Scofield Reference Bible Notes/1 Thessalonians

by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield

Book Introduction - 1 Thessalonians

Read first chapter of 1 Thessalonians
WRITER: The apostle Paul (1 Thessalonians 1:1)
DATE: The Epistle was written from Corinth, A.D. 54, shortly after Paul's departure from Thessalonica (Ac16:, 17.), and is the earliest of his letters.
THEME: The theme of the Epistle is threefold:

• To confirm young disciples in the foundational truths already taught them;
• To exhort them to go on to holiness;
• To comfort them concerning those who had fallen asleep. The second coming of Christ is prominent throughout. The Epistle is incidentally most interesting as showing the richness in doctrine of the primitive evangelism. During a mission of about one month the apostle had taught all the great doctrines of the Christian faith.

The divisions of the Epistle are sufficiently indicated by the Chapters.

• The model church, and the three tenses of the Christian life1:1-10
• The model servant and his reward2:1-20
• The model brother, and the believer's sanctification3:1-13
• The model walk, and the believer's hope, 4:1-18
• The model walk, and the day of Jehovah, 5:1-28

CHAPTER 1

Verse 3

work of faith
Lit. operative faith, and laborious love, and hope-filled patience.

Verse 9

how ye turned
The tenses of the believer's life here indicated are logical and give the true order. They occur also in 1 Thessalonians 1:3. The "work of faith" is to "turn to God from idols" (cf) John 6:28,29 the "labour of love" is to "serve the living and true God"; and the "patience of hope" is to "wait for his Son from heaven" (cf) ; Matthew 24:42; 25:13; Luke 12:36-48; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20,21. Paul repeats this threefold sequence in Titus 2:11-13.

CHAPTER 2

Verse 16

saved (See Scofield "Romans 1:16")
sins Sin. (See Scofield "Romans 3:23").

CHAPTER 3

Verse 10

perfect (See Scofield "Matthew 5:48").

CHAPTER 4

Verse 17

caught up
Not church saints only, but all bodies of the saved, of whatever dispensation, are included in the first resurrection. (See Scofield "1 Corinthians 15:52") as here described, but it is peculiarly the "blessed hope" of the Church (cf) Matthew 24:42; 25:13; Luke 12:36-48; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20,21; Titus 2:11-13.

CHAPTER 5

Verse 8

salvation
(See Scofield "Romans 1:16").

Verse 23

whole spirit and soul and body
Man a trinity. That the human soul and spirit are not identical is proved by the facts that they are divisible. Hebrews 4:12 and that soul and spirit are sharply distinguished in the burial and resurrection of the body. It is sown a natural body (soma psuchikon= "soul- body"), it is raised a spiritual body (soma pneumatikon). 1 Corinthians 15:44. To assert, therefore, that there is no difference between soul and spirit is to assert that there is no difference between the mortal body and the resurrection body. In Scripture use, the distinction between spirit and soul may be traced. Briefly, that distinction is that the spirit is that part of man which "knows" 1 Corinthians 2:11 his mind; the soul is the seat of the affections, desires, and so of the emotions, and of the active will, the self. "My soul is exceeding sorrowful" Matthew 26:38 see also ; Matthew 11:29; John 12:27. The word transliterated "soul" in the O.T. (nephesh) is the exact equivalent of the N.T. word for soul ( (Greek - εὐψυχέω^[1]), and the use of "soul" in the O).T. is identical with the use of that word in the N.T. (see, e.g.) ; Deuteronomy 6:5; 14:26; 1 Samuel 18:1; 20:4,17; Job 7:11,15; 14:22; Psalms 42:6; 84:2. The N.T. word for spirit (pneuma) like the O.T. (ruach), is trans. "air", "breath", "wind," but predominantly "spirit," whether of God (e.g.) ; Genesis 1:2; Matthew 3:16 or of man ; Genesis 41:8; 1 Corinthians 5:5. Because man is "spirit" he is capable of God-consciousness, and of communication with God ; Job 32:8; Psalms 18:28; Proverbs 20:27 because he is "soul" he has self- consciousness ; Psalms 13:2; 42:5,6,11 because he is "body" he has, through his senses, world consciousness.
(See Scofield "Genesis 1:26").

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