Scripture: One Book at a Time
The whole of Sacred Scripture is a single narrative that promises and points to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the World. It is an epic story, the greatest ever told, and told "one book at a time." Each book makes it contribution to the narrative as God reveals God's self to us and his desire that all be saved.
Lesson 59 – Letters to the Thessalonians
Paul first visited Thessalonica on his second missionary journey. The mission was beset with conflict with both the gentile and the Jewish communities, forcing Paul to leave. He sent his companion Timothy back to bolster the community. When Timothy reported back, this was the occaison of the first letter. In an age of itinerant peddlers of new religions, Paul found it necessary to emphasize not only the content of his gospel but also his manner of presenting it, for both attested to God’s grace as freely bestowed and powerfully effected. The letter goes on to describe Christian life, the principles for acting morally, rooted in one’s relationship to God through Christ by the sending of the holy Spirit. Thus, moral conduct is the practical, personal expression of one’s Christian faith, love, and hope.
The second letter is one that encourages the people to persevere in times of persecution, but also corrects some ideas about “the day of the Lord”, closing with an admonishment to the idle among the people.