1 Thessalonians 1:9 (ASV)

Passage

For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 1:7 so that ye became an ensample to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.

1 Thessalonians 1:8 For from you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith to God-ward is gone forth; so that we need not to speak anything.

1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, who delivereth us from the wrath to come.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "themselves", "report", "concerning", "manner", "entering", "turned", "idols", and "serve". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "themselves" and "report", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "For from you hath sounded forth the..." into verse 10's "and to wait for his Son from...", so "themselves" and "report" belong inside that flow. In 1 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "themselves" and "report" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.