There are many passages in 1 Thessalonians where Paul uses kinship language. “For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you…” (1:4). “You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain…” (2:1). “You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you…” (2:9). “For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the church of God in Christ Jesus…” (2:24). “As for us, brothers and sisters, when for a short time we were made orphans by being separated from you… we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face.” (2:17). “And we send Timothy, our brother…” (3:2). “But we urged you, beloved, to do so more and more… (4:10). “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters… (4:13). “Now concerning the times and seasons, brothers and sisters…” (5:1). “But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like thief… we are not of the nigh or of the darkness.” (5:4).

I think Paul uses this type of language to denote their unity in Christ. Usually after every statement that he mentions a kinship, he uses the words “us,” “our,” or “we.” They are sometimes followed by a situation that might seem hopeless, such as 4:13, or 5:4. Paul acknowledges that people have died, and that the apocalyptic days are coming, and uses kinship language to 1. Encourage and comfort the people of this community with friendly and kind language. 2. Unite them and remind them that they are not alone. 3. Use suffering as a way to emphasize and sharpen the boundaries that make them who they are as a community living for Christ. The main advice that Paul gives this community is to encourage each other, help the weak, be patient, not to worry about the end, and to remain sexually pure. This gives us insight that the community, during this time, is living in a world that might have had social and political negative or opostie presumptions about these topics. Especially regarding 5:1-11, where Paul states that they are not of the darkness and that they will be saved. This could be an attack against the political authority of Rome because they were not followers and therefore would not be saved.