Tawa Baptist

Ethics

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 4:1-12

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ee3SwLNEkGo

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Sanctification
  • Self-control
  • Social responsibility
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

A few days ago I found a debit card on the ground in Redwood Ave. At first I just walked passed it. I had other things to do. Then, after giving it a bit more thought, I went back and picked it up. What if the card fell into the wrong hands? If it was my eftpos card, I would want someone to return it safely.

I didn’t recognise the name on the card and a quick look on Facebook didn’t reveal any clues, so I took it to the nearest Kiwi Bank, because it was a Kiwi Bank card. They could get it back to the rightful owner.

Ethics. We make ethical decisions all the time. Sometimes the decisions are simple and straight forward, like when you find some lost property. Other times the decisions are more difficult and complex, like whether NATO should try to enforce a no fly zone over the Ukraine.  

Today we continue our series in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, focusing on the first 12 verses of chapter 4. This begins a new section in Paul’s letter in which he talks about Christian ethics; how Christians should behave and conduct themselves. From First Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 1-12 we read…   

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 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 bodyin 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. The Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. 9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

For the sake of coherence, here are three S’s to guide our thinking on this passage: sanctification, self-control and social responsibility.

Sanctification is the process of becoming holy. Self-control, in this context, is about managing our own body. And social responsibility is about consideration for other people. Let’s begin with sanctification, the process of becoming holy.

Sanctification:

How is your emergency water supply? Each of us needs to drink about one and half to two litres of water a day. Many of you will have an emergency water tank but, unless you have refilled your tank recently, the water probably isn’t potable, meaning it isn’t fit for drinking.

In an emergency, you would need to boil the water for about 5 minutes or so, to kill any bugs, before drinking it.

By way of analogy, potable water (water that is fit for drinking) is holy. It is clean, pure, good for your wellbeing and therefore set apart for human consumption. Continuing this analogy, the process of boiling the water to make it holy (or drinkable) is sanctification.

Unlike stale water, God doesn’t boil us to make us holy. But he does gently and gradually, over time, remove those attitudes and habits and practices from our lives which make us unhealthy or unsafe to be around. 

Holiness is about wholeness or oneness. When we hear the word holiness, we should think health & wellbeing, strength and integrity. We should associate holiness with love, because the two go together. They complement each other.

In Leviticus 19 God says to his people: “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy”.

Holiness, therefore, has to do with attitudes and behaviours that are in keeping with God’s own character. And sanctification is the process of becoming more holy, like God.        

In First Thessalonians chapter 4, Paul writes…

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

The first thing we note here is Paul’s tone and posture. Paul is not heavy handed or top down when introducing ethical teaching. Paul is not holier than thou. Paul comes alongside in a relational way. He refers to the Thessalonians as his brothers and sisters (his equals).

Notice too how Paul says, we ask you and we urge you in the Lord Jesus…    

This is the language of persuasion, not coercion.

What’s more, Paul does not appeal to his own authority in talking about ethical matters. Paul appeals to divine authority saying…     

 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified:

In other words, these ethical instructions are not coming from me (a mere human being), they are coming from the Lord himself.

In fact, the Greek word, translated as instructions, carries the nuance of a military command that is carried down a line of soldiers. Paul then is like a fellow soldier, in the trenches, passing on orders from the general.

Another thing I want to draw your attention to in these verses is the idea that sanctification (or becoming holy) is a process. It is not instant or quick. Sanctification takes time.

When Paul says, we instructed you how to live, the word translated as live is literally walk, where walk is a metaphor for one’s lifestyle. The idea of walking suggests steady progress. It implies being on a journey.

As Paul indicates, it is not the first time the Thessalonians have heard these ethical instructions. Paul is recapping, in this letter, some of what he had already covered when he was with them in person. Repetition and reinforcement is part of any process of learning something new.

This idea of process is seen again at the end of verse 1, where Paul urges the Thessalonians to do this more and more. Sanctification, becoming holy, is incremental or step by step.       

On first becoming a Christian we can’t expect to be morally perfect overnight. Nor do we have all the answers on right and wrong. We may slip up from time to time. Two steps forward, one step back sort of thing. That’s okay, so long as we keep moving in the right direction toward holiness, toward Christlikeness. 

Perhaps the most obvious thing to point out, in these first three verses, is that the goal of Christian ethics is to live in a way that pleases God.

Living to please God indicates a dynamic relationship. Christian ethics isn’t just about following a set of rules. It’s more about understanding God’s intent (or the spirit behind the law) so that we can apply the rules in a way that pleases God. To understand God’s intent, you need to have a relationship with him.

Okay, so that’s our first S, sanctification. Our second S is self-control.

Self-control:

Some of you may go to the gym. As part of your gym routine you might do a bit of weight lifting, to build muscle mass and strength and burn some fat. Three things muscles need to grow: nourishment, exercise and rest.

Nourishment is about eating the right kind of foods. Exercise is about using your muscles regularly and carefully. And you need to rest, so that your muscles have a chance to repair. Improving your strength and fitness is a process that requires commitment and discipline in these three areas.

Self-control is like a moral muscle. Self-control enables us to do the heavy lifting of ethics. Three things you need to make your self-control muscles stronger and fitter are nourishment, exercise and rest.

We nourish our self-control by avoiding anything that would tempt us to self-indulgence and feeding our minds with that which supports us to make good choices.

Like Paul said in his letter to the Philippians: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.

We exercise self-control by showing restraint. Sometimes that means not talking but listening instead. Other times it means being careful about what we eat. Some of you may have given up chocolate or alcohol for Lent.

We might also exercise self-control by counting to ten when we feel angry or taking a walk to calm ourselves down. The exercise of self-control requires self-awareness.

Rest is essential to self-control as well. If we show too much restraint all the time, or if we try and suppress all desire and all enjoyment, then we will only end up doing ourselves harm. Self-control does not mean denying ourselves of every pleasure and never having fun.

Sometimes, as part of a balanced diet, you are allowed to eat cake. Sometimes we need the distraction of watching an uplifting movie. Sometimes it’s okay to have a sleep in. And, in the context of a loving marriage, it is healthy for a husband and wife to enjoy each other’s bodies.

If we are too buttoned down, too rigid all the time, we will end up doing damage to our self-control muscles, like a weight lifter who pushes too hard with their training. 

Returning to Thessalonians; from verse 3 of chapter 4, Paul focuses on one aspect of Christian ethics, namely, sexual ethics. Paul writes…

3 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 bodyin a way that is holy and honourable,

The main point I want you to see here is that we avoid sexual immorality by learning to control our own body. That is, through developing our self-control.

Now it needs to be said that Christian ethics and sanctification are not solely concerned with sexual matters. Christian ethics covers a whole range of things including money, speech, work, caring for the environment, social justice, discerning when to get involved in geopolitical conflicts, and so on.

So why does Paul want to talk about sexual ethics with the Thessalonians? Well, it’s probably because the society in which the Thessalonians lived was sexually permissive. (Even more permissive than our society.)

For example, the ancient Greeks and Romans didn’t really consider adultery to be a sin. While some husbands and wives were faithful in marriage, many weren’t. It was commonly accepted that a man keep a wife for raising children and looking after the home and keep a mistress for romance and sexual gratification.

The Greeks and the Romans had made a religion out of sex. Temple prostitutes walked the streets plying their trade in the name of Aphrodite and Venus.

One in five people were slaves in the Greco-Roman world. Slaves had almost no rights under law. If a slave owner wanted to sexually exploit a boy or girl in their employment, they could do so freely.

Divorce was also rife in that culture. If a man grew tired of his wife he simply divorced her and found someone else, leaving the first wife destitute.

Incredible harm was caused by this culture of sexual immorality. The Christian ethic of self-control, promoted by Paul, protected everyone, particularly women, children and slaves who were among the most vulnerable.        

You may be wondering, what does Paul mean by sexual immorality? And what does it mean to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable?

Well, before answering that I need to say this: please hear me as a brother. Hear my heart. I’m not speaking to you as someone who is perfect. I’m in a process of sanctification too. So I speak to you as an equal and as someone who cares about your wellbeing.

For Paul, any sexual activity prohibited by the Law of Moses is immoral.

Basically, when it comes to sex, there are two paths which Paul would have considered holy and honourable. The first path is being single and celibate. (Paul himself walked that path.) And the second is being married and faithful. 

This means, sex outside of marriage is not God’s intention for Christians. Furthermore, it is God’s intention that sex within marriage be consensual, not coerced; self-giving, not selfish; and enjoyable, not something to feel ashamed about.          

Now I realise this teaching, prohibiting sex outside of marriage, may be difficult for some. Life is not easy and we are complex creatures. Each of us comes to this with different experiences. But, whatever our history, we all have desires (whether we want them or not). We all have a need for companionship and intimacy. We all want to feel tenderness and love. God understands that. So, as a brother, let me provide some Biblical nuance to aid our understanding. 

If you have had sex outside of marriage and you are repentant (sorry) about that, then know that God is gracious and compassionate. Failure is not fatal. Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery and said, ‘Go and sin no more’. Those who are repentant don’t have to carry around a weight of guilt and shame for the rest of their life.

For those who have been sexually abused, please know it is not your fault. You are not to blame. That abuse was never God’s intention for you.

Sexual ethics isn’t just a private personal matter. It is a matter of social justice.  As Paul says in verse 6 of Thessalonians 4, in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord is an avenger in all these things.

That means God understands your hurt (if you have been abused) and he will see that justice is done. The one who harmed you will be held to account.

If you have crossed the line sexually and you don’t feel sorry for it, or don’t think you can help it, then know that God wants more for you than that. As Paul says in verses 7-8: For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

God gives us his Holy Spirit to help us on the road to holiness; to enable us to make choices which are life-giving to ourselves and others.  

If someone you love is making choices in their sex life that the Bible does not condone and you are concerned for them, then know that God loves them. You don’t have to cure them. Nor do you need to agree with them. Simply seek to listen and understand. Then you will be better able to care for them.

If you are single but don’t want to be, then know you are in good company. Jesus, Paul, the prophet Jeremiah, Mother Theresa and John Stott (among many others) were single and celibate. By God’s grace they redirected their energy in service to God’s call on their life.

Despite being single, none of these people were alone. Each of them had a circle of close friends who helped to meet their needs for companionship and emotional intimacy. 

If you have never crossed the line sexually. If, somehow by God’s grace, you have always controlled your body in a way that is holy and honourable, then respect. Well done. We salute you. But be aware, there may be another area of holiness that God would like you to work on. We are all on a journey.

We have been talking about self-control in the context of sexual ethics. Self-control is the necessary pre-requisite to social responsibility.

Social responsibility:

In verses 9-10 Paul celebrates a different kind of love. Not sexual love, but brotherly love or family love. The Greek word here is Philadelphia, like the city. The kingdom of God is a city of brotherly love.

Loving others like they are our family is the foundation of social responsibility. The church is a spiritual family. You don’t get to choose your family but you still do everything in your power to look after them. It is God’s Spirit in us and among us that enables us to love like this.    

In verses 11-12 Paul enlarges the net of social responsibility to include people outside the church family; people in the wider society who we may interact with. He writes: 11 and make it your ambition to lead a quiet life:

This is a bit of an oxymoron. It’s like saying, and make it your ambition to not be ambitious. I guess the thought is, don’t be greedy, be content.

Paul continues saying, …You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Minding your own business is about exercising self-control in your speech. We need to avoid gossip and take care in how we talk about others. We have a social responsibility to look after other people’s reputation.  

Paul also encourages the Thessalonians to work with their hands. This was a counter cultural thing to say. The Greeks despised manual labour. There’s was not a DIY culture, like we have in New Zealand.

Apparently some in the church at Thessalonica were freeloading, taking advantage of the kindness of other believers. This was not good for anyone. Those who are able to work have a social responsibility to contribute as they can.

More than that, working is good for you. It provides you with a purpose and it keeps you out of trouble. The rhythm of regular work actually supports the process of sanctification and helps with developing self-control.

The Christian faith was brand new in Greece and Macedonia, in the first century. Most people outside the church were unsure of Christianity. By showing themselves to be socially responsible citizens the Thessalonian believers could earn respect and acceptance.

Conclusion:

A point of application for us here is being mindful of how those outside the church perceive us. We don’t want to worry too much about what others think but we do want to walk the talk. Our ethics both personally and publicly need to reflect God’s holiness.

Let us pray…

Holy Spirit, help us in the process of sanctification. Grant us strength when we feel weak, clarity when we feel confused, patience when we feel frustrated by our progress and grace when we stumble. We trust you to complete the work you have begun in us, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • How do you make ethical decisions? Think of an example from your own life?
  • What is sanctification? Why do we need to be holy? What is the goal of Christian ethics?
  • How do we grow our self-control muscles? What practical strategies can we employ? How does self-awareness support self-control?
  • Why does Paul focus on sexual ethics in 1st Thessalonians 4:3-8? What does it mean to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable? How are Paul’s words, in verses 3-8, relevant for us today?   
  • Discuss / reflect on the various aspects of social responsibility that Paul touches on in verses 9-12.
  • Is there a particular area of sanctification that God’s Spirit is working on, in you, at the moment? How might you cooperate with the Holy Spirit in this area?

Outtake:

Paul doesn’t start his letter with ethics and telling people how to live. He gives the first three chapters to affirming his relationship with the Thessalonians and letting them know how much he misses them and cares for them. So it is in the context of care that Paul by talks about right conduct.