1Thess 4:3-8 (part b: more practical sanctification and holiness)

Gleanings in First Thessalonians
Chapter 4

1Thess 4:3-8
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

(continuing the discussion from last time on “practical sanctification”)

Let’s look at Galatians 5, and the two “walking after’s”: the flesh OR the Spirit (and walking after the Spirit is going to require instruction from the scriptures)
Gal 5:16-18
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
(and then look at the list that follows walking after the flesh, etc. – those would be what we think pleases us, i.e. it pleases our flesh, and instead of us being sanctified it leaves us profane.)

[Consider the Levitical system and the service of the Tabernacle, as far as what was to be used in service and how it was to be handled and viewed:
Lev 22:2, 15, 32
2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD. ...
15 And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the LORD; ...
32 Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you,
Or Ezekiel, kind of defines it for you…
Eze 44:23
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
But the Tabernacle was to be a holy place, the Temple was to be a holy place – it was holy mainly because God was there – every time a piece of land was determined holy is because that is where God’s presence was -and it was not to be defiled, mad unclean or unholy.
The Tabernacle or Temple were referred to as “sanctuaries” – which is a relative of “saint” and “sanctification”
When the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, he becomes a saint and is sanctified as stated before; but as Paul said above in 1 Corinthians:
1Cor 6:15-16

Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
1Cor 3:16

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
2Cor 6:16

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Eph 2:21-22

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
When people would say: “your body is your temple” they had a saying that was twisted and morphed from the Bible that was to be a description of a Christian with the indwelling Holy Ghost. But I digress.]

Back to the verses in Thessalonians…
In verse 3, “abstain”: In a general sense, to forbear, or refrain from, voluntarily. Abstain from what?...fornication….huh….hmmmm. It is not like we are selling all our belongings and personal possessions and having all things in common – just abstain from lewd activity, quit sleeping around.
In verse 4, the “vessel” is our body, the outward thing that houses our soul and spirit – like a naval ship is a vessel that travels the ocean with cargo from here to there.
2Cor 4:7
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
“Keep our vessel (body) in sanctification (holiness, separated to God) and honour”…huh….hmmmm. It is not even plucking out your eye or chopping off your hand or walking an extra mile and being sued into poverty (Matt 5:29-30, 40-41)
From verse 5: “Not in the lust of concupiscence”
CONCUPISCENCE: Lust; unlawful or irregular desire of sexual pleasure. In a more general sense, the coveting of carnal things, or an irregular appetite for worldly good; inclination for unlawful enjoyments.

1Thess 4:7-8
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

Verse 7, plain as day, “called unto holiness” – what does that mean? “not uncleanness”. This whole section starting at the end of Chapter 3 to 4:8 is about holiness, being holy to please God, i.e. sanctification.
We are called to be “Saints” which means “sanctified ones”. Every saved person in the body of Christ is a “saint” and called to be a “saint”.
Rom 1:7
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Cor 1:2
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

The last verse in this section I want to discuss in this section is verse 8:
‘He’, the man that despises this instruction, this instruction is to holiness, ‘He’ despises God – for God is Holy, and has given to our earthen vessels is Spirit which is ‘holy’. It is like the reciprocal despising as seen in the Gospel accounts: “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.”( Luke 10:16)

And God is all about HOLINESS…
Lev 11:44-45
For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
1Pet 1:16
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Isa 6:3
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Rev 4:8
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

And I know this is a lot of words, but let us recall the main points as to WHY, why we should care and why we should do it – seeing Paul is giving us the HOW…
Verse 1: “to please God” and so we would “abound more and more”

I have worn out your patience again, therefore I shall cease.

Grace and Peace James