For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. (4:3–8)

Since the 1960s, when the modern sexual revolution really accelerated, Western society has had fewer and fewer rules governing sexual attitudes and behaviors. Freedom of sexual expression has in many ways become the cultural god that rules over all the other idolatrous gods of postmodern culture. People want the right, for themselves and others, to express their sexual desires at any cost, even if that means aborting the unwanted child resulting from a sexual union or risking a sexually transmitted disease.

Several obvious tenets constitute the world’s immoral, unscriptural outlook regarding sex. First, people are basically good and all but the most heinous activities should be tolerated. Therefore, virtually any kind of consensual sexual activity is good (except for child molestation), especially if one views sex as merely a way to personal gratification. Second, since sexual activity is only a biological function (cf. 1 Cor. 6:13), it is normal and necessary to engage in it without placing on it any moral restrictions. Third, since “casual” sex is just another form of fun and pleasure, it is permissible to enjoy sexual activity recreationally, any time with any consenting partner. Fourth, fulfilling one’s sexual desire is a major goal in life, more important than developing meaningful personal relationships. Fifth, instant gratification is more important than delayed satisfaction. Therefore, having premarital sex is legitimate and preferable to waiting until marriage to have sex. Sixth, enjoyable sexual intercourse is the most important factor in establishing a good marital relationship. Therefore, the early stage of every romantic relationship should include sex. The couple should live together to determine sexual compatibility and fulfillment before they marry.

Christians understand that those are the dogmas of society’s permissive sexual outlook. The apostle Paul could have recognized the same tendencies in his day because, if anything, the utterly pagan Greco-Roman culture he ministered in was more sexually perverse and debauched than contemporary Western culture, which for centuries has had the beneficial influence of Christianity on its institutions. Thessalonica was part of that debased Greco-Roman culture. The city was rife with such sinful practices as fornication, adultery, homosexuality (including pedophilia), transvestism (men dressing like women), and a wide variety of pornographic and erotic perversions, all done with a seared conscience and society’s acceptance, hence with little or no accompanying shame or guilt. Unlike people in Western nations today, the Thessalonians grew up with no Christian tradition to support laws and standards that forbid the grosser manifestations of immorality. Pagan Greek society apparently did not have civil laws to prohibit immoral behavior.

Further contributing to the sexually permissive environment in Thessalonica was the influence of the mystery religions that advocated ritual prostitution. They taught that if a follower engaged with a temple prostitute, he would be communing transcendentally with the deity the prostitute represented. For example, the Temple of Aphrodite on the Corinthian acropolis employed one thousand priestesses who were essentially religious prostitutes. Thus people did not consider fornication and adultery illegal or immoral; the idolatrous religions actually condoned them.

For the Thessalonians, then, sexual sin was more customary and more tolerated than it is even by today’s standards. That reality provides a clearer perspective of Paul’s ministry at Thessalonica. When he, Silas, and Timothy planted the church there, they rescued people out of that pornographic society. Many of those new converts, who had lived in immorality, no doubt had mistresses, and many of the women likely engaged in harlotry. Their rather sudden entrance into the kingdom of God required the Thessalonians to break with their pagan background. That requirement presented them with strong challenges—old habits and the pressures from a wicked culture would seek to draw them away from their new life and back to the old. Paul, as their pastor, was concerned enough to begin the exhortation portion of this epistle with commands regarding immoral conduct.

Though the surrounding culture continually lowered its moral standards, the Thessalonians could not lower theirs. Paul’s requirement that the Thessalonian believers abstain from sexual sin did not involve a relative morality; it encompassed an absolute standard. Such an unambiguous command, however, did not single out—the way Paul would with the Corinthians—specific groups or individuals within the church who were committing certain sins (cf. 1 Cor. 5:1–13). But that lack of specificity in no way mitigated Paul’s concern for the Thessalonians’ purity. That this general, preventive exhortation to sexual morality began his list of practical instructions in the final two chapters of 1 Thessalonians highlights Paul’s major concern for sexual fidelity in Thessalonica. With this background in mind, one can examine this passage by asking three questions: What kind of sexual conduct does God require? How can a believer be sexually moral? Why should a believer be sexually moral?

WHAT KIND OF SEXUAL CONDUCT DOES GOD REQUIRE?

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; (4:3)

The will of God for Christians concerning proper sexual behavior is quite clear, namely, that they abstain from sexual immorality. The conjunction for links this command to Paul’s previous exhortation that the Thessalonians strive to excel more (4:1–2). Paul already knew his readers desired to do God’s will (cf. 1:3–10), but he also realized they needed to know more specifically what that will encompasses.

But before mentioning specifics, Paul defined the will of God under the broad governing principle of sanctification (hagiosmos), which is the process of being separated from sin and set apart to God’s holiness (Ps. 4:3; Jer. 1:5; John 17:17, 19; Acts 20:32; 26:18; Rom. 6:22; 15:16; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 5:26–27; 2 Tim. 2:21; Heb. 2:11; 10:10; 13:12; cf. 2 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 5:7–9; Phil. 2:12–13). God wants believers to separate from all that is evil, fleshly, and impure. The sanctification process is the direct result of salvation, as Paul instructed the Corinthians: “Such [sexually immoral] were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11; cf. 1:2, 30; Acts 20:32; 26:18; 2 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 2:11; 10:14; 1 Peter 1:2). The apostle’s reference to sanctification points back to one of the requests he had just prayed for the Thessalonians: “that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father” (1 Thess. 3:13).

In view of the permissive culture in Thessalonica, Paul considered abstention from sexual immorality to be the first priority in the Thessalonians’ devotion to sanctification. As already discussed, every imaginable sexual vice was rampant in and around Thessalonica; therefore, Paul was especially concerned that the Thessalonians could easily fall back into their former habits. So he gave them the direct, uncomplicated command to abstain from sexual immorality. Abstain means complete abstinence, in this case, staying completely away from any thought or behavior that violates the principles of God’s Word and results in any act of sexual sin. Sexual immorality (porneias) is a term used to describe any form of illicit sexual behavior (John 8:41; Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:13, 18; 2 Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5:19; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5; Rev. 2:21; 9:21). Any sexual activity that deviates from the monogamous relationship between a husband and a wife is immoral by God’s standard. The Lord does bless the sexual relationship in matrimony: “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled” (Heb. 13:4a). But He is not pleased with sexual activity of any kind other than that: “for fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4b; cf. Rom. 1:24–32; 2:2).

Paul’s Spirit-inspired teaching on the subject of sexual morality is so strict and demanding that it extends beyond just the physical acts of immorality, as his later teachings to the Ephesians and the Colossians illustrate:

In both passages, impurity is from the same Greek word, whose meaning extends beyond acts of sexual sin to include unclean thoughts and intentions. That use of impurity, along with the general tenor of Paul’s warnings against sexual immorality, places him in complete agreement with Jesus’ teaching on sexual sin: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:27–28; cf. 15:19; Mark 7:21–22). Total abstinence from sexual sin is a duty of the utmost importance for all believers (Ex. 20:14; Acts 15:20; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 6:15–18; Gal. 5:19–21; Eph. 5:5–6; Col. 3:5; cf. Gen. 39:7–10; 1 Cor. 5:11; 1 Peter 4:3).

Scripture makes it clear that people who habitually engage in sexual immorality thereby demonstrate that they are not Christians: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9–10; cf. Gal. 5:19–21; Rev. 21:8; 22:15). But that same chapter of 1 Corinthians also indicates that believers can sometimes commit sexual sins:

Paul may have had such sins in mind when he later told the Corinthians, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Cor. 10:21). The demonic cup and table refer to the worship in pagan temples in Corinth, and part of that idolatrous ritual entailed the worshipers having sexual intercourse with temple prostitutes. The apostle was concerned that the new Corinthian believers had not completely abandoned such activities. The situation at Corinth, where Paul was when he wrote the Thessalonian epistles, surely highlighted the danger of sexual sin and motivated Paul’s warning to the Thessalonians. The command, then, is for total abstinence from any sexual activity outside marriage.

HOW CAN A BELIEVER BE SEXUALLY MORAL?

that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter (4:4–6a)

Because Christians today are incessantly exposed to all kinds of sights, sounds, and philosophies that tempt their fallen flesh to immoral thoughts and actions, they must know how to resist such temptations. Because the need was equally great for the Thessalonians, Paul gave them three timeless principles for maintaining sexual morality: the body should not control the believer; the believer should not act like the unbeliever; and the believer should not take advantage of others.

THE BODY SHOULD NOT CONTROL THE BELIEVER

that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, (4:4)

Believers must maintain self-control over the desires of their flesh. Hence Paul exhorted the Thessalonians that each of them had to know how to control their body’s appetites. Each believer had the same personal responsibility to control his body. Know is from oida, which carries the idea of having the knowledge or skill necessary to accomplish a desired goal. Every Christian needs to know himself well, so as to understand his weaknesses and evil propensities and, thereby, know how to possess (“gain mastery over”) his own vessel.

Over the years many commentators have asserted that vessel (skeuos) means “wife,” but that definition does not fit the context or the usual meaning of the word. Leon Morris notes:

The New Testament uses skeuos metaphorically for utensils, implements, or tools (Rom. 9:21; 2 Cor. 4:7; 2 Tim. 2:21); it also uses the term in reference to people (Acts 9:15; Rom. 9:22–23). But the present verse uses it for “body,” which matches some rabbinical uses of the word. Paul was admonishing the Thessalonians to control their bodies, the unredeemed human flesh that is the beachhead for sin and immorality (cf. Rom. 7:18; 8:5–8, 23). For that reason, Paul urged believers to kill the flesh (cf. Rom. 13:14; 2 Cor. 7:1), live by the Spirit (Rom. 8:13), and dedicate their bodies to God and allow His Spirit to renew their minds so that the body would not control them (Rom 12:1–2).

As in today’s culture, the culture of Paul’s day operated largely according to physical appetites and impulsive, superficial emotions. (The words of the slogan “If it feels right, do it” are of contemporary origin, but the philosophy they express is not.) That is why Paul gave such strong instruction to the Corinthians,

The statement regarding “food” and “the stomach” was likely a proverbial saying that called all physical gratification natural and normal, and viewed sex, like eating, as purely biological. Apparently some of the Corinthians used that analogy to justify their sexual immorality. But sexual sin is not a servant; it is a powerful master. Therefore, the apostle warned the Corinthians, as he had the Thessalonians, that believers must not allow that sin to control them. Instead, all Christians must know the importance of disciplining their bodies so they will honor God (cf. 1 Cor. 9:27).

In several of his other letters, the apostle Paul made it crystal clear that in order to control their bodies believers must rely on the Holy Spirit. “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). The key to walking in the Spirit is being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:17–18), and the key to being filled with the Spirit is for believers to let God’s Word dwell within them (Col. 3:16; cf. Pss. 19:7–11; 119:11, 105). They must sincerely read, study, and apply Scripture so that it saturates their lives and allows them to yield complete control to the Holy Spirit (Deut. 6:7; Pss. 1:2; 119:97; John 5:39; Acts 17:11; 20:32; Rom. 15:4; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 1:19; cf. Isa. 30:20–21; Ezek. 36:27; John 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:12–13; 2 Tim. 3:15).

Along those lines, Paul urged the Thessalonians to control their bodies for the purpose of sanctification and honor. As noted in the discussion of 4:3, sanctification means to be set apart from sin to God, for the purpose of living a pure and holy life. Honor is the result of separation from sin. They would show respect for their bodies as temples of the Spirit and instruments of service to Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 3:17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16). The goal is positive—pursue separation and virtue with all one’s heart. No Christian should ever ask how far his or her moral behavior can depart from God’s standard and still avoid sin. Rather, believers should strive to be utterly separate from immorality so that they can honor their bodies, which belong to God, and use them to glorify Jesus Christ, the Head of the church (Eph. 1:21–23; 2:20–21; 4:15–16; 5:23; Col. 1:18, 24; cf. John 10:1–16, 27–28; Heb. 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25; 5:4).

THE BELIEVER SHOULD NOT ACT LIKE THE UNBELIEVER

not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; (4:5)

The second principle Paul gave the Thessalonians concerning how to maintain sexual purity and abstain from immorality was that they were not to behave like their pagan neighbors or relatives, who did not know God—that is, were not transformed by the divine work of salvation. Scripture often designates those outside salvation in this way (cf. Judg. 2:10; Ps. 79:6; Isa. 45:4–5; Jer. 9:3; 10:25; Acts 17:23; Rom. 1:28; 1 Cor. 1:21; 15:34; Gal. 4:8; 2 Thess. 1:8). The uncontrolled desire for sexual gratification, which is typical of unregenerate people (Rom. 1:24–27; 1 Cor. 5:9–11; Gal. 5:19–21; Eph. 5:3–5; Col. 3:5–7; 1 Peter 4:1–4; cf. 2 Tim. 3:1–7; 2 Peter 2:12–14; Jude 17–19), was not to be true of the Thessalonians or any other true believer (cf. 1 Thess. 3:13).

Passion (pathos) means “uncontrollable desires, compelling feelings, overpowering urges” and has a negative connotation here (cf. Rom. 1:26; Col. 3:5). Lustful (epithumias) refers to an out-of-control craving, usually for that which is unrighteous or illegitimate (cf. Rom. 6:12; 2 Tim. 2:22; Titus 3:3; 1 Peter 4:3), although it can refer to legitimate de sires and longings (cf. Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 2:17). The words used together forcefully characterize the immorality of those who do not know God.

Christians, however, cannot any longer live in the same unwholesome patterns of sin that the godless people (in this context the Gentiles) do. The apostle instructed the Galatians: “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24; cf. Col. 3:5–10). Unregenerate people practice, as a way of life, all sorts of sexual immorality (cf. Rom. 1:24–28); but God has delivered the regenerate from such habitual sinning (cf. 1 John 3:9–10). But believers can cultivate immoral thoughts and commit immoral acts—so they need this instruction.

Christians must not lower themselves to a level of pagan sexual behavior determined merely by unthinking passions and uncontrolled fleshly urges. Because of their intimate relationship with a holy God, believers must not subject themselves to an ungodly society’s vast array of sexually immoral temptations (cf. 2 Tim. 2:22; 1 John 2:15–16). Overexposure to such temptations will only lower one’s resistance and diminish one’s outrage, thus weakening spiritual resolve and virtue. Scripture warns God’s children to stay far away from, even to flee, all immorality (1 Cor. 6:18). Lustful thoughts and feelings can lead believers to actions that are completely incongruous with their position in the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 6:15–20).

THE BELIEVER SHOULD NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS

and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter (4:6a)

A third practical, unambiguous principle emerges from the apostle Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians on sexual morality: They should never sexually take advantage of other believers. The word rendered transgress means “to sin against,” which includes the concept of stepping over the line and exceeding the lawful limits. In some modern Scripture translations, such as the New King James Version and the New International Version, the translators provide further insight by rendering transgress, “take advantage of.”

Paul warns that a believer should not take such advantage described so as to defraud his brother in the matter. Defraud means to selfishly, greedily take something for personal gain and pleasure at someone else’s expense. As is true with transgress, the definition of defraud includes the notion of taking advantage of someone, and in this context it concerns the matter of sexual sin. Whenever believers seek to satisfy their physical desires and gain sexual pleasure at the expense of another believer, they have violated this command.

God considers this subject of sinfully taking advantage of another believer so serious that Jesus warned,

Those Christians who cause other Christians (“little ones”) to stumble (sin) would be better off drowned. One expects the world to offend believers and sometimes cause them to sin, but believers should never be stumbling blocks for fellow believers (cf. Matt. 5:23–24; Rom. 14:13; 1 Cor. 10:32–33; Col. 2:18). The seriousness of Christ’s admonition to believers in Matthew 18:6 has no equal in all His teaching. He said that a believer who defrauds another believer deserves to be killed! So Christians must take heed to their own holiness, avoid all ungodly influences, and never use other people, especially fellow believers, to achieve sinful gratification.

WHY SHOULD A BELIEVER BE SEXUALLY MORAL?

because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. (4:6b–8)

The apostle Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, anticipated his readers’ asking why they should keep his command concerning sexual morality. He offered three reasons that the Thessalonians and all believers should abstain from sexual immorality: because of God’s vengeance, because of God’s purpose, and because of God’s Holy Spirit.

BECAUSE OF GOD’S VENGEANCE

because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. (4:6b)

The first compelling motive Paul gave the Thessalonians for obeying his command to abstain from sexual immorality is because the Lord is the avenger in all these things. Only God has the right to exact vengeance for the sins people commit: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19; cf. Deut. 32:35). He is the one who metes out judgment, and sexual sin is one of the specific reasons He does so: “The marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4).

If a believer engages in sexual immorality, God the avenger may judge all these things by allowing one or more of several consequences to affect that believer’s life. For example, the outcome could be a severely damaged marriage, accompanied by loss of family love and respect; the sin could lead to a divorce (Matt. 5:32; 19:9); God may chasten the person by allowing him or her to be afflicted with venereal disease or some other physical affliction; or the sin could result in the absence of blessing, the presence of a greater than average number of trials and troubles, or even an untimely death (cf. 1 Cor. 10:8). Sexual sin by a believer will certainly result to some degree in the loss of eternal reward (cf. Prov. 11:18; 1 Cor. 3:12–15; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 John 8).

The concept of God’s judgment against sexual immorality was not new to the Thessalonians. Paul reminded them that he also told them about it before and solemnly warned them. That he solemnly warned them about these matters shows that the apostle taught them “the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27). He had done a thorough job of evangelizing the Thessalonians, imparting to them not only a complete understanding of the gospel, but also what it means to observe all the commands of Christ (cf. Matt. 28:18–20).

BECAUSE OF GOD’S PURPOSE

For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. (4:7)

That Christians should strive to be sexually moral is in complete accord with God’s general plan for their lives. Therefore, a second reason Paul gave for abstaining from sexual immorality was because that command fit God’s purpose for the Thessalonians. For the third time in this passage, Paul used a form of the word sanctification, which emphasized to them that when God effectually called them to salvation, He also called them to holiness. A life of impurity was inconsistent with believers’ high calling (Eph. 4:1).

The phrase in sanctification indicates that the believer’s position of holiness is the direct result of God’s effectual call. God’s purpose in salvation was to produce a holy people who would walk worthy of the divine call into His kingdom and glory (cf. Eph. 4:1; 1 Thess. 2:12). The call to salvation is inseparable from the call to holy and pure living. Ephesians 2:8–10 says:

Paul was intent on presenting the church at Thessalonica and the church everywhere as a bride “having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27), but as one set apart and pure before God. Therefore sexual sin is utterly inconsistent with God’s present and ultimate purpose for believers.

BECAUSE OF GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT

So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. (4:8)

The final reason for the Thessalonians to obey Paul’s admonition was that their disobeying it would mean they were rejecting God’s Holy Spirit. Any believer who rejects (“nullifies, makes void, cancels, disregards, despises”) the command to abstain from sexual immorality is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit. Thus if the Thessalonians disobeyed Paul’s words, they would not merely be rejecting him, the church elders, or some faction in the church, but the Spirit of God. The standard of sexual morality is God’s, and He gave believers the Holy Spirit to enable them to keep that norm (cf. Ezek. 36:27; John 14:16–17; Rom. 8:9; Gal. 5:16; 1 John 3:24; 4:13).

The Greek verb gives denotes timelessness. Paul told the Thessalonians that God gives believers the timeless gift of His Holy Spirit (cf. Isa. 59:21; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13–14; 2 Tim. 1:14) so that they might live pure and holy lives (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19–20; Rom. 8:16; 2 Cor. 5:5; 1 John 2:27). If they understood that precise identification of God’s Spirit, it should have been unthinkable for the Thessalonians to enter into sexual sin and thereby reject the Lord who gave them the Spirit.

The practice of sexual sin violates the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It spurns the Lord’s will, disregards His purposes, defies His commands, rejects His love, and flouts and abuses His grace. Perhaps most frightening and sobering of all, those who engage in sexual immorality discount the reality of God’s righteous judgment against sin. Thus the apostle’s exhortation to the Thessalonians ought to prompt all believers to faithfully heed these words and diligently use the means God has given them to abstain from all forms of sexual sin (Rom. 13:13–14; 1 Peter 2:11).