1 Thessalonians 4:3 (ASV)

Passage

For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication;

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk, --that ye abound more and more.

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

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

1 Thessalonians 4:4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,

1 Thessalonians 4:5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "will of God", "even", "sanctification", "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 charge we gave..." into verse 4's "that each one of you know how...", 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.