1 Thessalonians 4:3 (DRB)

Passage

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: That you should abstain from fornication:

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 4:1 For the rest therefore, brethren, pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus that, as you have received from us, how you ought to walk and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more.

1 Thessalonians 4:2 For you know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: That you 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 passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God:

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "For you know what precepts I have..." into verse 4's "That every one of you should know...", so "will of God" and "sanctification" 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 "sanctification" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.