1 Thessalonians 3.4-The Thessalonians Were Repeatedly Warned Paul and Silas Would Suffer Persecution (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Sunday July 21, 2024

First Thessalonians Series: 1 Thessalonians 3:4-The Thessalonians Were Repeatedly Warned Paul and Silas Would Suffer Persecution

Lesson # 40

1 Thessalonians 3:1 Therefore, because I existed in the state of not being able to endure it any longer, I thought it best to be left alone in Athens. 2 Also, I have sent Timothy our brother as well as fellow-worker for the one and only God with regards to the proclamation of the one and only gospel about the one and only Christ in order to strengthen each and every one of you, yes for the purpose of exhorting and encouraging for the benefit of your faith. 3 Specifically that absolutely no one would be unsettled by these adversities because you yourselves are well aware of the fact that each one of us are destined for this. 4 For in fact when we were living among of all of you, each of us kept on telling each one of you repeatedly that each of us was about to suffer adversity as it in fact did take place as also each one of you are well aware of. 5 Because of this, and because I myself could endure it no longer, I sent Timothy in order to ascertain the status of the faith of each one of you for fear that perhaps the tempter had successfully caused each of you to sin so that our labor might be without result. (Pastor’s translation)

1 Thessalonians 3:4 contains three assertions.

The first is a causal clause which contains a temporal clause and presents the reason for the assertion at the end of 1 Thessalonians 3:3, which states that the Thessalonians were well aware of the fact that they, Paul, Silas and Timothy were destined to suffer persecution.

The second is an emphatic comparative clause, which emphatically confirms the veracity of the first assertion in 1 Thessalonians 3:4.

The third is also a comparative clause which serves as an addition to the first comparative clause and also confirms the veracity of the first assertion in 1 Thessalonians 3:4.

So therefore, the first assertion in 1 Thessalonians 3:4 presents the reason for the previous statement in 1 Thessalonians 3:3, which is identifying specifically for the reader what Paul is concerned about regarding the Thessalonians’ faith, which he mentions at the end of 1 Thessalonians 3:2.

If you recall, in the latter, Paul asserts that he sent Timothy to the Thessalonians in order to strengthen them and specifically by exhorting and encouraging them with regards to their post-justification faith.

Then, in 1 Thessalonians 3:3, Paul employs appositional clause in order to identify specifically for the reader what he was concerned about regarding their faith and asserts that he did not want their faith to become unsettled by the persecution they were suffering.

Therefore, a comparison of these three verses indicates that he does not want the Thessalonians’ post-justification faith in the gospel to become unsettled by the persecutions they were experiencing because of this faith.

Specifically, they indicate that Paul did not want the Thessalonians to exist in the state of being unsettled in their post-justification faith in the gospel message by being persecuted because of this faith so as to abandon their belief in the gospel and thus abandon their belief in Jesus Christ.

Now, in 1 Thessalonians 3:4, we need to make clear that the first person plural forms of the verbs eimi (εἰμί), “we were,” prolegō (προλέγω), “we kept telling,” and mellō (μέλλω), “we would be persecuted” are referring to Paul and Silas however, Timothy is not included.

This is indicated by Acts 17:1-11 as well as 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:1.

The former asserts in Acts 17:11 that the church in Thessalonica sent Paul and Silas away to Berea and does not mention Timothy as being in their party.

The latter asserts in 1 Thessalonians 3:1 that after Paul and Silas were separated from the Thessalonian Christian community, they sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage them with regards to their faith.

Therefore, in 1 Thessalonians 3:4, Paul presents the reason for the previous statement in 1 Thessalonians 3:3.

The former emphatically asserts that when Paul and Silas were living among the Thessalonians, the former kept on telling the latter repeatedly that they, Paul and Silas, were about to suffer adversity in the form of persecution.

The contents of Acts 17:1-9 and 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 indicate that they suffered persecution at the hands of unregenerate Jews in Thessalonica.

Thus, a comparison of 1 Thessalonians 3:3 and 3:4 indicates that the reason why the Thessalonians were well aware of the fact that they, Paul, Silas, and Timothy were destined to suffer persecution because of their faith is that Paul and Silas warned them of this in advance repeatedly.

The implication is that if Paul and Silas were persecuted for proclaiming the gospel to them, the Thessalonians would be persecuted likewise for accepting by faith the gospel and living by means of it as Paul and Silas did.

This is indicated by the fact that it is the common lot of God’s people that they suffer persecution at times for believing in the gospel and proclaiming it to others and living it out in their lives.

Each and every Christian who exercises faith in the gospel after their justification and lives their life according to the commands and prohibitions of the gospel is destined by God to suffer persecutions because of their faith in the gospel message.

1 Thessalonians 3:3 makes clear that this persecution had been established by the sovereign will of God so that there is a divine purpose for the Christian suffering persecution.

As we noted, 1 Thessalonians 3:4 contains two comparative clauses following the causal clause.

The first is comparing Paul and Silas telling the Thessalonians repeatedly that they, Paul and Silas, were about to suffer persecution with this event taking place.

The second compares Paul and Silas telling the Thessalonians repeatedly that they, Paul and Silas, were about to suffer persecution with the Thessalonians being well aware of this event taking place.

The first comparison, which is the second assertion in 1 Thessalonians 3:4 emphatically affirms the veracity of this first assertion whereas the second comparison, which is the third assertion in this verse also confirms the veracity of the first assertion.

Now, as we also noted the causal clause in 1 Thessalonians 3:4 which contains a temporal clause, asserts that when Paul and Silas were living among the Thessalonian Christian community, they kept on telling them repeatedly in advance that they would suffer persecution.

This temporal clause is referring to the period of time in which Paul and Silas evangelized the Thessalonian Christian community resulting in their justification.

During this period, the Thessalonians became children of God as a result being declared justified by the Father through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

Also, during this period, the Thessalonians were discipled by the apostle Paul and Silas after their conversion and this means that these two gave them instruction in the gospel.

They taught them the full counsel of God and this would indicate that they taught them various subjects in theology proper, Christology, pneumatology, eschatology, hamartiology, ecclesiology, Israelology, Satanology, angelology, bibliology and the spiritual life.

This period is described in Acts 17:1-9 and 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12.

The former describes the persecution Paul and Silas experienced at the hands of certain antagonistic unregenerate Jews in the city of Thessalonica whereas the latter describes the godly conduct of these men during this period.