Day 730: Part of the family - 1 Thessalonians 1 vs 2 - 4
2-3 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 English Standard Version
When it comes to important decisions like who to marry, a big financial investment, or whether to have a risky medical procedure, we always want to see some evidence of the genuineness of the person we are putting our trust in. What about being a Christian? Is there evidence we can look for to see whether a person (or even ourself) is a genuine Christian or not? What was the apostle Paul's view? (vs 4)
Leaving aside the issue which can cause many arguments between Christians, that of God 'choosing' people, it's clear that Paul believed there are things that show when a man or woman have experienced true conversion and been saved from sin. So what are the signs of salvation that he gives in vs 2-3?
He speaks there of their 'work of faith', 'labour of love', and 'steadfastness of hope'. Faith would refer to how they had believed God's message of forgiveness of sin through the offering the Lord Jesus Christ made at Calvary. But it was faith that led to works, to action. It’s not enough to simply say 'I believe the gospel', or 'I have given my life to Jesus'; true faith is evidenced by the actions that follow. A big part of those works will be the love that is shown to other Christians. The apostle James put it like this: “What good is it, brothers, if someone says he has faith but doesn't have works. Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled', without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)
It was that sort of faith in action that led to labours of love in the early Church and through the following centuries. Jesus spoke of this sort of love when, at His return, He will say to the redeemed: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” (Matthew 25:34-36) It was this sort of love that led some Christians to be missionaries, or to start hospitals and orphanages.
The third evidence of salvation Paul spoke of was their 'steadfastness of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.' From the very start they firmly believed the promise Jesus gave to His disciples when He said “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3) On the day the disciples saw Jesus ascend we read: “while they were gazing into heaven as He went, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'” (Acts 1:10-11)
At the end of this chapter Paul sums up these Christians at Thessalonica as having “turned from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” It's a strong sign of conversion when someone is eagerly looking forward to Christ's return and living their life carefully in the light of that expectation! And as far as God's 'choosing' is concerned – Paul doesn't make a big issue of it but simply takes it for granted. It's as if he says 'I can see by the way your life has changed, and the way you're eagerly looking forward to Christ's return, that God has made you members of His family.' If those things can be said of us it's a good indication that we have also become part of the Lord's family. And that's something to be truly thankful for.