When we receive a letter or an email, one of the first things we do is look to see who it is from. No one wants to read a letter without knowing who wrote it. For this reason, our custom of signing the letter at the end is rather impractical.

Letters in the New Testament were called epistles. They were written to specific churches (Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians), or to churches in general (Galatians, Peter, Jude) or to individuals (Timothy, Titus, Philemon). The penmen of these first century Epistles normally identified themselves in the first line of the letter so the reader immediately knew who was writing. Also in that first line they typically identified the recipient and usually opened with a Christian greeting.

Transition

This morning as we examine the salutation of the letter to the Thessalonian church, we will discuss the penmen, the recipients, and the greeting and identify applications for our lives today.

The Penmen of the Letter

  1. This letter had three penmen
    1. Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus are all listed as the writers of the letter.
    2. Paul, the leader, was obviously the main human author. Whether the others actually helped write the words of the letter, we cannot say for sure.
    3. D. Edmond Hiebert tells us that “They are represented as joint authors not only because they fully endorsed all that Paul wrote, but because they stood very much in the same position to the Thessalonians as Paul himself, as devoted messengers to them who might claim the respect and obedience of these young believers.”[i]
    4. Though these men had a hand in writing this letter, God Himself was the Author. These are the words that God breathed out and inspired Paul to record for the Thessalonians and us today.
      ☆ (2 Timothy 3:16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
  2. Brief biographies of the penmen
    1. Paul was a Jew yet born as a Roman citizen. He was well educated.
      1. He described his human qualifications for us in (Philippians 3:5-6) Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
      2. He goes on to describe his conversion and new focus in (Philippians 3:7-9) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
        ☆ Do you see what Paul said about his salvation? He did not earn God’s forgiveness by his good deeds. However, he realized that his best deeds were no better than dung. He was made right with God by faith in Christ. That is the only way a person can be saved from hell.
      3. Paul’s conversion changed his entire life. The rest of his life was devoted to preaching the gospel as a church-planting, missionary, evangelist.
      4. The name Paul means “little”. Whether his name described his stature, we do not know. Though the name probably had nothing to do with his character, it does describe well his spiritual opinion of himself. In Ephesians 3:8 he sees himself as “less than the least of all saints.” We now know him as a preacher whom God used mightily to start many churches.
    2. Silvanus is a Roman proper name. Luke (the penman of the book of Acts) called him Silas, but Paul always called him Silvanus. He had first been a faithful member of the Jerusalem church. They sent him as a messenger to the church at Antioch (Ac 15:22). Like Paul, he was a Jew with Roman citizenship (Ac 16:37). Silas was the preacher whom Paul chose to accompany him on his second missionary journey (Ac 15:40).
    3. Timotheus was a young man, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties at the time. He was from Lystra. His father was a Greek and his mother a Jew. His mother and grandmother had taught him the scriptures. He may have trusted Christ through Paul’s preaching during his first missionary journey. When Paul stopped in Lystra on his second missionary journey, he asked Timothy to become his helper.
      ☆ These three men were all Christians. They had surrendered their lives to the Lord – being willing to do anything and obedient in everything. They actively shared the gospel with unbelievers. They continued to serve Christ even after being persecuted. They were examples of what we ought to be doing for the Lord.

The Recipients of the Letter

  1. It is addressed to the church of the Thessalonians.
    1. A church is not a building. It is not a religious meeting. It is not a club. The word church translates the word ekklesia which refers to a local gathering of people called out of a larger group. As used in the New Testament, it was a local gathering of Christians who had been baptised by immersion and who were united in doctrine.
    2. The Thessalonian church was a small band of immersed Christians who had recently trusted Christ through Paul’s preaching of the gospel. This local congregation was the recipient of this letter.
  2. The church members were saved.
    1. Paul emphasised that the congregation was “in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
    2. The moment they trusted Christ they began a family relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. They were born into God’s family.
      ☆ (John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
      ☆ We learn from this that baptism by immersion and identifying with a local church ought to be the first steps of a new believer. Attending church is like visiting in a friend’s home. Becoming a church member is like being adopted into the family. There is a HUGE difference.

The Greeting of the Letter

  1. Paul greets them with grace and peace
    1. This greeting may have been original with Paul.
    2. Grace is God’s divine help. It is free and unearned. Paul was praying that God would divinely help the members of the Thessalonian church. They needed God’s help and so do we. Living a godly Christian life in an ungodly world is beyond our human ability (Tit 2:12).
      ☆ We need God’s grace. Both James 4:6 and 1Peter 5:5 tell us that God gives grace to the humble. If we will humble ourselves before God, He will give us the divine help we need to live for Him.
    3. Peace is the comforting result of receiving God’s grace. Grace and peace are partners in 18 Bible verses, and grace always comes before peace. God’s grace is necessary before we can enjoy God’s peace.
  2. He explains the origin of grace and peace
    1. Both come from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
    2. They are from the Father and come to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

We learned two facts about the penmen. They were saved. They were surrendered. Has God forgiven your sin and saved you from hell? If not, He will if you humbly admit your guilt, desire that He change you, and ask Him to forgive you and give you eternal life. If saved, are you truly surrendered to the Lord – willing to do anything and obedient in everything? If not, that is your need today! If you have not obeyed the Lord’s command to be baptised by immersion, I urge you to obey Him. If you are not a church member, come talk to me about it.

Song: I Surrender All – 394
Song: [i] Hiebert, D. Edmond, The Thessalonian Epistles, Chicago, Moody Press, 1982, p. 35
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Salutation to Thessalonians
10 January 2016 AM – 1 Thes 1:1 – 1Th2016 – Scott Childs