September 19, 2025 (CSB)
1 Thessalonians 4:1 – 8 (CSB)
A Holy and Beautiful Life”
“Additionally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God—as you are doing—do this even more. 2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not with lustful passions, like the Gentiles, who don’t know God. 6 This means one must not transgress against and take advantage of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. 7 For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness. 8 Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Paul wrote with the authority of Jesus Himself. The scriptures contain both what we should do and should not do to live a holy life. It is laid out before us. Paul is giving specific instructions here concerning spiritual morality.
Man is to control his own body, the woman to do the same and when that is done a beautiful relationship will develop. The same is true when we remain faithful to Jesus when we hold Him as our Savior then a beautiful life appears before us.
I believe the spiritual application here is what Paul was talking about because in verse five he refers to the Gentiles as non-Christians by saying “they do not know God.”
Paul goes on to say we are avoid all demands for social destructive acts and spiritual implications of illegitimate sexual activity. He gives us the free gift of the Holy Spirit to hold us accountable.
God Bless.
Asbury Chapel 