帖撒羅尼迦前書1:6-10

1:6 並且你們在大難之中，蒙了聖靈所賜的喜樂，領受真道就傚法我們，也傚法了主；
1:7 甚至你們作了馬其頓和亞該亞所有信主之人的榜樣。
1:8 因為主的道從你們那裡已經傳揚出來。你們向上帝的信心不但在馬其頓和亞該亞，就是在各處也都傳開了，所以不用我們說甚麼話。

1:9 因為他們自己已經報明我們是怎樣進到你們那裡，你們是怎樣離棄偶像，歸向上帝，要服事那又真又活的上帝，
1:10 等候他兒子從天降臨，就是他從死裡復活的─那位救我們脫離將來忿怒的耶穌。

⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁷ And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸ The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, ⁹ for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

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    保羅在這裡宣告了基督信仰的中心就是：「離棄偶像，歸向上帝，要服事那又真又活的上帝，等候他兒子從天降臨！」

    而這樣的信仰所帶出的結果是：「在大難之中，蒙了聖靈所賜的喜樂，領受真道就傚法我們，也傚法了主」；並且「救我們脫離將來忿怒」！

    因為基督拯救我們是進入上帝永生的福樂，不僅是將來，而是在信靠主耶穌的那一刻就開始，直到主耶穌再來上帝國實現的時候！也因為這樣，這卷書的中心就是：教導我們如何預備自己等候主再來！