Living to Please God

Bible Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

In this passage we see a pivot in Paul’s message. Up to this point, he has been sharing his affection for the Thessalonians and recalling the time he spent with them. Now he moves on to other matters, including some instructions that he wants to give them – and in these verses the focus of those instructions is a godly lifestyle. For Paul, Christian ethics are not primarily about keeping rules but about learning what it means to live a life that pleases God. After establishing the broad principle in verses 1-2 of honouring God with our lives, he then moves on to two practical case studies – looking at how we honour God with our bodies and how we honour God through our public witness.

Living to Please God (v1-2): As Paul brings up the topic of godly living, his tone remains one of thankful gratitude for the believers that he is writing to. He recalls how he has taught them about this before, and notes that they are in fact living in this way. As we encourage one another to godliness, Paul’s model is a good one – to not only pick up on areas that fall short of godly living but to also recognise and celebrate those areas where holy living can be seen. Paul then encourages the Thessalonian believers to this ‘more and more’ (a phrase that reappears in verse 10). Godly living is not simply a binary that we are either succeeding or failing in, but is an ongoing pursuit for all of us, to seek to increasingly show the fruit of lives shaped by the gospel.

Case Study – Sexual Morality (v3-8): As the first application of what he is talking about, Paul brings up the area of sex and how we are to honour God with our bodies. He uses words like sanctified, holy and honourable to create a sense of the body being devoted to God. This comes with a profound sense of agency, that we are making the choice to give our body as part of our worship to the Lord. The word used for sexual immorality is porneia, and is a catch-all term that would apply to any sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage, including not only our actions but our thoughts and lusts as well. Paul contrasts this with both the passionate lust that might sometimes consume us, and the way sex can be used to take advantage of others. Neither of these things fit with the new life that God called us to. This is not an optional add-on or a human instruction, but as Paul explains in verse 8 it is from God himself and should be received as such. This same God who has given the command is also the one who gives us his Spirit, and this truth both adds extra importance to how we use our bodies (because the Spirit of God is indwelling them) and also points to the source of strength and help we have as we seek to live to honour God in this way.

Case Study – Public Witness (v9-12): The second area that Paul elaborates on is the way we live out the faith publicly and the impact this has on those around us. We should note that he does not call for antagonism towards the society at large, nor uprising, but instead highlights two things. Firstly is the way we are to show love for one another. Again, this is something that the Thessalonians are already doing well, and he encourages them to do it ‘more and more’. As Jesus said, ‘by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ Second, we are to live quiet, peaceful, and respectful lives. To get a job, work hard and mind our own business is the correct posture of a Christian towards society at large. Of course within this we want to share faith and witness to those around us, but the posture of this is humble ordinariness rather than fighting to bend society to our own will. As we live in this way it will make an impact and win respect from those around us, and may well lead to opportunities to share the good news about Jesus with them.

Potential Applications

• The section on sexual morality will be challenging for some. Be sure to speak about it in a way that is warm and empathetic. But there will be a call to holiness there and perhaps a need for some people to repent and live in a different way.
• The ‘more and more’ application is powerful for us all to hear. Even for those who may not feel like they are struggling in a particular area, it is good to be reminded that we have not ‘arrived’ and there is always more growth that we can pursue.
• A passage like this makes us think about the kind of community we are building. How can we help one another to grow in holiness and live in ways that align with the gospel?