A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1 Thessalonians 4:5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

In our third verse of this chapter, Paul’s introduced the will of God for these believers, and the first topic was that of sex. How is a Christian to live honorably towards God in the arena of sex in his life. First off, Paul speaks of abstaining from sexual immorality. Don’t sin.

It is somewhat obvious that a Christian is not to sin, but Paul reminds us of this requirement in our calling. But he simply does not give us a negative, without providing a replacement for the bed. Enter verse 4, where he speaks of being self controlled, and as mentioned earlier, the core idea is to rest in the Lord, to dwell in Him in order for the fruit of the Spirit, which contains self control is provided as we walk in the Spirit.

Now in verse 5, we find he is dealing with the Thessalonians regarding their specific background or history prior to salvation.

Remember, the Thessalonians were primarily a church of converted gentiles, and when converted, many if not all of the church, had been steeped in the culture of the Gentiles, living in the passion of lust.

This condition is prevalent in our modern society, and the modern church has somewhat abandoned this demand upon new converts. If a new convert is in a compromising relationship with someone, it is not dissuaded or condemned. It might simply be ignored.

In some cases it is encouraged, as if the church was never to make any judgement on the life choice of the convert. This is foolishness, and the death of the church.

To live in the passion of lusts, is to be controlled by feelings and cravings, to be led about by desires that are dictated by an unregenerate heart. This is not the condition a believer lives in, and Paul reminded the Thessalonians they had been called out of that life.

Paul tailored his message to the needs of the congregation he was dealing with, and when he was teaching the Thessalonians, the lustful passions of their prior existence came to the forefront of the discussion.

This verse is the beginning of a harsh warning to the church. It is not a light subject, and Paul loved them enough to challenge those he cared for.

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