The Authenticity of God's Word 1 Th. 2:13-16

God's word has always been questioned by others especially when others don't like what it says. This was the case with the Jews of that time as they chose not accept Jesus as the Messiah and refused to accept his new message of salvation. They then proceeded to persecute believers (Acts 2-4) because of the message of the Gospel and all throughout the book of Acts we see believers being beaten or suffering because of their faith. Apparently this type of persecution had spread into Thessalonica and the Christians there were also suffering for their beliefs. Paul commends them for their faith and encourages them by letting them know that although they continue to suffer God's judgment will catch up with those who choose not believe.

So what does this have to do with authenticity of God's word? Really there are 2 "proofs" given for the authenticity of the Word. The first is that the Thessalonians accepted the message brought by Paul as words from God and not words of a mere man. Of course we know that people have been conned into believing messages from men as messages from God (check Jim Jones and Warren Jeffs) so that doesn't necessarily prove much. The proof is in the fact that it changed their lives for good (check Ch. 1) and the lives of others around the world (1 Th. 1:8; Acts 17:6). From a purely logical standpoint most people don't just accept what they hear as claims from God without investigating or checking what's being said, especially not in a culture where gods and religion is commonplace as was the case in Macedonia.

The second is that people suffered and endured persecution despite the fact that it was because of something they believed in. For instance, a normal person would not endure persecution for something that they do not believe in; but there are people who will suffer for something they believe in and the problem is that what they believe is wrong. There is a common pattern in Christianity that has continued since the time of Christ - and that is persecution. Generations upon generations have continued to suffer and die in the name of Christ. The first Apostles suffered persecution and even death and they knew first hand whether or not what they believed was true. Believers after them suffered in the Roman empire under Nero and all throughout the dark ages Christians were killed because of their faith in Christ. Even today there are almost 200,000 Christians a year killed and persecuted because of their faith! Now that may seem absurd to us in America, but it shows that (1) people don't die for something they don't believe in and (2) they don't die throughout history for something that isn't true.

What does this mean to us? Sometimes we have such little faith and we barely believe God and His word. We debate whether or not He loves us, whether or not we can trust Him, and whether or not He can change our lives. God's word is true and can be trusted and is applicable for our lives.

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