Tuesday 9th May
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6a
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.” (NIVUK)
Those who spend much time pondering what God’s will is for their lives – seeking the perfect path this side of eternity – sometimes forget that God has already made his will abundantly clear. ‘It is God’s will that you should be sanctified:…’ (v3a). Holiness is God’s will for us. More than enough to be going on with!
What is even more challenging than holiness, if that is possible, is the area in which such holiness is demanded. Holiness is demanded in matters of sex. The Greek word is ‘porneia’, from which we derive the modern word ‘pornography’. ‘Porneia’ essentially means ‘illicit sexual activity’ and is inclusive of just about any sexual immorality, not simply what we would think is captured by the phrase ‘pornography’. Illicit sexual activity has traditionally, and historically, referred to anything not undertaken within marriage.
Two thousand years after Paul felt the need to encourage holiness in matters sexual in the lives of the very first believers, his words sit on the frontline of current cultural trends. Self-control in matters sexual (v4) is considered evil today. We live in a culture that advocates self-fulfillment in all things sexual (v5). It is increasingly dangerous for anyone to oppose self-fulfillment as a non-negotiable truth.
The longer one ponders Paul’s words the more challenging they become. Because even two thousand years ago Paul saw clearly that the church needed to be warned that ‘no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister’. The church today is in dishonour precisely because it failed to take seriously this warning.
Can I encourage any of you who have not undertaken ‘Safe churches’ training (https://creatingsafespaces.org.au ) to consider it? As Paul says, allowing anyone to take advantage of a brother or sister is unholy and dishonourable. The more each of us is aware of how to prevent it, the more aligned with God’s will for us we will be. Spend time in prayer today for your ‘Safe Churches Team’.
