wasted if the Thessalonians had forsaken their faith. Paul did not assume that the Thessalonians were truly believers merely because they had embraced the faith when he first preached to them. The authenticity of their faith manifested itself in their response to trials, so that their persistence in faith demonstrated that their faith was genuine. Other texts could be included at this point, but no attempt is made here to be comprehensive. What I hope is clear is that new believers were regularly