A Life Pleasing to God

Live What You Learned (1-2)

An exhortation with authority (1)

Paul possessed authority as an apostle, but he is careful to ground his positional authority in Christ, and his authoritative exhortations in the truth of God’s word.

An exhortation to make pleasing God the target (1)

Question: “walk and to please God...”

What is meant by “just going through the motions” and what makes the difference between that and living a life pleasing to God?

An exhortation to not approach hitting the target casually (1)

Question: “that you do so more and more”

Throughout this epistle, Paul has offered the Thessalonians much encouragement regarding their faithfulness. What does his urging them to walk and to please God more and more suggest about living a life that is centered on pleasing God?

An exhortation that should be familiar (2)

“for you know what instructions we have you through the Lord Jesus”

Verse 2 is the basis for Paul’s exhortation. He urges the Thessalonians to live their lives centered on pleasing God, and to not let up on that effort. This is nothing new. Paul has visited this topic with them before, but knowing the truth and embracing the truth are not the same thing. So this reminder of his previous instructions sets the stage for the first area of life Paul addresses to be yielded to God. Sexual holiness is one aspect of the “instructions” he and his team had given this church.

Live Sexually Holy Lives (3-8)

The principal concern (3)

“this is the will of God”

Question: What does knowing the will of God demand of those who know it?

(Action - God’s will is His plan for His creation, and this plan is expected to be put into practice)

“your sanctification”

Question: This refers to the process of our maturity in Christ. This word in the LXX caries the idea of being separate from the unclean. If this nuance is part of how we are to understand Paul’s message, what implications does being separate from the unclean have for our understanding of the process of our maturity in Christ?

Being separate from sin is part of our sanctification (see 5:22-23).

The immediate concern (3)

“abstain” = refrain from practicing

“sexual immorality” = any kind of sexual relation outside of heterosexual marriage, whether it be fornication, adultery, homosexuality, incest, prostitution or bestiality

The specifics of the immediate concern (4-6)

Self-control

Interpretive problem with v. 4: regarding the noun “body” and the verb “control”

ESV

that each one of you know how to control his own body...

hat each one of you know how to take a wife for himself...

hat each one of you know how to possess his own vessel...

NIV

that each of you should learn to control your own body

that each one of you should learn to live with your own wife

that each one of you should learn to acquire a wife

The interpretive question:

Is this teaching about how a man should live with with or acquire a wife or about how a man should take control of his own sexual desires?

Some facts to remember:

Paul is addressing sexual holiness (v. 3)

This teaching is directed to everyone in the church. Brothers in v. 1 is used to address all people as is seen in 2:1 and many other places in Pauline books.

What we should know about the verb control

A range of meanings

mastery of something

procure or acquire (to get control)

What we should know about the noun body

an instrument used to accomplish work

metaphorically it can refer to the human body or a person

The literature of the era sometimes uses this term to refer to a man’s wife

It is used in 1 Peter 3:7 to refer to the wife as the weaker vessel. Here, Peter exhorts husbands to show honor to his wife.

Suggested Conclusion

Paul is exhorting all people to pursue sexual holiness by abstaining from sexual urges that are not in compliance with the biblical sexual ethic, and by exercising self-control to resist committing sexually immoral behavior.

In support of this conclusion

see Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25; 1 Cor. 6:12-20; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5)

See also Paul’s instructions to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:21-22, where Paul uses very similar language to exhort Timothy to purity.

We are to abstain and exercise self-control in holiness and honor

Question: The connection between God-honoring sexual behavior and holiness is clear enough. “Honor”, on the other hand has to do with the recognition or respect of others. What’s the connection between pursuing sexual purity and having the respect of others?

We should want this kind of honor from the Christian community, not the world (“Gentiles” v. 5). But ultimately, we are concerned for this kind of recognition from God.

2. Honoring one another (6)

transgress = overstep

wrong = manipulate

Question:

“that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter”

The “matter” to which Paul refers is the pursuit of sexual holiness (purity). There is a progression here that Paul describes that starts with a concern for personal purity and ends with a warning against adultery. Describe this progression.

When we are not vigilant to keep our sexual lusts (v. 5) in check, we become vulnerable to temptations that can lead to deceitful postures and practices towards people.

3. Sober recognition of God’s judgement (6)

avenger = one who chastises those who do evil and executes judgement

Civic officials are referred to this way (see Rom 13:4)

The Thessalonians have been taught this from the beginning

The basis for the concern (7-8)

The purpose of our calling (7)

holiness which echoes v. 3 (7)

honoring God (8)

Love One Another & Others (9-12)

You know you should love one another

because you have been taught to love one another by God (9)

because you’re already loving one another and others in the faith beyond Thessalonica (10)

so don’t let up on loving one another (10)

Others (11-12)

What does it mean to live quietly? (11)

See 1 Tim. 2:1-4

1 Timothy 2:1–4 (ESV)

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

influencing ingredient to impact unbelievers with the Christian faith

Question:

“live quietly”

This means to live in such a way as to not cause commotion or disruption. What’s the connection between living this way and “people getting saved and coming to a knowledge of the truth”?

2. The result of living quietly (12)

a good witness to the unbelieving world

pose no imposition on the generosity of others