Deeper Reflection
PAUL EXHORTS THE THESSALONIANS TO “ABSTAIN FROM sexual immorality” on the grounds that “sanctification” is “the will of God” (v.3). We do find ourselves asking, “What is God’s will for me concerning…?” or saying “It is God’s will for me to…”. God’s will is dynamic, which requires a holistic understanding.God’s will for how we are to live our lives in following Jesus is revealed in the Word of God. So, understanding the Scriptures is critical, for it is through understanding the Scriptures that we understand the will of God. To follow Jesus is to walk like Jesus, who lived His life by the Scriptures (Matt 4:3-4). But “becoming like Christ can never be a simple matter of obeying a set of rules, because we simply do not know what Christ would do or say in all the contemporary circumstances we face”³. So, we need to pray to be “filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all Spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col 1:9) that we may “understand what the will of God is” from the Scriptures and walk carefully and wisely in the particular situations that we are in (Eph 5:15-17).There is also the part of God fulfilling His will for our lives. Here, we are passive in God’s will. God has also given us the freedom to make choices, but within the fence. A widow is “free to be married to whom she wishes (not God!)” – freedom, but “only in the Lord” – the fence (1 Cor 7:39). When we follow Jesus, He will lead and guide us in this freedom (Prov 16:9).

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³ J. Clinton McCann, Jr., A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms (Abingdon Press, 1993), 37