1 Thessalonians 1:5 – The Gospel Message

The Apostle Paul in verses 1-4 began by talking about the church and then shifted to talk about the Gospel in verse 5. This is a natural progression because the church and the Gospel are inseparable. The church came into being because of the Gospel and now the church exists to spread the Gospel. In the first chapter of this letter, Paul shows the three stages of the Gospel’s progression among the Thessalonians. First the Gospel came to them (v.5); second, they welcomed and received it (v.6); and third, they also propagated it (v.8). God’s clear intention is for this process to continue in the church today.

In verse 5, he also reminded them that the Gospel did not come to them in words only. It also came to them in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. Paul added the personal pronoun “our” to the Gospel. In so doing he was indicating that they, Silas, Timothy and himself, were bearers of the Gospel together. We will see that he called it the “Gospel of God” in 1 Thessalonians 2:2 and 2:8-9. It shows us that God is the Source and Author of this Gospel. And in 1 Thessalonians 3:2, he referred to it as the “Gospel of Christ” meaning Christ is the Substance of this Gospel. We can conclude then that God is the Author of this Gospel; Christ is the Substance; and the apostles were the primary agents and we, believers, the secondary agents.

Notice also the potency of the Gospel. Firstly, it came with words. The way this verse is constructed – “… our Gospel did not come to you in word only …” was Paul’s way of putting emphasis on the message and not the messenger. He was saying that the Gospel came to you with words plus other elements such as power, deep conviction and the Holy Spirit. Here he underscores for us the importance of having the right choice of words in presenting the Gospel. Secondly, the Gospel also came with power. Words alone are seldom enough. The messenger must be empowered so that the message can bring its intended result. The power that Paul talked about here is the effect the message had upon the hearers. Bear in mind that many of the Thessalonians were worshipping idols. Yet this Gospel that came with power enabled them to turn from their idols to serve the Living God. Thirdly, this Gospel came with the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, a message (no matter how eloquently spoken) would be powerless. It could never be spoken with deep conviction. It is the Holy Spirit Who energizes the Word, provides the conviction for the preacher and produces the effect in the hearers. Fourthly, this Gospel came with deep conviction. Paul wanted them to know that he was fully persuaded about the Gospel. He was full of confidence in the reality and relevance of the Gospel. Thus, it engendered great boldness in him to present it.

Adding to the four vital elements, Paul told the Thessalonians to judge him by the way he conducted his life. In other words, his lifestyle substantiated his message. His life could stand the test of public scrutiny. It was not as if he spoke one thing and lived another. How needful it is for us in our days and age to also walk our talk. All of us have felt the power of the Gospel. Let’s continue to allow it to transform our lives. More importantly, like Paul, let’s be bold to share this good news!