McCheyne’s Bible Reading Plan: Lev 10, Ps 11-12, Pr 25, 1 Thes 4
3For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1 Thes 4:3-8)
When a person begins to grasp the grace of God and how it is alone in it’s reason for salvation, he can sometimes forget that living according to God’s teaching is important. “If I am saved by grace, the it doesn’t matter what I do!” is the conclusion. But nothing could be more wrong. Grace doesn’t just save a person, but it also changes a person to be inclined to do the will of God. It’s just that doing the will of God isn’t done to earn God’s salvation but to live according to our newly purchased freedom from sin. Doing God’s will isn’t restrictive to joy but sin. So we must be eager to look to the Scriptures to fond out the will of God, which Paul explains in this passage.
