1 Thessalonians 1:9 – The Living and True God

9 and how you turn back to God from idols, to be slaving for the living and true God…

The Thessalonians had turned back to God from idols. With that, the direction of their lives had changed. But that turning also had a purpose: “to be slaving for the living and true God.” Paul uses a verb here that is directly related to doulos, slave. So this is about more than serving in a general sense. They had changed direction and, with it, master as well.

The contrast with the idols could hardly be greater. Idols may have eyes, but they do not see; ears, but they do not hear; a mouth, but they do not speak (Ps. 115:4–7). They are lifeless. The God to whom the Thessalonians had turned, by contrast, is living. He sees, hears, speaks, and acts.

And He is not only the living God, but also the true God. Opposite the many idols stands the One who truly is GOD. A god who must share his place with other gods is, by definition, not GOD. The Thessalonians had therefore not simply added a new god to their pantheon. They had left the idols behind to serve Him who alone can lay claim to that name: the living and true GOD.

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