More Heaven Less Hell

1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 – You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, 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.

For those who know the Lord Jesus and believe in His coming Kingdom, living on this fallen cursed planet can be very dark, discouraging, and disorienting. This longing for Home causes Christians to ask numerous questions. In the New Testament, there are parts of the Bible where the author answers questions that were sent to him by local church leaders on behalf of people in the church. 

One example is 1 Corinthians. Throughout the letter, Paul frequently quotes directly from the letter he received from the Corinthians (e.g. 6:12, 6:13, 8:5, 10:23). He also notifies the reader of when he is transitioning from one topic to another with the simple phrase “now” to answer specific questions they sent him in their letter that he is answering in his letter (e.g. 1 Corinthians 7:1, 7:8, 7:25, 8:1, 12:1, 16:1, 16:12). 

This is precisely what is also happening in 1 Thessalonians as Paul is also answering questions the leaders in the local church were asking him. One Bible commentator says, “The apostle’s use of ‘now about’ (4:9, 13; 5:1), which is like the way he introduces answers to points in a letter the Corinthians wrote to him (1 Cor. 7:1, 25; 8:1, etc.).” (1)

Since we don’t have the letter that the Thessalonians sent to Paul, we can only try to determine their questions based on his answers. Here are some of the likely questions that they had, and that many – if not most – Christians still have: