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;” (1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 (ESV)
“Pastors and elders in the church commonly receive this question from members in their congregation: “How can I know God’s will for my life?” It is an important question, for Scripture tells us in many places that obeying God’s will for us is an essential fruit of our salvation and that if we do not strive to follow God’s will, we should question whether we actually know Jesus (e.g., 1 John 2:17). Those who love Jesus want to follow the will of God,” explains Dr. R.C. Sproul.
“Scripture generally speaks of the will of God on one of two senses. Sometimes, as in Ephesians 1:11, what is meant is the eternal purpose of God that determines history. We cannot know the content of this will that determines history or through a special revelation (prophecy). Theologians often refer to this history determining will as the ‘decretive,’ ‘hidden, or ‘secret’ will of God.
The second sense of which Scripture speaks of God’s will is the duty God has announced through revelation (I Thess. 4:3; 5:18). This is the ‘prescriptive’ or ‘revealed’ will of God, which tells us those things that the Lord finds pleasing in His sight (Deut. 29:29).”
The Apostle Paul explicitly explained to the Thessalonian believers what the ‘revealed’ will of God was for their lives. It was to abstain from sexual immorality. This meant to know or understand how to control one’s own body in holiness and honor.
To control (κτᾶσθαι; ktasthai) means to presently and personally possess or acquire sexual control over one’s body. This is to be done in relationship of holiness and honor. Holiness (ἁγιασμῷ; hagiasmo) refers to consecration and dedication to God and to be set apart from sin. Honor (τιμῇ; time) means respect and high value.
“One avoids sexual immorality by learning how to control his own body with its passions. Self-control in response to one’s sexual desires, Paul taught, could and must be learned. Christians are not the victims of circumstances or their fleshly passions. Sexual desire can be controlled by the Christian through God’s power. Paul did not specify how to control one’s passions. He implied that there may be several ways,” states commentator Thomas Constable in the Bible Knowledge Commentary.
“But the Christian should choose a method that is both holy (hagiasmō) and honorable (timē). That is, the action taken as an alternative to sexual immorality must be behavior that is set apart to the Lord in its motivation and recognized by others as intrinsically worthy of respect (cf. 1 Cor. 6:13–20). Each Christian is responsible for his own body and behavior, not his neighbor’s (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13). Every young Christian, like the Thessalonians, should learn how to deal appropriately with sexual temptations.”
Following his affirmative declaration about the will of God, Paul then stated a corresponding negative declaration. Believers in Christ are not to live “in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;”
The word passion (πάθει; pathei) refers to lustful, sexual desire. Lust (ἐπιθυμίας; epithymias) are evil desires and cravings. These are the characteristics of heathens who do not know God. These are they who are not in a covenant relationship with God by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.
“A heathen is one who does not know God. Here Paul put his finger on the key to overcoming sexual temptations. A Christian can overcome because he knows God; this makes all the difference! Paul did not say the heathen do not know about God. The reason they behave as they do is because they do not know God personally, even though they may know about Him. When a person comes to know God by faith in Jesus Christ, not only do his attitudes toward sex change, but he also discovers that God gives him the ability to act toward sexual temptation as he could not before. Knowing God is basic to living a holy life. This is why maintaining a vital relationship with God is essential to maintaining a clean walk before God,” continues Dr. Constable.
Pagan society in Paul’s day differs little from pagan society in our day. There is little inducement for sexual purity in our contemporary ungodly culture. The Gospel of Jesus Christ alone brings a moral awakening and insight of God’s righteousness and righteous, moral standards.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blesses, holy, and honorable day in the Lord.
“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:1–3 (ESV)
The following excerpt is by Dr. Walt Mueller. He is founder and president of The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, author of several books, including A Student’s Guide to Navigating Culture, and host of the podcasts Youth Culture Matters and Youth Culture Today. His essay is entitled A Sexualized Society.
We see and hear sexualized messages trumpeted countless times over the course of our lives through marketing, film, television, music, and social media. In popular music, for example, research estimates that depending on genre, 40 to 60 percent of songs contain sexual lyrics. The familiarity with this ever-present cultural narrative desensitizes us to any shock value that may have once existed, so much so that we’re hard pressed to even notice the sexual content anymore. We all need to see these seductive lies for what they are while embracing God’s good design for His creational gifts of sex, sexuality, and gender.
While it may be nuanced in ways that we’ve never seen before, this cultural narrative is nothing new. Its roots go back to the garden of Eden, to the time when all things were the way they were supposed to be, including humankind’s understanding and experience of sex and gender, gifts given to them by God and declared by Him to be “good” (Gen. 1–2). But the wrecker of this world approached our first parents to whisper his seductive lies into their ears so that they might question God’s sovereignty and design, being enticed to rebel against God by asserting their own sovereignty over all of life (ch. 3). As a result of their rebellion and sin, everything came undone, including humanity’s knowledge, understanding, and practice of the good gifts of sex, sexuality, and gender.
In our day, the seeds of the sexual revolution have grown to the point at which their roots go down deep into the soil of our lives, bearing fruit that has come to taste so familiar that we don’t even question whether to believe or to behave as we are told. I remember a news segment that I saw at the height of the scandal involving President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. A roving reporter went from table to table in a diner, asking folks their opinion on the president’s behavior. One grandmotherly woman expressed her culturally shaped attitude this way: “He had an affair. So what? That’s what men do.”
Pushing back on this sexual narrative can seem like an overwhelming task. But telling the truth about God’s design for sexuality requires us to understand the perfect storm of forces that have led us to believe that “when it comes to sex, you can do whatever, whenever, wherever, however, and with whoever.” Knowing the big lies that nourish the roots of our confusion will help us spot the lies, call out the lies, and correct the lies that have become part of the cultural air we breathe.
What are these big lies? While there are many, here are three interrelated lies woven together into the cultural tapestry that inform (or more accurately de-form) our understanding of sexuality and gender.
Lie #1: You are the boss of you. Nobody but you deserves your highest allegiance and honor. No authority surpasses your rulership over yourself. Not your parents, your boss, your teachers, the government, or even God Himself. This is the first and oldest lie of all. Self-worship and self-sovereignty are exactly what Satan tempted Adam and Eve to embrace in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1–5). The first four words spoken by this enemy of God—“Did God actually say . . . ?”—led our first parents to question God’s love and authority. They then chose to rebel against God by going their own way rather than His way. This choice to sin against God resulted in the corruption of God’s creation, which immediately undid everything good, including sex and gender. Satan continues to propagate this lie, urging us to choose our plan for sex and gender rather than God’s plan, fueling our doubt of God’s Word by continually whispering in our ears, “Did God actually say . . . ?” In her First Things article “Reflections on the Revolution,” Deborah Savage, a child of the sexual revolution, reminds us of this truth: “Human sexuality is at the core of man’s essence, which is why the serpent never tires of meddling in it.”
Lie #2: Follow your heart. This lie leads us to believe that since we are sovereign and have authority over ourselves, the only authoritative standard to follow is the one that we feel inside. And since our emotions can and will change from moment to moment, so will our standards. The most dangerous part of this lie in relation to our sexuality is that, while it recognizes that God has placed in us sexual desires, it ignores that these desires have been corrupted and are good only as they follow His original design. When not held in check by the good self-discipline needed to indulge these desires within the borders and boundaries of biblical sexuality, we are left to the whims of our ever-changing emotions dictated by hearts that are “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jer. 17:9). In a world where the only sin is to believe in sin, you can do whatever you want. Perhaps no message has been promoted more frequently over the last six decades of pop music than a phrase that sets up personal pleasure and fulfillment as the ultimate object and outcome of the sexual revolution: “If it feels good, do it.”
Lie #3: You must be true to your authentic self. The philosopher Charles Taylor called attention to our contemporary social imaginary, which is “a collective understanding about how the world should be and how we should live in it.” In today’s social imaginary, we are encouraged to embrace expressive individualism, a way of thinking and being that has convinced us that everyone’s quest for self-expression should be celebrated. Once you’ve looked inside and listened to your heart, you need to be true to your authentic self. Since your highest goal in life is to be happy, doesn’t it make sense that expressing yourself sexually is the pathway to happiness? Or if you feel that you’ve been born into the wrong body, go ahead and express your “true” self by taking steps to change your body to conform to what you feel. Your identity is something that you make rather than something you’ve been given. This culture of authenticity is one in which each of us has his or her own way of realizing one’s humanity, and that it is important to find and live out one’s own authentic self, as opposed to surrendering to conformity within a model imposed on us from outside, by society, by the previous generation, or by religious or political authority. This attitude is no longer questioned but is simply accepted as the way things are supposed to be. The Apostle Paul doesn’t call this the social imaginary. He calls it “the course of this world” (Eph. 2:2).
The reality is that whoever speaks to a child first about sex and gender will set the bar for what is understood to be true, resulting in everything they hear after that being measured in light of whatever they heard first. Consequently, we must speak up first and teach them the truth. And “the talk” is never once and done. It must be “the talking.” Home and church must faithfully offer biblically based correctives to the cultural narrative on sex and gender, and they must do so over and over. Here are three essential elements to communicate as part of the biblical corrective.
God is our loving authority on sex and gender.As Christians, we are called to follow the way and will of God as contained in the Bible, which is the Word of God revealed and written as God’s authoritative rule for all matters of faith and practice. The Bible is the Christian’s authority. The culture teaches that we are to live under no other authority except the authority of ourselves. The cultural mantras “you do you” and “follow your heart” teach us to live under the authority of our own personal desires, feelings, and intuition. But God calls us to deny ourselves and our untrustworthy intuitions and instead live under His loving and life-giving authority. God tells us that our hearts are not to be trusted (Jer. 17:9). We should never allow our feelings to dictate and misshape our understanding of truth. The Bible is God’s gift to us, and it teaches us God’s plan, purpose, will, and way for how things are supposed to be. We are to believe and behave in ways that are firmly rooted in biblical truth (2 Tim. 3:10–17). Judge your feelings by Scripture rather than judging Scripture by your feelings.
God has given us His order and design for sex and gender at creation. God’s order and design for human sexuality, marriage, and gender are clearly stated in the creation narrative, reflected in the teachings of Jesus Christ, and maintained consistently throughout the Bible. Genesis gives us God’s master plan for sexuality, marriage, and gender, a plan that is consistently affirmed by Jesus Christ (Matt. 19:4–6) and throughout the rest of Scripture. This order and design serve as our pattern for living today.
God’s will and way for gender, sexuality, and marriage are clear.God has revealed His grand and glorious plan for humanity in the creation account. If we want to know what it means to be human—to be fully human—we find that plan and purpose “in the beginning.” What is that plan? We need to know that everything God created He stamped as “good.” But when He finished creating human beings, He said “very good.” And what He pronounced as “very good” was male and female, the gender binary that He designed and assigned—male and female only, both fully human and equal in dignity. Our first parents were given complementary biological forms and purposes so that they might work together to care for God’s good creation, to be fruitful, and to multiply. God gave each of us sex organs (and even genes in our DNA) that tell us what gender we are, either male or female. This is the way that things are supposed to be. Jesus affirms this in Matthew 19:4 when He says, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?” Rejecting God’s design and attempting to alter one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within us and rebellion against God. To do so undermines one’s humanity and diminishes one’s flourishing.
As I help parents understand and respond to the cultural narrative and its influence over all of life, I point them to the question the psalmist asks in Psalm 11:3: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Scripture points immediately to a statement of fact regarding God’s sovereign control even in the midst of a culture bent on self-sovereignty: “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven” (v. 4). Yes, God is, and God is in control. We need to think about our God-given role in the lives of our children and grandchildren as stated in the resolve of the psalmist:
O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. (Ps. 71:17–18)
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6 (ESV)
“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” ― Benjamin Franklin
“Men of few words are the best men.” ― William Shakespeare, Henry V (3.2.41)
“Women speak because they wish to speak, whereas a man speaks only when driven to speak by something outside himself-like, for instance, he can’t find any clean socks.” – Jean Kerr
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” – King Solomon (Proverbs 25:11 (ESV)
The New Testament Scriptures are not silent regarding the believer’s speech, talk and conversations. Today’s biblical text says a believer’s speech is always to be gracious. Gracious (χάριτι; chariti) refers to kindness, thankfulness and good will. Notice, the text says this gracious speech is “always” to characterize the believer.
“Believers are to speak words which are spiritual, wholesome, uplifting, kind, sensitive, purposeful, complimentary, gentle, truthful, loving, and thoughtful,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
How often are our words characterized by such adjectives stated by Dr. MacArthur? I shutter to think how my words are perceived by those to whom I speak. Am I known as one whose speech is filled with kindness, thankfulness and good will?
The Apostle Paul also used the expression “seasoned with salt.” In the ancient world, salt was not only used for flavor, but also as a food preservative. In the same way, our speech should be a blessing and a purifying influence in this morally decadent world.
Ephesians 4:29 (ESV) says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
“Let your speech always be gracious … note always, that is, both in addressing a group or in talking to the neighbor, both when conversing with an equal or when replying to someone in authority, to rich and poor alike, not only in proclaiming the message of salvation but also in discussing the weather,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.
“When gracious speech becomes their habit, they (believers) will not use improper language when suddenly confronted with a difficult situation; for example, when summoned to appear before a worldly judge or when persecuted for the faith.”
“Negatively, such speech will not be abusive (Rom. 1:29–32; 2 Cor. 12:20; Gal. 5:19–21, 26; Eph. 4:31; Titus 3:2). Neither will it be vindictive. It will be patterned after the example of Christ who “when he was reviled did not revile in return” (1 Peter 2:23). Positively, it will be truthful and loving. Perhaps the best description of gracious speech is found in the words of Paul himself: “speaking truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).” and the best example in the words of Jesus, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34),” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.
The phrase “so that you may know how you ought to answer each person,” refers to speaking the right words, to the right person, at the right time. It is not only imperative to know what are the right words to say, but also when to say them, and to whom.
May the Lord continue to give us grace in order for us to be gracious to one another; especially in our speech.
“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:1–3 (ESV)
The following article is by Dr. John Piper. Dr. Piper is a pastor, theologian, author and Bible conference speaker. The following excerpted message is from 2002 and is entitled This Is the Will of God for You; That You Abstain from Sexual Immorality. The featured text is I Thessalonians 4:1-3.
I want to call us this morning to personal holiness, especially in our sexual lives. We like our sex just fine. So, let’s go first to this text and simply make as clear as we can; what the Bible means by sexual purity. Then we will look at why it’s important.
What Does the Bible Mean by “Sexual Purity”?
Verse 3 gets to the point: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification [or your holiness], that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.” This phrase, “sexual immorality,” (porneia), means mainly fornication — that is, two people acting as if they are married when they are not married. Touching each other and sleeping together in a way God designed only for a man and a woman married to each other. God said this close physical relationship is for married people only. “A man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 7:2; Exodus 20:14). So “sexual immorality” includes sexual relations before marriage and wrong sexual relations among married people.
Verse 6 also has fornication and adultery in view, because it says “and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter.” This means that another Christian’s wife or daughter is in view and the sin in view is mainly sexual relations with a woman that is not your wife, but belongs to another man. You would sin against her and him.
But let’s not think that the only sexual sin in view here is the behavior of sleeping with a woman not your wife — or a man not your husband. Paul refers in verse 5a to “lustful passion.” “Possess your own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion.” The issue here is not just behavior but also sexual desires that dominate your life in ways they should not. For our day I think we could include here desires that lead to the use of pornography, and desires that lead to a fantasy life and masturbation that is so often embedded in it — for men and women.
I have reports on all hands that this issue is huge, and that the easy access to internet pornography and cable TV is capturing many men and women and making slaves out of them. The positive alternative to this is described in verses 1, 3, and 7. Verse 1: “How you ought to walk and please God.” Verse 3: “This is the will of God, your sanctification [or holiness].” Verse 7: “God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification [or holiness].”
When God calls you to himself, he justifies you freely by faith in Christ on the basis of Christ’s blood and righteousness, and he calls you to a life of holiness, which in this context refers explicitly to sexual purity. This is the practical fruit of justification by faith.
Why Should We Be Concerned with Our Sexual Purity?
Now the why. I’m going to deal with this quickly because I really want to move to the “how” — which unpacks the practical effects of the “why.” Why should we be concerned with our sexual purity? The text mentions at least five incentives to fight this battle.
1. The incentive of pleasing God. Verse 1b: Paul exhorts us “how you ought to walk and please God.” Sexual purity pleases God.
2. The incentive of doing the will of God. Verse 3: “This is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.” Sexual purity is God’s will, and Christians love the will of God. Christlikeness means that we delight to do God’s will (Psalm 40:8; Hebrews 10:7).
3. The incentive of honor. Controlling your body in purity is a matter of honor — either being honored by the community or showing honor to your wife and other women, or to your husband and other men. Verse 4: “That each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.” Sexual purity is the honorable thing to do.
4. The incentive of Christian love that seeks the good of others. Sexual purity is the loving way to treat others. Verse 6: “That no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter.” When we sin sexually, we are not seeking the highest good of others, neither the woman or the man we sin with, nor the person we fantasize about nor the person in the pornography, nor the spouse or parent of any of these. It is not Christian love that moves us in any of this. It is simply selfish desire. But Christians are people deeply moved by love for others. Christians love people; they don’t use them.
5. The incentive of God’s vengeance. Verse 6b: “because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.” If you turn from the Lord as your treasure and your all-satisfying pleasure, and make a master out of sex, sooner or later you will meet the wrath of God.
Far more could be said about the what of sexual purity and the why of sexual purity, but most urgent is the how of sexual purity. I turn to that now, and it will be plain that the what and the why are all woven into the how.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a holy and God pleasing day today.
2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:2–3 (ESV)
The following article is Pastor Alastair Begg. Dr. Begg is senior pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, where he has served since 1983. He is also host of the radio program Truth for Life. Today’s installment is Part 2 of Dr. Begg’s article.
From Idolatry to Immorality
Such is the state of our culture in the twenty-first century. But how did we get here? A brief reflection on the past several decades of Western culture makes it clear that there has been a strategy at play as it relates to those driving the revolution we have seen.
First, there have been efforts to make sure that the broader society would sympathize with their struggles—both of a personal and societal nature. (And Christians surely ought to lead the world in sympathy, but only of the Christlike sort.) Secondly, there was and is a clear desire to normalize homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. through media and individuals’ platforms. And thirdly, there has been and continues to be a concerted effort to demonize those who oppose the revolution. Dissenters will be canceled at nearly any cost.
The West as a whole, and America in particular, is not, I suggest, in the mess that Phillips describes because it is immoral—not ultimately. We are in such a mess because we worship modern-day Baals rather than the living God. The moral squalor, the brokenness of our culture, is merely the clearest evidence of “the wrath of God” being “revealed from heaven” (Rom. 1:18). The actual immorality is not the cause; it’s the evidence. It’s what happens when we turn in upon ourselves. When we refuse to know God as He has made Himself known, we don’t give up on worship; we actually just worship something or someone else.
And the evidence is all around us. When Paul describes both men and women giving up “natural relations” in favor of those that are “contrary to nature” (Rom. 1:26–27), he uses the word “natural” to describe the material order as God intended it. (In fact, the words that he uses for “women” and “men” are actually “female” and “male” in Greek—a deliberate echo, I think, of Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”) Anatomy, physiology, biology—all of them, even without theology—testify to God’s perfect plan, the violation of which leads to chaos, sadness, and despair.
Homosexuality, then, is not simply an alternative lifestyle. According to Scripture, it is an unnatural decision born of a preceding idolatry. It is an expression of rebellion against God: “I will decide who I am, what I am, what I’m doing, and with whom I am doing it.” It’s not the greatest sin, but it is perhaps the clearest evidence of a society’s defiance of God. When a culture finally reaches the place where even manhood and womanhood, gender itself, is deconstructed and reconstructed according to whatever agenda an individual has, whatever ethical set of norms they’ve decided to embrace, then that culture is in deep trouble.
We see this disintegration not only on a societal level but also on a personal level. When our longings are no longer filled by God, who has made us for Himself, the longings don’t go away. We still have to satisfy our questions about our identity. We still have to answer the yearnings of our heart for peace, for fulfillment, for joy, for satisfaction, for sexual gratification—whatever it might be.
When we read Paul’s words about men and women “receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (v. 27), we can easily jump to conclusions about just what he meant. I find William G. T. Shedd’s observation helpful: “The recompense is the gnawing unsatisfied lust itself, together with the dreadful physical and moral consequences of debauchery”2 (i.e., excessive indulgence in sensual pleasure). When we reject God as the answer to our longings, we don’t stand on morally neutral ground; we actually become, in Paul’s words, “consumed with passion.”
A Gospel for the Whole World
For the Christian, all of this presents quite a challenge. We must, as John Stott did so masterfully, have one foot firmly planted in the world of the Bible and the other planted in our own context. On the one hand, we’re called to refute false, bad ideas in the awareness that Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18)—even as we treat those who hate us with honor. On the other hand, we have this good news to share: Jesus was delivered up to the cross so that men and women might be delivered from sin and born again to life everlasting. In Him, broken lives are made new.
So how do you honor God, obey His Word, and love your neighbors, friends, and family members who have decided to go on this path? Some people have decided the way to respond to our culture’s broken understanding of human sexuality is by admonition—to simply stand up and keep declaring, “This is terrible,” “This is terrible,” “This is terrible.” Others have decided they won’t say anything at all. Neither is a possibility for a Bible-believing Christian.
In my experience, those who reject God’s plan for their sexuality are either reviled or affirmed by the people around them. By contrast, Christians ought to say, “We will not treat you in either of those ways. We will not revile you, but we cannot affirm you. And the reason we won’t revile you is the same reason we can’t affirm you: because of the Bible, because of God’s love, because of His grace, and because of His goodness.” It isn’t easy to speak about God’s wrath. But I’m glad that when I do address it, I can do so knowing that it is wrapped in the amazing news of God’s grace.
In writing to the Corinthians, Paul urged them, “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9–10). If we’re clear-eyed and honest, we will all find ourselves described somewhere in this list. What’s the answer? Look at the next sentence: “Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
The hope for the greedy, for the immoral, for all of us is the same hope. The answer is the same answer: the cross of Jesus Christ. He was given up on our behalf so that we might enjoy all the beauty and goodness that is found in Him. This is what we mean when we say that the gospel is for everyone. It’s a gospel for atheists and agnostics, for Jews and gentiles, for Hindus and Muslims; for the lost and the lonely, for the happy and the successful; for the homosexual or transgender person; for those who experience gender dysphoria and those who don’t—ultimately, for anyone who humbly casts any other identity aside and loses his or her life for Christ’s sake (Matt. 16:25). It is a gospel for the whole world, for the whole world undoubtedly needs it.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a God-honoring day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Alistair Begg at Truth for Life on December 14, 2022.
2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:2–3 (ESV)
The following article is Pastor Alastair Begg. Dr. Begg is senior pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, where he has served since 1983. He is also host of the radio program Truth for Life.
A little over a decade ago, English journalist Melanie Phillips, writing on the state of Western civilization, observed, “Society seems to be in the grip of a mass derangement.” There is, she writes, a “sense that the world has slipped off the axis of reason,” causing many to wonder, “How is anyone to work out who is right in such a babble of ‘experts’ and with so much conflicting information?”1
As I started to reread this book a few weeks ago, I was struck once again by what’s missing in her writing. Phillips writes as an agnostic but observant Jew, and many of the points she makes are profoundly helpful. But noticeably absent from her analysis, I find, is any recognition of the Bible’s account of how the world that God made in its entirety and perfection could have gone so haywire (à la Gen. 3)—particularly, in our day, in the realm of human sexuality.
Sexuality as described and prescribed by Scripture is not just a difficult topic; to address it is also unpopular and in large measure offensive. I come to it somewhat fearful, with caution and, I hope, with a measure of compassion—but also with the conviction that God’s Word and way are absolutely perfect and that God knew exactly what He was doing when He put humanity together. And thankfully, one of the passages that speaks most pointedly to the way in which God’s wrath is revealed against sin, Romans 1:16–28, is also preceded by and followed by the amazing offer of God’s grace.
Living in a Runaway World
Paul’s argument in Romans 1 unfolds from his great declaration in verse 16 that he is “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Why, we might ask, is the gospel for “everyone”? Because, as Paul goes on to explain, everyone needs the gospel. Every one of us is born in the same hopeless and helpless situation: “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom. 1:18).
Mankind, in other words, lives in a runaway world. Some of us like to suggest that God is hiding, but we are the ones who have done the hiding since nearly the beginning of time (Gen. 3:8–10). We “suppress the truth”—the truth that He has shown us about Himself (Rom. 1:19). We deny the fact that He has made Himself known clearly in the universe in which we live—that “his eternal power and divine nature” (Rom. 1:20) are evident all around us—and as a result, we are absolutely “without excuse” (v. 20) when we choose not to worship Him or to thank Him. When we refuse to know God as He has made Himself known, we don’t give up on worship; we actually just worship something or someone else.
All of this brings us to the matter of human sexuality—not because it is some sort of hobby horse or because we get some (perverse) sense of satisfaction out of being controversial but because that’s what comes next in God’s Word. And if we simply choose the parts of the Bible we like and reject the parts that we don’t like, then we don’t believe the Bible; we believe ourselves.
Why would we ever want to consider a passage like Romans 1 unless we absolutely believe that the Bible is God’s Word, that it is unerring, and it speaks life-giving truth, even in our twenty-first-century Western world? We are not at liberty to rewrite the Bible to accommodate godless perspectives on abortion, on euthanasia, on same-sex marriage, on transgenderism, and more. We are not free to tamper with God’s Word.
And so, as we continue reading Paul’s inspired words, it is clear that having broken our connection with the Creator, who made us purposefully for Himself, we struggle to actually know who we are. As Paul goes on to explain, when men turned away from God and toward idols (including, as we do in our day, the idol of self),
God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves. . . . God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. (Rom. 1:24, 26–27)
It’s important that we note here that the exchange of the normal, natural function of human sexuality for that which is contrary is not the first “exchange” mentioned by Paul. He has already described mankind as exchanging “the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Rom. 1:23)—the exchange of the creator God for created idols.
They have also “exchanged the truth about God for a lie” (Rom. 1:25)—the exchange of knowledge for ignorance. And it is because they refuse to believe in Him, to worship Him, that God gives men and women up to their “dishonorable passions.” He has given them up to something which contemporary society regards as an alternative lifestyle but which the Bible pronounces to be an abomination, to be a perversion. Idolatry, in other words, leads to all sorts of immorality—and the immorality gets deeper as it goes.
More to come from Dr. Begg. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a God-honoring day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Alistair Begg at Truth for Life on December 14, 2022.
2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:2–3 (ESV)
The call came into my office several months ago. A woman requested to be taken off our mailing list. I assured her that we would comply with her request. I asked the reason she did not want to receive our newsletter any longer. “If homosexuality really is a gift from God,” she replied, “then your ministry is doing great damage to people.”
Although her answer didn’t shock me — people in evangelical circles are increasingly being enticed by the same deceptions — her response, considering her background and her church, did. She shared that she had been a Christian for more than twenty years and involved in the women’s ministry in her church. I was also aware of the fact that she belonged to a church, long steeped in a Reformed theological tradition, which had a strong pulpit ministry (and still does) firmly grounded in God’s Word, viewing the Bible as the authoritative, inspired Word of God.
It was obvious that she had become persuaded that homosexuality was biblically permissible. How have these and other damaging views about sexual sin infiltrated the church? A detailed answer to that question could alone be the subject of an entire book. Simply put, it’s because “other voices” now, consistently as never before, compete for our ears, claiming authority equal to or even surpassing that of the Scriptures. More devastating is the fact that many in our churches are listening to those voices.
Some of these voices call for the ordination of homosexuals to the Gospel ministry. In some denominations, we are seeing this pursued with little or no consequence, if not whole-hearted celebration. In some instances, church discipline is threatened and imposed, not for those advocating sexual immorality, but for those who would contend against non-biblical theology and behaviors. I also think of those churches in the Netherlands that once preached Reformed theology. Today it is illegal to speak of homosexuality in a demeaning way there, and many once thriving churches now stand as museums and thrift stores.
How do we account for our own moral slide towards these same things? These two factors, the competition for our ears and the fact that we’re actively listening, are causing unparalleled confusion — as well as opening the door for un-addressed sin to flourish in the church. Truth is, this caller had fallen for a new wave of theology. I call it “the theology of Oprah, 20/20, and Prime Time Live.” These pop icons and TV programs are now where many, even those in the church, become informed about a variety of biblical issues, especially sexual ones. Church leadership needs to realize that these views are not as rare as we might like to think. They often just remain unexpressed.
Part of addressing this grand distortion and deception of sex and sexuality begins with realizing that whatever is affecting and impacting the culture is always impacting those who sit on our pews. We live in a culture where sex sells everything — a major ploy to attract consumers. Sexual immorality in all its forms is now paraded as legitimate fare for everyone, thanks in a large degree to the media and entertainment sector. It should not surprise us that incorrect and distorted views about sex and, indeed, sexual immorality itself is common in the church today.
Can it be denied that the church has been and will continue to be seduced into these deceptions? When we combine these facts with the reality that believers can and do struggle with various forms of their fallen sexuality and sinful hearts, a potentially explosive and crippling climate can exist.
For instance, pornography usage among believers is, I believe, at epidemic levels in the church. This of course does immense damage to men’s hearts and always impacts, directly and indirectly, all his duties and relationships. In short, pornography and all forms of sexual sin rob men of the godly leadership they are called to provide in the lives of those closest to them; it robs men of confidence in the truths of Scripture and their enthusiasm for things of God; and finally, it undermines the place of God as the supreme being whom they are called to worship and serve — and replaces Him with a more manageable and predictable object of adoration.
We’re speaking about a severe crisis of worship and idolatry. Indeed, does not Romans 1:24 tell us that “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator”? Is this not the natural bent of the fallen heart? Paul speaks of a culture given over to idolatry.
Dr. Edward T. Welch, in his book Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, has called such idolatries, at heart, “worship disorders.” This means we are witnessing a massive failure to worship God as creator and are, as a culture and to degrees within the church, pursuing creature worship as a norm. It’s a fact that, increasingly, we live in a “porn is the norm” world.
Paul, again, gives a redemptive mandate to the early church as those now set apart from the idolatrous culture in which they find themselves, saying, “For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God” (1 Thess. 4:3–5).
An interesting observation about these and many other passages, especially in the pastoral epistles, is that they are actually there. A good part of these epistles is devoted to dealing with the fact that unbridled lust and accompanying sexual temptations were realities with which even the early church had to deal. They speak to the fact that both the culture and one’s own sinful heart were powerful forces with which the believer had to deal. They are also a testimony that a person could deal honorably with these things as he or she yielded to a higher allegiance than the culture and the fallen heart!
An important role for the church in today’s complicated and confused world is to nurture an atmosphere where people can be real about what’s going on in their hearts, lives, and marriages concerning the lure towards sexual sin. We must help them be honest about those forces competing for their hearts and cheer them on to ruthless honesty about the temptations (and failures) they are facing. The church is the place where we model truth and grace, and it is the place where we help convince and remind one another that the worship of God offers so much more real life than does the attractions of our petty sins and idolatries. The seduction need not continue, if we are aware of the lies our culture is presenting and are willing to work with what we find impacting the lives of our people for the glory of Christ.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:2–3 (ESV)
Having been involved in pastoral, and professorial, ministry for over 40 years, many people have asked me “how can I know the will of God for my life?” Usually, this pertains to whom should I marry and what job or position should I take?
A young man approached me years ago announcing to me God was leading him into a full-time music ministry. He was convinced God wanted him to direct God’s people in worship from the platform. He was ready to do so immediately. No training was necessary. No instruction from other worship leaders, musicians or seminary professors was required. In other words, this young man knew all the answers to all the questions regarding the will of God for his life.
I admired his passion. There was just one problem; and it was big one. The individual in question did not sing very well. He did not know how to read music. He also did not play an instrument.
Voice lessons can be taken. Reading music can be learned along with playing an instrument. However, this individual was not interested in any of that. He was enamored with the idea of being on stage but not at all interested in the behind the scenes work and study required to lead as a servant.
How do believers in Christ discern the will of God for their lives? To begin with, we must understand there are various levels regarding the will of God.
First, there is God’s eternal will, which He purposed before the foundation of the world in the election and salvation of sinners (Eph. 1:3-4; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; I Peter 1:1-2). This refers to God’s ultimate plan for all of creation. It encompasses everything that comes to pass, including events that may seem negative or difficult to understand. It is God’s purposeful sovereignty or providence.
Second, there is God’s moral, or prescriptive, will. This involves instructions and commands found in Scripture. These are God’s revealed commands and principles for how His people are to live. These are guidelines for ethical behavior, moral decision-making, and living in a way that honors Him. See Romans 12-16; Ephesians 4-6; Colossians 3-4.
Third, there is God’s permissive will. This is unique to each individual’s life and circumstances. It involves seeking God’s guidance and direction for decisions such as career choices, relationships, and other personal matters. See Acts 16:6-10.
Paul addressed the subject of the Lord’s moral will when he wrote to the Thessalonian believers. The Holy Spirit’s God-breathed words, revealed through the apostle, were clear and concise. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;”
The moral will (θέλημα; thelema) or purpose solely originating from God the Father involves the believer’s sanctification. Sanctification (ἁγιασμὸς; hagiasmos) refers to consecration, dedication and holiness before God. It means to be far away from sin.
In this particular context, the will of God for believers in Christ was/is to abstain from sexual immorality. To abstain (ἀπέχεσθαι; apechesthai) is a present, middle infinitive verb. It means to be personally far away from and to avoid sexual immorality (πορνείας; porneias). This refers to engaging in any form of sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage between a binary husband and wife. The English word pornography comes from this Greek word.
“All of God’s word contains God’s will—both affirmations and prohibitions. Specifically, God’s will includes salvation (1 Tim. 2:4); self-sacrifice (Rom. 12:1–2); Spirit filling (Eph. 5:18); submission (1 Pet. 2:13–15); suffering (1 Pet. 3:17); satisfaction (1 Thess. 5:18); settledness (Heb. 10:36); and particularly here—sanctification, which literally refers to a state of being set apart from sin to holiness,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
The Apostle Peter also spoke of this important moral will of God in I Peter 1:13-16. “13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13–16 (ESV)
The first instruction designed to produce greater holiness is abstinence from sexual immorality. Paul called his readers to avoid it, implying the need for exercising self-discipline, enabled by God’s Spirit,” explains commentator Thomas L. Constable in the Bible Knowledge Commentary.
“Christians are to avoid and abstain from any and every form of sexual practice that lies outside the circle of God’s revealed will, namely adultery, premarital and extramarital intercourse, homosexuality, and other perversions. The word porneia, translated “sexual immorality,” is a broad one and includes all these practices.”
“The Thessalonians lived in a pagan environment in which sexual looseness was not only practiced openly but was also encouraged. In Greek religion, prostitution was considered a priestly prerogative, and extramarital sex was sometimes an act of worship. To a Christian the will of God is clear: holiness and sexual immorality are mutually exclusive. No appeal to Christian liberty can justify fornication,” concludes Constable.
There are times when the will of God may seem to be unclear. This is not one of those occasions. God makes His moral will known to each believer in Christ. There is to be no debate regarding abstaining from sexual immorality. We must avoid it at all costs.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1 (ESV)
There are three occasions recorded in the New Testament when God the Father audibly spoke from heaven; at Jesus’ baptism (Matt 3:13–17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22), the Transfiguration (Matt. 1 7:1-5; Mark 9:1-7; Luke 9:35), and following Jesus’ address after the triumphant entrance into Jerusalem (John12:28). It was during the first two of these three occasions God the Father said He was pleased with His Son.
“What higher approval could a person enjoy than to know that what he or she has done is pleasing to God? Every Christian should have a passion to please God. We are to delight in honoring Him. It should be our greatest desire to please our Redeemer,” says Dr. R. C. Sproul.
In today’s text, the word please (ἀρέσκειν; areskein) is a present active infinitive verb. Pleasing God is to be a present, active and never-ending activity by believers in Christ. To please means to cause someone to be happy, or to be glad, with something or someone. To please God means to cause God to be happy or glad with us.
Consider this. How often do we pray and ask God to make us happy by giving us something we need or want? Rather, believers in Christ should consider how we can make God happy.
The Apostle Paul, Silas and Timothy asked and urged the Thessalonian believers not only to continue to live in a way pleasing to God, but to do so more and more. This means to a greater degree or increasingly. In other words, the Christian life is not about maintaining your faith in Christ, but rather to grow in your faith in Christ.
In his second epistle, the Apostle Peter wrote, “17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:17–18 (ESV)
“Paul is dealing with the Thessalonian believers “as a nurse cherishes (and as a father admonishes) her (his) own children” (2:7, 11). The apostle (supported by his companions, of course) requests (the asking is friendly and polite), and admonishes or urges (2:11; 3:2, 7) “in the Lord Jesus” (see on 1:1)—that is, by virtue of union with the Lord whom he represents and whose spirit inspires him—that they will overflow or excel or abound (περισσεύω see on 3:12) more and more in the business of conducting themselves properly, thus pleasing God,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.
“It is evident that what he desires so ardently is that the Thessalonians, in keeping God’s law, shall be prompted by gratitude for their deliverance. With wonderful tact he injects the parenthetical clause: “as in fact you are conducting yourselves.” What the apostle really desires, therefore, is that the branches that bear fruit shall bear more fruit (John 15:2). That was necessary not only in view of the immaturity of these recent converts from paganism and of “the deficiencies of faith” which had to be supplied in their particular case (3:10), but also in view of the more general consideration, namely, that the believer never attains to complete spiritual perfection in this life.”
Rather than seeking for God to make us happy today, let us all resolve, in whatever circumstances we face, to make God happy by living a godly and holy life (I Peter 1:13-16). May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. (Colossians 4:5 (ESV)
The Apostle Paul continued in his exhortations to the Colossian church. Today’s text addresses the believer’s daily behavior and daily speech.
To walk (περιπατεῖτε; peripateite) refers in this context to living and behaving morally and ethically. It is a present, active, imperative, plural verb. This means the believers’ behavior and lifestyle involves a continual, active, collective obedience in moral living. This behavior does not make an individual a believer in Christ, but rather evidences one’s faith in Christ as Savior and Lord (Eph. 2:10). This command applies to all believers in Christ.
How are believers to walk? The Bible says “in wisdom.” Wisdom (σοφίᾳ; sophia) is the practical application of God’s Word or truth. Wisdom is the capacity to understand God’s truth and to live accordingly in response to God’s truth.
The cultural context of wise walking by the believer pertains to our relationships with non-believers. The word “outsiders” (ἔξω; exo) refers in the context to the unconverted. Like it or not, unbelievers observe the believer’s behavior: the good and the bad.
“Mahatma Gandhi, the leader who helped secure India’s independence from the British in the twentieth century, was once asked why he would not convert to Christianity, even though he professed admiration for Jesus. His answer was, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ,” explains one commentator.
The writer continues by saying, “It is easy to ignore Gandhi’s words because he had a deficient view of Christ — often, it seems, he saw Jesus only as a nonviolent social reformer. It is also easy to say non-Christians should not judge Jesus’ claims about Himself based on His followers’ deeds — though this observation is not without merit. Yet like it or not, unbelievers often base their views of Christianity on the behavior of Jesus’ professed followers (at the very least, they use our hypocrisy to justify their rebellion against the Creator).”
Walking in wisdom involves a keen awareness of each moment of each and every day. Believers in Christ must be aware of their surroundings and situations. Today’s text says, “making the best use of the time.” The phrase “making the best use” (ἐξαγοραζόμενοι; exagorazomenoi) means to make good use of every opportunity. Time (καιρὸν; kairon) echoes this meaning. In other words, every believer in Christ is to make good use of every opportunity to share the gospel to those without Christ.
Dr. William Hendriksen writes, “To the Jew every non-Jew was an “outsider.” And to the Christian every non-Christian is, in a sense, an outsider.” (See 1 Cor. 5:12, 13; 1 Thess. 4:12; 1 Tim. 3:7.) “In the days of the early church believers were often slandered by these outsiders. For example, they were called atheists because they served no visible gods, unpatriotic because they did not burn incense before the image of the emperor, and immoral because, of necessity, they would often meet behind locked doors. The apostle knew that the best way to defeat this slander was for Christians daily to conduct themselves not only virtuously instead of wickedly but also wisely instead of foolishly.”
Therefore, believers must strive to obediently walk in wisdom towards those without Christ. Our moral and ethical behavior must be above reproach (Phil. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:9; Heb. 13:7; I Peter 5:3). However, when we fail, and we will, we must be honest about our failures, sincere in our repentance, and humble in our request for forgiveness and understanding.
“Paul and the other apostles would have us hear what non-Christians like Gandhi are saying when they note how we fall short of the character of Christ. The problem is not really that we fail to meet Jesus’ standards, although we must strive to do what He says. None of us will ever perfectly follow Him, and the world should not, on its own, expect as much (1 John 1:8–9). The problem is that often we do not admit our own failures to follow Jesus or do not confess that we often preach the gospel in a manner that invites the world to expect an instant transformation of sinners into flawless saints,”explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
His Word Today 