Called to Holiness

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 (ESV)
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. [2] For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. [3] For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; [4] that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, [5] not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; [6] that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. [7] For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. [8] Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

As I read this passage verse 7 really stood out to me. God has called us to holiness and not to impurity. The impurity that is being addressed here is sexual impurity. We, much like the Thessalonians, are submerged in a sexually impure society (promiscuity was acceptable in the Greco-Roman culture). My wife just last night said she saw a bumper sticker during the day that just read “I love porn.” God uses Paul to write to the Thessalonians, and to us, not to give up holiness to be like the society.

I’ve tried to find the major points in this section of scripture:

• ABSTAIN FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY
  (Movies; Television; Music; Internet; Talk; Actions; Romance Novels – it’s easy to just go along with society with many things).
• CONTROL YOUR OWN BODY IN HOLINESS AND HONOR
  (Remember Hebrews 4:15; Jesus knows what we go through, and through Him, the victory over sin that He had is our victory too).
• DO NOT INDULGE THE PASSION OF LUST LIKE THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW GOD
  (We have an incredible gift of living life in Jesus Christ; we truly don’t need to engage in the activities of the world to find fulfillment).
• DO NOT TAKE ANOTHER CHRISTIAN ALONG WITH YOU IN THE PASSION OF LUST
  (Justify your actions, by including a brother/sister in Christ).
• IT IS GOD HIMSELF THAT HAS CALLED YOU TO HOLINESS AND NOT TO IMPURITY
  (There are two ways you can view this: High Pressure or Encouragement. God knows that we can’t live up to this call on our own, but He still calls us to holiness. He calls us to rely on Christ so that the world doesn’t separate us from Him. It’s only through Christ, not me, that I can find holiness – pressure gone; encouragement found).

I did wait to use verse 1 until now on purpose. Why is that? Because we need to do exactly what is says: to continue to live for and to please God, and to do it more and more each day. He has called us to holiness because He has set us apart for Himself.