crucified to set me free

The Call to Sanctification

Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God—as you are doing —do so even more.  For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.  For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, so that each of you knows how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not with lustful desires, like the Gentiles who don’t know God. This means one must not transgress against and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. For God has not called us to impurity, but to sanctification. Therefore, the person who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who also gives you His Holy Spirit.

This is a passage that my guy friends and i are trying to memorize this week. i wonder about the “possess his own vessel” thing. what is with σκευος? is it just a greek idiom about men taking women or does it really mean the control a man has over his own body? i think that in the context it simply commands us to be in control of ourselves and desires so that the sanctification of the Spirit may continue to take place. altho we certainly cannot sanctify ourselves, we sure can halt the sanctification process. i know. i’ve done it many times.

i just love that this talks about God’s will. Dad and i talked about this on Sunday. if God were giving me specifics right now, i’d sure as heck be all rushin off to do those things that i knew He wanted me to do. because i have said in my prayers over and over again that i want to do His wil. which i DO. and i would do that. BUT i need to get my priorities straight. and NOT to say that i have to be perfect before God can use me, but it would sure be helpful if i was putting Him first and not my lustful desires. if i did indeed have a vision to see His entire will carried out in my life rather than just the specific that He reveals. so, in other words, my sanctification is His will right now. not for me to know exactly what i am doing next. so since that is the case, i must follow thru on my word and focus on fulfilling my part of being a willing participant in the sanctification that the Spirit is carrying out in my life.