Back to Biblical Holiness

If we want to teach our children anything important, we repeat it over and over until it becomes ingrained in their impressionable minds and in their lives. If something recurs numerous times in scripture, this may indicate an important matter God expects us to take to heart. In multiple forms, wording related to “holiness” appears well over a thousand times in the Bible, variously rendered “holy,” “holiness,” “sanctify,” “sanctification,” and “saints.” These expressions in the Greek NT, from the hágios word family, basically convey the sense of being “set apart” and “different” from anything contrary to God and his perfect will. 

God himself is holy (Isa. 6:3) and through his holy word calls upon his people to be holy (Lev. 11:44; 19:2; 20:7; 1 Pet. 1:14-16). The triune Godhead makes our sanctification/holiness possible. The God of peace sanctifies (1 Thess. 5:23), Jesus sanctifies (Heb. 13:12), the Holy Spirit sanctifies (Rom. 15:16), the Spirit-inspired word sanctifies (John 17:17, 19; Eph. 5:26). 

The Importance of Holiness

The primary focus of passages like 1 Thess. 3:13–4:8 is holiness. In view of the coming judgment, the stated goal for the reading audience is “to strengthen your hearts, blameless in holiness …” (1 Thess. 3:13).¹ Our duty or obligation is to “walk” (live, conduct ourselves) accordingly, and the ultimate aim is “to please God” (1 Thess. 4:1; cf. 2:4, 15; Rom. 8:8; 1 Cor. 7:32; 2 Cor. 5:9; Gal. 1:10).  

“For this is the will of God …” (1 Thess. 4:3a). The divine will has been revealed and is therefore knowable (cf. 1 Cor. 2:9-13; Eph. 3:3-5; 5:17). Here God’s revealed will is “your sanctification,” i.e., to be different (holy) and set apart from the sinful world. The admonition is directed to “each of you” (1 Thess. 4:4). There is an individual responsibility for everyone to “possess his own vessel,” i.e., continually and habitually control one’s own physical body² “in holiness and honor.” This is God’s purpose for his people.

To reject a life of holiness is to reject the will of God (1 Thess. 4:5-8) and the very reason Jesus suffered and died for us (Heb. 10:10). To accept anything less than a life of holiness is to reject, despise, and dishonor the sacrifice of Jesus (Heb. 10:29). The cross is proof that a holy God cannot simply ignore sin. God’s holiness has demanded that the debt be paid. “Mercy and justice meet at Calvary; love and holiness join hands at the cross” (Rex Banks). Without holiness, one cannot spend eternity with the Lord (Heb. 12:14). One cannot be a Christian, go to heaven, or be with God unless one submits to the biblical pattern of holy living.

The Process of Holiness

Sanctification begins with our initial obedience to the gospel (1 Cor. 6:11) but must be maintained (Rom. 6:19, 22). As we present ourselves as slaves of righteousness for holiness/sanctification (Rom. 6:1-19), this must continue for the rest of our lives (Rom. 12:1-2). Holiness does not mean we will ever be sinlessly perfect, but with God’s help we are striving toward that goal. The opposite would be resigning ourselves to a life of complacency, not even trying to be holy, thus taking God’s grace for granted, abusing it, and conforming to the mold of this sinful world (2 Tim. 2:21). Saints (sanctified ones) are not holy by mere verbal profession but are to be holy in real life. The world doesn’t need a church that looks like the world!

The Pursuit of Holiness

“Pursue … holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). This is not something that occurs automatically or easily or by accident (2 Cor. 7:1; Heb. 12:10). In an absolute sense only God is holy (Rev. 15:4), but it is his will for us that we do our imperfect best to pursue it. 

Practical application involves moral purity (1 Thess. 4:3). The only way to engage in sexual activity without being immoral is for each man to have his own wife and each woman her own husband (1 Cor. 7:2).³ While fleeing sexual immorality (1 Cor. 6:18), Christians should avoid compromising situations, like being alone with someone outside marriage where there is mutual attraction, open displays of seductive materials, online pornography, and places where people tend to dress immodestly. Make the commitment that Joseph made, so when faced with temptation the automatic response is: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9). The Christian is different from others in a world where abstinence and restraint are rarely taken seriously. We are called to a life of holiness.

Married couples must honor marriage vows, respecting and submitting to God’s teaching on marriage. Matt. 19:9 will be in our Bible until Jesus returns. One can ignore it, reject it, twist it, water it down, and explain it away, but it will continue to say the same thing: “whoever has divorced his wife, except for sexual infidelity, and has married another, is committing adultery …” Christian marriages must be different, because of holiness, in a world where divorce and remarriage are commonplace.

Holiness must characterize every aspect of our lives. The Bible does not specifically prescribe exact measurements and rules about how short, low, sheer, or tight one’s clothing can be. Nevertheless, in addition to the principle of modesty (1 Tim. 2:9-10), the Bible does call us to a life of holiness, and this in itself ought to govern the way we dress.

The Bible does not contain the explicit statement, “You shall not drink alcoholic beverages.” But being called to a life of holiness leads us away from anything that will damage our influence, lower our inhibitions, impair our judgment, or is associated with and responsible for so much evil in the world. Holiness is a way of life. It must govern our every decision, our every word, and our every action. 

Conclusion 

Holiness is possible. God does not expect what we are incapable of doing or being. The Bible sets forth these basic principles regarding holiness. (1) The biblical importance of holiness indicates the priority it must take in our thinking and our lives. (2) The process of holiness involves our cooperation with God; while we cannot do this alone, we must be proactive and do our part. (3) The pursuit of holiness implies intentionality and effort. Because sanctification is the revealed will of God for every Christian, like Jesus we ought to prioritize the divine will above our own (Matt. 6:10; 26:39; John 8:29). The pursuit of holiness must therefore be a primary focus for every child of God.

--Kevin Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ See K. L. Moore, “Looking in the Wrong Direction,” Moore Perspective (17 Jan. 2018), <Link>. Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation, with emphasis added.

     ² See K. L. Moore, “How to Possess Your Own Vessel,” Moore Perspective (7 March 2018), <Link>.

     ³ Holiness involves abstaining (present tense – ongoing, continual, habitual) from porneia (1 Thess. 4:3b), i.e., any kind of sexual intercourse that is not within a divinely approved marriage (cf. 1 Cor. 7:2; Heb. 13:4). Such a cautionary prohibition was particularly relevant to the mid-first-century Greco-Roman environment, although nearly twenty centuries later its applicability is still very relevant. Sexual permissiveness, perversion, and promiscuity were the norm in Paul’s day, not unlike the environment in which we currently live.

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Know How to Possess Your Own Vessel: A Closer Look at 1 Thess. 4:4

     To the mid-first-century church of the Thessalonians, Paul and his colleagues write, “Each of you [is] to know [how to] possess his own vessel in holiness and honor, not in passion of lust, just as also the heathen who do not know God” (1 Thess. 4:4-5).¹ J. Weima considers v. 4 almost certainly “the most debated text in the whole letter” (Thessalonians 268 n. 24).² The difficulty centers on the usage of the noun σκεῦος (“vessel”) and the infinitive κτᾶσθαι (“to possess”), discussed below.

Preliminary Matters

     While Christianity is very much a communal religion (1 Thess. 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11), inclusive of “all” [πᾶς] the redeemed (1:2, 7; 3:13; 4:10; 5:5, 26, 27), there is also the responsibility, contribution, and involvement of “each” [ἕκαστος] member of the church (cf. 2:11).³ The significance of “to know” [εἰδέναι, perfect active infinitive of οἶδα] is twofold: (a) the divine will and how it is to be applied are knowable (cf. v. 3); and (b) the Thessalonian Christians have each known (in the past) and continue to know (in the present) the Lord’s expectations.

     The present infinitive κτᾶσθαι, “to possess” (from the verb κτάομαι), on the one hand means to “acquire” or “procure for oneself,” and on the other, to possess in the sense of “live with,” “control,” or “win mastery over” (see BDAG 572).⁴ Its meaning here depends on how the direct object σκεῦος is understood. A σκεῦος is generically a “thing” or “object,” used for any purpose at all, particularly a “vessel, jar, dish, etc.” (BAGD 754), metaphorically applying to one’s “body” or “person” (Acts 9:15; Rom. 9:22, 23; 2 Cor. 4:7; 2 Tim. 2:21; 1 Pet. 3:7). English renderings of this term in this particular text range from the more literal “vessel” (NASB, N/KJV) and semi-literal “himself of his own vessel” (ASV, ERV), to the interpretive “body” (CSB, ESV, ISV, NIV, NLT) and even more interpretive “wife” (RSV, ESVn., NRSVn., Weymouth).

Various Interpretations

     One interpretation of this verse is “to acquire his own wife,”⁵ thus directed to the unmarried men of the congregation. In favor of this position is the more common usage of κτάομαι (“acquire”) in extant Greek literature with γυνή  (“woman” or “wife”), although σκεῦος is never so used. While 1 Pet. 3:7 can be cited as an example of σκεῦος applied to a wife (“a weaker vessel”), the passage actually describes both marriage partners as “vessels,” one stronger and the other weaker, with the more apparent sense of “body” or “person.” In rabbinic literature similar terminology is applied to women, but these writings are in Hebrew rather than Greek and date considerably later than the Thessalonian correspondence. Often cited is what appears to be a near parallel in 1 Cor. 7:2-9, although this text concerns both husband and wife, and the broader context favors single-hood, thus not much of a parallel at all. 

     Another interpretation is “to live with his own wife,”⁶ accordingly directed to the married men of the congregation. The point here is to have an appropriate sexual relationship with one’s spouse. This would fit the immediate context better than the previous view but lacks a clear parallel with any supporting evidence, as noted above.

     A third interpretation is “to control his own body,”⁷ thus applicable to everyone in the congregation, whether married or unmarried (the masculine ἕκαστον [“each”] and ἑαυτοῦ [“his own”] understood generically). Some would take this a step further and see a more specific (euphemistic) reference to the “sex organ.”⁸ Within this very letter (5:22-23), abstaining from evil and being sanctified involve the σῶμα (“body”), a significant focus in Paul’s other writings (Rom. 1:24; 6:12; 1 Cor. 6:12-20; 7:34; 2 Cor. 5:10; Col. 2:11, 23). Moreover, there is a solid biblical precedent for using σκεῦος as a metaphor for one’s body or person (Acts 9:15; Rom. 9:21-23; 2 Cor. 4:7; 2 Tim. 2:21; cf. 1 Sam. 21:4-6 LXX). The present infinitive κτᾶσθαι (“to possess”) is then understood as “control” or “win mastery over” one’s own σκεῦος (“vessel”), i.e., “body” (genitalia?). The present [ongoing, continual, habitual] tense would be applied ingressively; “to be in the process of gaining possession, i.e. control” (D. J. Williams, Thessalonians 73); cp. Acts 24:25; Gal. 5:23; 2 Pet. 1:6.

Concluding Matters

     Abstaining from illicit sexual intercourse (v. 3) is the result of knowing how to possess one’s own vessel “in holiness [ἁγιασμός] …” (cf. 3:13 and 4:3). From an orthodox Jewish perspective, this was axiomatic. The ancient Israelites were to make clear distinctions between “the holy” and “the common” (Lev. 10:10) and be a “holy” people (Ex. 19:6; Lev. 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7, 26). The Pharisees, the Jewish sect in which Paul himself had been involved (Acts 23:6; 26:5), derived their name from the Aramaic peras (“divide,” “separate”) and thus were “separated ones” or “separatists.” It is interesting that this same standard is applied here to a predominantly Gentile community of believers. The holiness that was expected of ancient Israel is now God’s purpose for his church.

     Each Christian is also to know how to possess his own vessel in “honor” [τιμή]. The noun τιμή can be used in the sense of “value,”⁹ or to signify “honor,” “reverence,” or “respect” (BAGD 817). J. B. Lightfoot comments, “The honour due to the body as such is one of the great contrasts which Christianity offers to the loftiest systems of heathen philosophy …” (Notes 55).

     These directives were particularly relevant to the hedonistic environment of mid-first-century Thessalonica, although nearly twenty centuries later the applicability has not diminished. Sexual permissiveness, perversion, and promiscuity were the norm in most Greco-Roman societies at the time, not unlike the world in which we currently live. The message for all modern-day Christians remains the same: each of you know how to possess your own vessel in holiness and honor.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ² Weima notes, “it has occasioned more than twenty academic journal articles or chapters in monographs, as well as one doctoral dissertation” (Thessalonians 268 n. 24; cf. J. Weima and S. Porter, Annotated Bibliography 182-96).

     ³ See also Rom. 12:3-16; 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 4:16.

     ⁴ This verb appears in the NT seven times, but here is its only occurrence in the Pauline writings: Matt. 10:9; Luke 18:12; 21:19; Acts 1:18; 8:20; 22:28; 1 Thess. 4:4.

     ⁵ H. Alford, NT for English Readers 1326-27; C. J. Ellicott, Thessalonians 53; G. G. Findlay, Thessalonians 81; W. Hendrickson, Exposition Thessalonians 102; A. J. Malherbe, Thessalonians 227-28.

     ⁶ E. Best, Thessalonians 162; R. F. Collins, Thessalonians 314; R. L. Thomas, “1-2 Thessalonians” (EBC) 271; B. Witherington III, Women 141-42.

     ⁷ G. K. Beale, Thessalonians (IVP) 116-19; G. L. Green, Thessalonians 191-94; G. Milligan, Thessalonians 49; L. Morris, Thessalonians 121; E. J. Richard, Thessalonians 198; J. Weima, Thessalonians 270-73.

     ⁸ BDAG 928; F. F. Bruce, Thessalonians 83; K. P. Donfried, “Cults of Thessalonica” 337, 342; G. Fee, Thessalonians 149-50; I. H. Marshall, Thessalonians 108-109.

     ⁹ Τιμόθεος (“Timothy”), one of the co-authors of this letter (1:1), derives his name from a combination of τιμή [“value”] + θεός [“God”], thus “of value to God.” Note also φιλοτιμέομαι [φίλος + τιμή] in 4:11.

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