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Sanctification and Love

^1 (C1)Finally then, ^(C2)brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to ^(F1)(C3)walk and ^(C4)please God (just as you actually do ^(F1)walk), that you ^(C5)excel still more.² For you know what commandments we gave you ^(F1)by the authority of the Lord Jesus.³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you ^(C1)abstain from ^(F1)sexual immorality;⁴ that ^(C1)each of you know how to ^(F1)possess his own ^(F2)(C2)vessel in sanctification and ^(C3)honor,⁵ not in ^(F1)(C1)lustful passion, like the Gentiles who ^(C2)do not know God;⁶ and that no man transgress and ^(C1)defraud his brother ^(C2)in the matter because ^(C3)the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also ^(C4)told you before and solemnly warned you.⁷ For ^(C1)God has not called us for ^(C2)the purpose of impurity, but ^(F1)in sanctification.⁸ So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who ^(C1)gives His Holy Spirit to you.

⁹ Now as to the ^(C1)love of the brethren, you ^(C2)have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are ^(C3)taught by God to love one another;¹⁰ for indeed ^(C1)you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to ^(C2)excel still more,¹¹ and to make it your ambition ^(C1)to lead a quiet life and ^(C2)attend to your own business and ^(C3)work with your hands, just as we commanded you,¹² so that you will ^(F1)(C1)behave properly toward ^(C2)outsiders and ^(F2)(C3)not be in any need.

Those Who Died in Christ

¹³ But ^(C1)we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who ^(C2)are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do ^(C3)the rest who have ^(C4)no hope.¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, ^(C1)even so God will bring with Him ^(C2)those who have fallen asleep ^(F1)in Jesus.¹⁵ For this we say to you ^(C1)by the word of the Lord, that ^(C2)we who are alive ^(F1)and remain until ^(C3)the coming of the Lord, will not precede ^(C4)those who have fallen asleep.¹⁶ For the Lord ^(C1)Himself ^(C2)will descend from heaven with a ^(F1)(C3)shout, with the voice of ^(C4)the archangel and with the ^(C5)trumpet of God, and ^(C6)the dead in Christ will rise first.¹⁷ Then ^(C1)we who are alive ^(F1)and remain will be ^(C2)caught up together with them ^(C3)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always ^(C4)be with the Lord.¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.