Epistles Quiz: Thessalonians, Timothy, and Titus

1. What does 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 say that the Thessalonians did when they turned to God, and what does it reveal about the gospel summary Paul preached?

1. 'They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath'
2. Paul says the Thessalonians turned to God primarily through miraculous healings — signs and wonders were the defining feature of the Thessalonian conversion
3. Paul says they added Jewish observance to their faith — the Thessalonians were Gentiles who also adopted circumcision and the food laws
4. The Thessalonians turned from Greek philosophy to the Christian faith — their intellectual journey from Platonic thought to apostolic teaching is what Paul celebrates

2. What does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 teach about believers who have died before Christ's return?

1. 'Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope... For the Lord himself will come down from heaven... and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever'
2. Paul says the dead in Christ have missed the resurrection — only living believers at the time of Christ's return will be caught up to meet him
3. Paul says those who died before Christ's return will be judged separately from living believers — a special tribunal will assess their faithfulness during their lifetime
4. Paul teaches that all who have died are already in their resurrection bodies — death is only a temporary transition, not a sleep state awaiting resurrection

3. What does 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5 say about the day of the Lord and how believers relate to it?

1. 'Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, Peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly... But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief'
2. Paul is teaching that the Day of the Lord has already come — it arrived at Christ's resurrection, like a thief in the night, and the church now lives in the day of the Lord
3. Paul means that the day of the Lord is precisely calculable — those who study the signs carefully will be able to determine the date in advance
4. The thief metaphor means believers should be fearful — the unexpected arrival of judgment should produce constant anxiety about one's standing before God

4. What is the famous short command in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18?

1. 'Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practise hospitality'
2. 'Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — think about such things'
3. 'Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus'
4. 'Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well'

5. What does 2 Thessalonians 2 teach about the 'man of lawlessness' and the Day of the Lord?

1. 'Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God'
2. Paul says the Day of the Lord has already come — 2 Thessalonians 2 corrects this false claim by insisting certain events must occur first, without identifying those events specifically
3. The man of lawlessness is a historical figure — Paul is describing Nero or another Roman emperor who would persecute the church during Paul's own lifetime
4. The man of lawlessness is identified by Paul as the Jewish Sanhedrin — the body that rejected Christ and will continue to oppose God until the final judgment

6. What does 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 say about idleness in the community?

1. 'In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us... We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat'
2. Paul addresses only those idle because of poverty — he is correcting the assumption that poor believers should not work, not condemning those who were idle from misguided eschatological expectation
3. Paul praises the Thessalonians for their rest — the community was rightly awaiting Christ's return and any work beyond necessity was a lack of faith in the imminence of the parousia
4. Paul says idle believers should be financially supported — the community's obligation is to care for all members regardless of their work habits

7. What does Paul say in 1 Timothy 3 about the qualifications for church elders (overseers)?

1. 'Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well... He must not be a recent convert'
2. Paul provides no specific character qualifications — he says the congregation's vote is the divinely ordained method for selecting leadership
3. Paul says elders must be celibate — the 'faithful to his wife' phrase means that marriage disqualifies a man from the elder role
4. Paul says the only qualification for elder is theological knowledge — character requirements are secondary to doctrinal competence

8. What does 1 Timothy 4:7-8 say about godliness versus physical training?

1. 'Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come'
2. Paul discourages all training — the Christian life is about resting in grace, not disciplined effort of any kind
3. Paul says physical and spiritual training are equally important — the believer must invest the same amount of time in both
4. Paul says physical training is spiritually dangerous — the body should be neglected in favour of purely spiritual disciplines

9. What does Paul say in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 about contentment and the love of money?

1. 'But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that... For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs'
2. Paul prohibits Christians from owning any property — the 'great gain' of contentment means releasing all material possessions
3. Paul says financial wealth is a sign of God's blessing — contentment with poverty is a lack of faith in God's provision
4. Paul says money itself is the root of all evil — not merely the love of money, but money as such is spiritually corrupting

10. What does 2 Timothy 2:15 say about handling the word of truth?

1. 'All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work'
2. 'Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth'
3. 'Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction'
4. 'The word of truth must be protected — do not expose it to hostile audiences who will twist it. Guard it carefully in the community of the faithful'

11. What does Paul say in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 about Scripture?

1. 'Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things'
2. 'All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work'
3. 'For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart'
4. 'I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season'

12. What is Paul's final charge to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5?

1. 'In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine'
2. Paul charges Timothy to protect the offering for Jerusalem — the collection must reach Rome intact before Paul faces his trial
3. Paul's final charge is about church planting — Timothy is to establish three new churches before returning to Paul in Rome
4. Paul's final charge is about prayer — Timothy must establish a regular pattern of morning and evening prayer in every church he oversees

13. What does Paul say in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 as he faces death?

1. 'For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day'
2. Paul expresses fear and uncertainty about his death — he asks Timothy to pray that God will spare his life and deliver him from Nero's judgment
3. Paul says his death is unnecessary — he is confident that God will miraculously deliver him as he did in so many previous trials
4. Paul says his death will be a shameful defeat — he regrets that his imprisonment ended his ministry before its full completion

14. Who was Timothy, and what does 2 Timothy say about his faith formation?

1. 'I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also... from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus'
2. Timothy was a Gentile convert from Ephesus who had no prior knowledge of the OT before meeting Paul on the second missionary journey
3. Timothy was an orphan with no family faith background — Paul himself was the sole source of Timothy's spiritual formation
4. Timothy's faith was intellectual only — he was a philosopher who converted after studying the Pauline letters, with no personal mentorship from Paul

15. What does Titus 1:5-9 say about why Paul left Titus in Crete?

1. 'The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient'
2. Paul left Titus in Crete to address a Roman political crisis — Crete was a strategic military post and Titus needed to manage the relationship between the church and the Roman authorities
3. Paul left Titus in Crete to collect the Jerusalem offering — the Cretan churches had pledged a large contribution and Titus was sent to gather it
4. Paul left Titus in Crete to evangelise the island — it had not yet heard the gospel and Titus was tasked with the initial missionary work

16. What does Titus 2:11-14 say about the grace of God and its transforming effect?

1. 'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast'
2. 'For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ'
3. 'Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age'
4. 'Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers of this dark world'

17. What does Titus 3:4-7 say about how God saved us?

1. 'But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life'
2. Paul says God saved us because of our moral improvement — repentance and moral reformation preceded God's mercy and were the condition for it
3. Paul says God saved us because of the prayers of faithful ancestors — the cumulative intercession of the patriarchs made salvation available to later generations
4. Paul says God saved us through the Mosaic law — faithful law-keeping was the preparatory work that made believers ready to receive salvation

18. What is the letter to Philemon about, and what does Paul ask?

1. Paul writes to Philemon requesting hospitality — he plans to visit Colossae and needs accommodation for himself and his companions
2. Philemon concerns the runaway slave Onesimus, who had become a Christian under Paul's ministry in prison. Paul appeals to Philemon (Onesimus's master and Paul's friend) to receive Onesimus back 'no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother' — and implies Philemon should consider releasing him
3. Philemon is about a church dispute — Paul mediates between Philemon and another elder who had divided the congregation over a doctrinal question
4. Philemon is about church finances — Paul asks Philemon to release funds from the church treasury to support the Jerusalem relief effort

19. What does 1 Timothy 2:1-4 say about prayer for those in authority?

1. 'I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth'
2. Paul limits prayer for rulers to Jewish-Christian prayer practices — the Gentile Christian communities should focus their intercession on one another rather than on pagan rulers
3. Paul says believers should pray only for fellow Christians — prayer for unbelieving rulers is inappropriate because they are outside the covenant community
4. Paul says prayer for political authorities is optional — only if a ruler is exceptionally good or bad does prayer become particularly relevant

20. What does Paul say in 1 Timothy 4:12 about Timothy's youth, and why?

1. 'Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity'
2. Paul says Timothy should hide his youth — wearing older clothing and speaking in a more mature style will give him the authority he needs to lead
3. Paul says Timothy's youth is his greatest ministry asset — young leaders bring fresh enthusiasm that older communities desperately need
4. Paul tells Timothy to be apologetic about his youth — he should defer to older members in all decisions and avoid any appearance of confidence