52) The Book of 1st Thessalonians

FIRST THESSALONIANS reveals the basic fundamentals for the model Christian life. All of these fundamentals stem from a sincere faith in the inspiration AND preservation of the words of Scriptures (Ps. 12:6-7; 2 Cor. 4:1-2; 1 Thess. 2:13). The fundamentals are the major beliefs for doctrine and living principles. Good athletes master the fundamentals of their sport, but great athletes seek to master every aspect of their sport (1 Cor. 9:24-27). True Bible believers believe the fundamentals AND every word of the Scriptures (Matt. 4:4; Acts 20:27; 24:14).

The church of Thessalonica was founded on Paul's second missionary journey (Acts 17:1). The converts received the gospel of Jesus Christ with much assurance of salvation and they followed Paul AND the Lord in witnessing about their faith in Christ. They looked forward to the return of the Lord Jesus while they suffered for the Lord. Paul exhorted them to live an holy life until the Rapture and he closed the book with some final exhortations about the ideal goal at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The letter has 5 chapters and 89 verses.