1 Thessalonians 4:3 (WEB)

Passage

For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more.

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

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,

1 Thessalonians 4:4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor,

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "will of God", "sanctification", "abstain", "sexual", and "immorality". 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 instructions we gave..." into verse 4's "that each one of you know how...", 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.