See that little word in 1 Thess. 1:9 that I've circled?
I'd never really noticed it before today. It's the word "the" in Greek but it's never been translated into English. Other languages more nearly approximate the Greek at this point:
- LUTH: von den Abgöttern
- LBLA: de los ídolos
- LSG: en abandonnant les idolas
I might render the construction "how you turned to God from your idols" or even "how you turned to God from those idols of yours."
Everyone in Thessalonica knew about these idols. Macedonian religion worshipped the entire pantheon of Greek gods. In fact, Macedonia was named after Makedon, son of Zeus.
The patron god of Thessalonica was Cabirus. Moreover, Macedonia, like much of the Roman Empire, was given over to Emperor worship since Caesar was considered to be divine.
Finally, Mount Olympus, whose summit was considered the home of the gods, was only 50 miles from Thessalonica.
So it would have been a big deal for these Thessalonian believers to stop worshiping the popular idols of their day.
The idols which the pagan Thessalonians couldn't live without are sadly not all that different from the ones I often ignore or rationalize away. Like Ananias and Sapphira, sometimes I think that only "big" transgressions matter and that true Christianity can be separated from following Christ's pattern of obedience in very ordinary, everyday ways. Modern opportunities for idol worship are pretty common today. They're in front of us every day. It's the people who recognize them for what they are and know how to avoid them who are rare.