1 Thessalonians 4:4 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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;

1 Thessalonians 4:6 that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "each", "possess", "himself", "vessel", "sanctification", and "honor". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "each" and "possess", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "For this is the will of God..." into verse 5's "not in the passion of lust even...", so "each" and "possess" 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 "each" and "possess" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.