1 Thessalonians 4:3 (KJV)

Passage

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

1 Thessalonians 4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

1 Thessalonians 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

1 Thessalonians 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "will of God", "even", "sanctification", "should", "abstain", and "fornication". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "will of God" and "even", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "For ye know what commandments we gave..." into verse 4's "That every one of you should know...", so "will of God" and "even" belong inside that flow. In 1 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "will of God" and "even" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.