Authentic Christian Living (1 Thess. 4:1-12)
This sermon was preached on 28/2/2010
One of the demands commonly made in many walks of life is for authenticity. We live in a world of shallow imitations, where pretence is the order of the day. Recently we have observed Members of Parliament taken to task because they did not make genuine claims. Their way of life was not appropriate to their position. Of course we know that such behaviour is not limited to them. Indeed, if it was possible to invent a machine that would give a regular check-up on the level of our authenticity a lot of people would want it banned.
The desire for authenticity should mark the Christian church. At times, people suggest what is wrong with the church. I recall that a book was published a few years ago that suggested that worship was the missing jewel from the church. If you were to ask me what I think is wrong with the church, I would say that there is not a high level of sanctification. In case you think I am looking at you, I am not. Instead I see the biggest problem each time I look in the mirror. Nevertheless, I suspect that my assessment is accurate.
Paul wanted the Thessalonian church to have ongoing authenticity. True, they had made a good start and they were marked by love and eagerness to spread the gospel. Yet Paul knew that a good start was not sufficient. Many an athlete has made a good start but never finished the race. Therefore he urged the Thessalonians to continue making progress. In other words, authenticity is achieved by doing so.
The theme that Paul deals with in this verses is summarised in verse 3: ‘for this is the will of God, your sanctification.’ From the passage we can see that sanctification is progressive (likened to a walk), pure (incompatible with sexual immorality), practical (how one lives day by day, v. 11) and public (outsiders, v. 12). It is both inward and outward, involving how we think as well as how we behave.
Before we consider aspects of sanctification, we need to look at what Paul means by ‘the will of God’. The phrase is common, but it does not always refer to the same thing. A common way of distinguishing meanings is to think of God’s secret will and God’s revealed will. His secret will is his eternal purpose, in which he has willed whatsoever comes to pass. We have no access to this will of God, we can never know what it contains. His revealed will is his commandments stated in the Bible, what he wants his people to do and not do. In verse 3, Paul is referring to God’s revealed will.
The word ‘sanctification’ is the noun derived from the verb ‘to sanctify’, which has the basic meaning of being set apart from others by God. The first use of the idea is found in Genesis 2:3 when God set apart the seventh day of the week for himself. Sometimes the word is used of places and objects, especially in the Old Testament description of the tabernacle and temple. These objects and places belong to God and he can do with them what he wishes. It is also used of food in 1 Timothy 4:5, which is said to be sanctified by the word of God and prayer, perhaps a reason for reading the Bible at mealtimes as well as giving thanks. A fourth example is when Paul says that a converted spouse sanctifies his or her partner and children (1 Cor. 7:15).
The word is also used of Jesus. In John 10:36, Jesus says that he was set apart by the Father and sent into the world, describing what happened between the persons of the Trinity. In his prayer in John 17, Jesus says that he sanctifies himself, consecrates himself to the role of sanctifying his disciples, which will involve his work on the cross and his subsequent work on their behalf once he ascended into heaven.
Who can be sanctified?
Since sanctification involves being set apart for God, it is easy to deduce that it is sinners who will go through this process. But what kind of sinner can be sanctified? The answer to this question is a saved sinner is the type of sinner who experiences sanctification. This means that such a sinner has to go through certain stages before he can be sanctified and these stages can be viewed from his experience or from his blessings.
From the point of view of his experience, before he can be sanctified, he has to repent of his sins and trust in Jesus Christ. It is impossible for a sinner to experience sanctification before he becomes a person marked by penitence and trust in Jesus. From a human point of view, these responses are the beginning of sanctification and they are present throughout the process of sanctification. At the beginning, a sinner sorry for his sin turns to God through faith in Christ. Throughout his spiritual journey he will continue to have these attitudes – always repenting of his sins and failures, always depending on Jesus for forgiveness and cleansing and fellowship.
With regard to the blessings he receives, sanctification is preceded by two of them – justification and adoption. Both these blessings follow faith: justification includes forgiveness of sins and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ as the sinner’s standing in God’s presence, which means that it is justified sinners who are sanctified. Their sanctification does not procure this standing; instead it is based on it. Adoption means that the penitent, believing sinner becomes a permanent member of the family of God, with a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. As with justification, adoption is not procured by sanctification – we do not become children because we are holy, but we become holy because we are children. This leads us to the second question:
How can they be sanctified?
In 1 Thessalonians 4:8, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they receive the Holy Spirit from God (note the present tense – it is an ongoing supply). One of the consequences of adoption is that God’s people are given the Holy Spirit. ‘And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”’ (Gal. 4:6). The Spirit comes for many reasons, but one of the most important of them is to sanctify his people.
This means that sanctification is by grace. When this is said, people imagine that it does not involve us. That is not the case, as we will see shortly. Yet those being sanctified are dependant on the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit to renew them inwardly.
Sanctification is always gradual. There used to be a rather silly notion held by some that they could attain sinless perfection. That claim could easily be tested by pouring a glass of water over them and in 100% of the cases it was revealed that they were not sinless. Obviously a situation where a glass of water does a world of good. Throughout life, the process of sanctification goes on.
Since sanctification is gradual, there will be growth. John uses stages in a human life to illustrate this growth – first a child, then a young man, then a father (1 John 2:12-14), with each stage having its own spiritual features. Paul uses another image in Galatians 5:22-23, that of fruit which ripens throughout life in balance and proportion.
The tool that the Holy Spirit uses is God’s Word and there is a reference to it in verse 2 when Paul says that he gave the Thessalonians instructions from the Lord Jesus. Of course, the reference indicates is that Paul has in mind divine instructions clearly taught, and sometimes solemnly so (v. 6). In the Bible we find instructions on a wide range of issues connected to sanctification, including prayer, family situations, workplaces, and church attendance.
The point of mentioning God’s Word is because it contains all the information we need for sanctification. In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees imagined they had found a path of sanctification by devising additional commandments not authorised by God. Such suggestions have no value in sanctification, and we should ignore them. Instead focus on the instructions God has given.
Why should they be sanctified?Paul gives a straightforward answer to this question in verse 1 – we are to please God. This detail contains to obvious points: first, it is possible to please him and, second, it is possible to displease him. It is an amazing concept to think that we can please God by our lives. Yet this is the goal of sanctification as described by the author of Hebrews in his doxology in 13:20-21: ‘Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.’
A second reason why they should be sanctified is that it is a reason why Jesus died for them on the cross: he ‘gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good’ (Titus 2:14). It is inevitable that they will want to be sanctified if they spend time thinking about the purpose of his death.
A third reason for sanctification is the possession of assurance of salvation. At times, providences can shake our assurance, but usually the reason for declining assurance is a failure to make progress in sanctification.
A fourth reason for desiring sanctification is that without holiness no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). This is a reference to being with him in heaven at the end of the journey. Heaven is a holy place for holy people.
In what areas of life should they be sanctified?
Paul mentions some of these areas in this passage. First, they will avoid all kinds of immorality. They will mortify the desires for wrong things and ensure they will not cause offence to another Christian by causing them even to think about such matters.
Second, sanctification is best expressed by brotherly love. Living in such a way brings assurance to their hearts. Such love is all-embracive and does not omit any Christian from its affections.
Third, sanctification shows itself in contentment. I think this is the point of Paul’s admonition in verses 11 and 12: ‘aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.’ The opposite of these qualities are usually expressions of discontent, but a person making progress in sanctification will show that there is true beauty in holy living.
The desire for authenticity should mark the Christian church. At times, people suggest what is wrong with the church. I recall that a book was published a few years ago that suggested that worship was the missing jewel from the church. If you were to ask me what I think is wrong with the church, I would say that there is not a high level of sanctification. In case you think I am looking at you, I am not. Instead I see the biggest problem each time I look in the mirror. Nevertheless, I suspect that my assessment is accurate.
Paul wanted the Thessalonian church to have ongoing authenticity. True, they had made a good start and they were marked by love and eagerness to spread the gospel. Yet Paul knew that a good start was not sufficient. Many an athlete has made a good start but never finished the race. Therefore he urged the Thessalonians to continue making progress. In other words, authenticity is achieved by doing so.
The theme that Paul deals with in this verses is summarised in verse 3: ‘for this is the will of God, your sanctification.’ From the passage we can see that sanctification is progressive (likened to a walk), pure (incompatible with sexual immorality), practical (how one lives day by day, v. 11) and public (outsiders, v. 12). It is both inward and outward, involving how we think as well as how we behave.
Before we consider aspects of sanctification, we need to look at what Paul means by ‘the will of God’. The phrase is common, but it does not always refer to the same thing. A common way of distinguishing meanings is to think of God’s secret will and God’s revealed will. His secret will is his eternal purpose, in which he has willed whatsoever comes to pass. We have no access to this will of God, we can never know what it contains. His revealed will is his commandments stated in the Bible, what he wants his people to do and not do. In verse 3, Paul is referring to God’s revealed will.
The word ‘sanctification’ is the noun derived from the verb ‘to sanctify’, which has the basic meaning of being set apart from others by God. The first use of the idea is found in Genesis 2:3 when God set apart the seventh day of the week for himself. Sometimes the word is used of places and objects, especially in the Old Testament description of the tabernacle and temple. These objects and places belong to God and he can do with them what he wishes. It is also used of food in 1 Timothy 4:5, which is said to be sanctified by the word of God and prayer, perhaps a reason for reading the Bible at mealtimes as well as giving thanks. A fourth example is when Paul says that a converted spouse sanctifies his or her partner and children (1 Cor. 7:15).
The word is also used of Jesus. In John 10:36, Jesus says that he was set apart by the Father and sent into the world, describing what happened between the persons of the Trinity. In his prayer in John 17, Jesus says that he sanctifies himself, consecrates himself to the role of sanctifying his disciples, which will involve his work on the cross and his subsequent work on their behalf once he ascended into heaven.
Who can be sanctified?
Since sanctification involves being set apart for God, it is easy to deduce that it is sinners who will go through this process. But what kind of sinner can be sanctified? The answer to this question is a saved sinner is the type of sinner who experiences sanctification. This means that such a sinner has to go through certain stages before he can be sanctified and these stages can be viewed from his experience or from his blessings.
From the point of view of his experience, before he can be sanctified, he has to repent of his sins and trust in Jesus Christ. It is impossible for a sinner to experience sanctification before he becomes a person marked by penitence and trust in Jesus. From a human point of view, these responses are the beginning of sanctification and they are present throughout the process of sanctification. At the beginning, a sinner sorry for his sin turns to God through faith in Christ. Throughout his spiritual journey he will continue to have these attitudes – always repenting of his sins and failures, always depending on Jesus for forgiveness and cleansing and fellowship.
With regard to the blessings he receives, sanctification is preceded by two of them – justification and adoption. Both these blessings follow faith: justification includes forgiveness of sins and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ as the sinner’s standing in God’s presence, which means that it is justified sinners who are sanctified. Their sanctification does not procure this standing; instead it is based on it. Adoption means that the penitent, believing sinner becomes a permanent member of the family of God, with a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. As with justification, adoption is not procured by sanctification – we do not become children because we are holy, but we become holy because we are children. This leads us to the second question:
How can they be sanctified?
In 1 Thessalonians 4:8, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they receive the Holy Spirit from God (note the present tense – it is an ongoing supply). One of the consequences of adoption is that God’s people are given the Holy Spirit. ‘And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”’ (Gal. 4:6). The Spirit comes for many reasons, but one of the most important of them is to sanctify his people.
This means that sanctification is by grace. When this is said, people imagine that it does not involve us. That is not the case, as we will see shortly. Yet those being sanctified are dependant on the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit to renew them inwardly.
Sanctification is always gradual. There used to be a rather silly notion held by some that they could attain sinless perfection. That claim could easily be tested by pouring a glass of water over them and in 100% of the cases it was revealed that they were not sinless. Obviously a situation where a glass of water does a world of good. Throughout life, the process of sanctification goes on.
Since sanctification is gradual, there will be growth. John uses stages in a human life to illustrate this growth – first a child, then a young man, then a father (1 John 2:12-14), with each stage having its own spiritual features. Paul uses another image in Galatians 5:22-23, that of fruit which ripens throughout life in balance and proportion.
The tool that the Holy Spirit uses is God’s Word and there is a reference to it in verse 2 when Paul says that he gave the Thessalonians instructions from the Lord Jesus. Of course, the reference indicates is that Paul has in mind divine instructions clearly taught, and sometimes solemnly so (v. 6). In the Bible we find instructions on a wide range of issues connected to sanctification, including prayer, family situations, workplaces, and church attendance.
The point of mentioning God’s Word is because it contains all the information we need for sanctification. In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees imagined they had found a path of sanctification by devising additional commandments not authorised by God. Such suggestions have no value in sanctification, and we should ignore them. Instead focus on the instructions God has given.
Why should they be sanctified?Paul gives a straightforward answer to this question in verse 1 – we are to please God. This detail contains to obvious points: first, it is possible to please him and, second, it is possible to displease him. It is an amazing concept to think that we can please God by our lives. Yet this is the goal of sanctification as described by the author of Hebrews in his doxology in 13:20-21: ‘Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.’
A second reason why they should be sanctified is that it is a reason why Jesus died for them on the cross: he ‘gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good’ (Titus 2:14). It is inevitable that they will want to be sanctified if they spend time thinking about the purpose of his death.
A third reason for sanctification is the possession of assurance of salvation. At times, providences can shake our assurance, but usually the reason for declining assurance is a failure to make progress in sanctification.
A fourth reason for desiring sanctification is that without holiness no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). This is a reference to being with him in heaven at the end of the journey. Heaven is a holy place for holy people.
In what areas of life should they be sanctified?
Paul mentions some of these areas in this passage. First, they will avoid all kinds of immorality. They will mortify the desires for wrong things and ensure they will not cause offence to another Christian by causing them even to think about such matters.
Second, sanctification is best expressed by brotherly love. Living in such a way brings assurance to their hearts. Such love is all-embracive and does not omit any Christian from its affections.
Third, sanctification shows itself in contentment. I think this is the point of Paul’s admonition in verses 11 and 12: ‘aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.’ The opposite of these qualities are usually expressions of discontent, but a person making progress in sanctification will show that there is true beauty in holy living.
Thank you for this beautiful commentary. I have been asked to teach a Sunday School lesson on this passage. The members of the class are in their 70s and 80s, as I am. Other commentaries I found are steeped in the sexual conduct portion and I have a hard time relating to that and to teaching it to this particular group. I deeply appreciate your more comprehensive and meaningful understanding.
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