“For God has not called us to uncleanness, but in sanctification.” “For
this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should
obstain from fornication, that each of you know how to possess his own
vessel [or body] in sanctification and honor, (not in passionate desires,
even as the nations who know not God.)” (I Thessalonians 4:7 & 3-5)

In the life of the single man, he shall face many desires and even at
times be found lusting after that which is not according to God. The
easiest solution would be not to lust or have any sexual desires. This
may seem preferable but the Bible never says that as Christians we will
never lust. Now we may be tempted, but if we by the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body we shall live in newness of life. What hinders is when
lust brings us back under sin, to where it is reigning and in control.
Please refer to Romans 6:12-13 & James 1:13-16. The way of victory over
lust is not to strive to stop lusting through an emotional sterilizing of
self, but in clinging to the Lord and by surrendering to the work of
redemption and sanctification through His Son. Only by faith can we lay
hold of this and not be a hindrance to this ongoing work. Faith is the
victory that overcomes the world.

Now the word “sanctified” means to make holy or to set apart. That is
what God has done. The children of Israel were set apart unto God. Even
though they failed in keeping the commandment of God, they are today
still set apart in terms of the promise, their keeping (or survival today
as a nation), and of the blessings they bring to the nation who will
stand with them. Great Britain was once a mighty land, and the sun never
set upon its lands. Once they turned against Israel, the blessing was
removed from them and they lost the biggest part of their holdings.
Britain once received a blessing by associating with and  standing for
God’s chosen people.
        
Abraham and many others were called by God and set apart throughout
scripture. As the Church, we have also been called and are sanctified by
the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul in opening his letter to the church at
Corinth said this,

“...To those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all that in
every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus...”  (I Corinthians 1:2)

To be sanctified in Christ is not something that is obtained through our
good works, but is that which has happened through association. This is
where the confusion has come in, for people are striving to become
something instead of striving because they are something. There is often
no loss of identity, no dethroning of self and the will of man, which are
so necessary if we are to stand and be victorious in the Lord.

In Hebrews 10:10, it speaks of how by the will of God we have been
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all. There
is no other means whereby we can be sanctified, for it is God who
sanctifies (Please refer to Hebrews 2:11). This removes a great burden,
and yet it does not leave us without responsibilities.

Notice in the opening verse that we must learn how to possess our vessel
in sanctification and honor. It is like a small child who is learning how
to walk. He does not walk perfectly all at once. We have today some who
champion what I call “instant Christianity.” It is kind of like instant
oatmeal, and I am sure it comes from reading fantasy writers of the day
who take a heathen and change him into a saint in two or three days. Like
babies we must grow up, and it takes time to learn about how to walk in
accordance to what we are in Christ. This means that we may fall down a
lot. There may be skinned knees and other injuries that come throughout
our learning, but God is faithful to those He has chosen.

On our side of this we can either help or hinder the work that God is
doing. We can walk unwisely and expose ourselves needlessly to that which
is not holy. I have done this many times to my hurt and even today there
are times when I fall into that snare again. We need to take heed to the
words of the apostle Peter:

“Beloved, I exhort you as strangers and sojourners, to abstain [or to
flee] from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (I Peter 2:11)

We must keep before us at all times the Lord, His calling, and how He has
sanctified us by His own blood. Each day we must lay hold of His word
(the Bible) and allow it to cleanse and renew our minds for daily service
before the Lord. This is not a matter of attaining to salvation, but of
daily walking with the Lord, of faith, and of good works to the
glorifying of God.

As a single man of God, are you willing to lay aside those passions and
lusts? To not dwell upon them in your thought life? I don’t mean that
they will not be present within this body of flesh, but are you willing
to lay aside the resulting actions that only lead to a temporal
fulfillment, to wait upon the Lord and to not be taken in by the strange
woman? If you are the Lord’s, you stand before God set apart and holy. By
the work of Jesus Christ you can now draw nigh to the throne of grace and
receive mercy and strength to walk each day. It’s a war zone out there
and only by associating with our Lord Jesus Christ can we abstain from
following after our own lust.

I write this not as one who has obtained, but as one who would exhort you
to sanctification and holiness, so that you may live in the good of what
God has done.

May we learn to walk worthy of the calling wherein we have been called
and, as single men of God, keep ourselves in the love of God. Let us
learn more of Him and of how He has made us holy through the giving of
His Son, so that we may glorify His name and live a life set apart unto
Him. Cling to Him and He shall make you free.

M. H. G.


E-Mail Matthew H Goins