Wednesday

Related Verses
1 Thes. 1:1-10 (1,3-6);
1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
2 We thank God always concerning all of you, making mention of you in our prayers,
3 Remembering unceasingly your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;
4 Knowing, brothers, beloved of God, your selection;
5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, even as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit,
7 So that you became a pattern to all those who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.
8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded out; not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but in every place, your faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need of saying anything.
9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of entrance we had toward you and how you turned to God from the idols to serve a living and true God
10 And await His Son from the heavens, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath which is coming.

1 Cor. 1:2
2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours:

Related Reading
When some read concerning the church of the Thessalonians in the Triune God, they may say, “You claim that 1 Thessalonians 1:1 indicates that the church is in the Triune God. Yes, this verse mentions the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son, but nothing is said concerning the Spirit. If this verse speaks of the Triune God, where is the Spirit?” Here we have one of the many instances where what the Bible does not say is just as important as what it does say, if not more so. Often in our contact with the saints, we may refrain from saying something to them. This may be more important than what we do say to them. Why did Paul not say “the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit”? 

Be assured that the very God spoken of in 1:1 is the Triune God. We know this by the fact that Paul first mentions the Father, the first of the Trinity. Whenever we have the first, we also have the second, the Son, and also the third, the Spirit. The very fact that Paul speaks of the Father is a strong indication that he is thinking of the Triune God. Moreover, the expression the Lord Jesus Christ implies the Spirit. The expressions God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ both imply the Spirit. Therefore, in 1:1 the Spirit is implied and understood. (Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, p. 56) 

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To be in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ implies that we are also in the Spirit. Hence, in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 we have the Triune God implied. This verse indicates that the church is in the Triune God. 

It is a rather simple matter to say that the church is of God or of Christ. But it is deeper and more profound to declare that the church is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, it is one thing to say that we are of a particular person. However, it is altogether another matter to claim to be in that person. Humanly speaking, it is possible to be of someone, but it is not possible to be literally in that one. Only in a way that is organic and of life can the church be in the Triune God. We do not adequately understand the way of life, but God does understand it in full. Furthermore, only God can do something in the way of life. In a way that is organic and of life, God has made it possible for the church to be in the Triune God. 

For the church to be merely of God, it is sufficient that God be merely our Creator. But for the church to be in God, God must become our Father, and we need to have a life relationship with Him. Likewise, for the church to be in the Lord Jesus Christ, Christ must be the Lord and Jesus to us. 

It is important to realize that the New Testament does not say that the church is in God. First Thessalonians 1:1 tells us that the church is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is different from speaking of the church as merely in God, for it reveals that the church is in the Triune God. According to the Bible, there is no such thing as the church merely in God, but there is the church in the Triune God. 

Now we need to consider carefully the difference between God and the Triune God. To speak only of God is to regard Him as if He had not been processed. However, the Triune God denotes God in His process. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In this verse we cannot see the processed God; that is, we cannot see the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. But in the New Testament we have a full revelation of the Triune God. (Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, pp. 56-58) 

Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, msg. 7