The famous first question and answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” and answers, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” It is seldom appreciated that the point of the second part of that answer – “to enjoy him forever” – pertains to sanctification. In other words, we might say that our chief end is “to glorify God and to enjoy pleasing Him forever.” Paul made a similar point “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more” (v. 4:1). As Paul states it, sanctification is not aimed primarily toward our own well-being or glory. Rather, the first goal of our sanctification, as with all other things, is to give God pleasure and to manifest His glory.

Sanctification denotes the process of becoming holy. Sanctus, being the Latin word for holy, is joined to the Latin verb facare, which means “to make.” Therefore, sanctification is the process by which believers in Christ are made holy. Paul describes this process in verse 1 as a walk, by which he means an entire lifestyle: “how you ought to walk and to please God.”

God is holy in that He is utterly different from and higher than any other being. God’s holiness especially involves His moral purity. It is because of His holiness that we take pleasure in pleasing God by being holy. God’s holiness defines our method as well as our goal in sanctification. As God is separate from sin, we also separate ourselves from sin and sinfulness, having different values and desires from the nonbelieving world around us. Sanctification has not only a goal and a method, but also an attitude. Our attitude in pursuing holiness is to oppose sin and evil and to pursue godliness. The Bible describes sanctification as a process, a progressive work by which our lifestyle becomes more and more pleasing to God: “that you do so more and more” (v. 4:1).

Paul’s exhortation to purity provides an example of how sanctification involves both a negative abstention from sin and a positive exhibition of godliness. The apostle does not merely tell believers to abstain from sexual sin but also asserts that “each one of you [should] know how to control his own body in holiness and honor” (v. 4:4). This self-control extends to every area of life: our sexuality, our treatment of others, our use of money, our conduct in the workplace, and so forth. Not only are we not to fall into worldly patterns of sin, but we are also to honor God with conduct that will please and glorify Him in every aspect of life. Paul states this positive approach to sanctification in verse 7: “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.”

Finally, note that sanctification is expressed physically. Holiness is rooted in our hearts, but always expressed in our actions. Notice how concrete is Paul’s view of holiness and how bodily is its fulfillment. The problem with the pagans was their sensual outlook toward everything. By contrast, Christians are to live “not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God” (v. 4:5). In every way, the unbelievers’ lives were idolatrous, in service of debased passions and lusts. As Christians, knowing God, we are to use our bodies in honorable ways in accordance with God’s law, with self-control and purity.

With this biblical introduction to sanctification – that its goal is to take pleasure in pleasing God, its method is to be separate from impurity and sin, its attitude is both negative toward sin and positive toward godliness, and its expression is concrete and physical – we may now consider Paul’s link between sanctification and the sovereignty of God. Some complain that a high view of God’s sovereignty stands in the way of holy living. Just as people wrongly complain that the doctrine of predestination discourages evangelism, they also argue that God’s sovereignty cuts off our motivation to holiness. “If God is sovereign and has chosen me to salvation,” they argue, “then why should I bother living a holy life?”

Verses 1-8 sets forth three responses, each of which shows that divine sovereignty in fact promotes rather than deters sanctification. The biblical view centers holiness on God’s sovereign will, which Paul explains in these words: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (v. 3). Because God has ordained our sanctification, Christians therefore know that we will and must be holy. A humble believer asks, “How can someone like me expect to be holy?” The Bible answers, “Because it is God’s sovereign will for you. In Christ, you have a new identity: you are a holy one.” Realizing God’s calling and God’s will, we are emboldened to a more active faith that is energetic in sanctification.

There is a second way in which a high view of God’s sovereignty aids in the pursuit of holiness. We tend to think of God’s sovereignty in terms of His ultimate control of all things. Yet we should also think of His complete reign as our Lord. God is sovereign over His kingdom, so that to be saved is to become His willing subject and to submit in everything to His rule. To know God as sovereign is to acknowledge His rights as King, including our duty to obey His Word. When we realize that Christ is sovereign, and that we are humble servants of His glorious kingdom, then the last thing we will seek is to transgress His royal laws. Obedience to God’s Word will then be the watchword of our ministries and our lives.

Paul’s third reason why God’s sovereignty promotes rather than deters sanctification is: “Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you” (v. 8). This mention of the Holy Spirit as a divine gift assures us that God’s sovereignty provides us with the resources we need for sanctification. It is because of God’s sovereign resource that Paul warns that to disregard God’s call to holiness is to disregard “not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you” (v. 8). Since God has made such rich provision for our sanctification, what an affront it is to Him when we refuse His mighty aid, relying on earthly techniques and continuing to serve our sinful desires.

Do we live with a commitment for God to be pleased through our holy lives? Have we committed ourselves to Christ’s sovereign reign, as our Master and Lord? Do we rely, with expectant faith, on the sovereign power of the Spirit of holiness? By regaining not mere doctrinal assent to God’s sovereignty but an actual vision of glorifying and pleasing our sovereign God, we may learn anew His will for our lives. For, as Paul declared, “this is the will of God, you sanctification” (v. 3).

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 Study Questions:

Paul urges the Thessalonians to behave in a manner that pleases God. What kind of a life do verses 1-8 say is pleasing to God?

What is the connection in verses 1-8 between pleasing God and being sanctified or holy, which is mentioned three times?

The first practical area of a holy life that Paul discusses is sexual sin. In verses 3-8 what are the instructions that Paul gives to the Thessalonians regarding this area of life?