1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Paul appeals to the Thessalonians themselves as able to testify to his Boldness, Straightforwardness, and Disinterestedness, while resident among them.

In chap. 1 Thessalonians 1:9 Paul had alluded to two features of his visit to Thessalonica, the power which had characterized his preaching, and the conspicuous effects of it in the mind and life of those who believed: in the present paragraph he expatiates on the former of these, and enlarges on the latter in 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16. He appeals to the Thessalonians themselves as witnesses of his blameless life, his freedom from avarice and indolence, his affectionate demeanour, and his confidence in the truth and value of the message which he had been commissioned to deliver. Similar self-defensive paragraphs occur elsewhere in his Epistles, especially in the Epistles to the

Corinthians, and throw welcome light on Paul's character and mode of life. In the instance before us, his aim is not so much to defend himself against the aspersions of those who questioned his authority or disinterestedness, as to confirm the faith of the Thessalonians, which might perhaps not be proof against the insinuations of his unscrupulous enemies.