“Keep doing what you’ve been doing.” Essentially that’s what Paul tells the Thessalonians in 4:1. The impact of the Good News on their lives had resulted in changed behavior and the display of godly priorities. Paul calls this “sanctification,” which is the process of making something, or someone, holy. They had already been made holy, in the sense that their sins were forgiven and they were right with God, but now that was overflowing into how they lived.
This is something God desires for us as well. We have been made holy in Jesus, now that forgiveness impacts the choices we make day by day. It literally works like this: being made holy by Jesus’ forgiveness changes us so that we become holy in our behavior. Not that this is ever perfect in this life, we will continue to struggle and strive against our sinful nature, but we will indeed struggle and strive to live in such a way that it reflects Jesus’ work in our lives.
One of the areas that people are sorely tempted in is their sexuality, so Paul urges us to control our bodies. This was a big problem in Paul’s day. Part of the decline of the Roman Empire was due to promiscuity, and there were a wide variety of ways that people were sexually active outside of marriage. There were whole parts of the culture that simply believed that one should do whatever it takes to satisfy oneself sexually. In this way, Paul’s time was a lot like ours is. From music to television and a whole host of other media, there are strong messages promoting lustful thoughts and behaviors. How absolutely counter-cultural we are when we teach that God desires us to, “lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.”!
Yet, that is exactly what God calls holy living – a counter-cultural expression of commitment to Christ and following His example because of His salvation! It’s rooting ourselves in God’s Word, living as forgiven sinners, and trying to do His will. Some of those efforts happen over and over and over again and look like (and feel like) frustration and failure. Yet God is with us, leading us through this world!
More and more I am convinced that we are in the midst of a cultural struggle, battling for the hearts and minds of our children, our communities, even our world. Sitting on my desk is a book by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer called, “Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it.” It’s a stark reminder that the world we live in is not neutral. We are in the midst of a war – a spiritual conflict – with people in the balance.
People of God, it’s time that we believe what the Bible teaches. It’s time for us to live our lives according to God’s message of sin and grace. It’s time for us to care about right teaching, right thinking, right behavior, and right living. It’s time for us to be Spirit led, counter-cultural, servants of Jesus Christ. It’s time for us to be intentional about seeking God’s will in His Word and prayer, and then trying to follow His will. It’s time for us to wake up and no longer pretend that being nice is enough.
Nice people go to hell. Only those who are holy in Jesus go to heaven.
O God, You are holy. Because of Jesus’ forgiveness I am too. Help me to live it and share it, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
This is something God desires for us as well. We have been made holy in Jesus, now that forgiveness impacts the choices we make day by day. It literally works like this: being made holy by Jesus’ forgiveness changes us so that we become holy in our behavior. Not that this is ever perfect in this life, we will continue to struggle and strive against our sinful nature, but we will indeed struggle and strive to live in such a way that it reflects Jesus’ work in our lives.
One of the areas that people are sorely tempted in is their sexuality, so Paul urges us to control our bodies. This was a big problem in Paul’s day. Part of the decline of the Roman Empire was due to promiscuity, and there were a wide variety of ways that people were sexually active outside of marriage. There were whole parts of the culture that simply believed that one should do whatever it takes to satisfy oneself sexually. In this way, Paul’s time was a lot like ours is. From music to television and a whole host of other media, there are strong messages promoting lustful thoughts and behaviors. How absolutely counter-cultural we are when we teach that God desires us to, “lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.”!
Yet, that is exactly what God calls holy living – a counter-cultural expression of commitment to Christ and following His example because of His salvation! It’s rooting ourselves in God’s Word, living as forgiven sinners, and trying to do His will. Some of those efforts happen over and over and over again and look like (and feel like) frustration and failure. Yet God is with us, leading us through this world!
More and more I am convinced that we are in the midst of a cultural struggle, battling for the hearts and minds of our children, our communities, even our world. Sitting on my desk is a book by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer called, “Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it.” It’s a stark reminder that the world we live in is not neutral. We are in the midst of a war – a spiritual conflict – with people in the balance.
People of God, it’s time that we believe what the Bible teaches. It’s time for us to live our lives according to God’s message of sin and grace. It’s time for us to care about right teaching, right thinking, right behavior, and right living. It’s time for us to be Spirit led, counter-cultural, servants of Jesus Christ. It’s time for us to be intentional about seeking God’s will in His Word and prayer, and then trying to follow His will. It’s time for us to wake up and no longer pretend that being nice is enough.
Nice people go to hell. Only those who are holy in Jesus go to heaven.
O God, You are holy. Because of Jesus’ forgiveness I am too. Help me to live it and share it, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Comments