1 Thessalonians: Real Faith in a Returning KingSample

God’s Will For Us

First Thessalonians is all about the importance of living out our faith. Now, Paul moves from the theoretical idea that we should love each other (which we all agree with), to a practical example that actually demonstrates our love for others: how we treat others sexually.

By following God’s will, we grow in sanctification (the act of becoming more holy or more like Jesus). Following and trusting God’s design for sex and sexual relationships is one of the ways that we do that. Four times in the New Testament we are explicitly told what God’s will is (John 6:40, 1 Peter 2:13-15, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, and 1 Thessalonians 5:18). You could sum them up this way:  

• Believe in Jesus Christ (John 6:40)  
• Submit in doing right (1 Peter 2:13-15)  
• Give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  
• Abstain from sexual sin (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

Here, Paul encourages believers to control their bodies and not act like those who do not know God. To live as though sex/sexuality does not matter is to reject what God has asked of us. Ultimately, believers are not to take advantage of others, which is what sexual sin often turns into.

In light of what Paul has written, we should ask ourselves: is my pursuit of sex and sexuality God honoring or not? If not, why not? Is it because I don’t believe God’s design for sex is to flourish in the context of a committed marriage between a man in a woman? Or maybe I believe that, but honoring God in this area of my life is hard for me?

The latter is an understandable position. If it is the former, we just need to be honest that we disagree with Scripture. God’s will when it comes to sex is not ambiguous, but our justification for our sin often can be.

It is important to remember that no one loves us more than God does. He gave his life for us so that we could experience his grace. Ultimately, sexual sin is not love for others but love for self. It is often about what we can get from another person rather than honoring them. This is why Paul uses sex as an example of what it practically looks like to love others.

Ultimately, a life that honors others is a life that honors God. If we want to honor God, we will want to honor those he created in his image.

Today’s reflection:

Sexual sin can cause a lot of shame in us. However, all sin and brokenness is redeemed through the cross. Is there a trusted friend you can talk to about how you can honor God in this area of your life?