1 Thessalonians 1

Greeting

1 Paul, Silvanus,  * 1:1 Or Silas; Ac 15:22–32; 16:19–40; 17:1–16,* 1:1 Ac 15:22; 2Co 1:19; 2Th 1:1; 1Pt 5:12 and Timothy:  * 1:1 Ac 16:1; 1Tm 1:2

To the church of the Thessalonians  * 1:1 Ac 17:1 in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace.  * 1:1 Other mss add from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Thanksgiving

2 We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. 3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father,  * 1:3 Php 4:20 your work produced by faith,  * 1:3 Rm 3:28; 9:32; Gl 2:16; 5:6; 2Th 1:11; Heb 6:1; Jms 2:14–26; Rv 2:19 your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  * 1:3 Ac 15:264 For we know, brothers and sisters loved  * 1:4 Jn 3:16; Rv 12:11 by God,  * 1:4 Dt 33:12; 2Th 2:13 that he has chosen you,  * 1:4 Mt 24:22; Eph 1:45 because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit,  * 1:5 Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; 1Co 2:4; Gl 5:25; Ti 3:5; Rv 3:22 and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you  * 1:5 Ac 20:18; 1Th 2:10 for your benefit, 6 and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message  * 1:6 Heb 4:12 with joy from the Holy Spirit. 7 As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia  * 1:7 Ac 16:9 and Achaia.  * 1:7 Ac 18:128 For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith  * 1:8 Or in every place news of your faith,* 1:8 Gl 2:16 in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, 9 for they themselves report  * 1:9 Lit report about us what kind of reception  * 1:9 Ac 17:1–9 we had from you: how you turned  * 1:9 1Pt 2:25 to God from idols  * 1:9 Gn 31:19; 1Co 8:4 to serve the living  * 1:9 Dt 5:26 and true  * 1:9 Jn 4:23; 1Jn 5:20 God 10 and to wait  * 1:10 Jd 21 for his Son  * 1:10 Heb 1:2 from heaven, whom he raised from the dead  * 1:10 Mt 17:9; Jn 5:25  — Jesus, who rescues us  * 1:10 Mt 27:43 from the coming wrath.  * 1:10 Rm 2:5; 1Th 5:9; Rv 6:16