1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 & 4:1-8 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
The Thessalonians as well as the rest of the citizens of the Roman Empire were engulfed in the sexual impurity that permeated the society. Prostitution was legal and practiced by many even in the temples to the heathen gods. Pagan practices were so prevalent in this world that the city of Corinth was particularly know for its decadence. The Temple of Aphrodite was said to have 1,000 prostitutes and greatly influenced the culture and morals of the city and the surrounding countryside. Mistresses and adulterous affairs were common place, and sexual concubines were purchased by those who possessed sufficient money. The Thessalonian church existed in this culture of sexual debauchery and filth. When Paul encourages his Christian converts to lead sanctified lives and to avoid sexual immorality, he understands the culture of the day, and he knew exactly what he was asking of them. He was saying they must grow up in Christ and separate themselves from the temptations of the world in which they lived. They must stand by the power of the risen Lord, apart from the contamination of the majority culture. He implores each of them to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God. Paul knew sexual purity on the part of the Christians would impact this cistern of darkness greatly. The true love of the Father expressed through the Son would reveal the lust and degradation and bring the light of God to a very dark world. Paul fully understood the words of Jesus when He said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Jesus went on to explain, “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” (Luke 11:27 & 33-36) Those who find the Light of Christ walk in that light.
Paul wanted the New Testament church to walk in the light of the never failing, never ending love of God. Jesus is the only true light who came to show us the love of the Father. We have all read the many verses concerning love. We know Corinthians 13. We know love does not take advantage of others and love never fails. Jesus said, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:27-31) Paul instructed believers: Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8 NKJV) Unconditional divine love satisfies every commandment, and if we could all love with that love at all times in all situations, every law would become obsolete. Our justice system would no longer need to function; our jails would become unnecessary. The cardinal commandments of loving God with all your soul, spirit, and might and loving your neighbor as yourself will obliterate the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16) God's love is a servant's love, a love that extends beyond selfish reasons and self-satisfaction, a love that works for the betterment of others. Divine love brings the cleansing, healing light of God into every human condition. As God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son for us, so should we love the world in the same manner. The Bible says, Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5) Without the mind of Christ, we fall back into old patterns of selfishness where we manipulate and control people for our own purposes. In the worst situations we even harm the innocent for our own sexual pleasure. All over the world, young girls and boys are sold into slavery for sexual purposes. What God planned as a beautiful gift to his sons and daughters wicked men have turned into nightmarish experiences of exploitation for countless young women and men. Christians need to rise up in anger against this growing abuse with a cry to deliver those who are captive to the sexual immorality of our day. When people can book "vacations" to countries that specialize in these practices, and everyone knows what is going on, something is very wrong with our world.
Paul wrote, It is God’s will that you should be sanctified. We must live lives that reflect God's holiness. As we live such lives, we will not take advantage of others or stand by idly when we see others taking advantage of the helpless and the needy. Even in our simplest daily interactions, we will watch out for the people in our lives and those God brings to our attention. We want them to receive fair treatment and justice from us and others. Our demeanor should show the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). Even when we think people take advantage of us, we should react as those who know Christ, as his servants and not with harsh words, bitterness, malice, or rage. James says, this servant life costs us. He tells us plainly, What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:14-20) Words in erudite books, sermons, and sage advice are easy to write or say, but actions require constant effort. When we fail to put our faith into action, we expose our unregenerate flesh, rather than Christ in us, our hope of glory. The culture surrounding the Thessalonian church was full of many sins including people seeking sexual gratification for selfish purposes. Such actions go against God's very nature. There are many selfish sins that can lead us away from the perfect will of God. Does God tolerate us purchasing an heirloom from an old lady who does not know the value of her possession? Shouldn't a sanctified Christian offer her a more fair price for the object she is selling? Do we see the wickedness of a sinner buying a girl or boy for sexual gratification yet fail to see our own lack of love for our neighbors? God is holy and just. Yes, by faith He has allowed us to swim in the pool of his grace, but faith without works is DEAD. Our intentions and our actions delineate how much we appreciate, value, and understand God's unmerited love towards us. Even the devil knows there is a God, but we who are alive in Christ serve God and do his will. God is love and light. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (1 John 1:5-6) As children of the truth rejoice in him today!
No comments:
Post a Comment