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. (2) We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, (3) 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, (4) knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. (5) For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit
Thessalonica was declared a free city by Rome – the city enjoyed self government and complete autonomy. This important port city with a large Jewish community, was strategically located on the northernmost corner of the Aegean Sea and the Egnatian Way, linking Rome to Byzantium, passed through it. Thessalonica was a city famous for vice and crime – most of the residences in the city had doors only, no windows because of violence.
The Apostle Paul first went to the synagogue to preach the gospel of Christ – Paul was a rabbi – and he reasoned from the Old Testament that Christ Jesus is the Messiah. He evangelized the Jewish synagogue for three successive Sabbaths and achieved great success among the Jews and also the Gentiles. However, Paul and Silas were abruptly driven out of town by jealous Jews and they left a baby Church with newly converted Jewish and Gentile Christians saddled with the Mosaic Law and the culture of pagan Greeks. Paul was there for a very short time in a city known for corruption and vice and worried greatly about the status of the Thessalonian Christians. When he heard good news about the faithfulness of the newly converted Paul responded with this first letter to the Thessalonians.
The heart of the verses we study today is verse 4. Paul is saying that the Thessalonians are redeemed by Christ – they are genuine in their faith and that he, Paul, knows that they are elect of God. God in His eternal sovereignty chooses some to come to salvation and this becomes reality through an act of faith prompted by the spirit of God. Believing is a result of God’s choice. It was not just Paul’s news of the Gospel – it was the power of God and the Holy Spirit in the midst of Jewish tradition and persecution, the midst of pagan custom – that resulted in the election of the Thessalonian Church. This election in an immensely hostile society with limited leadership was evident through the work of faith – the love that motivating their living – their transformation as believing Christians – and their steadfastness of hope in salvation through Christ.
We see in his letters that the Apostle Paul doesn’t tolerate a works salvation – not human works – but good deeds in the lives of believers verify salvation. A Christian is not marked by what he has done but what he/she has been motivated to do. The true believer works a labor of love for Christ and God . It is love of the will – love of choice. Love of our brother marks our love of the Lord because He first loved us.