Salvation Summaries

OVERVIEW OF BOOK

1 Thessalonians was written by Paul (with Silas and Timothy) to believers at the church in Thessalonica. This book is a letter of encouragement to the Christians who have suffered affliction because of their faith. In it, Paul thanks them for their faith, hope and love.  He thanks them for the report from Timothy that their faith has remained strong despite the persecution that they have incurred. He also clarifies from them what happens to Christians when they die. Paul concludes his letter with helpful tips on how they can (and should) live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

SALVATION VERSES

How were the people in Thessalonica saved?  

In the opening verses of this book, Paul thanks the Thessalonians for their work of faith, their labor of love, and the steadfastness of their hope in the Lord.  Thus, they have faith, hope and love, and by this we know that they are saved.

The question that needs to be answered, though, is how were they saved? In short, they were saved by hearing and accepting the gospel.

Over and over again in the first two chapters of this book, Paul mentions the gospel. The gospel came to the Thessalonians in word and with the Holy Spirit (1:5), Paul and the others spoke the gospel to them in the midst of much opposition (2:2), Paul and the others were entrusted with the gospel (2:4), Paul and the others imparted not only the gospel (to them), but also their lives (2:8), Paul and the others proclaimed the gospel to them (2;9), and the gospel, or word of God, was what the Thessalonians heard and accepted (2:13). Paul’s conclusion to all of this talk about the gospel comes in 2:15-16, where we learn that certain Jews tried to hinder Paul from speaking the gospel.  And why did Paul seek to preach the gospel?  So that those who hear it may be saved (2:16).

There is something unique, and remarkable, about the gospel. It is not simply a book of words and stories.  It’s not simply a history book.  The gospel, likely in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, not only affects people, it changes them.  And it does more than that. It sustains them, and enables them, to do God’s will. Paul says it (word of God) “performs its work in you who believe” (2:13).

In chapter 5, Paul talks about the hope of salvation, and obtaining salvation, and thus implies that these are future events. If this is true, how could the Thessalonians be saved now?

There is a present and a future aspect to salvation.

As we saw above, the people in the Thessalonian church were saved. They had faith in the Lord, they had a love for others, and a hope and longing for Christ’s return.  This describes the present nature of their salvation.

The future aspect of salvation, or the culmination or climax of their salvation, is when they finally see and meet the Lord.

One might compare salvation to the winning of a lottery ticket. When a person learns that he or she has the winning number, that person becomes a winner of the lottery, and much excitement ensues.  That person then begins to look forward to the date when the prize, or money, will be received.

When a person is saved, much excitement ensues, and that person begins to look forward to the date when they see Christ in person.  When that takes place, salvation is complete.

It is important to realize, based upon the many salvation-related verses I’ve reviewed thus far, that salvation is not a life-long process.  It might take a life-time before a person becomes saved (an acquaintance of mine told me that his mother was not saved until the age of 93), but that does not mean that the person was gradually becoming saved.

As I’ve discussed several times in prior blogs, salvation can be compared to a spiritual transaction, whereby a person’s sins are forgiven, they receive God’s Holy Spirit, and the gift of faith. This takes place at a certain point in time. It is not something a person can do; God does it. And it is not a physical thing; it’s spiritual.  Once a person receives the Holy Spirit, that person is saved. There is no mention in the Bible, that I’m aware of, that talks about a person gradually receiving the Holy Spirit over time .

Once a person becomes saved, they have the opportunity (and I would say responsibility) to grow – spiritually – over time.  Some refer to this as sanctification, and others may view it as a process, which I believe is appropriate.