A Study in 1 ThessaloniansSample

More Bible. Less Lies.

Counselors commonly talk about two powerful forces at work in shaping who you are and how you process your past and prepare for your future. Fear bonds are negative experiences that tie pain, or even evil, to a person, place, or thing. For example, a child with an abusive parent who never hugs them but only spanks them has a fear bond with that parent. Joy bonds are positive experiences that tie positivity to a person, place, or thing. For example, when I was a little boy, my Grandpa George, who was very handy, built a large metal swing he painted green and yellow, placing an awning on to shade us from the sun. Whenever I went to his house, we would sit on the swing together, facing one another, eating ice cream while he asked me questions and told me fun stories. To this day, every time I see a photo of that swing, it brings back joy bonds.

One of the most tragic occurrences in Christian ministry is when the Word of God is weaponized to create fear bonds instead of joy bonds. As a Bible teacher, this bothers me at a deep level. Some people have had legalistic, law-based, non-relational, hypocritical religious people treat the Bible like a hammer to pound them like a nail. If you have had this experience from a pastor parent, I am very sorry. If you have experienced this from me as a Bible teacher, I am doubly sorry.

In 2 Corinthians 3:16, Paul speaks about the Word (or Law) of God saying, “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The letter of the law is works-based, erroneous Bible teaching about what you must do to earn God’s favor, and how your failure will remove it from you. Fear-based Bible teaching produces fear bonds. The Spirit of the law is healthy Bible teaching that tells you how God works for you, in you, and through you to fulfill His law in your life by the power of the Holy Spirit. This kind of healthy Bible teaching produces joy bonds.

In 1-2 Thessalonians, Paul’s enemies are trying to create fear bonds with the people – telling them their pastor was a con man who lied to them, stole from them, and abandoned them. Of course, these are all lies and not truth. Paul, in contrast, is focusing on joy bonds made possible by the Word of God as the source of all their joy bonds. There is joy in this section between the people and Jesus, the people and their pastor Paul, and the people and one another. This is because of God’s Word, as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 2:13,20, “we...thank God constantly...that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers...you are our glory and joy.”

Reflection:

Have you experienced any fear or joy bonds with Scripture? If fear bonds, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to heal you from that and to replace it with new joy bonds.