1 Thessalonians 4: Why We Need Jesus!

Verse 3: For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;

Verse 5: not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Verse 9: Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.

◇ Paul was comforted and proud of the Thessalonian believers. They kept their faith during trials and became an example to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 

How proud and happy must Paul have been to see the seeds of the gospel he had tirelessly sown bear fruit and become an example to many believers? As an evangelist, could there be anything more joyful?

However, even the Thessalonian saints who comforted and made Paul proud had their flaws. They followed lustful desires and engaged in immoral acts, like the idolatrous practices of the pagan temple. They were doing what many of the pagans they were living with were doing. These pagans were their neighbors, friends, and relatives.

It was challenging for the Thessalonian believers to think differently from the absolute majority of pagans around them who considered these immoral acts normal and even encouraged them. These acts were part of their everyday lives. The Thessalonian believers unknowingly became tainted by immorality and could not break free from it. How hard would it be to think differently and raise one's voice against the majority?

That's why people need Jesus. More precisely, people need the cross of Jesus. Humans are susceptible to being unknowingly and gradually tainted by sin and may find themselves in situations where they cannot even contemplate their actions. Many people do not think about their actions and follow the crowd. Moreover, they cannot say that they are wrong because too many people are doing the same thing. They do not know how significant their sin is and that God is displeased with their actions.

The commendable Thessalonian saints were also human. They were inevitably flawed humans. No matter how righteous their actions were and how they served as examples to many people, they were still human. They had their flaws and could not become entirely righteous on their own. That's why they needed Jesus and the cross.

♧ Lord, thank you for saving us by nailing your precious Son to the cross. Holy Spirit, lead us in truth!