1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 • Perspective on Living to Please God
Are you living to please God with your body as well as with your heart? Did you realize that as a Christian your body belongs to the Lord? When you honor God with your body, you are choosing to live a life that pleases God more than yourself. That is especially true regarding sexual behavior. In the last article, we gained the biblical perspective on suffering and endurance. This is post #7 the Thessalonians series. In this post, we will gain the biblical perspective on living to please God with our bodies and sexuality.
The Call to Holiness
We learned from 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 that suffering comes upon us as believers in a world that rejects Christ and all that He offers to the people in it. The Thessalonians had done nothing wrong, yet they were being attacked by others in their community simply because of their faith in Christ. They suffered and learned how to respond through endurance and standing firm in their faith. They were living to please God with their lives. God not only strengthened them in their faith but also increased their love for one another. Paul prayed that the Thessalonians would be blameless and holy in the presence of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
Blameless and holy. The next section of Paul’s letter continues the call to holiness, in particular with one’s human body. God gave us our bodies. When we trusted in Christ, we transferred ownership of not only our souls but also our bodies to God. As 1 Corinthians 6 says,
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
When you honor God with your body, you are choosing to live a life that pleases God more than yourself. That is what Paul addressed in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.
Living to Please God
Why do it
As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2)
Living to please God should be the life choice and desire of every believer. This is an act of worship for who God is and gratitude for what He has done for you. Remember our “Audience of One” from a previous article?
The Christian life is not a set of rules to be obeyed or a list of prohibitions to avoid; it is the outworking of a loving desire to please God who chose us. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, p. 700)
What it affects
Such a decision influences every part of life, especially those areas where the culture teaches otherwise, such as sexual behavior.
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6)
The Bible is very clear on God’s design of sex for marriage between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24-25) and God’s expectation of His people to avoid sexual immorality (Leviticus chapter 18). The Jews were not immune to sexual immorality, and Jesus hit them hard on the subject (see Matthew 5:27-28; John 8:2-11).
But the Gentile culture was far worse. The Greeks commonly practiced sexual immorality and even incorporated it into their religious practices. Pagan religion did not demand sexual purity of its devotees. The gods and goddesses were themselves grossly immoral. That is why sexual immorality was included in the “4 things to avoid” letter sent to Gentile Christians in Acts 15.
“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” (Acts 15:19-21)
God’s will for us to be sanctified
As believers, we sometimes fret because we cannot figure out God’s will on some matter in our lives. Yet, He has given us specific direction about a great many things. The Bible declares with certainty in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 that it is God’s will for all believers to avoid sexual immorality. This is part of living a holy life—being sanctified.
Being sanctified (holiness) means to be set apart from sin and to God’s purposes in your life. Because of our faith in Christ, God declares us to be holy in status. The indwelling Holy Spirit goes to work in us to make us holy in our thoughts and behavior so that we are like Jesus Christ. We make choices that reflect our desire to set ourselves apart from sin and to God’s purposes for us.
Recommended: For a more detailed discussion of sanctification, read the article, “Sanctification: Perfected…No Longer Flawed.”
Saying “no” to immorality
Being sanctified also involves abstinence (self-denial) of behavior that is outside the prescribed will of God. Paul wrote to believers who had already been declared holy by their position in Christ. His teaching is now referring to their present conduct. Believers should be “set apart for the Lord” regarding sex. Holiness and sexual immorality are mutually exclusive.
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Ephesians 5:3)
Why are we as fully saved, redeemed, and justified Christians still tempted to go against God’s will regarding this one significant area of life? At the moment of salvation, we are born again of the Spirit. Our bodies are not born again. And our souls—the mind, emotions, and will—are not instantly transformed. We still have the old thinking patterns, the old memories, and the old habits. We still live in a world that stands opposed to the truth of God. We still tend to believe and practice error until our minds have been renewed by truth from God’s Word. And the flesh continues to assault us.
Recommended: For a more detailed discussion of the flesh, how it assaults us, and how to have victory over its sinful desires, read, “John 8: Adulterous Woman-Jesus satisfies your heart with VICTORY.”
The good news is that through your faith in Jesus Christ, you can overcome the desires of the flesh and have victory over any sin. And there is some steps you can take now to avoid sexual immorality and keep living a life that pleases God.
Making Decisions Regarding Your Body
Gain mastery
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6)
The Greek word translated “control” or “possess” in verse 4 carried the idea of gaining mastery over something. You can make decisions about what to do with your body. You can choose sin, or you can choose obedience to God which is honorable to Him and to yourself.
Passionate lust (verse 4) refers to cravings for what is forbidden. Unbelievers are known for their willful lust and emotional responses to satisfy those cravings without restraint. Sadly, Christians are not immune from this.
God’s plan for a Christian includes purifying her life. Sexual immorality frustrates the purpose of God’s call.… A holy life demonstrates God’s supernatural power at work overcoming what is natural, and it glorifies God. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, p. 702)
Marital sex is holy
This reference to passionate lust is not being applied to marriage. One of my favorite mentors said this,
Physical love in marriage, symbolically uniting [a man and a woman] by the outward act of sexual intercourse, is beautiful in the eyes of God. And it is holy… God made us sexual beings. Marriage has been provided to satisfy such needs, and every scriptural prohibition has to do with sexual activity outside marriage. Don’t let anyone tell you the Bible prohibits sex or represses your sexuality. (Vickie Kraft, Influential Woman, pp. 64-70)
Not Causing Harm to Other Believers
Do not wrong or take advantage
In the first century, moral standards were generally low, and chastity was regarded as an unreasonable restriction. Sound familiar? According to recent surveys, the morality of Christians is not much different from that of non-Christians in the area of sex. It is a common occurrence in American churches for a man and woman to live together without marriage. Just because both are believers, this is still not living to please God. And it causes harm to other believers, even those you love.
and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (1 Thessalonians 4:6-7)
Paul used two words to describe actions that hurt others. The words translated “wrong” and “take advantage” both mean to take more than you should, to overreach, to step over the limits to gain an advantage over. In the area of sexual behavior, this means not to seduce another believer or draw a brother or sister into an unhealthy emotional relationship that becomes immorality or adultery. That is not pleasing to God and calls for His discipline on those involved.
Sexual immorality wrongs the partner by involving him or her in behavior contrary to God’s will and therefore under His judgment…The initiation of the act takes advantage of the other person by fanning the fire of passion until self-control is lost. This is not referring to rape, incest, or sexual molestation. Those are acts of violence perpetrated on an innocent person. God acting as Avenger would certainly apply in those situations as well. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, pp. 701-702)
Sexual sin = rejecting God
God takes a position on sex. When you reject biblical teaching about sexual behavior, you are rejecting God.
Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:8)
God lives inside you, giving you life. He has your life in His hands. He loves you and wants the best for you. Obeying His Word and living to please Him are the best for you and for me!
God’s standards on sex have remained the same for 4000 years or more. He has not rescinded any of them. For many of us, holding to God’s standard of sexual morality may mean that we honor His word more than our own opinions. How easy is that for you?
The indwelling Holy Spirit has power enough to enable any Christian to learn how to control his own body, even in a pagan immoral climate. The exhortation is to avoid sexual immorality; the enablement comes from the Holy Spirit. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, pp. 702)
Recommended: To recognize whether you are getting caught up in modern cultural captivity regarding sex, read “Escape the Cultural Captivity Infection.”
What Is Your Response to God’s Instruction?
If someone has wronged you or taken advantage of you in the past:
Read Ephesians 4:30-32 and Romans 12:17-19. As a forgiven believer in Jesus Christ, you can choose to forgive that person as Christ has forgiven you. If you are tempted to want to take revenge, don’t do it! Leave room for God to act as your avenger. You can still be compassionate toward that person especially if you were a willing participant.
If you are presently caught in sexual immorality:
All sin (past, present, and future) is forgiven the moment anyone trusts in Christ. You have forgiveness.
Recommended: For more understanding of God’s forgiveness, read this article, “Forgiven…No Longer Burdened by Guilt.”
Yet, the sin nature remains in our bodies as long as we live on this earth. Because we are not perfected, we will continue to sin both unintentionally and intentionally. Our sins are forgiven, but our God knows that continuing sinful behavior is not good for us and does not please Him. If you are in a sexually immoral relationship or behavior pattern, and want to please God with your life, follow the biblical process to deal with that recognized sin.
Download this bookmark that contains the Biblical process for dealing with recognized sin.
Part of that process is to stop the use of your body in this God-rejecting way. Choose sacrificial love instead.
Follow God’s instructions about sex. Acknowledge His ownership of your body. When you express your sexuality God’s way, it becomes less about you and your body and more about living life to please God out of love and gratitude for what He has done for you.
In the next post, we will gain the biblical perspective on death and beyond, including the promised rapture of believers.
Let Jesus satisfy your heart with His perspective on life in the present and in the future. Then, live securely in Him during this time of waiting.
The above information is covered in our Perspective Bible Study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians.
Related Resources:
- Satisfied Series 13 Podcasts on 1 and 2 Thessalonians
- Forgiven…No Longer Burdened by Guilt
- Sanctification: Perfected…No Longer Flawed
- John 8: Adulterous Woman-Jesus satisfies your heart with VICTORY
- The Biblical process for dealing with recognized sin bookmark
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