Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Thessalonians 4:5
not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God;Some have expressed surprise that Paul spoke so forthrightly in this passage regarding the lustful sins of fornication and impurity; but, aside from the fact of every generation's needing such instruction, the low pagan culture of the Gentile world of that era made it especially mandatory that in the matter of sexual purity the Christians should maintain the position of honor which their sanctification required. "The moral sense... read more
Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Thessalonians 4:4
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,The meaning of this passage is disputed, but it seems to be improperly so. The RSV rendered this passage:That each one of you take a wife for himself in holiness and honor.The excuse for such a translation derives from the double meaning of two Greek words in the passage: (1) possess, which in classical Greek is sometimes used in the sense of acquire; and (2) vessel which is capable of meaning either... read more