In the first century, the Thessalonian church grieved deaths in their community, endured harsh persecution, and struggled with questions about the future. Paul offered them the comforts and reassurances of hope in the Messiah Jesus. But he offered far more than wishful thinking or pie-in-the-sky comfort. Paul's emphasis on hope in the Messiah Jesus involved capturing a vision of God's redeemed and just future in order to see and live faithfully today. Paul did not believe in a passive hope, but an active hope where, if the Day of the Messiah is a beacon, believers set their course and diligently move toward it. That diligence is especially captured by love for Christian brothers and sisters, commitment to honest and productive work, and obedience to the truth of the gospel of Lord Messiah Jesus.

Nijay K. Gupta is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written several books including Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond (2019), A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Studies (2019), and Paul and the Language of Faith (2020). Gupta has served as co-editor of The State of New Testament Studies (2020) and the second edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (2022).