Recovering the Exclusivity of the Gospel

Introduction

I considered moving forward with the schedule, but because 1 Thess. 1:9-10 were right at the end of our Bible study last Sunday night, I thought I would be remiss as your pastor not to explore them with greater depth.

We want to appreciate what Paul says the Thessalonians did from two perspectives:

How the message was radical.

How it would have shaken the foundations of every aspect of their lives most likely severing the closest of relationships.

We can then appreciate how highly the Thessalonians valued the truth and living in accordance with it.

We need to be reminded what is different about what makes us different in the world.

Our world is much closer to the ancients than we might wish to think.

Exx. Progressive Christianity

Read the statement from 2012.

Read the second page from their website (Order of the Earth).

This is just an extension of our own times.

Spiritualism is on the rise (seances, worship of the planet, sorcery).

Our generation differs very little from Romans and Greeks who, as Hurtado explains, could hardly think in terms of theological exclusivism.

Often people get taken off guard by claims, like in a recent Washington Post article, of missionary activity being the result of Christian supremacy.

A Radical Reality

Paul recounts for the Thessalonians what happened in other regions because of what had been reported about the Thessalonians and about Paul.

1 Thess. 1:9 explains what people in Macedonia and Achaia knew about Paul (what sort of entrance we had) and about the conversion of the Thessalonians.

We can ascertain, however, what the content of Paul’s message must have been from what he says the Thessalonians did.

The Bible makes a radical claim to God’s exclusivity in a world that always wants to be non-exclusive.

Notice the language of “the God” set opposite to “idols.”

“In the LXX εἴδωλον bridges two views: the deities of the nations have no reality, and so are truly the products of fantasy; and they are manufactured by human hands” (BAGD).

The apostles, especially Paul, continued to characterize the gods of the Greco-Roman world in the same language Jews did.

Phantom vs. Reality

Paul praises the Thessalonians for abandoning the fakes for the genuine God.

John 14:6 “λέγει αὐτῷ [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς· ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή· οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ διʼ ἐμοῦ.”

Our generation must regain confidence in this claim.

A Christianity that calls for worshipping or pursuing according to one’s own way or custom is not biblical.

A Radical Commitment

The ancient world was more religious than our own even thought “religious” is often hard to define. What we would call religion dominated daily life in the ancient world.

Families had gods.

Romans offered some kind of worship to their dead ancestors on a daily basis.

These often had celebratory meals associated with them.

Lk. 12:49-53

Jesus taught in Lk. 14:25-27.

We often apply this in a Jewish context, but it came to be true for Gentile believers too. The gospel put them in the same quandary.

Occupations had deities.

Cities had deities and there were major festivals and rituals.

The Empire had significant deities, at times.

To turn to God from idols, then, could mean severing all social and familial ties.

Lk. 12:49-53

Jesus taught in Lk. 14:25-27.

We often apply this in a Jewish context, but it came to be true for Gentile believers too. The gospel put them in the same quandary.

A Radical Service

Serving God did not mean following rituals, ceremonies, or sacrifices.

It did not mean supplying him with food.

It meant learning the Old Testament scriptures.

It meant living out his holy characteristics in the world.

A Radical Future

Everyone has always wanted to know the future.

In general, believers have always known what the future holds.

The future, however, is not the dangers to avoid tomorrow, but the danger that lurks over the entirety of the human race.

Namely, facing the judgment of God.

In the present, we anticipate the coming of Jesus who is the one rescuing us from God’s future wrath.