A Vessel of Honor?!

Thessalonica was a city filled with idolatry and immorality. This evil permeated the life of the Thessalonians. Sexual immorality could even be found as part of their pagan religious rituals. It was this life of idolatry and sin that the Thessalonian believers repented of upon the hearing of the gospel! (1 Thessalonians 1:9). But it was also in this immoral setting that the Thessalonian believers lived out their new life in Christ!

It’s no wonder that when the apostle Paul writes his letter to them he “urges and exhorts” them to walk pleasing to God, and to know how to behave themselves in sanctification and honor (4:1-4). Their need was to “come out from among them and be separate”! When Paul spoke to them of their sanctification, he was lifting up the Christian’s high calling to holiness!

During my study of 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 a few weeks ago, I was meditating on those words “sanctification” and “honor” in verse 4. When specifically thinking on the word “honor” I thought of reverence as a proper definition. Realizing that I may not fully understand the meaning of the word that we have translated “honor”, I decided to look that word up. I found that the Greek word is “time” (tee-may’) and it’s full meaning almost put me on the floor! In one moment the Lord opened my mind to the fuller meaning of Paul’s charge to the Thessalonians to “possess (their) vessels in…honor”.

Here is the definition of the word “time”: A valuing by which the price is fixed; a valuing of the price paid; a valuing of the price paid or received for a person or thing bought or sold.

Did you get that? My mind immediately rushed to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “You are not your own…for you were bought at a price”! That makes my heart do somersaults! Do you see what it means, child of God, to “possess your vessels in… honor”? Paul is saying to the Thessalonians, and by extension to us, that we ought to live our lives in a manner which reflects the value of the price paid for our redemption! Need I remind you that the price paid for your redemption and sanctification was the very life of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary! It cost the Father His only begotten Son! What a high price! When the Father sees our conduct, He sees the value that we place on Jesus’ sacrifice!

In this day many live their lives doing just enough to get by. They work just hard enough to not be fired, practice their sport just hard enough to not lose a starting position, and go to church just enough to not get a “we’ve missed you in Sunday School” call. My friend, this may get them by in this world’s eyes, but not in God’s! He gave all in Jesus, how dare we give Him as little as possible! Dare we look to the cross of the Lord Jesus and say, “Thanks for saving me from hell, but I’d like to hold on to my sin”? That is blasphemous!

Being reminded of the price paid for our salvation ought to rid us of any longing for the old life of sin, but rather fix our eyes on pleasing the One who gave all for us! What a privilege – to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord Jesus!