1 Thessalonians 1:5a—“For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.”
Paul reminds the Thessalonians that the gospel which reached them was far more than a message spoken; it was a divine work experienced. Words alone could never have birthed faith. The gospel came “not in word only,” indicating that its transforming effect did not rest on Paul’s skilled or persuasive speech. What happened among them could only be explained as a divine work.
It came “in power.” This power was not emotional force or rhetorical brilliance. It is the power that opens blind eyes, convicts hardened hearts, breaks the chains of sin, and raises the spiritually dead to new life in Christ.
It came “in the Holy Ghost,” for salvation is the Spirit’s work from beginning to end. He illumined their minds, stirred repentance, birthed faith, and enabled them to stand firm amid persecution. The Spirit authenticated the message by producing spiritual fruit that no human effort could manufacture.
And it came “in much assurance.” This assurance was not mere feeling but the deep, Spirit-wrought conviction that the gospel is true and authentic, that Christ is Lord, and that their lives were now anchored in His saving grace. Such assurance enabled them to endure hardship with unwavering hope.
For us, Paul’s words prompt reflection: Has the gospel come to us merely as sound in the ear, or as power in the heart? And do we rely on the same Spirit today to make God’s Word effective in us and through us?
May we receive and proclaim the gospel with prayer that the same transforming power that first reached Thessalonica would also work through us.
