1 Thessalonians 1:5–10 – The Gospel’s Power and the Thessalonians’ Exemplary Response

…continued from Session 2

1 Thessalonians 1:9 – Black

Turning from Idols to the Living God (v. 9)
- Believers throughout the region reported how the Thessalonians had turned to God from idols.
Historical Challenge
- Acts 17 only records Jews and devout Gentiles responding—no mention of pagan idolaters.
- Likely refers to previous conversion from paganism to Judaism prior to Paul’s arrival.
Jewish Proselyte Language
- “To serve the living and true God” echoes:
  - Jeremiah 10:10
  - Daniel 6:20
  - Acts 14:15
- This is not typical Pauline gospel language (cf. Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 1:13; Romans 3:24).
Problems with a Pagan-Conversion Reading
- Paul's brief three-week stay makes a large-scale pagan response unlikely.
- Suggesting a separate group risks:
  - Divorcing this group from the Acts 17 audience (forcing a disconnect).
  - Assuming a dominant, undocumented group—an argument from silence.
Theological Implication
- Paul is describing their religious history in Jewish categories, not introducing mystery truth.

Waiting for the Son and Deliverance from Wrath (v. 10)
- The Thessalonians also waited for God's Son from heaven, reflecting Jewish Messianic expectation.
Prophetic Expectation
- Jewish hope included a coming Son (Psalm 2; Proverbs 30:4; Daniel 7:13; Hosea 11:1 / Matthew 2:15).
Parenthetical Identification
- “Whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus” is likely parenthetical.
- Paul identifies the Son as Jesus without requiring that full understanding at the time of their initial turning.
Wrath to Come
- Likely refers to the Day of the LORD (Zephaniah 1:14–15), not hell or general suffering.
- Deliverance is prophetic (Joel 2:32)—survival through wrath, not rapture out of it.
Distinct from Mystery Deliverance
- The mystery program (1 Thessalonians 4:17) promises rapture before wrath—not survival during it.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:9 speaks of deliverance in the prophetic context, reinforcing the Jewish framework.
Grammar of “Delivered Us”
- ῥυόμενον – present-middle participle: “delivering us”
- KJV renders it “delivered us” to reflect certainty and completed assurance, not necessarily timing.
- Present participles in Greek often express timeless, settled truths:
  - Ephesians 2:8–9 – “by grace ye are saved”
  - 1 Peter 1:5 – “who are kept by the power of God”