Page 23 - Pauline Epistles Student Textbook

Study Section 5: Living for God’s Pleasure: Sanctification and Love for
One Another and Leading Quiet Lives.

5.1. Connect.

Jesus was away for transfiguration with three of His disciples. While away, a certain man
brought a demon-possessed boy to Jesus’ disciples who could not cast that demon out.
Having heard that, Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverse generation. How long
shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? (Matt 17:17; cf. Mark 9:19; Luke
9:41). Careful analysis of Jesus’ response implies that He has been casting out demons in
anticipating that His disciples to be able to do that also.

5.2. Objectives.

1. The student should be able to describe the doctrine of sanctification.

2. The student will examine the aspects of Christ’s love and their own love for other
believers.

3. The student should be able to strategize ways on how to apply sanctification and love better while
trusting in the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

5.3. Living for God’s Pleasure: Sanctification and Love for One Another and Leading
Quiet Lives (1 Thess. 4:1-12).

Sanctification (1 Thess. 4:1-8)

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

There is a strong link between chapter 4 and the previous chapters. In chapter 4:1, Paul begins with
an adjective (λοιπὸν [loipon; rest, remaining, finally]) preceding a coordinate conjunction (οὖν [oun;
therefore, then]). In Greek, if those appear together, unless a context for a passage under study
decides otherwise, they signify an addition from what has been talked about. Actually, Danker has
labeled those Greek words as signifying “a transition to something new, especially when it comes
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near the end of a literary work; finally.” Further, Paul appears to suggest that they have been doing
what he has talked about, however, this time, he asked them to do those even more (1 Thess. 4:1b-
2; cf. 4:10b).

40 Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 603.

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