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Scripture Reading: 1 Thes. 1:1-10
It is accurate and correct to say that the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians are on the church life. Although the expression “the church life” cannot be found in these Epistles, the church is mentioned emphatically at the beginning of each book. First Thessalonians opens with these words: “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Second Thessalonians opens in almost exactly the same way. The only difference is that 1 Thes. 1:1 says “the Father” and 2 Thes. 1:1 says “our Father.” Both 1 and 2 Thessalonians were addressed to the church.
Each of the fourteen Epistles written by Paul opens in a particular way. The beginning of every Epistle matches the contents of that particular Epistle. For example, Romans 1:1 says, “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, separated to the gospel of God.” First Corinthians begins in a somewhat different way: “Paul, a called apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God” (1 Cor. 1:1). In contrast, the opening of both 1 and 2 Thessalonians is quite simple. Paul does not use any titles to refer to himself; he does not speak of himself as a slave of Christ or as an apostle. Instead, he simply says, “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The expression, “the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” is unique. On the one hand, the church is of certain persons; on the other hand, it is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This way of referring to the church is very different from that found in 1 Corinthians 1:2. There Paul says, “To the church of God which is in Corinth,” describing the church as being in a particular place. But in 1 and 2 Thessalonians Paul speaks of the church not as being in a certain place, but as being of certain persons, the Thessalonians, who are in God. In these Epistles the church is of the Thessalonians and in the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to history, Thessalonica was an immoral place. For the most part, the people of that city were not moral. Nevertheless, according to 1:1, the church in that city was “of the Thessalonians.” It does not seem possible that a church could be composed of people who lived in a city like Thessalonica.
It is very positive to say that the church is in God the Father, but it is not positive to say that the church is of the Thessalonians. In 1:1 we have the church of the Thessalonians in God. The prepositions “of” and “in” here are very important. The church in Thessalonica was of people from an evil city, but it was in God the Father. This is similar to speaking of the church in San Francisco as being the church of the San Franciscans in God the Father. San Francisco has a world-wide reputation for being an evil, immoral city. Nevertheless, there is a church in San Francisco today, the church of the San Franciscans in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have pointed out that the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians are concerned with the church life. From the content of these books we know that the church life depends on a holy life. Many San Franciscans may be evil, but those San Franciscans who compose the church in San Francisco are holy. Praise the Lord that among today’s San Franciscans there are a number of holy people living a holy life! The same is true of the church in Los Angeles. The Lord can boast to the demons and the evil angels that in such an immoral city as Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood, the Lord has a church composed of holy people living a holy life. In the local churches today, we are living a holy life for the church life.
We all need to see that 1 and 2 Thessalonians are on the church life. Not long ago, while I was working on these two Epistles, I was looking to the Lord that he would show me the main subject of these books. Eventually, I became impressed with the matter of the church life in these Epistles. I believe that impression came from the Lord. Apparently 1 and 2 Thessalonians are not related to the church. However, if you touch the depths of the truth in these books, you will see that they truly are concerned with the practice of the church life through the living of a holy life. Now we must go on to see how it was possible for people from an immoral city such as Thessalonica to become a holy people living a holy life for the church life. If we would understand this, we need to ask a very important question: What is the source of a holy life for the church life?
The title of this message is “The Triune God Embodied in the Word to Produce a Holy Life for the Church Life.” Those who are thoughtful may wonder why this title uses the term “The Triune God” when this expression is not found in 1 Thessalonians 1. Furthermore, such careful readers may wonder how we can speak, again from 1 Thessalonians 1, of the Triune God embodied in the Word. This chapter clearly mentions the word, but what about the Triune God and the embodiment of the Triune God in the Word? Let us consider this matter carefully.
First Thessalonians 1:1 speaks of God the Father. Moreover, in verse 3 we have the words “before our God and Father.” In verse 10 Paul speaks of the Son: “And to wait for His Son from the heavens, Whom He raised from among the dead — Jesus, Who delivers us from the wrath which is coming.” Twice in this chapter Paul refers to the Holy Spirit. Verse 5 says, “Because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance.” In verse 6 Paul points out that the Thessalonians “accepted the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, in this chapter we have the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, 1 Thessalonians 1 is a chapter on the Triune God.
Actually, the entire New Testament is related to the Triune God. The Triune God is the element for the construction of the New Testament. In preparing meals, sisters use various groceries as the elements of their cooking. Likewise, certain elements are the “ingredients” used in the composition of the New Testament. What are the elements found in 1 Thessalonians 1? The most basic element is the Triune God. Just as meat is an important element in the diet of many Americans, so the Triune God is the most important element in Paul’s spiritual cooking. Hence, it is not surprising that in 1 Thessalonians 1 we can clearly see the Triune God. In this chapter Paul explicitly speaks of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
Both 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2 Thessalonians 1:1 speak of the church of the Thessalonians. This indicates that the church is composed of saved and regenerated sinners. From history we know that the cities of ancient Macedonia, where Thessalonica was located, and Achaia, where Corinth was situated, were evil and immoral. Those cities may have been worse than today’s San Francisco. The Thessalonians in particular did not have a good name; instead, they had a reputation for sinfulness, uncleanness, and immorality. But some of these Thessalonians were saved and regenerated, born of God, through believing in Christ. As a result, in that evil city there came to be a church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In reading the New Testament, it is easy for us to take terms such as in Christ, in the Lord, and in God for granted and not pay much attention to them. We need to be deeply impressed by the expression “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The utterance is marvelous. It is a tremendous matter for people to be in God! Suppose some very sinful people hear the gospel, receive the Lord Jesus, and are saved. They become Christians and are now in God the Father. We need to realize that this is a matter of great significance. Do you know where we are as believers? We are in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ!
According to 1:1, the church is not only in God the Father, but also in the Lord Jesus Christ. The church has such a marvelous location in the Father and in our Lord. Actually, God the Father and Jesus Christ are one. They are the Father and our Lord. The Father is the first of the Trinity, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son, is the second. However, we should not regard the Father and the Son as separate persons. God is triune, that is, He is three-one. Yes, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three; yet They are one. This is beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend. Oh, our God, the Triune God, is wonderful! This Triune God is revealed in 1 Thessalonians 1. Furthermore, the church of the saved ones is in this wonderful God who is the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Recently, as I was studying 1:1, I realized that to speak of the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ is to utter something very weighty and deep. I consulted the writings of Dean Alford on this verse, and I was helped by what he had to say. First, Alford points out that the preposition “in” here denotes communion and participation in. What Alford means by participation is equal to the expression “organic union.” Communion denotes a common union. The church is a group of people who have a common union with God and who are participating in Him.
Furthermore, Alford goes on to say that the expression “in God the Father” is a mark, an indication, that those in the church are no longer heathen, no longer of the Gentiles. Gentiles do not have God, but the church is composed of a group of people who are in God the Father. Those in the church, therefore, are no longer heathen.
Alford also says that “in the Lord Jesus Christ” indicates that those in the church are no longer Jewish. Jews do not believe in Jesus Christ, just as the heathen do not believe in the true God. Who are those who believe in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ? The church people are such believers. Today we are neither heathen, nor Jewish; we are the church people in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Those in the church life with a background in Judaism must realize that they are no longer Jewish. The church is composed of those who are no longer Gentiles or Jews, for we all now are in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Elsewhere in his Epistles, Paul speaks of the churches of Christ and of the church of God. Certain Christian groups have adopted these expressions as denominational titles. For example, today we have the Church of Christ, the Assembly of God, and the Church of God. But do you know of any Christian group with the title “The Church in God”? Surely there is no such group. Nevertheless, according to 1:1, it is a fact that the church is in God.
Which matter would you say is deeper, for the church to be of God, or for the church to be in God? For the church to be in God is deeper, more profound, than for the church to be merely of God. Hallelujah, the church is in God! The church is not only of God and of Christ; the church is also in God and in Christ. It is important for us to see that the church in our locality is of God and in God, of Christ and in Christ.
I can testify that seeing the significance of the preposition “in” in 1:1 has caused the book of 1 Thessalonians to become very dear and lovable to me. In this book we have the revelation that the church is not only of God and of Christ, but also in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The church is not merely in God, but is in the Father. The word Father here indicates a relationship of life. God is no longer only our Creator; He is our Father. God is the Father of the church people, for we have all been born of Him. It is a wonderful fact that we have been born of God and that He is now our Father!
Suppose your father were the President of the United States. If such were the case, you could refer to him as “my father, the President.” This would be very different from merely speaking of the President. To refer to our President may indicate that you are a citizen. But if you could say, “my father, the President,” that would indicate that the President is your father and that you have a life relationship with him. In the same principle, we can speak of God as being our Father. No longer is God only our Creator. He has become our Father, for we have been born of Him. Furthermore, Jesus Christ is our Lord. Hallelujah, we have a Father and a Lord!
To say that the church is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ is not the same as saying that the church is in two separate persons. No, the church is in the wonderful One who is the Father and the Son. Do you think that the church today on the one hand is in the Father and on the other hand in the Lord Jesus? In other words, do you think that the church, the unique church in a locality, is in two separate persons? We should not think of the church in this way. God is the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the church is in this One. Do not ask me to explain how the church can be in the One who is both the Father and the Son. It is beyond my ability to explain such a mystery. All the centuries of Christian history prove that no one can explain the Triune God adequately. But in 1:1 we have the revelation of the tremendous fact that the church is in the unique God and that this God is our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah, we have such a wonderful God, and we are in Him!
When Paul speaks of the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, he actually means that the church of the Thessalonians is in the Triune God. Paul’s word concerning the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ indicates or implies that God is triune. If God were not triune, how could He be the Father and the Son? It would be impossible. Furthermore, Paul’s reference to the Father and Christ also implies the Holy Spirit. As we have pointed out, elsewhere in this chapter Paul explicitly speaks of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, 1 Thessalonians 1 clearly shows the Triune God — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Both 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2 Thessalonians 1:1 reveal that the church is composed of a group of sinners who have been saved and regenerated and who are now in the Triune God. How wonderful!
