Digital Logos Edition
1 and 2 Thessalonians were written by the apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonica. It was a young church experiencing great persecution. The Thessalonian Christians needed to mature in their faith and have correct understanding concerning Christ’s second coming. As we begin a new millennium, many words will fill the air about Christ’s return. But no one knows the exact time of this event. Thus, believers should live moral and holy lives, ever watchful of Christ’s coming, not neglecting daily responsibilities but always working and living to please the Lord.
The Life Application Bible Commentary series provides verse-by-verse explanation, background, and application for every verse in the New Testament. In addition, it gives personal help, teaching notes, and sermon ideas that will address needs, answer questions, and provide insight for applying God’s Word to life today. The content is highlighted so that particular verses and phrases are easy to find.
Each volume contains three sections: introduction, commentary, and reference. The introduction includes an overview of the book, the book’s historical context, a timeline, cultural background information, major themes, an overview map, and an explanation about the author and audience.
The commentary section includes running commentary on the Bible text with reference to several modern versions, especially the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version, accompanied by life applications interspersed throughout. Additional elements include charts, diagrams, maps, and illustrations. There are also insightful quotes from church leaders and theologians such as John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, A. W. Tozer, and C. S. Lewis. These features are designed to help you quickly grasp the biblical information and be prepared to communicate it to others. The reference section includes a bibliography.
“To strengthen the Thessalonian Christians in their faith and assure them of Christ’s return.” (Page 8)
“Living to please God is every Christian’s priority. Knowing Jesus as Savior brings salvation and should lead every believer to want to live to please him in gratefulness for what he has done. Through obedient believers, God works in the world.” (Pages 56–57)
“They were a group united by their faith, set apart from a sinful world, and committed to living out their Christianity despite persecution and an immoral culture.” (Page 15)
“‘Stifle’ means to douse a fire, so to stifle the Holy Spirit would be to forbid or restrain his work.” (Page 89)
“‘Grace’ means God’s unmerited favor; ‘peace’ refers to the peace that Christ made between believers and God through his death on the cross.” (Page 17)