<p>4:3 <i>For this is the will of God, that you live sanctified lives. Therefore abstain from fornication</i>- The Greek for &quot;sanctification&quot; here was a term used for consecration unto an idol. But that consecration often involved the use of the cult prostitutes as a sign of consecration to the cult. Consecration to the one true God and His Son was through living a moral life, and specifically denied such fornication / <i>porneia</i> / use of prostitutes. It was a radically new approach to religion. Despite Paul's praise of their faith and spirituality, the Thessalonians like the Corinthians appear to have been tempted to still visit the idol shrines and use the prostitutes there. Remember that most of the Thessalonian converts had been religiously curious Gentiles who attended the synagogue, which is where they encountered Paul (see on 1:9). It could well be that they continued this syncretism, by not abstaining from the<i> porneia</i> of the idol cults. Paul has praised them for turning away from the idols (1:9); but he is not unaware that some of them had not done so completely. Again we see his positivism regarding his converts, and his great valuing of their status in Christ.</p><p>The will of God is not always done on earth automatically; it&rsquo;s not determining of human behaviour in absolute terms; otherwise the will of God would exclude human freewill. &ldquo;This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication&rdquo; (1 Thess. 4:3 AV); but the Thessalonians still had the freedom to commit fornication. The will of God here refers to the wish / desire of God. But the fulfilment of God&rsquo;s will is of course up to the freewill of the individual. Which is why we pray for God&rsquo;s will to be done in our lives; not in the sense of &lsquo;OK well get on and do what You are going to do anyway&rsquo;, but rather of seeking for strength to personally do God&rsquo;s wish in our lives. And as we mature, our will and the Father&rsquo;s become closer. We ask what <i>we </i>will and it is done; and therefore and thereby we ask for the Father&rsquo;s will to be done.&nbsp;</p><p>There was evidently a problem with immorality in the Thessalonica ecclesia (1 Thess. 4:3-6). And yet the ecclesia was so eager for the second coming that some were throwing in their jobs, so certain were they that it was imminent. Clearly the moral implications of the soon coming of the Lord had not been felt. And this is why in every chapter of those epistles, Paul pounds away about the Lord's return- a fact which they knew and enthused about, just as we can, and yet would not face up to its real implications. If Christ is coming soon, we must quit the things which plagued Thessalonica- immorality, laziness, irresponsibility etc.</p>