1 Thessalonians 4:1 - Meaning and Application

Here we have an appeal to grow in holiness, to keep advancing in what is good (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2). The apostle gives this appeal in a very loving way. He speaks to them as brothers, and because he loves them deeply, he urges them strongly: “We ask and urge you.” He does not want to accept a refusal, so he repeats his appeal.

His main point is that they should increase more and more in holy living, and excel in good works. Their faith had already become known widely, and they were already an example to other churches. Even so, Paul wanted them to keep growing in holiness and to surpass others even more. Those who excel the most still fall short of perfection. The best believers must still forget what is behind and press on toward what is ahead.

It is not enough to remain in the faith of the gospel. We must also abound in the work that faith produces. We must not only continue to the end, but also grow better, and walk more closely with God. The gospel does not only teach us what to believe, but also how to live. It does not aim mainly to fill the mind with ideas, but to shape our character and conduct.

Paul also strengthens his appeal by reminding them that they had already been taught their duty. They knew their Master’s will, so they could not claim ignorance. They had been taught how they ought to walk, and faith without obedience is dead just as knowledge without practice is dead. Paul taught them how to walk, not merely how to talk. Speaking well without living well will never bring anyone to heaven.

He also speaks to them in the name, or with the authority, of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was Christ’s servant and messenger, delivering Christ’s will and command to them. Another reason is that this way of life pleases God. Holy living is what pleases the holy God, who is glorious in holiness. Every Christian should aim to please God and be accepted by him, not to please people or the sinful nature.

The rule they were to follow was the commandments they had received through the Lord Jesus Christ. These were Christ’s own commandments, because they were given by his authority and matched his will. The apostles were commissioned only to teach people to obey everything Christ commanded (Matthew 28:20). They were not given authority to invent commands of their own or rule over God’s people as masters (1 Peter 5:3). Paul could remind the Thessalonians that the instructions he gave them were nothing other than what he had received from the Lord Jesus.

Paul then gives a warning against sexual sin, because it is directly opposed to sanctification, that is, being set apart for God in holy living (1 Thessalonians 4:3). He says they should abstain from fornication, by which he means all sexual uncleanness, whether in marriage or outside it. Adultery is included, and so are other shameful sins that some people do in secret. Anything that is contrary to purity in heart, speech, or behavior is against God’s command and against the holiness the gospel requires.

This warning is supported by several reasons. First, this part of sanctification is the will of God (1 Thessalonians 4:3). God’s will is that his people be holy, because he who called them is holy and chose them for salvation through the Spirit’s work. He requires purity not only in the heart, but also in the body (2 Corinthians 7:1). When the body is dedicated to God, it should stay clean and pure for his service. Chastity, or sexual purity, is one part of the holiness God commands and his grace works in true believers.

Second, this will bring honor, while the opposite brings disgrace. “His reproach will not be wiped away” (Proverbs 6:33). The body is called the vessel of the soul, the place where the soul dwells (1 Samuel 21:5), and it should be kept from defiling desires. Every person should care about this, because no one wants to become contemptible by letting lower desires rule over reason and conscience. Nothing is more shameful than a rational soul being enslaved by bodily cravings and animal passions.

Third, giving in to lust is living like unbelieving Gentiles, who do not know God (1 Thessalonians 4:5). The Gentiles, especially the Greeks, were often guilty of uncleanness in ways that were not clearly forbidden by nature’s light. But they did not know God, or his will, as Christians do. So it is not surprising if they follow their bodily desires, but Christians should not live like unconverted Gentiles, in lust, excess, drunkenness, wild parties, and drunken feasts (1 Peter 4:3). Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Fourth, uncleanness, especially adultery, is a serious wrong, and God will avenge it. That is how we should understand the words, “that no one go beyond or defraud his brother” in this matter (1 Thessalonians 4:6). Some take this as a warning against cheating and oppression in our dealings with others, which is certainly sinful and against the gospel.

Christians should not take advantage of another person’s ignorance or need, and then go beyond what is fair. They should not use trickery, loopholes, or lies to cheat others. Some people may do this and stay hidden for a long time, so that they escape punishment from men, but the righteous God will repay it in the end.

The meaning may fit even better if we understand the wrong done by sexual sin. Fornication and other acts of uncleanness are sins against the person’s own body who commits them (1 Corinthians 6:18). They are deeply harmful to the sinner in both soul and body. In many cases, they are also acts of injustice against other people, especially those joined together in marriage and their children. Since this sin is so serious, God will be its avenger. “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers” (Hebrews 13:4). Paul had already warned and testified to this through his gospel, which not only held out very great and precious promises, but also revealed God’s anger from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness among people (Romans 1:18).

The sin of uncleanness goes against the nature and purpose of the Christian calling: “God called us not for impurity, but in holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7). God’s law forbids all impurity, and the gospel calls for the highest purity. It calls us away from uncleanness and toward holiness.

So, to despise God’s law and gospel is to despise God himself. A person may think little of these commands because they come through human messengers like themselves, but Paul shows that they are really God’s commands. To break them is to despise God, not merely man. He adds that God has given Christians his Spirit, which means that all kinds of uncleanness especially grieve the Holy Spirit and can cause him to withdraw from us. The Holy Spirit is also given to help us fight these sins and put to death the deeds of the body, so that we may live (Romans 8:13).