In this daily Bible reading Paul continues to encourage the Thessalonians to stand firm in the Faith, to stand firm in their belief in Jesus Christ. This Gentile church was being persecuted by their fellow countrymen who did not believe. The church had turned away from living a sinful life and it did not fit in with their society. The church was a threat to their community’s sinful way of life, causing division and friction. Paul also told the Thessalonians that the churches established in Israel were being persecuted by the Jews because the church was a threat to the Jewish religion.
The Bible says that Jesus came to set us free; free from our bondage to sin and free from our bondage to religion. People are held in bondage to sin because it feeds their sinful desires. People are held in bondage to religion because of their superstitions. The natural state of mankind is to be sinful and to be superstitious. There is only one way to break free of these natural maladies. That is through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Truth. He is the living Word of God.
The Word of God is given to us in the form of the Bible. Believing in Jesus means believing in the Word of God. When we desire to turn away from our sins or repent of our sins, then we are enabled to understand the Bible and learn its Truths. Our belief in Jesus leads us to believe the Bible is true. We are then enabled to understand the Bible; and we will be led out of bondage to sin and religion.
