Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Thessalonians 1:9

"For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God," — 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (ASV)

For they themselves. Those who have visited you, and those whom you have sent out—all persons testify to your piety. The apostle seems to refer to all whom he had met or heard of "in all places," who said anything about the Thessalonians. They were unanimous in testifying to their fidelity and piety.

Show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you. The testimony they bear concerning you is, in fact, testimony to the way we preached the gospel and conducted ourselves when we were with you. It shows that we were intent on our Master's work and were not driven by selfish or sinister motives. The argument is that such results could not have been produced among them if Paul, Silas, and their fellow laborers had been impostors. Their genuine conversion to God, their change from idolatry to the true religion, and the zeal that resulted from their conversion, was an argument to which Paul and his fellow laborers could appeal as proof of their sincerity and of their being sent from God. Paul often makes a similar appeal. Compare to 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, 8); and there is every reason to suppose that after they left the city, they would endeavor to maintain this impression among the people. To counter this, Paul now says that their own undeniable conversion to a life of holiness and zeal under their ministry was an unanswerable argument that this was not the case. How could impostors and deceivers have been the means of producing such results?

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. The meaning here is that those who came from them, or those who had visited them, bore abundant testimony to the fact that they had turned from idols to the worship of the true God. Compare to 1 Corinthians 12:2; Galatians 4:8.

To serve the living and true God. He is called the "living God" in opposition to idols—which are represented as dead, dumb, deaf, and blind. Compare to Psalm 135:15-17. See also Isaiah 44:10 and following, Matthew 16:16, John 5:26, and Acts 14:15.