Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
Verse 3:
"the will of God” is for us to be sanctified or holy; meaning set apart.
Think of the utensils or implements of the Tabernacle – they were set apart for very specific uses.
And for us, as we work on being disciplined in godliness, consider the purposes we want to be disciplined for: God wants to set us apart for a very specific use:
- Paul calls out a specific sin: “fornication”. He tells us to abstain from it. God’s will is that we remain pure!
--- 1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”
Sexual sin is the norm in our culture; But sexual sin is a unique type of sin in that it:
- It affects us internally;
- It affects our soul;
- It’s “self inflicting” - one who commits this sin is wounding himself, very literally;
Verse 4:
Look at Romans 6:11-14
This is where we live in the sense of our walk with the Lord. These are the "do" things that, the Holy Spirit empowers us to do.
We know that we battle with this flesh, as Paul mentions in Romans 7 (I do what I don't want to do, and I don't do what I want to do), but that is not a place where God will allow us to stay (Thank God).
We have (or can have) the Holy Spirit, continually reminding us that we are dead to sin, and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We ought to know how to possess our own vessel (body) in sanctification and honor.
- If you don’t know how, then purpose in your heart to make this the thing that you learn!!
The GREAT NEWS is that it's not something that comes natural - It only comes through regular fellowship with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit!
Verse 5:
We are not like the world, our standard is God and His Word.
- We ought to never look to the culture to determine how we will live, or whether we are “right with” or “OK with” God!
Verse 8:
Anyone who rejects this truth, rejects God!
But notice the promise here:
- We have the Holy Spirit, who gives us power to live this life; to abstain from the lusts of sexual sin.
SUMMARY :
God doesn’t expect you to be able to control your own body all alone. He’s given His Holy Spirit to empower us, direct us, remind us of all of these Truths, not the least of which is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins as well as the power to save our souls.