Thessalonian Behavior and Religious Homework
by Pastor Walter Snyder

Q: Why does Paul expect the Thessalonians to already know how to "conduct" themselves
and to "love one another"?

A: Paul wasn't writing to the Thessalonians in a vacuum. Even if he were not already intimately
acquainted with them, they'd been believers long enough to have some grasp of Christian morality
and behavior. Additionally, Paul had been in Thessalonica already (see Acts 17) with Silas. It
could also be that he'd previously corresponded with them in letters lost to us now. Clearly Paul
directly communicated some of these matters to them. In 1 Thessalonians 2:12 he wrote, "We
exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of
God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory."

Q: I have been doing my homework for a religion class and have questions that I can't find
the answer to. I have been out of school for a week due to a sickness with no contact with
other students to ask. My mom suggested looking at religious websites for the answers. In
doing so, I stumbled upon yours. I am not trying to cheat or anything, I just don"t know
where else to look. OK here goes:

1. Why did John write the Gospel? I know to look in John 1, but I can't quite grasp it.
2. Did Jesus ever claim to be God?
3. Where can I find the Sermon on the Mountain, in the Old or New Testament?
4. Flavius Josephus, when he lived, what he said about Jesus.

Just to let you know, these are only 4 questions in a series of 50. I have answered all of them
except for these. If you know the answer to any of these please write me back. Thank you
very much!

A: I hope you're better now. I'll try to point you in the right direction without doing all your
work for you.

1. Actually the clearest answer is in John 20:30-31. Throughout the book John crafts an account
with this goal in mind, showing Jesus as true man and true God.

2. His "I am" statements in John each testify to this, since the Hebrew understanding of that
phrase is connected to God's identifying Himself with the same term when speaking to Moses
from the burning bush.

3. For a longer record of His words, start reading in Matthew 5. Luke 6 has an abridged account.

4. Josephus' was a Jewish scholar who joined with the Romans. His life began at about the time
Jesus was crucified and resurrected. In certain old texts of his ~Antiquities~, a quote mentions
Him, but many scholars believe that these are corrupted manuscripts and that his positive words
about Jesus were inserted at a later date. It's also possible that the words are so favorable because
Josephus, himself never a Christian, used a since-lost primary source from early believers. At the
very least, he gives extra-Biblical testimony to the historicity of Jesus. This is reinforced since he
also refers to James of Jerusalem as Jesus' brother.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from ~The Holy Bible, English Standard Version~<TM>,
© 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Ask the Pastor, © 2004 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced in totality, including this disclaimer,
by anyone, provided that no profit is generated by said republication and redistribution. Translations
into other languages should similarly note the United States and any appropriate international
copyrights, as well as God's Scriptural injunctions concerning the property of others.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book
~What Do Lutherans Believe.~