Sanctification Series: Sanctification in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

The apostle Paul wrote extensively about sanctification in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Therefore, in addition to this brothers and sisters each one of us is requesting, yes urgently, authoritatively encouraging each and every one of you on the basis of the Lord Jesus’ commands that as each of you received from each of us instruction how each of you are obligated to make it your habit to live in a manner so as to make it your habit of pleasing God (as each one of you are in fact making it your habit of living) that each of you make it your habit of excelling more and more. (Pastor’s translation)

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 presents an inference from the statement in 1 Thessalonians 3:13.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 addresses the subject of sanctification and which subject is inferred from the reference to holiness in 1 Thessalonians 3:13 since sanctification and holiness are inextricably tied to each other.

For the child of God, experiencing sanctification is experiencing the holiness of God in one’s life since they are one in the same.

Now, the grammatical structure of 1 Thessalonians 4:1 is complex since it contains two content clauses with the first containing two comparative clauses.

Both of these content clauses contain a request which are inextricably tied to each other since the first presents the means by which the second was to be fulfilled by the Thessalonians.

The first content clause presents Paul, Silvanus and Timothy politely but yet urgently and authoritatively encouraging the Thessalonians to live in a manner so that they please God just as they received instruction from them to do so, and which they were already doing.

The second content clause presents Paul, Silvanus and Timothy politely but yet urgently and authoritatively encouraging the Thessalonians to live in a manner so that they please God more and more.

1 Thessalonians 4:2 For each and every one of you are well aware of what type of commands each one of us gave to each one of you by means of the authority of the Lord Jesus (Pastor’s translation)

Now, here in verse 2, Paul presents the reason for his statement in verse 1 and he in the former asserts that the Thessalonians were well aware of what commands that he, Silvanus and Timothy gave them by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

Therefore, Paul is asserting that the Thessalonians were to make it their habit of excelling more and more in living their lives in a manner which pleases God “because” they were well aware of what commands that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy gave them by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 because this is God’s will, namely, the sanctification of each and every one of you. Specifically that each one of you for your own benefit make it your habit of abstaining from the practice of sexual immorality. (Pastor’s translation)

Now, here in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Paul asserts that God’s will is the sanctification of each one of the Thessalonians.

He then defines what he means by their sanctification by asserting that for their own benefit they make it their abstaining from the practice of sexual immorality.

They would benefit from this because it would result in their growing up to spiritual maturity or in other words, they would become more like Jesus Christ.

Consequently, they would be rewarded by the Lord Jesus Christ as the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 is presenting the reason for the statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:1 that the Thessalonians continue to make it their habit of living in a manner so as to make it their habit of pleasing God and that they continue making it their habit of excelling more and more in doing so.

Therefore, a comparison of verses 1 and 3 indicates that the Thessalonians must continue to make it their habit of living in a manner so as to make it their habit of pleasing God because God’s will is their sanctification, and specifically, His will is that for their own benefit they are making it their habit of abstaining from sexual immorality.

The inference between these two verses is that by living in a manner so as to please God, the Thessalonians would be experiencing the holiness of God, i.e. experiencing their sanctification by abstaining from sexual immorality.

1 Thessalonians 4:4 In other words, that each one of you know how to make it their habit of possessing their own body with regards to sanctification resulting in honor. (Pastor’s translation)

Now, here in 1 Thessalonians 4:4, Paul asserts that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community knew how to make it their habit of possessing their own body with regards to experiencing their sanctification which would result in honor at the Bema Seat.

1 Thessalonians 4:4 emphasizes with the Thessalonians that each of them knew how to possess their own bodies with respect to experiencing their sanctification which will result in being honored by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat.

It also implies that this was the direct result of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy communicating the Lord Jesus Christ’s commands to them with regards to experiencing their sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 4:5 not with regards to the practice of lustful passion like in fact the Gentiles who do not know the one and only God (the Father) personally. (Pastor’s translation)

1 Thessalonians 4:5 is an emphatic comparative clause which emphatically marks a comparison between the Thessalonian Christian community possessing their own bodies with regards to the practice of lustful passion and unregenerate humanity.

This is indicated by the fact that Paul reminds the Thessalonian Christian community that they were not to possess their own bodies with regards to the practice of lustful passion like in fact the Gentiles who do not know the one and only God personally.

Paul asserts in 1 Thessalonians 4:5 that these unregenerate Gentiles do not know the one and only God personally, which means that they did not know the Father personally as a result of being justified by Him through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:6 In regard to this matter, not to transgress, specifically, not to exploit his spiritual brother or sister because the Lord is an avenger concerning all these things. As in fact each of us in the past communicated for the benefit of each and every one of you. Yes indeed, each one of us for our own benefit solemnly warned of for the benefit of each one of you. (Pastor’s translation)

Now, 1 Thessalonians 4:6 contains five assertions.

The first two define what it means to experience one’s sanctification but from a negative perspective and the third assertion is a causal clause and presents the reason for these first two assertions.

The fourth assertion is an emphatic comparative clause and the fifth and final assertion is also emphatic.

It also defines specifically for the reader what Paul means when he says that he, Silvanus and Timothy in the past communicated that the Lord is an avenger concerning all these sins which transgress God’s law and exploit one’s spiritual brother or sister.

So therefore, Paul first asserts in 1 Thessalonians 4:6 that experiencing sanctification as a child of God is not existing in the state of transgressing, which refers to transgressing God’s law in the sense of going beyond the proper limits of behavior which He has prescribed in His law.

Here it refers to sexual activity in which one goes beyond the boundary of acting in a particular which results in a child of God not experiencing their sanctification. Thus, it speaks of the believer transgressing God’s commands by breaking His law by practicing sexual immorality.

Then, Paul defines specifically what he means by existing in the state of not transgressing by asserting that experiencing one’s sanctification is not exploiting one’s spiritual brother or sister in Christ with regards to sexual immorality.

Notice, he does not identify specifically the nature of this advantage or exploitation, however, the context indicates that he has sinful sexual activity in mind based upon the contents of 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For the one and only God by no means effectually called each and every one of us for the purpose of practicing sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing sanctification. (Pastor’s translation)

The declarative statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 presents the reason for the statements in 1 Thessalonians 4:3b-6.

It asserts that the one and only God by no means effectually called each and every Christian for the purpose of practicing sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 4:8 Indeed, therefore, the one who rejects these things is by no means rejecting the authority of human beings but rather the authority of the one and only God who gave as a gift the Spirit who is holy for the benefit of each and every one of you. (Pastor’s translation)

1 Thessalonians 4:8 presents the result of the previous statements recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7.

Therefore, a comparison of the statement in verse 8 with the ones in verses 1-7 indicate that the Thessalonians would be rejecting God’s authority and not human authority as a result of disobeying the Lord Jesus’ commands which Paul, Silvanus and Timothy communicated to them.