What does 1 Thessalonians 1:7 mean?

The Christians at Thessalonica lived such exemplary lives that they set the standard for believers in other parts of Macedonia. This was despite their persecution and the challenges they faced. Their transformed lives also set the standard for the believers in Achaia, the neighboring province to the south. This echoes a theme common in Paul's instructions, as shown in his letters.

A transformed life is the norm for all who believe in Jesus as their Savior, as well as the ability to find joy, even in the midst of affliction. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul declared. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul similarly explained, to the Colossian Christians, that the Christian life involves even a new way of thinking. He exhorted: "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:1–2).

The Christian life includes not only a transformed thought life but also transformed speech. Paul also exhorted the Colossian believers to put away "anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth" (Colossians 3:8). In Colossians 4:6 Paul added a positive instruction about a transformed believer's speech. He exhorted: "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."