1 Thessalonians 4:6-12

⁶ and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. ⁷ For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. ⁸ Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. ⁹ Now about brotherly love 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 the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. ¹¹ Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to 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. ^[1]

These six verses are a continuation of the previous six where Paul writes that it is God’s will that believers should be sanctified. The process of sanctification involves living pure and holy lives, abstaining from all kinds of sexual immorality and controlling our bodies in a way that is holy and honorable. By doing so we distinguish ourselves from the heathen who do not believe. Paul now adds another element to the equation by admonishing his readers concerning the treatment of their sisters and brothers, and then reminds them that he has warned them that God punishes all such sin.

What strikes me about this passage is verse eight, “Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you His Holy Spirit.” When holiness is taught it is not uncommon for the teacher to experience resistance. Some believers having heard the clear teaching of scripture will discount it suggesting that what they heard is just the opinion or the interpretation of the instructor. They might even retreat to the tired attribution of God as being too good and kind to place any such demands or threaten such punishment. They think, and the instructor may think, they are rejecting the instructor but in actuality are rejecting God.

I see two important implications in this verse. First, Paul wants his readers to understand the seriousness of what he has written. If they refuse to receive it and be instructed by it there will serious repercussions from the Lord. Second, the instructor should not bear the burden of concern that the student receives the instruction. They will have to answer to God and not to the instructor. But further than that I believe that the instructor needs to understand their responsibility, for which they will be held accountable, is to teach and preach the whole counsel of God without watering it down to make it more palatable. Let we who teach and we who receive take the Word of God more seriously.

Dear heavenly Father, we are guilty of picking and choosing what we wish to accept and reject from Your holy Word. Enable us by Your Holy Spirit today to accept Your whole counsel; that which hurts us as well as that which heals us. Forgive us of any duplicity in teaching or learning. Set us on the solid path of holiness and purity. We commit our hearts, our minds, our souls and even our flesh to You today. Amen.