For this is the will of God, your sanctification

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV)

For this is the will of God, your sanctification. He adds we should abstain from sexual immorality.

The scriptures reveal God’s will for us. His will is what He wants for us or has purposed for us. Paul says in very explicit terms, “this is the will of God, your sanctification.” God wants us to live holy and sanctified lives. And He goes further and clearly spells out the specific area he was referring to: “that you abstain from sexual immorality.” God wants to lead a sanctified life and be sexually pure. It is His desire. It is His will for us.

Sin is sin, but not all sins are the same. Scripture shows us there is something about sexual sin that defies our lives like no other sin. Paul said to the Corinthians:

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV).

One of the weakest and most sensitive spots of our human nature is our sexuality. Satan knows, and he is taking full advantage of it. Sexual immorality is a weapon in his hands that almost always works because humans are so vulnerable to its seductions. Almost everything you hear or see in the world is designed to provoke sexual feelings in you. Sex is the obsession of the world. However, God’s will is unchanging and does not depend on the surrounding culture. His will is for us to be holy and abstain from sexual immorality.

Related post: The other side of sex besides pleasure.

Meditate

Why is sexual sin different from other sins? Why is it so enticing to us?

Apply the word

Our only escape from sexual sin is yielding to the Spirit. Sexual lust is so powerful that even our best of human intentions will not be enough to resist it. God’s will is straightforward: abstain from sexual immorality in all its forms and shapes.

Pray

Ask the Father to help you escape and live above the power and seducing hands of sexual lust.

Read more

• Sexual purity in an immorality infected society.
• What is the lust of the flesh?
• Featured article: What is a Devotional?