John Calvin Commentary 1 Thessalonians 1

We give thanks to God. He praises, as is his custom, their faith and other virtues, not so much, however, for the purpose of praising them, as to exhort them to perseverance.

For it is a significant encouragement to eager pursuit when we reflect that God has adorned us with remarkable gifts, that He may finish what He has begun, and that we have, under His guidance and direction, advanced in the right course in order to reach the goal. For as a vain confidence in those virtues, which mankind foolishly claims for themselves, puffs them up with pride and makes them careless and lazy for the future, so a recognition of the gifts of God humbles pious minds and stirs them up to earnest concern.

Therefore, instead of congratulations, he makes use of thanksgivings to remind them that everything in them that he declares to be worthy of praise is a gift from God. He also turns immediately to the future by mentioning his prayers. We thus see for what purpose he commends their previous life.

Unceasingly remembering you. While the adverb unceasingly might be connected with what comes before, it suits better to connect it in this way. What follows could also be translated in this way: Remembering your work of faith and labor of love, etc. Nor is it an objection to this that an article is interposed between the pronoun ὑμῶν and the noun ἔργου, for Paul frequently uses this manner of expression. I state this so that no one might charge the old translator with ignorance for translating it in this way. However, since it matters little for the main point whichever you choose, I have kept Erasmus's translation.

He assigns a reason, however, why he cherishes such strong affection for them and prays diligently on their behalf—because he perceived in them those gifts of God that should stir him up to cherish love and respect for them. And, unquestionably, the more anyone excels in piety and other excellences, the more we ought to hold him in regard and esteem. For what is more worthy of love than God? Hence, nothing should tend more to excite our love for individuals than when the Lord manifests Himself in them by the gifts of His Spirit. This is the highest commendation of all among the pious—this is the most sacred bond of connection by which they are more especially bound to each other. Accordingly, I have said that it is of little importance whether you translate it mindful of your faith, or mindful of you on account of your faith.

Work of faith I understand as meaning the effect of it. This effect, however, may be explained in two ways—passively or actively: either as meaning that faith was in itself a signal token of the power and efficacy of the Holy Spirit, inasmuch as He has worked powerfully in exciting it, or as meaning that it afterwards outwardly produced its fruits. I reckon the effect to be in the root of faith rather than in its fruits—“A rare energy of faith has strewn itself powerfully in you.”

He adds labor of love, by which he means that in the cultivation of love they had grudged no trouble or labor. And, assuredly, experience shows how laborious love is. That age, however, especially afforded believers a manifold sphere of labor, if they desired to discharge the duties of love. The Church was marvelously oppressed by a great multitude of afflictions: many were stripped of their wealth, many were fugitives from their country, many were left destitute of counsel, many were vulnerable and weak. The condition of almost all was difficult. So many cases of distress did not allow love to be inactive.

To hope he assigns patience, as it is always conjoined with it, for what we hope for, we in patience wait for (Romans 8:24), and the statement should be explained to mean that Paul remembers their patience in hoping for the coming of Christ. From this we may gather a brief definition of true Christianity—that it is a faith that is lively and full of vigor, so that it spares no labor when assistance is to be given to one's neighbors; but, on the contrary, all the pious diligently engage in acts of love and devote their efforts to them, so that, intent on the hope of Christ's manifestation, they despise everything else, and, armed with patience, they rise superior to the weariness of the long wait, as well as to all the temptations of the world.

The clause, before our God and Father, may be viewed as referring to Paul’s remembrance, or to the three things spoken immediately before. I explain it in this way. As he had spoken of his prayers, he declares that as often as he raises his thoughts to the kingdom of God, he, at the same time, recalls to his remembrance the faith, hope, and patience of the Thessalonians; but since all mere presence must vanish when persons come into the presence of God, this is added so that the affirmation may have more weight. Furthermore, by this declaration of his goodwill toward them, he designed to make them more teachable and prepared to listen.

Knowing, brethren beloved. The participle knowing may apply to Paul as well as to the Thessalonians. Erasmus refers it to the Thessalonians. I prefer to follow Chrysostom, who understands it as referring to Paul and his colleagues, for it is (as it appears to me) a more ample confirmation of the previous statement. For it greatly tended to recommend them, as God Himself had testified by many signs that they were acceptable and dear to Him.

Election of God. I am not altogether dissatisfied with the interpretation given by Chrysostom—that God had made the Thessalonians illustrious and had established their excellence. Paul, however, intended to express something further, for he touches upon their calling. Since uncommon marks of God’s power had appeared in it, he infers from this that they had been specially called with evidences of a sure election. The reason is immediately added: it was not mere preaching that had been brought to them, but preaching combined with the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, so that it might gain full acceptance among them.

When he says, in power, and in the Holy Spirit, it is, in my opinion, as if he had said—in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that the latter term is added to explain the former. Assurance, to which he assigned the third place, was either in the thing itself or in the disposition of the Thessalonians. I am rather inclined to think that the meaning is that Paul’s gospel had been confirmed by solid proofs, as though God had shown from heaven that He had ratified their calling.

However, when Paul brings forward the proofs by which he had felt assured that the calling of the Thessalonians was altogether from God, he also takes the opportunity to recommend his ministry, so that they themselves may also recognize him and his colleagues as having been raised up by God.

By the term power, some understand miracles. I extend it further, as referring to the spiritual energy of doctrine. For, as we saw in 1 Corinthians, Paul places it in contrast with speech—the voice of God, as it were, living and combined with effect, as opposed to an empty and dead human eloquence.

It is to be observed, however, that the election of God, which is in itself hidden, is manifested by its marks—when He gathers to Himself the lost sheep, joins them to His flock, and holds out His hand to those who were wandering and estranged from Him. Hence, a knowledge of our election must be sought from this source.

However, just as the secret counsel of God is a labyrinth to those who disregard His calling, so too, those act perversely who, under the pretext of faith and calling, obscure this first grace from which faith itself flows. “By faith,” they say, “we obtain salvation; therefore, there is no eternal predestination of God that distinguishes between us and reprobates.” It is as though they said: “Salvation is of faith; therefore, there is no grace of God that illuminates us in faith.”

On the contrary, just as gratuitous election must be combined with calling as its effect, so it must necessarily, meanwhile, hold the first place.

It matters little to the sense whether you connect ὑπὸ with the participle beloved or with the term election.

As you know. Paul, as I have said before, has as his aim that the Thessalonians, influenced by the same considerations, might entertain no doubt that they were elected by God. For it had been God's design, in honoring Paul’s ministry, to manifest their adoption to them. Accordingly, having said that they know what manner of persons they had been, he immediately adds that he was such for their sake, by which he means that all this had been given to them, so that they might be fully persuaded that they were loved by God, and that their election was beyond all controversy.

And you became imitators. To increase their eagerness, he declares that there is a mutual agreement, and harmony, as it were, between his preaching and their faith. For unless people, on their part, respond to God, no progress will result from the grace that is offered to them—not as if they could do this by themselves, but since God, as He begins our salvation by calling us, perfects it also by shaping our hearts to obedience.

The sum, therefore, is this—that an evidence of Divine election showed itself not only in Paul’s ministry, insofar as it was equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit, but also in the faith of the Thessalonians, so that this conformity is a powerful testimony to it. He says, however, “You were imitators of God and of us,” in the same sense in which it is said, that the people believed God and his servant Moses (Exodus 14:13), not as if Paul and Moses had anything different from God, but because He worked powerfully through them, as His ministers and instruments. While you embraced. Their readiness in receiving the gospel is called an imitation of God for this reason: just as God had presented Himself to the Thessalonians in a generous spirit, so they, on their part, had voluntarily come forward to meet Him.

He says, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that we may know that it is not by the prompting of the flesh, or by the inclinations of their own nature, that people will be ready and eager to obey God, but that this is the work of God’s Spirit. The circumstance that, amidst much tribulation, they had embraced the gospel serves to amplify this.

For we see many people, not otherwise averse to the gospel, who nevertheless avoid it, being intimidated by fear of the cross. Those, accordingly, who do not hesitate boldly to embrace along with the gospel the afflictions that threaten them, provide in this an admirable example of greatness of spirit. And from this it is all the more apparent how necessary it is that the Spirit should aid us in this.

For the gospel cannot be properly or sincerely received unless it is with a joyful heart. Nothing, however, is more contrary to our natural disposition than to rejoice in afflictions.