1 Thessalonians 1:9
“For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →People everywhere were reporting how the Thessalonians had turned from idols to serve the living and true God.
What Does 1 Thessalonians 1:9 Mean?
Others were telling the story for Paul. They described both the welcome he received in Thessalonica and the great turning that followed: these people 'turned to God from idols.' In a city full of shrines and lifeless images, they abandoned what they had always worshiped to serve 'the living and true God.'
This is conversion in its plainest terms, a turning away and a turning toward. They left behind idols that could neither hear nor act, and gave themselves to the God who is alive and real. Notice the goal of the turning: 'to serve.' They did not merely change their beliefs; they changed their masters and took up a new life of service. Every genuine return to God has this shape, a decisive break with whatever held the heart before, and a glad surrender to the One who is truly God.
In the Original Language
eidolon (εἴδωλον), 'idols' -- an image or representation set up for worship, a likeness standing in for a god.