DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
1 Thessalonians
4:1-12 (11/18) Epistle for Wednesday of the
Twenty-fourth Week after Pentecost
Apostolic Goals III ~ Purity: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12,
especially vs.7: “For God did
not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.” Christ our
Wisdom prompts us to move from faith to holiness and on to genuine love. But before true love can be attained,
godly holiness must take hold in us to purify heart, soul, and body. The faithful are aided in the work of
becoming pure by the Holy Spirit as we engage in the life and worship of the
Church and commit ourselves to the restoration of genuinely natural lives
pleasing to God. In the present passage,
the Apostle Paul addresses purity of life directly by encouraging abstinence
and the shunning all immorality (1 Thess. 4:3,4). He directs us to a complete, personal
struggle against lust (vs. 5) by illuminating the damage wreaked by iniquitous
living of others all around us in our communities (vss. 6-8).
The early Christians faced a crudely indulgent milieu
parallel to what the Church faces in many societies around us today. The pagan, Greco-Roman world embraced
every sort of carnal vice and gross sexual practices, even within its religious
rites. Even before the Lord’s
ministry, many in Judaism already had recoiled against the debauchery accepted
by the majority culture.
Facing the paganism of Hellenistic society, the author of
Wisdom, describes how “...the invention of idols was the beginning of
fornication, And...the corruption of life....But this
became a trap for their life....For they either hold child-murdering rites of
initiation, Or celebrate secret mysteries, Or engage in the frantic revelry of
special customs. Moreover, they
keep neither life nor marriages pure, But one either
kills another in ambush, Or one causes another grief when he corrupts his
marriage. Everything is mixed
together: Blood and murder, theft and treachery, depravity, unfaithfulness,
tumult, perjury, Confusion over what is good...corruption of family, Breakup of
marriages, disorder, adultery, and debauchery” (
The Apostles inherited godly attitudes from the Scriptures
of the Old Testament and the teachings of Christ our God. Naturally, they opposed vice. And, while the Church knew that the
strictures of the Mosaic Law would not provide salvation, yet the Apostles
embraced the morality
of God’s ancient Covenant; for they knew that the Law was a clear
explication of the will of God for everyone’s life. However, their goal was to fashion a
new, “...holy nation, [God’s] own special people...once were not a
people but...now the people of God...” (1 Pet. 2:9,10),
by calling the faithful to the will of God for sanctification “...that [they] should abstain
from sexual immorality...” (1 Thess. 4:3). This was natural to
Most helpfully, the Apostle focuses on the restraint of
vice from its source in the passions and lusts. We Christians are to possess ourselves
in sanctification, “...not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do
not know God...” (vs. 5). How does one control “...his own
vessel in sanctification and honor...” (vs. 4) and attain purity of heart
and soul? Each one must watch over
his inner life, for as Christ says, “...whoever looks at a woman to lust
for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt.
5:28). The key to purity is inward
chastity.
The worst aspect of immorality, as the passage from Wisdom
quoted above reveals, is the shredding of trust, fidelity, and loyalty. Corruption disrupts honest interaction
among people (1 Thess. 4:6,7). Adultery defrauds the spouse of the
offender, even as debauchery affronts God, destroys trust in communities, and
prevents true Communion from the Life-giving Chalice. The immoral sinner rejects
“...God, who has given us His Holy Spirit” (vs. 8), as the Helper Who assists
everyone and anyone who wishes to attain purity, please God, and truly love his
neighbor.
Thou, O God, dost unite us in purity and holiness; keep us
in Thy ways all of our days.
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