What does God want?(2) (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8)

Posted on October 17, 2017 Updated on October 17, 2017

[If you didn’t read yesterday’s devotional I would urge you to look first at part (1)…]

When you think about your salvation, God’s having chosen to save you from your sins, have you ever paused to think ‘why’? Why did God save you? What was God wanting?

We know that God went to extreme lengths in order to rescue us from our sin, but why did God do it. Our salvation cost Jesus His life as He chose to lay it down for us, our salvation cost the Father immensely too as the Father willingly punished His one and only beloved Son in our place and for our sin – so why did God do it?

Every person who has believed in Jesus was called by God out of darkness and into Jesus’ marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9). But what did God have in mind when He called each one of us?

We know already from 1 Thessalonians 4:3 that God’s will for each one of us is that we be pure/holy like God Himself is. Now in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 we learn that;

“For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.”

When the God considered our sin-state, our brokeness and considered His great love for us and His desire to have us with Him forever…

When God determined to save us, to redeem us by giving Himself to save us from Himself and His righteous holy wrath against sin…

We know from these two verses (vs3&7) of 1 Thessalonians that what was in God’s heart, in God’s mind for us whom He was choosing to save at great cost, was that God wanted us to be holy/pure.

God called us not to be impure but rather to be pure/holy like He is holy. He wanted this so much, He sent His own Son, Jesus wanted this so much He endured the cross scorning its shame!

So, brothers and sisters, when we live impure, unholy, sin-stained, compromised lives we are grieving God, trampling on Jesus’s costly life-sacrifice. We are not just doing something small and meaningless we are grieving God and are choosing to live against the will of God.

And this is why this passage contains some strong warning language;

⁸ Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Whoever disregards what God wants from those He chose and called to save, those Jesus chose to die for makes a big error of judgement. Such a person is not merely disregarding human traditions or ethical standards or expectations but is in fact disregarding God who not only gave us Jesus but also gave us His indwelling Holy Spirit to help us to be holy as He desires us to be.

So, let’s not take sin lightly. Let’s not ignore what God wants from those He called, those He chose and those He paid the price for. Let’s respond to God’s incredible kindness and mercy towards us who believe by living lives worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1).