The Call to Sanctification

4 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 n—do so even more. 2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is God’s will, o your * sanctification: p that you abstain q from sexual immorality, 4 so that each of you knows how to control his own body r in sanctification and honor, 5 not with lustful desires, s like the Gentiles who don’t know God. 6 This means one must not transgress against and defraud t his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, u as we also previously told and warned you. 7 For God has not called us to impurity v but to sanctification. 8 Therefore, the person who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who also gives you His Holy Spirit. w

Loving and Working

9 About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God x to love one another. y 10 In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers in the entire region of Macedonia. z But we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more, 11 to seek to lead a quiet life, a to mind your own business, b and to work c with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 so that you may walk properly d e in the presence of outsiders f and not be dependent on anyone. g h

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are * asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. i 14 Since we believe that Jesus died and rose j again, k in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through l Jesus. m 15 For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: n o We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming p will certainly have no advantage over q those who have fallen asleep. r 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, s t with the archangel’s u voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ v will rise first. 17 Then w we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds x to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage y one another with these words.