1 Thessalonians 4:7-By No Means Did God Effectually Call the Christian for the Practice of Sexual Impurity But to Experience Sanctification

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us about how you must live and please God (as you are in fact living) that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God. 6 In this matter no one should violate the rights of his brother or take advantage of him, because the Lord is the avenger in all these cases, as we also told you earlier and warned you solemnly. 7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. (NET)

In 1 Thessalonians 4:7, the apostle Paul asserts that the one and only God did not call each member of the Christian community to the practice of sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing their sanctification.

This statement presents the reason for the appositional clause in 1 Thessalonians 4:3b which asserts that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community must for their own benefit make it their habit of abstaining from the practice of sexual immorality (4:3b).

Therefore, a comparison of these statements indicates that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community must for their own benefit make it their habit of abstaining from the practice of sexual immorality because God did not call them to sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing their sanctification.

Also, the statement in verse 7 is presenting the reason for the first statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:4.

The latter asserts that each of the Thessalonians know how to make it their habit of possessing their own body with regards to experiencing sanctification which results in honor at the Bema Seat.

Therefore, a comparison of 1 Thessalonians 4:4 and 7 indicates that each of the Thessalonians know how to make it their habit of possessing their own body with regards to experiencing sanctification which results in honor at the Bema Seat because God did not call them to sexual impurity but rather with regard to experiencing their sanctification.

The statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 is also presenting the reason for the statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:5, which asserts that the Thessalonians were not to possess their own bodies with regards to the practice of lustful passion like in fact the unregenerate Gentile community who do not know the one and only God personally.

Therefore, a comparison of these two verses indicates that the Thessalonians were not to possess their own bodies with regards to the practice of lustful passion like in fact the unregenerate Gentile community who do not know the one and only God personally because God did not call them to sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing their sanctification.

Furthermore, the statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 is presenting the reason for the first statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:6 which asserts that experiencing sanctification is not to transgress God’s law and specifically it is not to exploit one’s spiritual brother or sister with regards to the matter of sexual immorality.

Therefore, a comparison of these two statements indicates that experiencing sanctification is not to transgress God’s law.

Specifically, it is not to exploit one’s spiritual brother or sister with regards to the matter of sexual immorality because God did not call the Thessalonians to sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing their sanctification.

In addition to this, the statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 is presenting the reason for the second statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:6 which is a causal clause which asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ is an avenger with regards to the practice various kinds of sexual immorality.

Therefore, a comparison of these two statements indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ is an avenger with regards to the practice various kinds of sexual immorality because God the Father did not call the Thessalonians to sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing their sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 is also presenting the reason for the emphatic comparative clause which emphatically asserts that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy in the past communicated the doctrine that the Lord is avenger of those who transgress God’s law by exploiting their fellow-believer for sexual purposes.

Therefore, a comparison of this clause and the statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 indicates that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy in the past communicated to the Thessalonians the doctrine that the Lord is an avenger of those who transgress God’s law by exploiting their fellow-believer for sexual purposes because God the Father did not call the Thessalonians to sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing sanctification.

Lastly, the statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 presents the reason for the fifth and final assertion in 1 Thessalonians 4:6.

The latter 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.

It asserts that these three men for their own benefit and for the benefit of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community solemnly warned the latter of this fact.

Therefore, a comparison of 1 Thessalonians 4:7 and this fifth and final assertion in 1 Thessalonians 4:6 indicates that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy solemnly warned the Thessalonians that the Lord is an avenger of those who transgress His law by exploiting their fellow-believer for sexual purposes because the Father did not call them to sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing sanctification.

As we noted in our exegesis and exposition of 1 Thessalonians 2:12 where this word first appears in First Thessalonians, the verb kaleō in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 refers to an act of summoning which effectively evokes from those addressed the response which it invites.

The verb kaleō refers to the “effective evocation” of faith through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit who united the believer to Christ according to the Father’s electing him to privilege and His gracious eternal purpose and predetermined plan.

The verb refers to not only the Father’s invitation to salvation for the Christian through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit, but it also refers to their acceptance of this invitation by faith and which invitation originates from eternity past.

This “effectual call” refers to the “effective evocation” of faith through the presentation of the gospel by the Holy Spirit which unites the sinner to Christ according to the Father’s gracious purpose in election.

It does not refer to the “call of God,” which is related to “common grace” meaning grace given to all sinners by God in the form of being exposed to the gospel.

In other words, it does not refer to the “invitation” to receive the gift of salvation by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Rather, it refers to those sinners who have responded to the divine invitation or call of God when they were presented the gospel and have exercised faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Thus, it is an “effectual call” as many commentators describe it.

The meaning of the verb kaleō is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou, which means “absolutely never” or “by no means” since the word is emphatically denying the reality of an alleged fact occurring and it is a clear cut, point-blank negative which is objective and final.

Therefore, the verb kaleō and the emphatic negative adverb ou are expressing the idea that the Father by no means effectually called each and every Christian for the purpose of sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing their sanctification.

“Impurity” is the noun akatharsia which refers to the practice of all types of sexual sins such as pre-marital sex (Gen. 1:18-24; 1 Cor. 7:2), adultery (1 Sam. 21:5), rape (Gen. 34:5), homosexuality (Lev. 18:20), and other sexual deviations (Lev. 18:6-30).

It denotes the state or moral impurity in relation to sexual sin.

This interpretation is indicated by the contents of 1 Thessalonians 4:1-6 which implores the Thessalonians to continue to make it their habit of abstaining from all types of sexual immorality in order to experience their sanctification.

This word akatharsia contains the figure of metonymy which means that various forms of sexual impurity are put for the practice of these types of sexual impurity.

The conjunction alla is a marker of a strong emphatic contrast between the prepositional phrase en hagiasmō (ἐν ἁγιασμῷ), “in holiness,” which it is introducing and the previous assertion.

Therefore, the emphatic contrast is between the idea of God the Father by no means effectually calling the Christian for the purpose of practicing sexual impurity of any kind and that of effectually calling them with regards to experiencing their sanctification.

As was the case in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, the noun hagiasmos, “holiness” here in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 means “sanctification” since the word pertains to the act of becoming more personally dedicated to God and specifically by becoming more distinct, devoted and morally pure.

The word contains the figure of metonymy as well which means that sanctification is put for that of experiencing one’s sanctification.

Therefore, the word refers to the Thessalonian Christian community experiencing sanctification as a result of obeying Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s doctrinal instruction with regards to sanctification.

Thus, it refers to the Thessalonians experiencing the holiness of God in their lives by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s Spirit’s inspired teaching with regards to sanctification.

The believer who is experiencing sanctification is experiencing fellowship with God and vice versa.

Experiencing sanctification is describing experiencing fellowship with God from the perspective that it is experiencing being set apart to serve God exclusively.