November 22, 2024

I Thessalonians 4.3 (NIV)

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified; that you should avoid sexual immorality.

God’s moral will is that we reflect the character of Christ.*

Sexual immorality is “especially heinous” (as the television show says) for several reasons, some of which are: 1) it involves us on such a personal level; 2) it is easy to rationalize (“It’s between two consenting adults.” “We’re not hurting anyone.” “God would want me to be happy.”); 3) sex has been hijacked by Satan and distorted from its intended function.

While our society is becoming more jaded by the minute, we have no idea how foreign the idea of sexual purity was to the people of Thessalonica. Other forms of immorality – lying, cheating, stealing, murder – weren’t so acceptable in their culture so Paul begins his lesson where they need it most.

I am reminded of a friend, a “young” Christian, who confided in me that she was in love with a married man. She knew it was wrong to want to be with him and she knew I did not approve of her pursuing a relationship with him. There wasn’t much left for me to say on that subject. But, in the course of our conversation, she casually mentioned some money she had that she was hiding from the IRS. She was genuinely astonished when I made her aware that this behavior was wrong, too. As a new Christian, my friend had a lot to learn about what it means to be sanctified. There was no point in my going on about what she already knew about sexual immorality, but she had something new to learn about other types of sin. 

When we are in a position to teach others, it is important to know where they are in their walk with the Lord. Don’t waste the moment on what they already know.

Most people make talking about Christ harder than it really is. Just start where the person is.*