2 Thessalonians 1

Purposes of 2 Thessalonians: To correct misunderstandings regarding the Lord’s return; warning against idleness; the nature of the second coming; what will happen to the wicked.

1. 1:1-2 Note differences and similarities between this greeting and the one in 1 Thessalonians 1:1.
   Class Answers: Differences: In 2 Thessalonians, he writes “God our Father, not God the Father. To “grace and peace to you” in 1 Thessalonians, here he adds “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Leon Morris (pg. 191) on this passage: The joining of God and Jesus are sources of grace and peace.
   Similarities: From Paul, Silas (Silvanus), and Timothy; to the church of the Thessalonians.
2. 1:3-4 For what four attributes does Paul give thanks or boast?
   Class Answers:
   1) Their faith was growing more and more
   2) Their love was increasing
   3) For their perseverance (steadfastness) through persecutions and afflictions
   4) For their faith through persecutions and afflictions
   Note: Paul says he is “bound to” or “must” give thanks because it is the right thing to do. Even if they don’t feel worthy of his praise, Paul is obligated to give it.
   Also note: In the original Greek manuscript (and 1901 American Standard Version), verses 3-10 are one sentence.
3. 1:5 How could persecutions and afflictions be evidence that God’s judgment is righteous?
   Class Answers: God provides strength in persecution; he didn’t leave the Thessalonians to their own devices. God was on their side. The Thessalonians were passing the test. They were working out God’s eternal purpose
   Morris (p. 196): “In the good providence of God, suffering is often the means of working out God’s eternal purpose.” It develops character. It teaches valuable lessons. For believers, it is inevitable. They are appointed (destined) to it (1 Thess. 3:3). Such suffering is a vivid token of the presence of God.
4. 1:5-7 What are three results of the Thessalonians’ perseverance and faith in suffering? (One each from verses 5, 6, and 7)
   Class Answers: v. 5 – They would be counted worthy; v. 6 – God would pay back the trouble they suffered; v. 7 – They would receive relief.
   Morris (p. 201) note on v. 7: “Now the Lord is hid from the view of the world, and it is even possible for people to deny his existence. But on that day he will be revealed in all his glory. He will be shown to be what he is.”
   This also reminds me of the revelation of Jesus in Revelation 1: Jesus with the flaming sword coming from his mouth, with eyes like flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze. Other references given in class were Revelation 19:1ff; 1 Corinthians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:3.
5. 1:6-8 How does Paul describe God’s justice?
   Class Answers: This describes the other side of God’s judgment. v. 6 – He will avenge his people; v. 8 – He will punish the persecutors and those who do not acknowledge him.
6. 1:8 What does it mean to “not know God and obey not the gospel”?
   Class Answers: To not know God is to not acknowledge him or his power. See Romans 1:28. To not obey the gospel is to acknowledge his existence but to pay no attention to what he would want us to do. Morris: To reject the divine invitation.
7. 1:9 What is the punishment for those to whom verse 8 applies?
   Class Answers: Everlasting destruction – shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. According to Morris (p. 204), the Greek word used here for punish comes from the same root word as right in verse 5 and just in verse 6. He is bringing them to justice. Morris again (p. 205):
   “Those who oppose the things of God here and now are not engaged in some minor error that can easily be put right in the hereafter. They are engaging in that defiance of the will of God which has eternal consequences. Life here and now has a high and serous dignity. In particular, facing up to the gospel invitation is a choice fraught with the most solemn and lasting consequences.”
8. 1:10 When will this happen?
   Class Answers: On the day he comes to be glorified. Believers will find rest, a shared glory with Christ.
9. 1:11 With that in mind, what is Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians?
   Class Answers: 1) That they would be counted worthy of his calling; 2) That God would fulfill their purposes and acts.
10. 1:12 What is a more immediate purpose of Paul’s prayer for them?
    Class Answers: That Jesus would be glorified by them. That they would be glorified in Jesus. We reflect Jesus’ nature to others.

1 Thessalonians 4

1. 4:1-2 What are at three motivations mentioned in these verses for living in the right way? (Hint: Who does it please, who is urging it, and by whose authority were the instructions given?)
   Class Answers: 1) To please God; 2) Because Paul was urging them to do as they had been instructed; 3) Because these instructions were given through Jesus.
   Note: The word instructions here is a little weak, because it indicates authority, as a captain giving an order. According to Morris (page 116), the word is found in only two other places in the New Testament as commands to believers: 1 Timothy 1:5, and 1 Timothy 1:18. The ASV uses the word charge in all three instances.
2. 4:3-8 What does being “sanctified” have to do with living a pure life?
   Class Answers: God calls us to be holy, set apart, which is the meaning of sanctified. Living a pure life – controlling our bodies – is what sets us apart from the “Gentiles who do not know God.” See also Romans 1:20-25.
   Note: Again, I like what Morris has to say here: Page 118: “The strong warning is probably to be understood in light of the prevalence of low standards.” Page 119: “We come to Christ in all our sin, and we receive cleansing by his atoning death. Then day by day we become more and more what God would have us to be.”
3. 4:3-8 Which members of the godhead are involved here?
   Class Answers:
   1) God. Verse 1 – please God; v. 2 – the will of God; v. 5 – Gentiles who do not know God; v. 7 – God calls us in holiness; v. 8 – Rejecting God’s authority; v. 9 – taught by God.
   2) Jesus – v. 1 – urge you in the Lord Jesus; v. 2 – by the authority of the Lord Jesus
   3) Holy Spirit. v. 8 – God gives you his Holy Spirit. In the Greek, this is “his Spirit, the holy.”
   Note: The word godhead is not used in this passage. It is the term used in Colossians 2:9 (KJV and ASV) to translate the Greek word Theotes, which means “the state of being God” or “deity.”
4. 4:9-10 How were they taught by God to love one another? (See John 13:34; 15:9)
   Class Answers: It was taught by Jesus verbally (John 13:34) and by example (John 15:9). Also see 1 Thessalonians 3:12.
5. 4:11-12 What three things does Paul encourage them to do? For what purpose?
   Class Answers: 1) To aspire to live quietly. [Interesting paradox – to “be ambitious” to be quiet.] Morris (p. 131) – this does not denote inactivity, but tranquility in the midst of being busy with the Lord’s work. 2) To mind their own affairs; 3) To work with their own hands. [These are all connected: When we are quietly taking care of our own affairs, we don’t have time to be busybodies.]
   The purpose? For reputation’s sake, to set a good example, to take care of our own needs so we’re not a burden on others.
6. 4:13 Who are those who have fallen asleep? Who are those who have no hope?
   Class Answers: Christians who have died. Apparently, the Thessalonians were concerned about those who died before Jesus came again. Morris, p. 137: “When the apostle counsels the Thessalonians not to sorrow as the pagans do, he is not urging them to endure with a deep Stoic calm the buffetings of fortune that they cannot avoid….Rather, he is rejoicing in the complete victory that Christ has won. Those who have died have simply fallen asleep in Christ, and they will wake with him.”
   Those who have no hope are non-believers. See Ephesians 2:12.
7. 4:14 What does this verse imply about those who have fallen asleep?
   Class Answers: That they are with Jesus – or will be, when he comes again. See also Matthew 24:31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1. Morris, pg. 140: “What worried the Thessalonians was not whether their friends would rise, but whether they would have any share in the great events associated with the Parousia [second coming].”
8. 4:15-17 Read these verses, form a picture of the scene in your mind, then try to describe it in your own words.
   My Answer: When Jesus appears again, he will shout a command, an archangel will call, and a trumpet will sound. Those who died in Christ will rise and meet him in the air. Then those who are still alive will rise to meet them and him. Related passages: 1 Corinthians 15:52; Revelation 10:1; 18:1; 20:1; Acts 1:11. There is no mention of the wicked here. They are mentioned, though, in Acts 24:15 and in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians.
   Note: There’s so much we can’t comprehend about this event. In response to all our questions, Morris (p. 142) writes: “There are many things we would like to know, but the Bible was not written to satisfy our curiosity. Rather, it is intended to help us in our Christian lives.” The important message here is “Be ready.”
9. 4:18 Where will Christians be when after the Lord returns? How long?
   Class Answers: With the Lord – forever.
   Note: As I understand it, what is referred to as “the rapture” is a quiet event. There’s nothing quiet in this description of Jesus’ Second Coming. I was also curious about the origin of the word “rapture,” since it doesn’t appear in any English translation I’ve read. According to Shogren, p. 188, the Greek word for taken or caught up in verse 17 was translated into Latin as rapiemur, a form of rapio, which in English is rapture. This same word, Harpazo, is used in Acts 8:39 for Philip.
   

1 Thessalonians 1

Read Acts 17:1-15; 1 Thessalonians 1

1. 1:1 Who was with Paul when he wrote this epistle?
   Class Answers: Silvanus (Roman name for Silas) and Timothy. See also 2 Corinthians 1:19; Acts 15:22; Acts 15:40 and Acts 16:1,2. Note: I’m not sure of the significance, but it’s interesting to note that Paul addresses this letter not to the church in Thessalonica, but the “church of the Thessalonians,” which is in keeping with the personal nature of the rest of the letter. Note also his common greeting: Grace (Hebrew hesed) and Peace (Hebrew shalom).
2. 1:2-3 When Paul mentioned the Thessalonians in his prayers, what did he remember about them?
   Class Answers: Their work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. The words work, labor, and steadfastness, indicate a progression: from activities of work to exhaustive labor to persevering. Faith, love, and hope are also reflective of the closing verse of 1 Corinthians 13. Hope as the last word in the series indicates Paul’s theme for the letter. Note also the words constantly and always.
3. 1:4 What did Paul know about the Thessalonians?
   Class Answers: That God had chosen them, as shown in verses 6-9. It was the general consensus of the discussion that God does not choose us against our free will. If he did, what would be the use of all the instructions in the New Testament? It may be like one of us “choosing” all those with brown hair. Likewise, God chooses all those who choose to accept his offer of salvation. For more about election, or how God has chosen followers, see 2 Peter 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Romans 9:11; 11:5,7,28; and my favorite, Ephesians 1:4.
4. 1:5 How had the gospel come to the Thessalonians?
   Class Answers: In word, in power (See Romans 1:16), in the Holy Spirit, with full conviction.
   Note: Another question might be asked here: What did the Thessalonians know? Answer: What kind of people the evangelists were.
5. 1:6 How did the Thessalonians receive the word? (What is the word?)
   Class Answers: With joy (in spite of persecution), inspired by the Holy Spirit. Persecution is temporary; joy is eternal. See also Acts 16:25; 5:41; Galatians 5:22.
6. 1:7 What was the result of the way they received the word?
   Class Answer: They became an example (NIV: model) to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Greek word for example, or model, is tupoß (tupos), which is defined as “the pattern in conformity to which a thing must be made” (NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon).
7. 1:8 What two things had sounded forth, or gone out, from the Thessalonians? How are these two things different?
   Class Answers: 1) The word of the Lord (that comes from the Lord) – the Truth. 2) Their faith in God – Living the Truth.
8. 1:9 From whom had Paul and his companions heard of the success of the Thessalonians?
   Class Answers: From the people in Macedonia and Achaia. Apparently, the Gentiles in the region were talking about changes the Gentiles in Thessalonica had made in their pagan lifestyles.
9. 1:9 What kind of change did the gospel make in the lives of the Thessalonians?
   Class Answers: They had turned away from idols to serve a living and true God. They hadn’t just added another god to their worship. Also note that this was a conscious desire to serve only one God – which resulted in their abandoning idol worship. They weren’t just running away from paganism; they were drawn to God.
10. 1:10 For what were the Thessalonians waiting?
    Class Answers: For Jesus, for God’s Son from heaven. See Romans 8:25; this waiting is a “sustained expectation.”
11. 1:10 What does Paul write about the coming of Jesus?
    Class Answers: That he will come from heaven and that he will rescue us from the wrath that is coming. See Romans 1:18; Ephesians 5:6. Thus we are motivated by both fear and gratitude.

Galatians 5

1. 5:1 What is the “yoke of slavery”?
   Class Answers: As a class member pointed out, the verse (in most versions) reads “a yoke of slavery,” so she answered (if I remember right) that this was any type of reliance on our ability to keep the law. In the context of Galatians, the particular “yoke of slavery” or “yoke of bondage” Paul is addressing is the Old Law. See also Acts 15:6-11, especially vs. 10, and Galatians 2:4.
         R. C. Bell compares it to a new master buying a slave and telling him, “I have bought you to set you free.” The slave wouldn’t think about going back to his former cruel master.
2. 5:2-4 Why does Paul condemn circumcision?
   Class Answers: He doesn’t condemn circumcision per se, but he does condemn having it done in order to gain approval from God. To be circumcised for religious reasons is to reinstate the Old Law, to subject oneself to the Old. Law. Circumcision is not part of the Law of Christ.
        Again, to quote R. C. Bell from his book Studies in Galatians (pg. 61-62): “Christian freedom has both a negative and positive aspect. Men are freed from some things and freed for other things…. God has worked out a unique plan by which Christ’s slave becomes his own master! Christ gets the essential law of life obeyed, human nature fulfilled, and his slave in possession of life abounding—all this without slavish drudgery or ‘dragging of feet’ on the part of the slave.”
3. 5:5-6 What two manifestations of faith are mentioned here?
   Class Answers:
   v. 5 – We eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. See Romans 8:23. John Stott (The Message of Galatians) points out that we wait for it, we don’t work for it; Bell compares this hope to the crown of righteousness Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 4:8.
   v. 6 – Faith works through love. See John 13:34,35. A motive of love means we go beyond what the Law would demand.
4. 5:7-8 What does it mean to “obey the truth”?
   Class Answers: Stott writes that it means applying belief to behavior. Obeying the truth means we subject ourselves to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. From Ed Wharton’s The Constitution of Christian Freedom: Legalism hinders submission: I have to do what is required, or commanded, nothing more.
5. 5:6-12 List 7 fallacies of legalism mentioned here. (Legalism: The effort to be justified through keeping the law.)
   Class Answers:
   v. 6 – In Christ, keeping the law means nothing. (NIV: It has no value.)
   v. 7 – It prevents us from obeying the truth, hinders our submission.
   v. 8 – It doesn’t come from Christ, the one who calls us.
   v. 9 – It affects others in the body. Wharton: It leavens the church with disobedience. Bell: This powerless form of religious would destroy the life of the church.
   v. 10 – It confuses us. Wharton: causes trouble.
   v. 11 – It abolishes (removes) the offense of the cross. The “offense of the cross” reflects back to Galatians 3:13 and the shame of the cross. How could we worship a God who was not only killed but went through a humiliating, excruciating death at the hands of lesser men?
   v. 12 – It agitates, unsettles new Christians. Wharton: It mutilates the body.
6. 5:13-15 Freedom in Christ gives us freedom to love one another and serve God. NOT to sin! It’s freedom from sin, not freedom to sin.
   Bell (pg. 66): “As the character of Christ proves, law itself and love are not incompatible; Pharisaic legalism, not law, is what contradicts gospel grace, truth, and love.”
7. 5:16-18 What conflict is described here?
   Class Answers: The conflict between the Spirit and the flesh (NIV – sinful nature). [I didn’t write down anyone else’s answer . Feel free to put a better explanation in the comment section.] Comment from Bell’s book: Flesh is not sinful; it’s just how Satan reaches us.
       We also had a discussion about whether or not we can be led by the Spirit without the Word. See Galatians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Romans 10:17. The general consensus was that only the Word can reveal the will of God, but the indwelling Spirit helps us to carry out His will. When we follow our best impulses – which we can identify as “best” because of what the Spirit has revealed in the Word – we allow the Spirit to guide us.
8. 5:19-21 Below is the list of “acts of the sinful nature” from the NIV. Beside each word, write a synonym, either from another version or a dictionary.
   Class Answers:
   sexual immorality – fornication, adultery (NKJ)
   impurity – uncleanness
   debauchery – licentiousness, lewdness, indulgence
   Note: These first three are also condemned in the 7th of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:14)
   idolatry – worship of an image or other material object representing a deity
   witchcraft – sorcery, magic
   Note: Idolatry and witchcraft also break the 1st of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:2-3).
   hatred – enmities, hostility, animosity
   discord – strife, contentions, quarreling
   jealousy – resentment against a rival or against another’s success. It occurs when someone else wants to take something I own.
   fits of rage – anger, wrath, outbursts of anger
   selfish ambitions – quarrels, factions, disputes
   dissensions –strong disagreements, contentions or quarrels, discord
   factions – heresies, a party spirit (Stott), “a feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group” (New Living Translation)
   envy – a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to antoher’s advantages, success, possessions. Having to do with wanting other people’s things.
   Note: These have to do with our relationships with others, which would be covered in the 10th commandment (Exodus 20:17) and Leviticus 19:17-18 – “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
   drunkenness – given to intoxication
   orgies – carousing, revelries
   Note: Don’t overlook the “and the like” at the end of this passage. Legalism would say “If it’s not on the list, it’s not sin.” Wharton: We can make our own list. We know the difference between what is good and what is sin.
9. 5:21 What is the result of such a lifestyle?
   Class Answer: Loss of inheritance in the kingdom of God.
10. 5:22-25 Some would look at these verses as a to-do list as opposed to the “do-not” list in verses 19-21. How do we develop these attributes?
    Class Answers: By crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires, following the Spirit’s guide, not just by moral discipline. It is all based on love. Without love, the rest is not possible. Bell: The Holy Spirit is the only tree that produces this fruit.
         It is not a to-do list but is rather what we can reap when we follow the Spirit rather than our selfish desires.
11. 5:26 How does our opinion of ourselves affect the way we treat others?
    Class Answer: Being self-centered leads to competition and envy.

Choose a verse from Chapter 5 to memorize (or to post in a prominent place).
Verses chosen were Galatians 5:13b,14; 5:22; and 5:25.

Galatians 1

1. 1:1 Why should the Galatians listen to Paul?
   Class Answers: 1) Because he was appointed by God, not man. 2) Because he was an apostle; he had seen the risen Christ.
2. 1:2 Identify the churches of Galatia. (Acts 13, 14)
   Class Answers: Perga of Pamphyllia (Acts 13:13); Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:14); Iconium (Acts 13:51); Derbe and Lystra in Lycaonia (Acts 14:6-8). Paul was also in Attalia (Acts 14:24-26), which was a seaport, but there’s no indication that he started a church there.
3. 1:3-7 What is this “different gospel? Why is it really not a gospel? (What does “gospel” mean?)
   Class Answers: According to Acts 15:1, men from Judea were telling Antioch Christians, “You can’t be saved without circumcision.” In other words, Gentiles must submit to the Old Law before they can follow Christ. This is not a gospel – or good tidings – because it negates the cross of Christ, which made the Old Law unnecessary.
4. 1:8-9 What will be the consequence of preaching another gospel?
   Class Answers: KJV – Anathema. Other versions: Eternal condemnation – which makes teaching the gospel a serious responsibility.
   Note: The word anathema is oddly derived from a word that means “to consecrate or devote.” Anything devoted to God could not be redeemed and therefore would be destroyed. So the word came to mean “devoted to destruction.” Idols were “anathema,” or banned, in Deuteronomy 7:26. Where the NASV uses the word banned, the ASV calls it “a devoted thing”; the KJV translates it as “cursed thing”; and the NIV translates it “set apart for destruction.”
5. 1:10 What principle can we learn from verse 10?
   Class Answers: If our aim is to please men, we can’t also be servants (or slaves) of Christ.
6. 1:11 Paul calls the Galatians “brothers.” Why might this be significant, seeing they have “deserted” the gospel?
   Class Answers: 1) Even though they seem to be accepting false doctrine, they are still part of the spiritual family. 2) To demonstrate that he hadn’t deserted them. 3) The gospel is for all, received by grace.
   Note: According to John Stott’s The Message of Galatians, the Greek word translated deserting (v. 6) means to transfer one’s allegiance.
7. 1:12, 15-17 Why does Paul emphasize the lack of any man’s influence on him?
   Class Answers: In order for the Judaizers to discredit Paul’s message, they had to discredit him. His emphasis on his calling from God gave him the same credibility as the other apostles.
   More questions: How did Saul spend his time in Arabia? Did he receive private instruction directly from Christ at this time? Was he re-studying the Hebrew scriptures, viewing them in light of this new revelation? How could anyone know? It is interesting that the three years he spent before seeing Peter is the same time period the other apostles had spent in Jesus’ presence.
8. 1:13-14 Considering the consequences of his decision, how could Saul of Tarsus make such a radical change?
   Class Answers: Paul’s aim had always been to please God, not men. As soon as he knew the truth about Jesus, he was willing to change – and not privately – though, as pointed out in the previous question – he seemed to prepare for this for a long time. According to verse 16, he also knew from the beginning that God had a plan for him. Paul had the courage that comes from a sense of purpose. See also Acts 9:9-16.
9. 1:18-20 Why might Paul choose to visit Peter instead of one of the other apostles?
   Class Answers: 1) Peter was recognized as a leader in the early church. 2) Peter also had a great zeal for God. 3) Peter had been part of Jesus’ inner circle of apostles. 4) Paul had been called by God to preach to the Gentiles, but, as recorded in Acts 10, God had revealed the plan to Peter that the Gentiles were included in His plan.
10. 1:21-24 What was the response of the churches in Syria and Cilicia to Paul?
    Class Answers: The verses here don’t say. They do say that when the churches in Judea heard the report, they praised God because of Paul.
    Note: This question should have asked about the churches of Judea, not Syria and Cilicia. Also note: Cilicia was Paul’s home territory. I’m not sure if we read anywhere what their response was to his conversion.

Choose a verse from Chapter 1 to memorize.
Class Choices: 1:3; 1:6-7; 1:8; 1:10