3”For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3–6 (ESV)
Today’s focus concerns I Thessalonians 4:6. This featured verse provides the purpose clause for what the Apostle Paul stated in 4:3-5. The Lord’s revealed, moral will for believers in Christ is to abstain from sexual immorality. Believers do so by understanding how to control their bodies in holiness and honor, and not in passionate lust like the unconverted.
“With respect to the Christian sexual ethic, we seek to obey the Lord here because He is our Creator and thus has the right to impose His law on us. But God does not have arbitrary reasons for His laws; they are, in fact, intended for our good and for the good of others,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“We see this, for instance, in 1 Thessalonians 4:4, where we are told to control our bodies “in holiness and honor.” Sexual sin is, among other things, dishonoring and degrading to human beings. Many people argue that we enjoy emancipation and an elevation of dignity when we indulge in whatever sexual activity we want, but we end up dishonoring ourselves and other people when we break God’s law. We become slaves to corruption rather than free people (Titus 3:3; 2 Peter 2:19).”
The reason for Paul’s instruction is implicit and explicit. The implicit reason for abstaining from sexual immorality is the believers’ obedience to God. Moral, obedient righteousness is a defining characteristic of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and God’s temple (I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20; I Peter 1:13-16).
Paul also provides the explicit reason, which is “…that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter.” Sexual immorality doesn’t just harm the individual, but also others; especially within the nuclear, extended and church family relational structure. Sexual sins can irreparably damage harmonious relationships.
To transgress (ὑπερβαίνειν; hyperbainein) means to sin against someone. To wrong (πλεονεκτεῖν; pleonektein) means to defraud or exploit another individual. This may occur not only in the unrighteous sexual activity, but also in the consequences, physically and relationally, due to the ungodly behavior.
“In the previous two verses Paul’s appeal was based on the importance of sexual purity for the sake of the Christian himself. In this verse (vs.6) Paul appealed on the basis of the other person involved in the immoral act. The brother here is most likely another human, not necessarily another Christian male. This seems clear from the fact that this person is a victim of illicit sex. Sexual immorality wrongs the partner in the forbidden act by involving him or her in behavior contrary to God’s will and therefore under His judgment. Two or more people practicing sex out of God’s will are calling God’s wrath down on themselves (Heb. 13:4). The initiator of the act takes advantage of his partner in sin by fanning the fire of passion till self-control is lost,” states Dr. Thomas Constable in the Bible Knowledge Commentary.
“Paul says that no believer should “transgress and wrong his brother” by engaging in sexual immorality (v. 6). The wronging in view here has to do with defrauding another person of something. Since the Apostle says that our bodies belong not to ourselves but to our spouses (1 Cor. 7:4), sexual immorality steals from other people because we are using for ourselves what rightly belongs to someone else. This is particularly easy to see in the case of adultery, narrowly considered, but it is also true of extramarital sex between unmarried people and other sexual sins,” concludes Dr. Sproul.
I encourage you to be cautious and careful for any unguarded moments. One such moment can result in a lifetime of regret and remorse. Joseph understood this truth (Genesis 39:1-9). King David did not (2 Samuel 11-12).
Proverbs 6:32–33 (ESV) says, “32 He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. 33 He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.”
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a God honoring day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 