Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Thessalonians 1:6
And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
6. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord ] imitators of us &c. (R.V.); comp. ch. 1Th 2:14; 2Th 3:9, where the same correction is made. An “imitator” not only accepts the teaching of another, but copies his example. This imitation consisted (1) in the joyful endurance of suffering for the Gospel’s sake, as the following words show (comp. ch. 1Th 2:2; 1Th 2:14-15, &c.); but (2) also in the vigour which marked the life of this Church, corresponding to that of the Apostle’s ministry amongst them (1Th 1:4). See note on “work of faith” (1Th 1:3).
Thus imitating their apostles, the Thessalonian believers were walking in the steps of the Lord, Who Himself “received” from the Father “the word in much affliction,” and “with joy of the Holy Spirit:” “The words that Thou gavest Me,” He said to the Father, “I have given them;” men “persecuted Me, and they will persecute you,” He promised His disciples; and He too “rejoiced in the Holy Spirit” (Joh 17:8; Joh 15:20; Luk 10:21). Accordingly, in Col 1:24 the Apostle writes of himself as “filling up what is left behind of the afflictions of Christ.” Observe two things here: (1) How inspiring to the Thessalonians to be told they were walking in the very steps “of the Lord;” this makes toil welcome, and shame glorious. (2) How bold in the Apostle, and what a good conscience he kept, that he could identify following himself with following Christ. Comp. 1Co 11:1, “Be imitators of me, even as I also of Christ.”
1Th 1:6 is parallel to 1Th 1:5, both serving to establish 1Th 1:4. St Paul was satisfied that God had set His love upon these Thessalonians and chosen them to salvation, in the first instance by the extraordinary power and effect upon them of his preaching, as they will remember (1Th 1:5); and further by their joyous endurance of persecution, proving the thoroughness of their conversion, to which everyone is witness ( 1Th 1:6-10). “We give thanks to God for you being well assured of your Divine election, in that our message to you was attended with the manifest power of the Holy Spirit, and yon gladly consented to the sufferings that it brought upon you” ( 1Th 1:3-6).
having received the word ] On “receive” see note to ch. 1Th 2:13.
“The word” ( par excellence) stands alone for “the word of the Lord” (1Th 1:8), or “of God” (ch. 1Th 2:13), the same as “our gospel” (1Th 1:5).
in much affliction ] This great affliction (or tribulation: same Greek word, ch. 1Th 3:4; 2Th 1:4; 2Th 1:6) is described in Act 17:5-9, and referred to frequently in the Epistles: see Introd. pp. 15, 35. Persecution marked out the path in which the Thessalonians were called to follow Christ, and gave them an immediate opportunity of showing the genuineness of their faith. So with the kindred Philippian Church: “To you it was granted as a favour on Christ’s behalf, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Php 1:29).
with joy of the Holy Ghost ] i.e. coming of (or inspired by) the Holy Spirit. Joy constantly attends suffering for the truth’s sake, and for the word of God. Of this St Paul was an eminent example “sorrowing, yet alway rejoicing” (2Co 6:10, &c.); and Christ Himself, Who promises His disciples “My joy” amidst the sorrows of His passion (Joh 15:11); the Thessalonians were “imitators.” At a later time the Apostle notes in the Macedonian Churches, “in much proof of affliction, the abundance of their joy” (2Co 8:2). All such joy is from the Holy Spirit, and is a sign of His indwelling,
“Whose blessed unction from above
Is comfort, life, and fire of love!”
The same Spirit Who enabled the apostles to preach with power in spite of all opposition, enabled the Thessalonians to believe with joy in spite of all persecution.
The Apostle introduces the Holy Spirit in 1Th 1:5-6 as One whose presence and attributes were well known to his readers. They had been “baptised into the name of the Holy Spirit,” as well as “of the Father and the Son:” see notes on 1Th 1:1, “in God the Father &c.” In these first few verses the whole doctrine of the Trinity is implied.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And ye became followers of us – You became imitators – mimetai – of us. This does not mean that they became followers of Paul, Silas, and Timothy, in the sense that they had set themselves up as teachers, or as the head of a sect, but that they imitated their manner of living; see the notes on 1Co 4:16; 1Co 11:1.
And of the Lord – The Lord Jesus. You also learned to imitate him. From this it is evident that the manner in which the Saviour lived was a prominent topic of their preaching, and also that it was one of the means of the conversion of the Thessalonians. It is probable that preaching on the pure and holy life of the Lord Jesus might be made a much more important means of the conversion of sinners than it is. Nothing is better adapted to show them the evil of their own guilty lives than the contrast between their lives and his; and nothing can be conceived better fitted to win them to holy living than the contemplation of his pure and holy deportment.
Having received the word in much affliction – That is, amidst much opposition from others; see Act 17:5-8. It was in the midst of these trials that they had become converted – and they seem to have been all the better Christians for them. In this they were imitators of the Saviour, or shared the same lot with him, and thus became his followers. Their embracing and holding fast the truths of religion amidst all this opposition, showed that they were controlled by the same principles that he was, and that they were truly his friends.
With joy of the Holy Ghost – With happiness produced by the Holy Ghost. Though they were much afflicted and persecuted, yet there was joy. There was joy in their conversion – in the evidence of pardoned sin – in the hope of heaven; see the notes, Act 8:8. However great may be the trials and persecutions experienced in receiving the gospel, or however numerous and long the sufferings of the subsequent life in consequence of having embraced it, there is a joy in religion that more than overbalances all, and that makes religion the richest of all blessings.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
1Th 1:6-8
And ye became followers of us and of the Lord
Followers of the Apostles and of the Lord
This is a very interesting and beautiful account of the triumph of the truth and the progress of religion in Thessalonica.
The eye rests with gladness and gratitude upon the bright spots and periods, in the history of our world, in which the religion of Jesus has subdued and overcome the vice, and infatuation, and ignorance, and stupidity of our race; and we are prepared to say devoutly–Awake, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient time, in the generations of old! Let Thy work be repeated, and the lovely scenery be viewed again!
I. The Thessalonians were careful to follow the example of the apostles. And the apostles took every care to demean themselves well, not only for their own credits sake, but for the benefit of others, by a conversation suitable to their doctrine, that they might not pull down with one hand what they built up with the other; so the Thessalonians, who observed what manner of men they were among them, how their preaching and living were all of a piece, showed a conscientious care to be followers of them; that is–to imitate their good example. And herein they became followers of the Lord also, who is the perfect example; and we should be followers of others no farther than they are followers of Christ (1Co 11:1). The Thessalonians acted thus notwithstanding the afflictions to which the apostles and themselves also were exposed. They were willing to share in the sufferings that attended the embracing and professing Christianity. Perhaps this made the Word more precious, being dearly bought; and the examples of the apostles shone very bright under these trying circumstances; so that the Thessalonians embraced the gospel cheerfully, and followed the example of the suffering apostles joyfully. Such spiritual, and solid, and lasting joy as the Holy Ghost is the Author of, when our afflictions do abound, maketh our consolation much more abound.
II. Their zeal so prevailed that they were themselves examples to all others. They were stamps, or instruments to make impression. They made good impressions, and their conversation had a correspondent influence upon others. There is nothing which maketh the gospel sound louder, the sound of it to be heard better, and the offer embraced more readily, than when a sincere profession is beautified, and adorned, and seconded by a sober and conscientious practice; for it was such a profession, strengthened with such a practice, in the Thessalonians, which made the gospel sound from them in Macedonia and Achaia. The word signifies to sound shrill and far, as with the noise of a trumpet, or voice of lion herald. So that the effects of the gospel in turning the Thessalonians from idols to serve the living and true God, was so spread abroad that the apostles themselves need not to speak anything. (D. Mayo.)
The power of example
Ye became followers–imitators, or copiers–of us. This is the first view Paul here takes of his Thessalonian converts.
1. They resembled himself and his fellow labourers. But how? In their faith, their hope, their love, and their good works. Let us enter into this thought. Man is an imitative creature. The first voluntary efforts that are made by children, are always endeavours to mimic something which they have seen. But as man is a depraved creature, and as he is exposed to bad examples in this world, as well as good, and more to bad examples than to good, he naturally follows the multitude to do evil; and the question with him, therefore, concerning anything, is not–Is it true? or is this reasonable? or is it righteous? but–What will people think or say of me? Shall I not be seen? Why, all the Lords people are a peculiar people; and it argues much more dignity of principle and purity of motive to advance alone than under the applause of thousands. This disposition was in the case of the Thessalonians sanctified, for it was turned another way; for the men they now followed were few, compared with the rest, and they had nothing of a worldly kind to recommend them. No; they were esteemed the very filth and offscouring of all. Yet, with Moses, these Thessalonians chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. They esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. Yes; with David they could say–I am a companion of all them that fear Thee, of them that keep Thy statutes. So it always is when persons are made wise unto salvation; then they immediately see, that the righteous are more excellent than their neighbours, and that of them the world is not worthy. Then they pray–Look Thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as Thou usedst to do unto them that love Thy name. Then they let go the sons and daughters of folly and vice, and run and take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying–We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.
2. They resembled the Lord also; to show the apostles confidence that they were themselves conformed to Him, and those that followed them thus far would be followers of Him. Therefore, says the apostle to the Corinthians–Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Did he mean to place himself upon a level, then, with Christ? By no means; but to assert that he knew he was walking the same way, that he was influenced by the same principles, that he felt the same sentiments. And we must be conscious of this too. Yes; we must remember that if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His. But it is added, to teach us that no men are to be our examples any further than they resemble Him; that we are not to give up ourselves absolutely to any leader, however distinguished by gifts or graces. We are not to pin our faith upon their sleeve, or to determine our action by their practice invariably. No; they are all fallible. The wisest of men have their follies; the best of men have their faults; the wisest and the best of men, therefore, may lead us astray. Abraham denied his wife at Gerah; Moses spake unadvisedly with his lips; Job cursed the day of his birth; Peter said with an oath, I know not the Man. But here we have in the Lord Jesus an infallible pattern; and therefore we may give up ourselves entirely to His direction and influence, and, as it is said, follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.
3. They who imitated others became ensamples to others:–Ye became ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. It is very observable in nature that things in succession are alternately cause and effect, effect and cause. Thus, parents produce children, and children produce in time children; thus, those now obey, who by and by command; thus, learners now become teachers; and those who were followers become leaders themselves. This was the case here; from following the apostles and the Lord Jesus, they became ensamples to all that believed in Macedonia and Achaia. Indeed, what individual is there, who is not, more or less, an ensample to some? Which of you is entirely isolated? Who is not seen and heard of some? Who is not followed by some? But how honourable was it for these converts! They were ensamples, to whom? To them that believe. Oh! it is easy for you to be ensamples to some. It is easy, to have goodness enough to censure and condemn the grossly wicked; it is easy, to have goodness enough to be considered righteous, when compared with drunkards, and swearers, and thieves, and robbers. But these Thessalonians were ensamples to the good, to the godly, to them that believed; yea, and what is more, to all them that believed in Macedonia and Achaia; though it is very probable that many of these had been in the Lord before them, and had believed before them. There are many cases in which the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. (W. Jay.)
The practical result of a true reception of the gospel
I. The true reception of the Gospel
1. They received the Word in sorrow–in much affliction (Act 17:5-9). Principally, sorrow on account of sin–their prolonged rejection of Christ, and obstinate disobedience.
2. In joy. With joy of the Holy Ghost. They realized–
(1) The joy of conscious forgiveness and acceptance with God. The sinless angels, placed beyond the necessity of pardon, are incapable of realizing this joy. It belongs exclusively to the believing penitent.
(2) The joy of suffering for the truth. Cyprian, who suffered for Jesus, used to say, It is not the pain but the cause that makes the martyr. That cause is the cause of truth. Suffering is limited to life, but truth is eternal. To suffer for the truth is a privilege and a joy.
(3) The joy of triumph–over error, sin, Satan, persecution. This joy is the fruit of the Spirit. These twin feelings–sorrow and joy–are typical of the alternating experience of the believer throughout his earthly career.
II. The practical result.
1. They became imitators of the highest patterns of excellence–us and the Lord. The example of Christ is the all-perfect standard. But this does not supersede the use of inferior models. The planets have their mission, as well as the sun, and we can better bear the moderated light of their borrowed splendour. The bravery of a common soldier, as well as the capacity and heroism of the most gifted officer, may stimulate a regiment to deeds of valour. So the apostles, in their patience, zeal, and integrity, became examples, while they pointed to the great Pattern.
2. They became examples to others. So that ye were ensamples to all that believe.
(1) In the reality and power of their faith.
(2) In their zealous propagation of the truth. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord.
(3) The influence of their example was extensive in its range. Macedonia and Achaia were two Roman provinces that comprised the territory known as ancient Greece. Thessalonica, the metropolis of Macedonia, was the chief station on the great Roman road–the Via Egnatia–which connected Rome with the whole region north of the AEgean sea, and was an important centre, both for commerce and the spread of intelligence. Wherever the trade of the merchant city extended, there the fame of the newly founded Church penetrated. Great was the renown of their own Alexander, the Macedonian monarch, and brilliant his victories: but the reputation of the Thessalonian Christians was of a higher order, and their achievements more enduring. Learn–
1. The gospel that brings sorrow to the heart also brings the joy.
2. A genuine reception of the truth changes the man, and creates unquenchable aspirations after the highest good.
3. A living example is more potent than the most elaborate code of precepts, however eloquently explained or cogently enforced. (G. Barlow.)
The divinity of a true man
I. He is a recipient of the Divine. The word here is the gospel. Their suffering in receiving it was more than counterbalanced by the joy of the Holy Ghost. What matters bodily affliction if you have this joy. We glory in tribulation, etc. A genuine Christian is a man who has received into him the Divine Word. Gods great thoughts have come into his intellect, touched his heart, and given a new moral impulse to his being. He who has not received this Divine Word intelligently and with practical effect is no Christian. The Christian is a living Bible, the word made flesh.
II. He is an imitator of the Divine. The apostles were Christians because they were followers of the Lord; and all who would be Christians must become the same.
1. Christ is the most perfect moral model. In Him we have all that commands the attention and admiration of the soul.
2. Christ is the most imitable moral model. Sublimely great as He is, no character has appeared in history so imitable as His.
(1) Because none is so powerful to awaken our admiration. What we admire most, we imitate most.
(2) Because none is so easily understood. He is perfectly transparent. One principle–love–explains all His moral features and activities.
(3) Because none but His is permanently consistent.
III. He is an example of the Divine. So that ye were ensamples, etc. Macedonia and Achaia stand for all Greece, so that they became ensamples to the entire Greek race. Genuine Christian not only receives and imitates, but reflects and radiates the Divine. He is the brightest and fullest revelation of God on earth; there is more of the Divine seen in the Christly soul than there is in starry heavens and blooming landscapes. Ye are My witnesses.
IV. He is a proclaimer of the Divine. From you sounded out the word. This is an image from a trumpet filling with its clear sounding echo all the surrounding places. They sounded out the gospel, not only in enthusiastic utterances but in noble and generous deeds. Thessalonica was a large maritime and commercial city; and its Christian mer chants would in all their transactions with foreign traders ring out the gospel. Conclusion: A genuine Christian, then, is a Divine man. There is in a moral as well as in a constitutional sense, a divinity within him. He is the recipient, imitator, example, and herald of the Divine. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
Stimulating example
The leisure of Caesar was spent in reading the history of Alexander the Great. Upon one occasion his friends found him bathing the book with tears. In deep concern they asked him the reason why he wept. The reply was, Do you think I have not sufficient cause for concern, when Alexander at my age reigned over so many conquered countries, and I have not one glorious achievement to boast? So the lives of the apostles and early saints may well be studied by us who are Christians, that we may be fired by their exploits to do greater deeds for God; and we should mourn bitterly when we compare our small achievements with His whom we call Master and Lord, and who, before He had attained the years of middle manhood, had performed deeds at which the stoutest frames might quake and the most faithful soul might blush. Comparisons such as these would first stir our gratitude that such an example has been left us, and then fire our valour, that at the end our lives might not be mere empty names, but such as men might gaze upon with admiration, and seek to copy.
Christ the only sufficient Exemplar
It is said, that, thinking to amuse him, his wife read to Dr. Judson some newspaper notices, in which he was compared to one or other of the apostles. He was exceedingly distressed: and then added, Nor do I want to be like them; I do not want to be like Paul, nor Apollos, nor Cephas, nor any mere man. I want to be like Christ. We have only one perfectly safe Exemplar–only One, who, tempted like as we are in every point, is still without sin. I want to follow Him only, copy His teachings, drink in His Spirit, place my feet in His footprints, and measure their shortcomings by these, and these only. Oh, to be more like Christ!
The noble army of martyrs
Man can do without happiness, and instead thereof find blessedness, wrote Carlyle, and Paul preached it with his life. But that life was only a faint echo of a greater life. The Man of sorrows was God over all, blessed forever. If a man cannot understand how many afflictions may be consonant with the joy of the Holy Ghost, he may be a Christian by courtesy, but he knows little of Christian experience. The calling of a son of God does not exempt from sorrow, but it opens beneath it a spring of joy. This was proved by Paul, and his life work was the noblest, and has left the deepest mark on the progress of the race. Where are the Caesars? Much of their work abides, but their names are little more than shades. It is the man who brings regenerating work to bear upon his age who is shrined most lovingly in the reverence of mankind. And so Paul lives because Christ lived in him. Those who followed Christ live amongst us because Christ is amongst us. Three hundred years ago Paul shook Christendom as he shook heathenism and Judaism in his day.
I. Followers of us and of the Lord.
1. There is something startling in these words. A man of like passions with ourselves dares to propose himself for imitation to those who were seeking to follow the incarnate God. And the world is never without its Christlike ones. And there is nothing more wonderful than that men and women like ourselves may be and live like the Son of God. He does not shine in unapproachable isolation. As the elder among many brethren, a bright particular star amid a cluster of constellations, He leads the human host with which He has cast His lot and mixed up His life forever.
2. Where are the points of likeness? (Gal 2:20; 2Co 12:10). In the power of self-sacrifice. It may seem strange to this self-loving age, but it is well worth noting, that these men whose lives have been so fruitful had no thought of any interest but Christ; no self-will, but were absolutely open to the will of God. Are we then to have no will of our own? God forbid! Paul had a mighty will of his own, and expressed it in defiance of the whole secular and religious world. But it was his own and yet not his own; it was moulded and refined into harmony with a higher will; and just as the blood gets purified from its carbonic dross as the vital air breathes through it in the lungs, so the will of Paul was purged of the acrid leaven of self by prayer that God would use him, strengthen him to follow Christ, and teach him to spend himself for the service of mankind.
3. A man need not adopt the calling of an apostle to enter such a life as this. There have been soldiers, statesmen, merchants, whose deepest thought has been I am not mine own. Hard as it may be, it is the beginning of peace to say it and try to live it. You may have your own way, and you will weary of it as soon as you have got it; while you may give up our own way, and make it your effort to care for others, and a glow of heavenly joy will enter and abide in your spirit. Likeness to Christ lies expressly in the power of self-sacrifice, and this is to grasp the difference between blessedness and happiness which the text expounds.
II. They entered into this fellowship by receiving the Word with much affliction and joy of the Holy Ghost.
1. Confession or profession is in these days cheapwork. Then it was dear work, and at any moment might cost dear life. It is not good to be out of fellow ship with the heroisms of the past. How many a stout citizen has stained his hearthstone with his lifes blood that you may sit with your loved ones without fears around yours? An age out of fellowship with the martyrs is neither noble nor blessed, however prosperous.
2. We learn from Act 17:1-34 and the Epistle some thing of these afflictions. Strain your imagination to realize them–
(1) Feel the cords tightening, see the glaring eye of the lion, hear the hiss of the red-hot iron or the swing of the axe; and bethink you in the last dread moment of a gentle wife, or a dear boy, etc., whom you are leaving obnoxious to the same doom. Does it seem to you that you could utter the name of Christ with your last breath with passionate devotion? Then you can understand how none but as martyrs can taste the joy of the Holy Ghost.
(2) Then there was the utter rupture of all the bonds of kindred and social relation, and the loss of means. It is evident, from the Second Epistle, that there was deep poverty in the Church. They received the Word as England did at the Reformation–as Hindoos, Chinese, and South Sea Islanders receive it today.
(3) And this is independent of the sorrow which springs out of the stern struggle against the world and flesh and devil.
3. To understand this better, notice–
(1) That the purest joys are independent of surroundings. What a man has is nothing in comparison with what he is. If two persons love each other, to be near, even in penury, is bliss; to be separate, even in wealth, is misery.
(2) So the joy of the Holy Ghost is the joy of a man who has found the true Lover and Lord of His being, whom he can obey with supreme delight. It is the joy of the lonely soul that has found its kindred, of a sick man who feels within himself that the spring of his life is healed. Men can glory in tribulations if they but bring them fully into the sphere of Christs fellowship and love. Suffering ceases to be pain if love consecrates it.
4. And let the careless understand that the choice in life is mainly between suffering with joy in the Holy Ghost, and suffering without it. Life is no holiday pastime for any of us; but the true agony of life must be with those who are without God and hope in the world. (Baldwin Brown, B. A.)
Followers of us and of the Lord—
Not disciples merely, but imitators
I. In meek reception (Psa 40:6; Isa 50:5).
II. Cost what it might.
III. Rejoicing all the while (Psa 22:22; Psa 45:7). (Canon Mason.)
Christs example the universal rule
God never gave a man a thing to do concerning which it were irreverent to ponder how the Son of God would have done it. (G. Macdonald, LL. D.)
The possibility of following Christ
Christs Divinity does not destroy the reality of His manhood by overshadowing or absorbing it. Certainly the Divine attributes of Jesus are beyond our imitation. We can but adore a boundless intelligence or resistless will. But the province of the imitable in the life of Jesus is not indistinctly traced; as the Friend of publicans and sinners, as the Consoler of these who suffer, and as the Helper of those who want, Jesus Christ is at hence among us. We can copy Him, not merely in the outward activities of charity, but in its inward temper. We can copy the tenderness, the meekness, the patience, the courage, which shine forth from His perfect manhood. His human perfections constitute, indeed, a faultless ideal of beauty, which, as moral artists, we are bound to keep in view. What the true and highest model of a human life is, has been decided for us Christians by the appearance of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Others may endeavour to reopen the question; for us it is settled irrevocably. (Canon Liddon.)
The indispensableness of following Christ
Believing on Christ, learning of Christ, following Christ; this is what it is to be a Christian. You must believe on Him that you may learn of Him. You must learn of Him that you may follow Him. But believing is nothing, and learning is less than nothing, if they do not result in faithful following. (W. Gladden, D. D.)
The motive for following Christ
Francis I of France had not reached his twentieth year when he was present at the celebrated battle of Marignan, which lasted two days. He performed prodigies of valour, and fought less as a king than as a soldier. Having perceived his standard bearer surrounded by the enemy, he precipitated himself to his assistance in the midst of lances and halberts. He was presently surrounded, his horse pierced with several wounds, and his casque despoiled of its plumes. He must have been inevitably overwhelmed if a body of troops, detached from the allies, had not hastened to his succour. Francis hazarded this battle against the advice of his generals, and cut short all remonstrances by the expression, which afterwards became proverbial, Let him that loves me, follow me! (Percy.)
Much affliction, with Joy of the Holy Ghost–
Affliction and joy
Plato makes Socrates say to his friends, after drinking the poison, How singular is the thing called pleasure, and how curiously related to pain, which might be thought the opposite of it! For they never come to a man together; and yet he who possesses either is generally compelled to take the other! They are two, and yet they grow together out of one head or stem; and I cannot help thinking that, if AEsop had noticed them, he would have made a fable about God trying to reconcile their strife, and, when He could not, fastening their heads together; and this is the reason why, when one comes, the other follows. That is a heathen speculation on one of the great mysteries of human life. The mystery appears intensified in Christian life (2Co 6:10). Yet so far it is explained by that lifes being an imitation of Christ. The believer, like his Master, being in world of sin, is encompassed with tribulation; but, being a citizen of heaven, he is also girded with gladness. He hears the voice of loving authority, and he yields to it loving obedience. If any man will come after him, etc. He knows that the via dolorosa which he thus has to tread is a path of true joy, for he recognizes his Saviours steps in it. Hence he can sing in the ways of the Lord, for fulness of consolation will be his at last. The stream of the renewed life is of two currents. As near Geneva, at the junction of the Rhone to the Arve, the two rivers, though joined, yet appear distinct–the blue stream of the one and the white stream of the other forming one volume of water, flowing within the same banks, at least for a time, towards the sea beyond–so it is with the Christian life. Its stream has two currents–distinct, yet united–of tribulation and joy, ever wending its course, troubled and calm, to the ocean of eternity beyond. (J. Hutchison, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 6. Ye became followers of us] Ye became imitators, , of us-ye believed the same truths, walked in the same way, and minded the same thing; knowing that our doctrine was of the Lord, and that the way in which we walked was prescribed by himself, and that he also suffered the contradictions of ungodly men.
Having received the word in much affliction] That they received the doctrine of the Gospel in the midst of much persecution we may learn from the history in general, and from Ac 17:5-6.
With joy of the Holy Ghost] The consolations which they received, in consequence of believing in Christ, more than counterbalanced all the afflictions which they suffered from their persecutors.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
6. And yeanswering to “Forour Gospel,” 1Th 1:5.
followersGreek,“imitators.” The Thessalonians in their turn became”ensamples” (1Th 1:7)for others to imitate.
of the Lordwho was theapostle of the Father, and taught the word, which He brought fromheaven, under adversities [BENGEL].This was the point in which they imitated Him and His apostles,joyful witness for the word in much affliction: thesecond proof of their election of God (1Th1:4); 1Th 1:5 is the first(see on 1Th 1:5).
received the word in muchaffliction (1Th 2:14;1Th 3:2-5; Act 17:5-10).
joy ofthat is, wroughtby “the Holy Ghost.” “The oil of gladness”wherewith the Son of God was “anointed above His fellows”(Ps 45:7), is the same oil withwhich He, by the Spirit, anoints His fellows too (Isa 61:1;Isa 61:3; Rom 14:17;1Jn 2:20; 1Jn 2:27).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord,…. So far followers of them as they were of Christ, in embracing the Gospel, submitting to the ordinances of it, professing the name of Christ, and suffering for his sake; the Alexandrian copy reads, “of God”, and others, “of Christ”:
having received the word; the Gospel, the word of truth, peace, and righteousness, and of salvation by Christ; which they received not as the word of man, but of God; and that
in much affliction; referring to the uproar made by the baser sort of people, instigated by the unbelieving Jews, and the trouble they gave to Jason and other brethren, mentioned in Ac 17:1 and this is a considerable commendation of them, that at a time when others were offended and fell off from hearing the word, and a profession of the Gospel, they should receive it, and that
with much joy of the Holy Ghost; not with a carnal joy, or with a mere flash of natural affection, as in the stony ground hearers, and in the Jews, who rejoiced for a while in John’s ministry, and in Herod, who sometimes heard him gladly; but with a spiritual joy of the Holy Ghost’s producing in them, applying the word with power to them, giving them a spiritual gust of it, and pleasure in it, raising in their souls a joy upon the most solid foundation.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Evidence of the Apostle’s Success. | A. D. 51. |
6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: 7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9 For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
In these words we have the evidence of the apostle’s success among the Thessalonians, which was notorious and famous in several places. For,
I. They were careful in their holy conversation to imitate the good examples of the apostles and ministers of Christ, v. 6. As the apostle took care to demean himself well, not only for his own credit’s sake, but for the benefit of others, by a conversation suitable to his doctrine, that he might not pull down with one hand what he built up with the other, so the Thessalonians, who observed what manner of men they were among them, how their preaching and living were all of a piece, showed a conscientious care to be followers of them, or to imitate their good example. Herein they became also followers of the Lord, who is the perfect example we must strive to imitate; and we should be followers of others no further than they are followers of Christ, 1 Co. xi. 1. The Thessalonians acted thus, notwithstanding their affliction, that much affliction which the apostles and themselves also were exposed to. They were willing to share in the sufferings that attended the embracing and professing of Christianity. They entertained the gospel, notwithstanding the troubles and hardships which attended the preachers and professors of it too. Perhaps this made the word more precious, being dear–bought; and the examples of the apostles shone very bright under their afflictions; so that the Thessalonians embraced the word cheerfully, and followed the example of the suffering apostles joyfully, with joy in the Holy Ghost–such solid and spiritual and lasting joy as the Holy Ghost is the author of, who, when our afflictions abound, makes our consolations much more to abound.
II. Their zeal prevailed to such a degree that they were themselves examples to all about them, 1Th 1:7; 1Th 1:8. Observe here,
1. Their example was very effectual to make good impressions upon many others. They were typoi—stamps, or instruments to make impression with. They had themselves received good impressions from the preaching and conversation of the apostles, and they made good impressions, and their conversation had an influence upon others. Note, Christians should be so good as by their example to influence others.
2. It was very extensive, and reached beyond the confines of Thessalonica, even to the believers of all Macedonia, and further, in Achaia; the Philippians, and others who received the gospel before the Thessalonians, were edified by their example. Note, Some who were last hired into the vineyard may sometimes outstrip those who come in before them, and become examples to them.
3. It was very famous. The word of the Lord, or its wonderful effects upon the Thessalonians, sounded, or was famous and well known, in the regions round about that city, and in every place; not strictly every where, but here and there, up and down in the world: so that, from the good success of the gospel among them, many others were encouraged to entertain it, and to be willing, when called, to suffer for it. Their faith was spread abroad. (1.) The readiness of their faith was famed abroad. These Thessalonians embraced the gospel as soon as it was preached to them; so that every body took notice what manner of entering in among them the apostles had, that there were no such delays as at Philippi, where it was a great while before much good was done. (2.) The effects of their faith were famous. [1.] They quitted their idolatry; they turned from their idols, and abandoned all the false worship they had been educated in. [2.] They gave themselves up to God, to the living and true God, and devoted themselves to his service. [3.] They set themselves to wait for the Son of God from heaven, v. 10. And this is one of the peculiarities of our holy religion, to wait for Christ’s second coming, as those who believe he will come and hope he will come to our joy. The believers under the Old Testament waited for the coming of the Messiah, and believers now wait for his second coming; he is yet to come. And there is good reason to believe he will come, because God has raised him from the dead, which is full assurance unto all men that he will come to judgment, Acts xvii. 31. And there is good reason to hope and wait for his coming, because he has delivered us from the wrath to come. He came to purchase salvation, and will, when he comes again, bring salvation with him, full and final deliverance from sin, and death, and hell, from that wrath which is yet to come upon unbelievers, and which, when it has once come, will be yet to come, because it is everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, Mt. xxv. 41.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Imitators of us and of the Lord ( ). (– expresses the agent) is from , to imitate and that from (, actor). Old word, more than “followers,” in the N.T. only six times (1Thess 1:6; 1Thess 2:14; 1Cor 4:16; 1Cor 11:1; Eph 5:1; Heb 6:12). Again Paul uses , to become, not , to be. It is a daring thing to expect people to “imitate” the preacher, but Paul adds “and of the Lord,” for he only expected or desired “imitation” as he himself imitated the Lord Jesus, as he expressly says in 1Co 11:1. The peril of it all is that people so easily and so readily imitate the preacher when he does not imitate the Lord. The fact of the “election” of the Thessalonians was shown by the character of the message given them and by this sincere acceptance of it (Lightfoot).
Having received the word ( ). First aorist middle participle of , probably simultaneous action (receiving), not antecedent.
In much affliction ( ). Late word, pressure. Tribulation (Latin tribulum) from , to press hard on. Christianity has glorified this word. It occurs in some Christian papyrus letters in this same sense. Runs all through the N.T. (2Thess 1:4; Rom 5:3). Paul had his share of them (Col 1:24; 2Cor 2:4) and so he understands how to sympathize with the Thessalonians (1Th 3:3f.). They suffered after Paul left Thessalonica (1Th 2:14).
With joy of the Holy Spirit ( ). The Holy Spirit gives the joy in the midst of the tribulations as Paul learned (Ro 5:3). “This paradox of experience” (Moffatt) shines along the pathway of martyrs and saints of Christ.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Followers [] . More literally and better, imitators. Only once outside of Paul ‘s writings, Heb 6:12. Comp. 1Th 3:9; 2 Thessalonians 7; 1Co 4:16; 1Co 11:1; Gal 4:12; Phi 3:17; Phi 4:9.
And of the Lord. Guarding against any possible imputation of self – assertion or conceit. Comp. 1Co 11:1.
Tribulation [] . See on Mt 13:21. Referring especially to persecutions at the hands of the Jews (Act 17:5 ff.), which probably continued after Paul ‘s departure from Thessalonica.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And ye became followers of us” (kai hiumeis mimetai hemon egenethete) “and you all became imitators of us;” Sheep must follow their shepherd for food, shelter, and safety. Every Pastor must also be and talk and act like a shepherd, 1Pe 5:1-4, not a cowboy–and that Christ is his ShepherdHeb 13:7; Heb 13:17; Heb 13:24.
2) “And of the Lord” (kai tou kuriou) “as well as of the Lord”; Those who follow, pray for, and respect the godly, ordained pastor and plurality of elders, (leaders) in the church, are here declared to be followers or imitators of the Lord.
3) “Having received the word in much affliction” (deksamenoi ton logon en thlipsei polle) “welcoming the word in much affliction, trouble, or tribulation”; This refers to the strong anti-christian resistance under which the brethren of Thessalonica received the word from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Act 17:5-9.
4) “With joy of the Holy Ghost” (meta charas pneumatos hagiou) “with Holy Spirit joy”, or “joy emanating from close fellowship with the Holy Spirit”; All who receive the word of Christ find in it accompanying joy of the Holy Spirit, Rom 5:5; Rom 8:15. As Jesus “rejoiced in Spirit”, that names of those who believed in him were written in heaven, so should saints rejoice in the Spirit, in the Lord, always, Luk 10:20-21; 1Th 5:16; Php_4:4; Psa 51:11-12. The indwelling Holy Spirit is a pledge, seal, and foretaste of redemption, Eph 1:13-14.
INFLUENCES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The same shower blesses various lands in different degrees, according to their respective susceptibilities. It makes the grass to spring up in the mead, the grain to vegetate in the field, the shrub to grow on the plain, and the flowers to blossom in the garden; and these are garnished with every hue of loveliness,–the lily and the violet, the rose and the daisy: all these worketh the same Spirit that renews the face of the earth. The influences of the Holy Spirit, descending on the moral soil, produce “blessing in variety, “–convictions in the guilty, illumination in the ignorant, holiness in the. defiled, strength in the feeble, and comfort in the distressed. As the Spirit of holiness, he imparts a pure taste; as the Spirit of glory, he throws a radiance over the character; as the Spirit of life, he revives religion; as the Spirit of truth, he gives transparency to the conduct; as the Spirit of prayer, he melts the soul into devotion; and, as the Spirit of grace, he imbues with benevolence, and covers the face of the earth with the works of faith and labors of love.
–Dr. Jenkyn.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
6 And ye became imitators. With the view of increasing their alacrity, he declares that there is a mutual agreement, and harmony, as it were, between his preaching and their faith. For unless men, on their part, answer to God, no proficiency will follow from the grace that is offered to them — not as though they could do this of themselves, but inasmuch as God, as he begins our salvation by calling us, perfects it also by fashioning our hearts to obedience. The sum, therefore, is this — that an evidence of Divine election shewed itself not only in Paul’s ministry, in so far as it was furnished with the power of the Holy Spirit, but also in the faith of the Thessalonians, so that this conformity is a powerful attestation of it. He says, however, “Ye were imitators of God and of us, ” in the same sense in which it is said, that the people believed God and his servant Moses, (Exo 14:13 (505)) not as though Paul and Moses had anything different from God, but because he wrought powerfully by them, as his ministers and instruments. (506) While ye embraced. Their readiness in receiving the gospel is called an imitation of God, for this reason, that as God had presented himself to the Thessalonians in a liberal spirit, so they had, on their part, voluntarily come forward to meet him.
He says, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, that we may know that it is not by the instigation of the flesh, or by the promptings of their own nature, that men will be ready and eager to obey God, but that this is the work of God’s Spirit. The circumstance, that amidst much tribulation they had embraced the gospel, serves by way of amplification. For we see very many, not otherwise disinclined to the gospel, who, nevertheless, avoid it, from being intimidated through fear of the cross. Those, accordingly, who do not hesitate with intrepidity to embrace along with the gospel the afflictions that threaten them, furnish in this an admirable example of magnanimity. And from this it is so much the more clearly apparent, how necessary it is that the Spirit should aid us in this. For the gospel cannot be properly, or sincerely received, unless it be with a joyful heart. Nothing, however, is more at variance with our natural disposition, than to rejoice in afflictions.
(505) This is what the original text reads; however, (Exo 14:31 would seem to be a more appropriate reference. — fj.
(506) See Calvin on the Corinthians, vol. 2, p. 288.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES
1Th. 1:6. Followers of us and of the Lord.R.V. imitators. St. Paul begs his Corinthian readers to imitate him, even as he imitates Christ. The same thought is implied here: We are walking after Christ; walk after us, and you will follow Him. With joy of the Holy Ghost.Not only was the word preached in the Holy Ghost (1Th. 1:5), but it was eagerly welcomed by hearts made ready by the Holy Ghostas St. Paul said to the Corinthians, So we preach, so ye believed.
1Th. 1:7. So that ye were ensamples.R.V. follows the singular. The original word is that from which we get our type. The image left on a coin by stamping is a type. Children are said to be types of their parents. So these Thessalonians were clearly stamped as children of God.
1Th. 1:8. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord.The word did not originate amongst the Thessalonians. They had but taken up the sound and sent it ringing on to others in the regions farther removed. They had echoed out the word, says St. Paul. In every place.Or as we say, Everybody is talking about the matter.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.1Th. 1:6-8
The Practical Result of a True Reception of the Gospel.
Christianity transforms man, fills the mind with pure and lofty thoughts, turns the current of his feelings into the right channel, makes the soul luminous with ever-brightening hopes, and transfigures his sin-stricken nature into a semblance of the dignity, beauty, and perfection of the divine. Observe its influence on the mixed population of Thessalonica.
I. The true reception of the gospel.Having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost (1Th. 1:6). The word may fall on the ear like a sweet strain of music, and charm the soul with temporary rapture, may enter the understanding as a clearly apprehended truth, may captivate the affections, and travel through the whole sphere of emotion on a thrill of ecstasy; but unless it be embraced by the heart and conscience, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, it is powerless in spiritual reformation. Two opposite, but often strangely blended, emotionssorrow and joywere exercised in the reception of the gospel by the Thessalonians.
1. They received the word in sorrow.In much affliction. Amid the tumult and persecution of the citizens (Act. 17:5-9). Principally, sorrow on account of sin, and because of their prolonged rejection of Christ and obstinate disobedience.
2. They received the word with joy.With joy of the Holy Ghost. They realised the joy of conscious forgiveness and acceptance with God. The sinless angels, placed beyond the necessity of pardon, are incapable of experiencing this joy. It belongs exclusively to the believing penitent. The joy of suffering for the truth. Cyprian, who suffered for the gospel, used to say, It is not the pain but the cause that makes the martyr. That cause is the cause of truth. Suffering is limited, life itself is limited, but truth is eternal. To suffer for that truth is a privilege and a joy. The joy of triumph, over error, sin, Satan, persecution. This joy is the special product of the Holy Ghost. These twin feelingssorrow and joyare typical of the ever-alternating experience of the believer throughout his earthly career.
II. The practical result of the true reception of the gospel.
1. They became imitators of the highest patterns of excellence. Ye became followers of us and of the Lord (1Th. 1:6). The example of Christ is the absolute, all-perfect standard of moral excellence. But this does not supersede the use of inferior models. The planets have their season to guide and instruct us, as well as the sun, and we can better bear the moderated light of their borrowed splendour. The bravery of the common soldier, as well as the capacity and heroism of the most gifted officer, may stimulate a regiment to deeds of valour. So the apostles, in their patient endurance of suffering, their enterprising zeal and blameless integrity of life, became examples for their converts to imitate, while they pointed to the great infallible Pattern after which the noblest life must ever be moulded.
2. They became examples to others.So that ye were ensamples to all that believe (1Th. 1:7). In the reality and power of their faith. They eagerly embraced the word preached, believing it to be not the word of men but of God. This gave a profound reality to their conceptions of the gospel and a strong impulse to their active religious life. In their zealous propagation of the truth. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord (1Th. 1:8). Wherever they travelled they proclaimed the gospel. They imparted that which had enriched themselves, and which, in giving, left them still the richer. The influence of their example was extensive in its range. Not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything (1Th. 1:8). Macedonia and Achaia were two Roman provinces that comprised the territory known as ancient Greece. Thessalonica, the metropolis of Macedonia, was the chief station on the great Roman roadthe Via Egnatiawhich connected Rome with the whole region north of the gean Sea, and was an important centre both for commerce and the spread of intelligence. Wherever the trade of the merchant city extended, there the fame of the newly founded Church penetrated. Great was the renown of their own Alexander, the Macedonian monarch, and brilliant his victories; but the reputation of the Thessalonian Christians was of a higher order, and their achievements more enduring.
Lessons.
1. The gospel that brings sorrow to the heart brings also joy.
2. A genuine reception of the truth changes the man and creates unquenchable aspirations after the highest good.
3. A living example is more potent than the most elaborate code of precepts.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Th. 1:6-7. The Evidences and Effects of Revival.
I. Receivers.With faith, with joy, not without trial.
II. Followers.Apostolic piety. Christ-like spirit. Multiplication of Christ-like men.
III. Ensamples.Centres of Christian influence.
IV. Dispensers.Induced to diffuse the gospel by their gratitude for the special grace which had brought it to them with saving power, by their supreme attachment to its vital truths and their experience of the suitableness of these truths to their wants as sinners, by their commiseration for those who were yet in a state of nature, by their love to the Lord Jesus, by the express command of God, by the hope of reward.G. Brooks.
1Th. 1:8. The Power of Example
I. In a faithful declaration of the gospel.
II. In its far-reaching influence on others.
III. Speaks for itself, rendering explanation unnecessary.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Text (1Th. 1:6)
6 And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit;
Translation and Paraphrase
6.
And you (having become the chosen people of God because you received the word,) became imitators of us (who preached unto you) and of the Lord (Jesus himself, For even as we, and the Lord himself, have suffered joyfully because of the word which was given to us to deliver, you also) having received the word with much affliction (from the Jews, and yet) with (the) joy that comes from the Holy Spirit (have shared our experiences.):
Notes (1Th. 1:6)
1.
The Thessalonians had become imitators of Paul and of the Lord. Imitators is a better translation than followers in this verse.
2.
The Lord Jesus, Paul, and the Thessalonians had all shared these three experiences:
(1)
Each received the word of God.
(2)
Each experienced much affliction.
(3)
Each had joy in their affliction.
3.
The Lord Jesus received the word from his Father to deliver to the world, Joh. 7:16; Joh. 8:28. For doing this he endured affliction. And yet for the joy set before him, he endured the cross despising the shame. Heb. 12:2.
4.
Likewise Paul the apostle received the gospel by revelation from Jesus Christ. Gal. 1:11-12. When Paul declared this message, he encountered suffering in every place. Yet he rejoiced in his sufferings. Col. 1:24.
5.
Thus also the Thessalonians received the word from Paul. They soon found themselves in much affliction. But they endured with joy, Thus they became imitators of Paul and of the Lord himself. Some of the afflictions of the Thessalonians are described in Act. 17:5-9.
6.
The word affliction (Gr., thlipsis) means a pressing, a pressing together, pressure, oppression, affliction, distress, straits. (Thayer)
7.
Joy of the Holy Spirit, I take (as an ablative of source) to mean joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. See Gal. 5:22; Act. 13:52; Act. 8:8; Act. 8:39. All Christians have experienced this joy when they were first saved. Alas, some have permitted the joy to fade away afterwards.
8.
There was a quality in Pauls life which inspired people to follow and imitate him. Paul could boldly say, Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1Co. 11:1. People just could not ignore him. They were either warmly for him, or violently against him. We should pray that we shall be people like Paul, who will inspire others to imitate us in their struggle for perfection.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(6) And ye became followers.Not so much a separate reason for believing them elected of God, because of their receptiveness, but an evidence of the power given by God to the preachers for the winning of them. So much so, that, in spite of persecution, you became Christians with enthusiasm.
Followers.Not disciples, but imitators. The three points in which the Lord and His Apostles were imitated are then expressed(1) meek reception (Psa. 40:6; Isa. 1:5); (2) cost what it might; (3) rejoicing all the while (Psa. 22:22; Psa. 45:7).
In much affliction.For examples of troubles in the early days of the Thessalonian Church, see Act. 17:5; Act. 17:8.
Holy Ghost is used in the same way as it is in 1Th. 1:5. Joy which is the natural outcome of a spirit united with the Holy Spirit.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. And ye gave due evidence of your election.
Became followers received the word The example of the preachers was followed after their message had been accepted. The people took as models those whom they had received as instructors. Happy the Church which has an exemplar in its pastor.
Much affliction The persecution by which Paul and his fellow preachers were expelled from Thessalonica. By this much affliction was the power of that received gospel demonstrated and the reality of their election attested.
Affliction joy Jason and his fellow Thessalonians rejoiced in their affliction for the gospel’s sake.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Th 1:6 contains the other side of the proof for the of the Thessalonians, namely, their receptivity for the preaching of the gospel demonstrated by facts. 1Th 1:6 may either be separated by a point from the preceding (then the proof of 1Th 1:6 , in relation to 1Th 1:4 , lies only in thought, without being actually expressed), or it may be made to depend on in 1Th 1:5 (provided this be translated by for , as it ought). In this latter case , 1Th 1:5 , is a parenthesis. This latter view is to be preferred, because 1Th 1:5-6 appear more evidently to be internally connected, and, accordingly, the twofold division of the argument, adduced for the of the readers, is more clearly brought forward.
] See 1Co 4:16 ; 1Co 11:1 ; Phi 3:17 ; Eph 5:1 ; Gal 4:12 .
denotes here also the having become as a having been made, i.e. effected by the agency of God.
is for the sake of climax. Erroneously Bullinger: Veluti correctione subjecta addit: et domini. Eatenus enim apostolorum imitatores esse debemus, quatenus illi Christi imitatores sunt.
The Thessalonians became imitators of the apostle and of Christ, not in , in , and in , as Koppe thinks; but because they received the evangelical preaching ( , comp. Gal 6:6 , equivalent to ), allowed it an entrance among them, in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost, i.e. not merely that they received the (here the tertium comparationis would be wanting), but that they received it . .
] The reception of the gospel corresponds to its announcement brought to the readers (1Th 1:5 ), whilst is explained by . The chief emphasis is on the concluding words: , containing in themselves the proper tertium comparationis between Christ and the apostle on the one hand, and the Thessalonians on the other; but is placed first to strengthen it, and for the sake of contrast, inasmuch as . . is something high and sublime, but it is something far higher and more sublime when this joy is neither disturbed nor weakened by the trials and sufferings which have been brought upon believers on account of their faith in Christ.
] Erroneously Clericus: Subintelligendum , quum acceperitis verbum, quod erat in afflictione multa, h. e. cujus praecones graviter affligebantur. The of the Thessalonians had already begun during the presence of the apostle among them (Act 17:6 ff.), but after his expulsion it had greatly increased (1Th 2:14 , 1Th 3:2-3 ; 1Th 3:5 ). The apostle has in view both the commencement and the continuance of the persecution (comp. 1Th 1:7 , and the adjective attached to ), against which is no objection, as the two points of time are united as the spring-time of the Christian church.
] is not joy in the Holy Ghost, but a joy or joyfulness which proceeds from the Holy Ghost, is produced by Him (comp. Rom 14:17 ; Gal 5:22 ; Act 5:41 ). In reality, it is not to be distinguished from (see Meyer on Phi 3:1 ).
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
Ver. 6. Followers of us and of the Lord ] The apostles walked in Christ,Col 2:6Col 2:6 ; as Christ, 1Jn 2:6 ; their lives were a commentary upon his life, 1Pe 2:9 .
Received the word in much affliction ] Opposition is (as Calvin wrote to the French king) Evangelii genius, the black angel that dogs the gospel at the heels. To preach (saith Luther) is nothing else but to get the ill will of the world.
With joy of the Holy Ghost ] Which bore them up above all persecutions, as blown bladders bear a man up aloft all waters.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
6 .] Further proof of the same, that ye are , by the method in which you received the Gospel thus preached by us. corresponds with . above. It is somewhat difficult here to fix exactly the point of comparison, in which they imitated their ministers and Christ. Certainly it is not merely, in receiving the word for to omit other objections, this would not apply at all to Him: and therefore, not in any qualifying detail of their method of reception of the word not in , nor in . ., nor in . .
So far being clear, we have but one particular left, and that respects the circumstances under which, and the spirit with which: and here we find a point of comparison even with Christ Himself: viz. joyful endurance in spirit under sufferings. This it was in which they imitated the Apostles, and their divine Master, and which made them patterns to other churches (see below).
For this in which they , see Act 17:5-10 ; ch. 1Th 2:14 ; 1Th 3:2-3 ; 1Th 3:5 .
] in that ye received . (ref.), joy wrought by the Holy Spirit . On the gen. of origin, see Ellic.’s note here.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
1Th 1:6 . , cf. for this paradox of experience, Mazzini’s account of his comrades in the Young Italy movement: “We were often in real want, but we were light-hearted in a way and smiling because we believed in the future”. The gladness of the primitive Christian lay in the certainty of possessing soon that full salvation of which the Spirit at present was the pledge and foretaste. In view of Psa 51:13-14 it is hardly correct to say, with Gunkel ( Wirkungen des heiligen Geistes , 71), that this connection of joy and the Spirit was entirely foreign to Judaism.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
followers = imitators. Greek. mimetes. See 1Co 4:16.
affliction. Greek. thlipsis. See Act 7:10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
6.] Further proof of the same, that ye are , by the method in which you received the Gospel thus preached by us. corresponds with . above. It is somewhat difficult here to fix exactly the point of comparison, in which they imitated their ministers and Christ. Certainly it is not merely, in receiving the word-for to omit other objections, this would not apply at all to Him:-and therefore, not in any qualifying detail of their method of reception of the word-not in , nor in . ., nor in . .
So far being clear, we have but one particular left, and that respects the circumstances under which, and the spirit with which: and here we find a point of comparison even with Christ Himself: viz. joyful endurance in spirit under sufferings. This it was in which they imitated the Apostles, and their divine Master, and which made them patterns to other churches (see below).
For this in which they , see Act 17:5-10; ch. 1Th 2:14; 1Th 3:2-3; 1Th 3:5.
] in that ye received. (ref.), joy wrought by the Holy Spirit. On the gen. of origin, see Ellic.s note here.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
1Th 1:6. , imitators [followers]) Imitators [Followers] become , types, patterns [ensamples], 1Th 1:7.- , of the Lord) Christ, who acted as the apostle[2] of the Father, brought the word from heaven, and taught it under adversities.-, with) Construe this with having received ().
[2] Heb 3:1.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
1Th 1:6
And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord,-By becoming imitators of Paul and of his fellow laborers, they became imitators of the Lord. Paul said: Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ. (1Co 11:1.) The point of imitation did not consist in their cordial reception of the gospel, for that could not apply to Christ; but in their joyful endurance of suffering. The force of the word is that what they became at conversion must be diligently continued thereafter.
having received the word in much affliction,-Luke tells us that when they first heard the gospel Paul and his fellow workers went into the synagogue, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures, opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ. And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. Bat the Jews, being moved with jealousy, took unto them certain vile fellows of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city on an uproar; and assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them forth to the people. And when they found them not, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also. . . . And they troubled the multitude and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. (Act 17:2-8.) It was under affliction like this that the Thessalonians received the gospel.
with joy of the Holy Spirit;-The preaching was the result of the Holy Spirit directing and guiding in the work. The Spirit dwells in the word of God as the principle of life dwells in the seed. Jesus said: It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life. (Joh 6:63.) The seed is the word of God. (Luk 8:11.) Paul says: The Spirit giveth life. (2Co 3:6.) The Spirit gives life through the word. On the day of Pentecost the Spirit in the apostles spoke to the people and gave them life. The Spirit is the representative of the Godhead who imparts life. The Spirit appeared miraculously in the beginning of the human race and imparted life to the body of Adam; he then gave laws to perpetuate this life to Adams descendants as much as he gave life to Adam in the beginning. Just so the Holy Spirit gave life miraculously on the day of Pentecost, and since has imparted life through the word of God which is the seed of the kingdom. This is the very point of likeness between the natural and spiritual laws according to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Peter said: Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Act 2:38.) The Spirit is in the seed, the word. He goes with the word into the heart, but develops into the distinct and active life only at birth. The same process that brings a man into Christ fits him to enjoy the blessings that dwell in Christ. [So the consolations which they received, in consequence of hearing and obeying the word of God, delivered unto them through Paul, more than counterbalanced all the afflictions which they suffered from their persecutors.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
ye: 1Th 2:14, 1Co 4:16, 1Co 11:1, 2Co 8:5, Phi 3:17, 2Th 3:9
and of: Mat 16:24, Joh 8:12, Joh 13:13-15, Eph 5:1, 1Pe 3:13, 3Jo 1:11
received: 1Th 2:13, 1Th 2:14, 1Th 3:2-4, Hos 2:14, Mar 10:29-30, Act 17:5, 2Co 8:1, 2Co 8:2, 2Th 1:4
with joy: Joh 14:16-18, Act 5:41, Act 9:31, Act 13:52, Rom 5:3-5, Rom 8:16-18, Rom 15:13, Gal 5:22, Heb 10:34, 1Pe 1:6, 1Pe 1:8
Reciprocal: Exo 12:8 – with bitter Deu 16:3 – the bread Deu 33:3 – shall receive Hag 1:12 – Zerubbabel Luk 6:20 – Blessed Joh 14:26 – Holy Ghost Joh 16:20 – your Act 2:41 – gladly Act 17:3 – Christ Act 17:11 – they received Act 20:18 – after Rom 1:16 – for it is Rom 14:17 – peace 1Co 15:1 – which also 2Co 6:6 – by the Phi 4:9 – which 1Th 1:9 – what 2Th 3:7 – how 1Ti 4:12 – be thou Heb 13:7 – whose 1Pe 1:12 – with 1Pe 5:3 – but
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Th 1:6. The original Greek for followers is defined “an imitator” by Thayer, and it is connected with the thoughts in the close of the preceding verse, regarding the conduct of Paul and his companions while in Thessalo-nica. It is noteworthy that the apostle says they imitated us and the Lord, which is according to his instruction in 1Co 11:1, to follow him as he followed Christ. Received the word in much affliction; this experience is recorded in Act 17:5-9. With joy of the Holy Ghost. The Gospel which these disciples received was given by inspiration of the Holy Ghost (or Spirit), and the joy was due to their assurance that they were suffering for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. (See Act 5:41.)
1Th 1:6 G2532 AND G5210 YE G3402 IMITATORS G2257 OF US G1096 [G5675] BECAME G2532 AND G3588 OF THE G2962 LORD, G1209 [G5666] HAVING ACCEPTED G3588 THE G3056 WORD G1722 IN G2347 TRIBULATION G4183 MUCH G3326 WITH G5479 JOY G4151 OF “THE” SPIRIT G40 HOLY,
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1Th 1:6. And ye became followers [imitators] of us. They had seen in Paul proof that the word was Gods word, and they themselves became imitators of Paul, so giving proof that the word of God worked effectually in them also. The point of resemblance between himself and them which had chiefly struck Paul, was the joyful spirit in which they endured the affliction consequent on their reception of the Gospel. But as in all else, so in this it was Jesus who was the captain of salvation, the leader in faith and joyful endurance (Heb 12:1-4); and therefore, in imitating Paul, it was the Lord they really imitated and were conformed to.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
In these words, our apostle gives us another probable evidence, that the Thessalonians were undoubtedly chosen of God, namely, because they were active and operative Christians; they did in their life and practice conform themselves to that excellent pattern and example held forth unto them by their preachers, Ye became followers of us.
Where note, that there ought to be something worthy of imitation in the lives of ministers, something which their people may safely follow; and it is the people’s duty, not only to lend an ear to their doctrine, but an eye to their pious conversation. It is added, Followers of us, and of the Lord: Followers of Christ, absolutely, as an unerring pattern; of his ministers conditionally, so far as they followed Christ: But followers of the Lord here, seems to import their following of him in his sufferings and afflictions, as appears by the next words, Having received the word with much affliction. Such as are sincere and serious Christians, are followers of Christ in his sufferings, as well as in his example: they follow him in the sharp and thorny path of affliction, in which he went before them; they are willing to bear his cross, as well as to wear his crown; to suffer for them, as well as to be glorified with him.
Observe next, the particular instance wherein the Thessalonians became followers of the apostles; it was this, that they preached the word to them with great desire, delight, and joy, though at the same time they endured a great sight of afflictions, contending with the opposition both of men and devils, in preaching the word unto them: In like manner did they receive the word with much affliction, and adhere to it in the midst of persecution; and all this accompanied with such inward joy, as none but the Holy Ghost could be the author of in them: Ye received the word with much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.
Learn hence, that upon preaching of the word, to have a heart open to receive it, to receive it with affliction, with much affliciton, and yet with joy and rejoicing, with a cheerful spirit, and such a joy as the holy Spirit of God is the author and producer of, is a good evidence, that a person is chosen of God, and has a title to the everlasting inheritance.
Observe farther, Our apostle, in a just and deserved commendation of these Thessalonians, tells them to their great and singular honour, that as they were followers of them (the apostles) in sufferings, in patience, and cheerfulness; so they were themselves living patterns, and lively ensamples of courage and constancy under their sufferings, to all the neighbouring churches in Macedonia and Achaia. Then is the grace of God received by us, a mark and evidence of our election of God, when we have advanced to such a considerable proficiency and growth in it, as to become patterns and examples of piety to all that are round about us. Thus the Thessalonians here, Ye are become ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
The Reception the Thessalonians Gave the Gospel
At the time of Paul’s writing, Greece was divided into two areas, Macedonia and Achaia. The faith of the brethren at Thessalonica, especially as shown through joy during times of suffering, had been an example to both of these areas as well as all other places that had news from Thessalonica. This was because their lives, as directed by the word of God, had sounded out like a trumpet. As a crossroads and commercial center, Thessalonica was an ideal place for faithful Christians to live. When Paul said their faith had gone out, he used the perfect tense which would literally mean reports of their faith had gone out and continued to go out ( 1Th 1:6-8 ).
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
1Th 1:6-10. Ye became followers of us Obedient to our directions, and imitators of our example; and of the Lord also Both in the holiness of your lives, and in the courage and patience with which you endured those sufferings which lay in the way of your duty; having received the word When first preached to you; in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost That is, though attended with persecution, yet with joy, such as only the Holy Ghost could inspire you with. So that ye were ensamples Patterns to be imitated; to all that believe in Macedonia Chiefly in Philippi and Berea; and in the more distant province of Achaia Namely, to the Corinthian converts, who, hearing of their pious and virtuous conduct, were excited to emulation. The apostle mentions Macedonia and Achaia, because he had just been travelling through these parts before he came to Corinth, from whence, as has been observed in the preface, he wrote this epistle. For from you sounded forth the word of the Lord Was echoed, as it were, from you; not only in your own borders of Macedonia and Achaia With which you could easily have correspondence; but also in every place That is, far beyond these countries; your faith to God-ward The report of your embracing the gospel, and of consequence believing in the living and true God; is spread abroad Is become notorious; so that we need not to speak any thing Concerning it. The apostle does not mean that the Thessalonian brethren sent persons to preach the gospel in the countries here mentioned, but that their relinquishing idolatry had occasioned the preaching of the gospel at Thessalonica to be much talked of in these provinces, and in many other places. Grotius observes, that many of the Thessalonians being merchants, who travelled into foreign countries for the sake of commerce, the news of their fellow-citizens having renounced the worship of the heathen gods must have been spread abroad widely by their means, as the apostle here affirms. And as this was a very extraordinary event, it would naturally occasion much discourse among them to whom it was reported. For they themselves The faithful, wherever we come; show of us what manner of entering in, &c. Are able to give an account of the success of our ministry among you, and what entertainment it found with you; and how ye turned to God from idols
In the worship of which ye had been brought up; to serve the living and true God The epithet living is given to God to distinguish him from the heathen idols, which were destitute of life. And he is called the true God, in opposition to the fictitious deities worshipped by the heathens, who, though some of them may have formerly lived, or are now living, are not true gods; such as demons and the souls of men departed. And to wait for his Son from heaven To raise the dead and judge the world; whom he raised from the dead In proof of his future coming for these purposes. Christ himself, on two different occasions, promised that he would return from heaven, Mat 16:27; Joh 14:3. The angels, likewise, who attended at his ascension, foretold the same things, Act 1:11. And as the great design of his return is to punish his enemies, and reward his faithful servants, his second coming was always a principal topic on which the apostles insisted in their discourses; consequently it was a principal article of the faith and hope of the first Christians, a frequent subject of their conversation, and a powerful source of consolation to them in all their afflictions and troubles. May it ever be the object of our faith and hope, and the source of our consolation, especially at death! Macknight. Even Jesus, who delivered Greek, , rather, delivereth; us from the wrath to come He hath redeemed us once, he delivers us continually; and will deliver all that believe in him from the wrath, the eternal vengeance, which will then come upon the ungodly.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
And ye became imitators of us [1Co 11:1], and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction [Act 17:4-10], with joy of the Holy Spirit;
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 6
In much affliction, with joy, &c.; that is, having joyfully received the word, though in circumstances of great trial and affliction. For the nature of these circumstances, see Acts 17:5-10.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
1:6 {4} And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with {c} joy of the Holy Ghost:
(4) Another reason, because even to that day they embraced the Gospel with great cheerfulness, insomuch that they were an example to all their neighbours: so that it would be more shameful for them to faint in the middle of the race.
(c) With joy which comes from the Holy Spirit.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Paul was also grateful that his readers had demonstrated the fruit of their faith by becoming followers of their teachers and their Lord. They had welcomed the gospel message even though it had meant much suffering for them because of the persecution of unbelieving Jews and Gentiles. Most of the New Testament writers took for granted that tribulation is the normal experience of Christians (cf. Joh 16:33; Act 14:22). Nevertheless with tribulation joy had also come to them, the joy of sins forgiven. News of their good example had circulated within their own province of Macedonia but had also reached their neighboring province to the south, Achaia. This excellent example included generously giving to other Christians in need (2Co 8:1-8).
"This is high praise, for in the first place Paul calls no other church a pattern, and in the second he thinks of them as examples, not only to the heathen, but to Christians throughout Greece." [Note: Morris, The Epistles . . ., p. 38.]