that the gospel was a powerful, life-transforming force from God was to simply point to how the Thessalonians had received it!
And again, this all leads us to the question: How did we receive the gospel personally? Many folks who profess it didn’t really ‘receive’ it. They had simply grown up with it. But have we personally, genuinely received it as sinners who need to be saved by grace? Have we put our faith personally in the cross of Jesus Christ? Can we say that it really transformed us? Do our lives demonstrate a clear ‘before/after’ story that shows forth the power of the gospel?
And finally, the things that Paul writes in these introductory words to the Thessalonians speaks of …
III. EVIDENCE OF THEIR WITNESS IN THE WORLD (vv. 8-10).
The apostle Paul affirmed the impact their faith in Jesus through the gospel has had on others. He writes;
For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (vv. 8-10).
It’s one thing when we can say that the gospel changed our lives. It’s another thing when other people—looking at us—can testify that it has changed our lives. And it is still yet another thing more when we can be so motivated by that transformation that we want other people to experience it too! This gospel had so transformed the Thessalonian believers that it resulted in they themselves going forth in a missionary spirit; they themselves “sounding forth” the word of the Lord to other regions.
Note how powerful this ‘sounding forth’ was. It was so clear and profound a testimony, that Paul and his ministry associates didn’t even need to go into lengthy defenses of the power of the gospel in the other places that they went. All that they needed to do was get out of the Thessalonian believers’ way and let them go at it. It was as if the Thessalonians became Paul’s ‘gospel amplifier’—spreading forth to others what had been proclaimed to them!
Note how this was so:
1. Others confirmed what manner of entry Paul’s gospel had in them. When others are able to testify of the transformation of the gospel in you as soon as it came in, you know that God has truly worked!
2. Others were also testifying of the things that the Thessalonians repented of and turned to instead. As Paul said, they turned from idols (which were prevalent in that culture); and turned instead to serve the living God. That was a costly thing to do in those days (as the experience in Philippi clearly showed); and yet, they demonstrated the power of the gospel in their lives by going against the stream of an ungodly culture, and obeying—and in truly giving themselves over to—the Lord God.
3. Finally, others could testify to the hope in Christ that now characterized them. They were willing to pay the price to follow Jesus—the Redeemer whom God had raised from the dead—because they looked to His return “who delivers us from the wrath to come”.
And once again, we must ask: Does our experience of the life-transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ show itself in how we pass that message on to others? Does our witness to those around us clearly declare that we are truly the called and chosen ones of God?
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When the world can see and measure the transforming power of the gospel in us—when they can see the evidence of present godly conduct, a faithful reception of the gospel, and of a genuine witness to the world—then they are seeing evidence of our election by God in Christ!
May God make us increasingly like these Thessalonian believers!
EA
