1 Thessalonians 1:9

Contextual Overview

⁶You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁶ You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁶You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁶We told y'all when you saddled up for the Lord it wouldn't be easy. Y'all have suffered just like we said you would and you did it gladly, like top hands should. Y'all rode the way we showed ya and talked like we told ya. ⁶ And you took us and the Lord as your example, after the word had come to you in much trouble, with joy in the Holy Spirit; ⁶ and *ye* became our imitators, and of the Lord, having accepted the word in much tribulation with joy of [the] Holy Spirit, ⁶ and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. ⁶ You became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ And ye became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

what: 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 2:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:13

ye: Isaiah 2:17-21, Jeremiah 16:19, Zephaniah 2:11, Zechariah 8:20-23, Malachi 1:11, Acts 14:15, Acts 26:17, Acts 26:18, 1 Corinthians 12:2, Galatians 4:8, Galatians 4:9

the living: Deuteronomy 5:26, 1 Samuel 17:26, 1 Samuel 17:36, Psalms 42:2, Psalms 84:2, Isaiah 37:4, Isaiah 37:17, Jeremiah 10:10, Daniel 6:26, Hosea 1:10, Romans 9:26, 2 Corinthians 6:16, 2 Corinthians 6:17, 1 Timothy 4:10, Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 17:2

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:16 - went Numbers 23:23 - What hath Joshua 3:10 - living Ruth 1:16 - thy God 2 Kings 5:17 - will henceforth 2 Chronicles 15:3 - true God Psalms 22:27 - turn Isaiah 8:19 - for the living Isaiah 45:14 - Surely Isaiah 56:6 - join Jeremiah 23:22 - then Jeremiah 23:36 - of the Hosea 2:23 - Thou art my God Hosea 14:8 - What Malachi 2:6 - and did Malachi 3:18 - between him Matthew 16:16 - the living John 6:57 - the living John 17:3 - the only Acts 9:35 - turned Acts 11:21 - turned Acts 15:19 - turned Acts 19:26 - that not Acts 20:19 - Serving Acts 26:20 - turn Romans 1:8 - that your Romans 1:13 - even Romans 1:25 - the truth Romans 16:19 - obedience 2 Corinthians 3:3 - the living Philippians 1:13 - in all other places 1 Timothy 3:15 - the living 1 Timothy 6:17 - the living Hebrews 3:12 - the Hebrews 9:14 - to serve Revelation 7:2 - living Revelation 15:7 - who

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginnyng GOD created ye heauen and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
God created the sky and the earth. At first,

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the bigynnyng God made of nouyt heuene and erthe.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the Heauen, and the Earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For they themselves show of us,.... Either the above reports of the preaching of the Gospel to the Thessalonians, and of their faith in God; or rather the persons to whom these reports were brought, openly and publicly, and largely declared concerning

the apostles, what manner of entering in we had unto you; under what difficulties they laboured, what contention they had with the unbelieving Jews, what reproaches were cast upon them, and what persecutions they endured when they first entered their city and synagogue, and preached the Gospel to them; and in what manner they did preach it, with what boldness, sincerity, uprightness and affection, and without flattery, covetousness, and vain glory; and with what power it came to them, and what success attended it, and how readily, cheerfully, and reverently both they and that were received by them:

and how ye turned to God from idols; immediately and at once, upon the preaching of the Gospel to them, being first turned by the powerful and efficacious grace of God; for the first work of conversion is God's work; then they themselves, under the influence of the same grace, turned to the one God, from their internal idols, their sins and lusts, and from their external idols, their many false and fictitious deities: for the Thessalonians before the Gospel came among them were idolaters; here the "Dii Cabiri", the great and chief gods of the Gentiles, were worshipped; as Jupiter and Bacchus, Ceres and Proserpina, Pluto and Mercury, Castor and Pollux, and Esculapius; these the Macedonians, and particularly the Thessalonians, worshipped with great devotion and reverence d: but now they turned from them and forsook them,

to serve the living and true God; who is called the living God, because he has life in and of himself, and is the fountain of life to others; from whom all living creatures have their life, and are supported in it by him; and in opposition to the above idols, which were inanimate things made of wood or metal, and were images of men that had been dead long ago: and the "true" God, because he is truth itself, and cannot lie, who faithfully performs all his promises, and is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth; and in opposition to the nominal and fictitious deities of the Gentiles, which were only in name, not in truth and reality, or by nature gods: now though these Thessalonians had before done service to these idols, they now turned from them to serve the one living and true God; not only externally, by embracing and professing his Gospel, submitting to his ordinances, and walking according to the rules prescribed by him; but also internally, in the exercise of faith, hope, love, and every other grace.

d Gutherlothus de mysteriis Deor. Cabirorum, c. 15. p. 94, 95. Jul. Firmicus. de errore prof. relig. p. 18.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For they themselves - They who have visited you, and they whom you have sent out; all persons testify of your piety. The apostle seems to refer to all whom he had met or had heard of “in all places,” who said anything about the Thessalonians They were unanimous in bearing testimony to their fidelity and piety.

Show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you - The testimony which they bear of you is, in fact, testimony of the manner in which we preached the gospel, and demeaned ourselves when we were with you. It shows that we were intent on our Master’s work, and that we were not actuated by selfish or sinister motives The argument is, that such effects could not have been produced among them if Paul, Silas, and their fellow laborers had been impostors. Their sound conversion to God; their change from idolatry to the true religion, and the zeal which had been the result of their conversion, was an argument to which Paul and his fellow-laborers might appeal in proof of their sincerity and their being sent from God. Paul often makes a similar appeal; compare notes on 2 Corinthians 3:2-3. It is certain that many of the Jews in Thessalonica, when Paul and his fellow-laborers were there, regarded them as impostors Acts 17:6, Acts 17:8, and there is every reason to suppose that after they left the city, they would endeavor to keep up this impression among the people. To meet this, Paul now says that their own undoubted conversion to a life of holiness and zeal under their ministry, was an unanswerable argument that this was not so. How could impostors and deceivers have been the means of producing such effects?

And how ye turned to God from idols - That is, under our preaching. This proves that the church was to a considerable extent composed of those who were converted from idolatry under the preaching of Paul; compare Intro. 4. The meaning here is, that they who came from them, or they who had visited them, bore abundant testimony to the fact that they had turned from idols to the worship of the true God; compare notes 1 Corinthians 12:2; Galatians 1:8.

To serve the living and true God - He is called the “living God” in opposition to idols - who are represented as dead, dumb, deaf, and blind; compare Psalms 135:15-17; notes, Isaiah 44:10-17; Matthew 16:16; John 5:26; Acts 14:15.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 9. How ye turned to God from idols — This could not be spoken either of the Jews or of the devout persons, but of the heathen Greeks, and of such it appears that the majority of the Church was formed. See what is said on this subject in the preface to this epistle.

To serve the living and true God — The living God; in opposition to the idols, which were either inanimate stocks or stones, or the representations of dead men.

The true God-In opposition to the whole system of idolatry, which was false in the objects of its adoration, false in its pretensions, false in its promises, and false in all its prospects.