1 Thessalonians: Real Faith in a Returning KingSample

A Living Temple

Paul encourages the Thessalonians with the fact that he and his companions came with pure motives to share the good news of Jesus and not to get anything from them. And that Paul’s life, and now the lives of the Thessalonians, give credence to their message of hope found in Jesus alone.

In this passage, Paul defends his motives a lot, perhaps in a way that seems strange to us. However, it was common in his day for traveling preachers to be corrupt and to have manipulative motives. Paul wants to ensure the Thessalonians that his motives in coming to them were pure. He was not after financial gain or profit. In fact, he had suffered a lot because of the message of the Gospel, not because he was exploiting people, but because certain religious leaders did not want his message to spread.

Again, Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians to examine his life to see if how he lived matched up to what he preached. For Paul, your life is a testimony of your faith. In fact, the New Testament paints a picture that it is even anti-Biblical to assume your faith is only something between you and God. Your faith in Christ is meant to be lived out in a way that impacts how you treat others.

Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 3:16 is that believers are now God’s temple. We are His presence in the world. We are meant to invite others to also experience him. If we live angry, hurtful, or dishonorable lives, we should not expect others to want to take part in being a part of this type of “temple.”

In other words, if we are a part of God’s temple, we will either build it up or tear it down. For Paul, there is no neutral ground. In reality, we do not drift towards holiness and loving others. We drift towards selfishness and putting our needs first. So Paul encourages us to walk in a way that is worthy of God, and to simply be honest and admit when we fall short, knowing God will always graciously forgive us.

Paul claims that the message of Jesus is the word of God, not a human creation. It is powerful to change people. The Thessalonians are an example of that. Even in their suffering, the Thessalonians have lived in a way that has spread the Gospel.

Ultimately, Paul is showing us that our conviction determines our course. If we believe Jesus is who he says he is and has done for us what no one else can do, that will impact how we live. If we don’t truly believe Jesus is the Son of God who has rescued us from death, then it makes sense to live in a way that doesn’t demonstrate Jesus is Lord over our lives.

Today’s reflection:

The good news of the Gospel is that God loves us regardless of our performance. Knowing that our salvation isn't based on works, why does Paul (and all of Scripture) point to the necessity of living in a way that honors God?