1 Thessalonians 4:4 (DRB)

Passage

That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour,

Nearby Context

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:

1 Thessalonians 4:6 And that no man overreach nor circumvent his brother in business: because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before and have testified.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "should", "possess", "vessel", "sanctification", and "honour". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "should" 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 like...", so "should" 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 "should" and "possess" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.