📖 The Book of 1 Thessalonians
Start reading →New Testament · 5 chapters · Pauline
A model church — faith, love, hope, and the return of Christ.
Who wrote 1 Thessalonians?
Author
Paul
Written
c. AD 51
Genre
Pauline
Among Paul's earliest letters.
Why 1 Thessalonians was written
Paul's encouraging letter to a young, persecuted church he had to leave too quickly, commending their faith, addressing anxiety about those who have died, and teaching about the return of Christ.
Outline of 1 Thessalonians
- 11–3: Thanksgiving and encouragement
- 24: Instructions on holiness and those who have fallen asleep
- 35: The Day of the Lord; final exhortations
Key verses
1 Thessalonians 4:13-141 Thessalonians 5:9-101 Thessalonians 5:23-24
How 1 Thessalonians points to Christ
The great hope of 1 Thessalonians is the return of Christ — dead believers will rise first, then those alive will be caught up to meet the Lord. This hope is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus as the guarantee.
How 1 Thessalonians begins
1Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1 →