살전 4장 1-8절 하나님의 뜻은 너희의 거룩함

4 Finally, then, brothers,1 we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you dreceived from us ehow you ought to walk and fto please God, just as you are doing, that you gdo so more and more. 2 For hyou know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, iyour sanctification:2 jthat you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own kbody3 in holiness and lhonor, 5 not in mthe passion of lust nlike the Gentiles owho do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and pwrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is qan avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For rGod has not called us for simpurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore twhoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, uwho gives his Holy Spirit to you.

1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 10, 13

d Phil. 4:9; Col. 2:6

e See Eph. 4:1

f See Col. 1:10

g See ch. 3:12

h [1 Cor. 11:2]

i Rom. 6:19, 22; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 1:2

2 Or your holiness

j See 1 Cor. 6:18

k 1 Pet. 3:7; [2 Cor. 4:7]

3 Or how to take a wife for himself; Greek how to possess his own vessel

l [Rom. 1:24]

m See Rom. 1:26

n Eph. 4:17

o Ps. 79:6; Jer. 9:3; 10:25; See Gal. 4:8

p 1 Cor. 6:8

q Rom. 13:4; [Rom. 12:19; Heb. 13:4]

r ver. 3; See 1 Pet. 1:15

s ch. 2:3

t [ch. 2:13]; See Luke 10:16

u 1 John 3:24; 4:13

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 살전 4:1–8.

 

4 그러므로 형제들아 우리가 끝으로 주 예수 안에서 너희에게 구하고 권면하노니 너희가 마땅히 어떻게 행하며 하나님을 기쁘시게 할 수 있는지를 우리에게 배웠으니 곧 너희가 행하는 바라 더욱 많이 힘쓰라

2 우리가 주 예수로 말미암아 너희에게 무슨 명령으로 준 것을 너희가 아느니라

3 하나님의 뜻은 이것이니 너희의 거룩함이라 곧 음란을 버리고

4 각각 거룩함과 존귀함으로 1)자기의 아내 대할 줄을 알고

5 하나님을 모르는 이방인과 같이 색욕을 따르지 말고

6 이 일에 분수를 넘어서 형제를 해하지 말라 이는 우리가 너희에게 미리 말하고 증언한 것과 같이 이 모든 일에 주께서 신원하여 주심이라

7 하나님이 우리를 부르심은 부정하게 하심이 아니요 거룩하게 하심이니

8 그러므로 저버리는 자는 사람을 저버림이 아니요 너희에게 그의 성령을 주신 하나님을 저버림이니라

1) 헬, 자기몸을절제할줄알고

 대한성서공회, 성경전서: 개역개정, 전자책. (서울시 서초구 남부순환로 2569: 대한성서공회, 1998), 살전 4:1–8.

 

데살로니가전서는 총 5장으로 구성되어 있다. 1-3장이 데살로니가 교회에 대한 칭찬이라면 4-5장은 데살로니가 교회의 문제에 대한 교훈과 권면이라고 할 수 있다. 

데살로니가 성도들은 환난 중에도 믿음을 지키며 그리스도의 본을 따르고 피차 사랑하는 삶을 살았다. 불신의 문화가운데 데살로니가라는 도시 속에서 본이 되는, 구별된 삶을 살아야 했다. 이를 취해서 사도는 데살로니가 성도들로 하여금 성적인 부분에서 정결한 삶을 살것을 강력하게 촉구한다. 또한 그리스도의 재림과 부활에 대해 오해하고 있는 일부 신자들에게 올바른 종말에 대한 신앙을 가질 것을 촉구한다. 

 

4장은 1-2절을 통해 하나님을 기쁘시게 하는 삶을 살 것을 촉구하고, 3-8절에서는 성적 행위에 있어서 거룩함을 추구하는 삶, 9-12에서는 교회 공동체 안에 있는 이들에 대한 형제 사랑을 강조하고 있다. 

특별히 1세기 헬라 사회의 남성들에게 성적 쾌락을 추구하는 것은 일반적인 일이었다. 아래 사진은 1세기 데살로니가의 매춘업소 옆에 위치한 목욕탕 유적지이다. 이러한 시설이 버젓이 도시에 위치해 있었고 남성들은 부부관계 안에서만 성적 관계를 가져야한다는 가르침은 매우 낯선 것이었다.  대부분의 남성들은 성적 쾌락을 위해서 정부를 두거나 창녀들가 일상적으로 성적 관계를 가졌다. 이방 종교들은 성결을 강조하기보다 도리어 풍요를 간구하는 제의식의 일환으로 종교적 매춘을 조장하기도 했다. 실제 고린도의 아프로디테 신전에는 1000여명의 매춘을 위한 여사제들이 있었다고 한다. 이러한 1세기 헬라 문화의 배경속에서 회심한 데살로니가 성도들에게 있어서 성적인 문제에 대한 지적은 매우 실제적인 것이었다. 바울은 하나님의 뜻은 음란이 아니라 거룩함임을 분명하게 선언하며 성도들은 하나님을 모르는 이방인들과 같이 색욕을 따라서는 안된다고 말한다. 

 

4:1–12 Pleasing God in Sexual Conduct and Love for Others. After opening with a general appeal to increase conduct that is pleasing to God (4:1–2), Paul addresses the specific issues of holiness in sexual conduct (4:3–8) and love for others within the church community (4:9–12).

 Douglas J. Moo, “The Letters and Revelation,” in NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 2154.

 

 

아래 사진은 1세기 데살로니가 도시안에 있던 매춘굴 옆에 위치한 목욕탕이다. 바울은 이방 도시안에 살고 있는 데살로니가 성도들에게 '하나님을 모르는 이방인과 같이 색욕을 따르지 말라(살전 4:5)"라고 명령한다. 생각보다 이들에게 색욕을 따르는 삶을 가까이에 있었다.

 

1절) ‘종말로 형제들아’, ‘로이폰 운 아델포이’를 직역하면 ‘그러므로 마지막으로 형제들아’라는 의미이다. 그러므로에 해당하는 ‘운’은 본장의 앞부분 전체를 받으면서 필연적으로 연결되는 삶을 강조하기 위한 바울의 표현이다. ‘형제들아’라는 표현은 신학적, 사회학적 관점에서 중요한 표현이다. 

-   Paul’s direct address of his readers through the term ἀδελφοί (“brothers [and sisters]”), along with the expression λοιπὸν οὖν (“finally therefore”), marks what follows as a new section (cf. 2:1; 5:1, 13). Paul’s use of ἀδελφοί here is important from a theological and sociological point of view. It reflects the new metaphorical relationship entered into by Christians with one another. Although use of ἀδελφοί was not unknown in clubs and pagan cults, Paul undoubtedly borrowed it from his Jewish background. It was used both in the OT (e.g., Ex. 2:11; Dt. 3:18) and in intertestamental writings like 2 Macc. 1:1, where it occurs in the address of a letter. Quite apart from the background of the term, however, it was an important linguistic tool, an organizing metaphor (see Petersen, Rediscovering Paul, 206) that portrays the community as a family. It served to link together people who often had no previous contact with one another (see Meeks, First Urban Christians, 87–89). The use of familial language was probably justified by the symbolic understanding of God as the father of the members of the community (see the comments on 3:11, above). As the metaphorical children of the one father Christians were themselves brothers and sisters who were to behave toward one another as family members. Such metaphorical language clearly aided in creating community cohesion among people who had no prior social involvement or commitment to one another (cf. Meeks, Moral World, 129 and the comments on 3:12, above).

 Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 147–148.

 

‘구하고 권면하노니’라는 표현은 ‘에로토멘’과 ‘파라칼루멘’이라는 단어로 이는 모두 1인칭 복수 현재 능동태 동사이다. 이는 바울과 동일하게 데살로니가 교인들이 하나님을 기쁘시게 하는 삶을 살아가기를 간절히 바라는 표현이다. 

‘주 에수 안에서’는 ‘엔 퀴리오 이에수’로 ‘엔’은 ~안에라는 의미인데 공간의 의미를 갖지만 본문처럼 인격체와 함께 사용될 경우 그의 영향권 아래 있는다라는 사실을 강조한다.(요 10:38)  이러한 경우에 ‘엔’은 ‘~의 권위를 힘입어’라는 의미를 지닌다.

본문에서 ‘행하여’는 ‘페리파테인’으로 원형은 ‘페리파테오’로 원래 의미는 ‘주변을 거닐다’라는 뜻이다. 바울의 권면의 핵심은 하나님을 기쁘시게 하기 위해서 행하라는 것이다. 그리스도인의 삶의 방식과 하나님을 기쁘시게 하는 것은 별개의 문제가 아니다. 바로 하나님을 기쁘시게 하는 삶을 살아가는 것이 그리스도인의 삶의 방식인 것이다. 내가 나의 삶의 주인일 때 나는 나를 기쁘시게 하기 위한 삶을 살아간다. 하지만 하나님이 나의 삶의 주인이 되는 순간부터 우리는 하나님을 기쁘시게 하는 삶을 살아가게 되는 것이다. 

‘우리에게 배웠으니’는 ‘파렐라베테’로 원형은 ‘파랄람바노’이다. 이는 ‘데려오다, 받다, 취하다, 영접하다’의 의미로 권위있는 전통을 받아들일 때 사용하는 전형적인 표현이다. 

-  The words καθὼς παρελάβετε παρʼ ἡμῶν τὸ πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν καὶ ἀρέσκειν θεῷ (“just as you received from us how it is necessary for you to behave and to please God”) refer to the ethical norms and patterns inculcated by Paul (the verb παραλαμβάνω is often a technical term for the reception of authoritative tradition) among the Thessalonians at the time of their conversion to Christ. These norms and patterns were based on traditional OT and Jewish behavioral codes and practices as well as on some drawn from Hellenistic philosophies (Holmberg, Paul and Power, 71). Taken together they constituted the distinctive Christian way of life that Paul required of his converts, as the words “how it is necessary for you to behave and to please God” indicate. The patterns of conduct Paul enjoined on his converts were intended to separate them from the pagan social world out of which they had come and to facilitate harmony and a common identity among the members of the newly formed community (see Meeks, First Urban Christians, 97–103). The second καθώς clause, καθὼς καὶ παριπατεῖτε (“just as also you do behave”), stresses that Paul wished his readers to continue doing what they were already doing in their Christian lives.

 Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 148–149.

‘너희가 행하는 바라’라는 표현은 ‘페리파테이테’로 ‘페리파테오’의 현재 직설법 시제로 데살로니가 교인들이 하나님을 기쁘시게 하는 삶을 지금도 적극적으로 살아가고 있음을 표현한 것이다.(1:3, 3:5-7) 

‘많이 힘쓰라’라는 표현인 ‘페릿슈에테’는 앞서 3:12의 ‘넘치게 하사’로 번역된 단어와 원형이 같다. 이 원형인 ‘패릿슈오’는 차고 넘치도록 풍성한 것을 의미하는 동사이다.(고후 8:2, 빌 4:12) 

live. One of Paul’s favorite words to describe the Christian life (32 occurrences). please God. The notion of pleasing God as the goal of human conduct stems from the OT (Num 23:27; 1 Kgs 14:13; Job 34:9; Pss 19:14; 69:31; Prov 15:26; 16:7; Mal 3:4) and is another of Paul’s favorite terms for right behavior (1 Thess 2:4, 15; Rom 8:8; 1 Cor 7:32–34; 2 Cor 5:9; Gal 1:10; Eph 6:6; Col 1:10; 3:22). as in fact you are living … do this more and more. Although the Thessalonians have made progress in living a God-pleasing Christian life, Paul desires even further growth. we ask you and urge you. Paul resorts to “commanding” his readers only if the situation is serious and requires it (2 Thess 3:6). Normally, he employs softer, more user-friendly language of “asking” or “urging” (here; 4:10b; 5:12, 14; 2 Thess 2:1; Rom 12:1–2; 15:30–32; 16:17; 1 Cor 1:10; 4:16; 16:15–16; 2 Cor 10:1–2; Phil 4:2 [twice]; Phlm 9–12 [twice]). Yet even then (as here) he speaks in an authoritative manner (“in the Lord Jesus”) that indicates his appeal must be obeyed (see note on v. 2).

OT Old Testament

v. verse in the chapter being commented on

 Douglas J. Moo, “The Letters and Revelation,” in NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 2154.

 

2절) ‘우리가 준 것을’은 ‘에도카멘’은 부정 과거이며, ‘너희가 아느니라’는 ‘오이다테’로 현재 완료이다. 즉 바울이 그들에게 명령을 준것은 과거의 일이며, 데살로니가 성도들이 아는 것은 과거에 알기 시작해서 지금도 계속해서 알고 있다라는 의미이다. 이는 이 명령이 새로운 것이 아님을 재차 강조하는 것이다. 

‘명령’은 ‘파랑겔리아스’는 장교가 자기 부하들의 행진을 지도할 때 내리는 구령과 같이 반드시 이행해야할 권위있는 명령을 가리킨다. 그런데 그 명령의 권위가 주 예수로 말미암은 것이다 

instructions (Gk. parangelia). Originally a military word, it usually denotes authoritative commands.

 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2308.

 

-  He wants his readers to remember τίνας παραγγελίας ἐδώκαμεν ὑμῖν (“what commands/instructions we gave to you”) because these were the organizing principles for their Christian lives. The noun παραγγελία occurs only in this verse in the undisputed Pauline letters, but the verb παραγγέλλειν appears several times (1 Cor. 7:10; 11:17; 1 Thes. 4:11; 2 Thes. 3:4, 6, 12). The passages in which Paul uses either the verb or the noun “have the character of authoritative apostolic ordinances, behind which stands the full authorisation of Christ Himself” (O. Schmitz, TDNT V, 764). This is particularly clear here, as the phrase διὰ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ (“through the Lord Jesus”) reveals. Although the prepositional phrase has been interpreted in various ways (see Best, 157f. and Marshall, 105f.), διά with the genitive of the person frequently indicates the originator of an action. Here it probably goes with the verbal idea implicit in the noun παραγγελία, referring thereby to the authoritative instructions that Paul had given to the Thessalonians. Thus the thought, but not the grammar, is very similar to 1 Cor. 7:10, where Paul writes, “To those who are married I command (παραγγέλλω), not I but the Lord.…” Paul may have given the instructions or commands, but they were from Christ and therefore carried the authority of Christ as Lord (cf. Frame, 144).

TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich; tr. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Ten volumes; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964–76.

 Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 149.

 

3절) 뜻에 해당하는 헬라어 단어는 ‘텔레마’인데 이는 ‘뜻, 의지, 소원’을 의미하는데 특히 다른 대안보다 한 가지를 선호하는 마음가짐을 의미한다. 따라서 

‘텔레마 투 데우’는 하나님이 바라시는 소원, 하나님이 원하시는 뜻을 의미한다. 

‘거룩함이라’는 ‘하기아스모스’라는 명사로 드려짐의 결과로 이루어지는 성결을 의미한다. 우리 그리스도인은 예수 그리스도의 십자가로 말미암아 하나님께 드려진 존재로 세상과 구별된 성결한 자이며, 삶 속에서 성결을 이루어 가야할 자이다. 

‘음란을 버리고’라는 표현을 직역하면 ‘너희를 음란으로부터 스스로 삼가고’라는 의미이다. ‘버리고’로 번역된 ‘아페케스다이’는 ‘아페코마이’의 중간태로서 동사의 동작의 결과에 주어도 참여함을 나타낸다. ‘음란’으로 번역된 ‘포르네이아’는 모든 형태의 성적 방종을 가리키는 단어로 음행으로 번역된다. 

당시 헬라 문화속에서는 성욕을 절제한다는 것이 부자연스러운 것으로 여겨졌다. 그래서 대부분의 남자들은 결혼 관계 외에 다른 여성, 미소년, 창기들과 성관계를 맺고 살아갔다. 이런 사회적 분위기 속에서 바울은 성도들을 향한 하나님의 뜻을 제시하면서 성결한 삶, 음행을 버리는 삶을 제시하고 있는 것이다. 그리스도인은 하나님의 성령이 거하시는 성령의 전이기에 음란을 행하는 것은 하나님의 성전을 더럽히는 죄가 된다.

음란을 두려워하는 이유는 먼저 유대인에게 이러한 모든 형태의 음란에 참여하는 것은 모든 성적 부도덕과 더러움으로부터의 분리를 요구하시는 거룩하신 하나님을 버리는 것이기 때문이며, 비 유대인들은 이러한 성적 부도덕이 우상숭배의 직접적인 결과라는 믿음때문이다. 이러한 바울의 요구는 헬라 문화속에 차별성을 던져주었다. 매우 고결한 도덕적 수준을 요구하는 것이었다. 

 

-  πορνεία -ας, ἡ; (porneia), 명사. 음란, 성적 부도덕. 히브리어 등가: תַּזְנוּת (14), זְנוּנִים (9), זֹנָה (4), זְנוּת (4).

명사 용법

1. 성적 부도덕 — 도덕적으로 부적당한 성적 행동; 특히 매춘과 관련하여. 관련 주제: 음탕; 부도덕.

마 5:32 παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας ποιεῖ

마 19:9 μὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ

고전 5:1 Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη

골 3:5 πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν, καὶ τὴν

살전 4:3 ἀπέχεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς πορνείας, εἰδέναι ἕκαστον

명사. 명사

 Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham 헬라어 성경 어휘사전 (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).

 

 that you abstain from sexual immorality. For former pagans, the lure of sexual sins was strong (see 1 Corinthians 5–6). By using the Greek term porneia (which referred to adultery, fornication, or other sexual immorality), Paul forbids any sexual activity outside the bounds of heterosexual marriage (see Eph. 5:3; 1 Pet. 1:15–22).

 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2308.

 

4절) ‘자기의 아내 대할 줄을 알고’는 각주에’ 자기 몸을 절제할 줄 알고’라고 표시되어 있다. 본문에 아내라고 번역된 ‘스큐오스’는  문자적으로 ‘그릇, 용기’의 의미를 지니는데 하나님이 쓰시는 사람(딤후 2:21)이라는 의미와 영혼이 내재하는 몸이라는 의미(고후 4:7)를 지닌다. 하지만 본절 이외에 신약 성경에서 아내의 의미로 사용된 곳은 없다. 사람의 몸이 영혼을 담거나 사람이 그릇을 만들어 사용하는 것처럼 하나님께서 사람을 창조해 그 뜻대로 사용하신다는 의미로 이 단어가 사용되었다. 본문과 비슷한 의미로는 벧전 3:7에서 사용되었다. 

베드로전서 3:7

7남편들아 이와 같이 지식을 따라 너희 아내와 동거하고 그를 더 연약한 그릇이요 또 생명의 은혜를 함께 이어받을 자로 알아 귀히 여기라 이는 너희 기도가 막히지 아니하게 하려 함이라

위 본문에서 ‘스큐오스’는 ‘아내’를 나타낸다고 볼 수 있다. 

영어 주석에서 sex로 번역된 스큐오스(skeuos)는 종종 “그릇, 항아리, 용기”를 의미하나, 또한 신약성경 안에서 인간을 하나님에 의해 창조되고 그분이 사용하시도록 의도된 “그릇”으로 가리키기 위해 사용된다(행 9:15; 고후 4:7; 딤후 2:21). 여성이 “더 약한 그릇”으로 불린다는 사실이 남성 역시 “그릇”으로 간주됨을 암시하기에, 여기에는 경멸적인 뉘앙스가 전혀 없다. 그 용어는 모든 사람, 곧 남성들과 여성들 모두에 대한 하나님의 창조를 회상시키며, 또한 인간의 연약성, 우리의 창조주 하나님에 대한 의무도 상기시킨다.

두 어구, “여성”과 “더 연약한 그릇”이, “귀히 여기라”보다는 “함께 거하라”라는 명령에 연관된다는 이해도 가능하다는 주장도 주목되어야 한다. 이는 다음과 같은 뜻을 가질 수 있다. “지식을 따라, 더 약한 그릇이요 여성적인 특징을 지닌, 너희 아내와 함께 거하라”(참조, NASB, TEV). 문법적 근거만으로는 이러한 읽기와 RSV의 읽기(그리고 NIV, AV) 사이를 결정하기는 가능하지 않다. 문맥상의 주장에 따라서도 한쪽만으로 결론을 내릴 수 없다.

NASB New American Standard Bible, 1963.

TEV Today’s English Version, 1976 (= Good News Bible).

RSV Reviesd Standard Version: New Testament, 21971; Old Testament, 1592; Common Bible, 1973.

NIV The Holy Bible, New International Version: New Testament, 21978; Old Testamnet, 1978.

AV Authorized Version (King James), 1611.

 왕인성識, “역자 서문,” in 베드로전서, ed. 진규선, trans. 왕인성, 초판., vol. 17, 틴데일 신약주석 시리즈 (서울시 서초구 방배로 68: 기독교문서선교회, 2014), 222.

 

영어 번역본중 RSV만 ‘wife’로 번역했고 KJV은 ‘his vessel’, NASB와 NKJV은 ‘his own vessel’, NIV는 ‘control your own body’, ESV는 ‘his own body’로 번역했다.  이처럼 ‘슈큐오스’를 아내로 해석할 수도 있고 자신의 몸으로 해석할 수도 있다면 이후 ‘대하다’라고 번역된 ‘크타스타이’의 원형은 ‘크타오마이’로 ‘가지다, 얻다, 손에 넣다’라는 의미로 ‘아내를 취하다’의 의미가 좀더 자연스럽다. 이는 당시 문화속에서 여인, 아내를 성적인 대상으로 삼았던 것을 알 수 있다. 하지만 ‘자기의 몸을 통제할 줄 알고’라고 해석할 수도 있다. 즉 본문을 아내를 취하는 것으로 보던지 자기 자신의 몸을 통제하는 것으로 보던지 자신의 몸을 정욕에 방임하지 않고 스스로 통제하여 결혼의 관계안에서 자신에게 주신 아내와 관계를 가진다라는 의미로 볼 수 있다. 결국 바울은 데살로니가 교인들에게 자신들의 몸을 거룩함과 존귀함으로 통제하여 아내만을 취하라고 명령하는 것으로 볼 수 있다. 

 

‘거룩함과 존귀함으로’는 ‘엔 하기아스모 카이 티메’인데 도덕적 성결로서의 거룩을 의미하는 ‘하기아스모스’와 객관적으로 고귀한 가치가 있는 것에 부여하는 영예와 존경을 의미하는 ‘티메’의 표현이다. 

 

-  The meaning of σκεῦος has been in question since the patristic period. Some like Theodore of Mopsuestia and Augustine understood it to mean “wife” with the resultant translation, “that each one of you know how to take a wife for yourself in holiness and honor” (cf. RSV). Others like Tertullian and John Chrysostom believed that it denoted “body,” which led them to interpret the clause as “that each one of you know how to keep your own body in holiness and honor” (cf. NEB; NIV). (For patristic references see C. Maurer, TDNT VII, 365 nn. 48f.)

That σκεῦος means “wife” has been argued in the twentieth century by such scholars as Frame (149f.), Maurer (op. cit., 365–367), Best (161–164), Friedrich (237f.), and Holtz (157f.). This view rests on the figurative use in Rabbinic writings of Hebrew kelı̂, which corresponds to Greek σκεῦος, of women and, as Maurer (361f.) has shown, euphemistically of sexual intercourse with a woman with verbs like “use” and “make.” Maurer also maintains that Paul probably translated the technical Hebrew expression from the OT bāʿal ʾišâ, meaning “possess a woman sexually,” by the Greek phrase κτᾶσθαι γυναῖκα and then simply substituted σκεῦος for γυνή. This implies that the wife is merely a sexual object who is possessed by her husband.

Quite apart from the low view of women that it predicates of Paul, this interpretation presents several problems. The Thessalonians did not know Hebrew and therefore Paul could not rely on them to make the kind of connections made by Maurer and others in arriving at this interpretation. Moreover, it leaves unexplained why Paul used an ambiguous and even obscure expression when he could have made his point with the normal Greek word for woman/wife, γυνή. Maurer’s appeal to 1 Pet. 3:7, where ὡς ἀσθενεστέρῳ σκεύει τῷ γυναικείῳ (“the woman as the weaker vessel”) occurs, actually works against his understanding, as σκεῦος there refers to the woman’s body. It also implies that men are also “vessels,” so that σκεῦος is not synonymous with “wife” in 1 Pet. 3:7 at all. A final point against the interpretation of σκεῦος as “wife” is that this understanding does not suit the context in 1 Thes. 4:3b and 5, where illicit and undesirable sexual behavior is proscribed. A command to keep or possess a wife in holiness and honor (Maurer, op. cit., 366 and Best, 162 argue that κτᾶσθαι has a durative force here rather than its normal sense of “to acquire” or “to gain”) would seem to have little to do with concern about illicit sex (v. 3b) or uncontrolled sexual desire (v. 5).

Given the problems attached to understanding v. 4 as referring to the proper attitude of husbands toward their wives, it seems better to understand σκεῦος as connoting the human body in its sexual aspect, that is, as a euphemism for the genitalia. This view has been maintained by such contemporary scholars as Rigaux (504–506), Morris (123f.), Marxsen (60f.), Bruce (83), and Marshall (108f.) and is the most natural interpretation of σκεῦος. σκεῦος meant not only “vessel” but also “tool” or “implement” and is used of the human body in 2 Cor. 4:7 and 1 Pet. 3:7. It was also a recognized euphemism for the genital organs in Greek (see LSJ, 1607). It is perhaps worth noting that the Hebrew root kelı̂ is used of the male sexual organ in 1 Sa. 21:5f., where the Septuagint (1 Kgdms. 21:5f.) translates it with σκεῦος, although this distorts the meaning of the original Hebrew, perhaps intentionally.

κτᾶσθαι probably has the sense “to gain control or mastery” here, and even though the pronouns are masculine the instruction to gain mastery over the desires associated with the genital organs would apply equally to women. Thus Paul exhorts the members of the Thessalonian Christian community to avoid sexual immorality of any sort (v. 3b) and to exercise control over their own sexual drives ἐν ἁγιασμῷ καὶ τιμῇ (“in holiness and honor”).

RSV Revised Standard Version

NEB New English Bible

NIV New International Version

TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich; tr. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Ten volumes; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964–76.

LSJ H. G. Liddell and R. Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, revised and augmented by H. S. Jones and R. McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968.

1 Kgdms. 1, 2, 3, 4 Kingdoms

 Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 152–153.

 

5절) 본문에 ‘색욕’에 해당하는 원어는 ‘파데이 에피뒤미아스’이다. 파데이의 원형 ‘파도스’는 고대 헬라 문헌에서는 감정을 의미하지만 신약에서는 수동적 의미에서의 정적 정욕이며 본성으로는 제어할 수 없는 육적 욕망으로 묘사된다.(롬 1:26, 골 3:5) ‘에피뒤미아’는 인간의 본성에서 나오는 적극적인 악한 욕망을 의미한다. 바울은 이런 부정적인 의미의 표현을 이중으로 사용함으로 인간 본성의 내면에서 일어나는 제어할 수 없는 성적 욕망의 심각성을 강조하고 있다. 

하나님을 모르는 이방인의 특성은 색욕을 좇는 삶이었다. 이처럼 하나님을 알지 못하는 사람들은 자기 자신의 소견에 옳은대로 살아간다. 하나님께서는 일반계시를 통해서 하나님을 알만한 것들을 보이셨다(롬 1:19). 하지만 하나님을 알려고도 하지 않고 알되 우상을 섬겼다. 이에 하나님께서 마음의 정욕대로 더러움에 내버려 두심으로 몸을 서로 욕되게 하였다.(롬 1:24)

 

-  The thought of v. 4 is continued in this verse by a negative observation concerning the Gentiles or, as they must be understood in this text, non-Christian and non-Jewish people: μὴ ἐν πάθει ἐπιθυμίας καθάπερ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ εἰδότα τὸν θεόν (“not in the passion of desire like pagans who do not know God”). Both πάθος (“passion”) and ἐπιθυμία (“desire”) can have pejorative connotations. For example, in Gal. 5:24 Paul speaks of those who belong to Christ as having crucified the flesh with its passions (τοῖς παθήμασιν) and desires (ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις; cf. Col. 3:5). Although this may refer to something broader than sexual passions and desires, it undoubtedly includes them. In 1 Thes. 4:5 the context demands an allusion to unwholesome sexual passion driven by a desire for what is forbidden.

Such behavior was from the Jewish standpoint typical of pagan existence and connected with Gentile idolatry (see comments on 4:3). Paul takes up this stereotypical representation from Jewish literature with “like pagans who do not know God,” attributing the sexual immorality of the pagans to their ignorance of God (cf. Rom. 1:24–27). He does this to provide a clearly negative contrast to the proper Christian sexual conduct set forth in v. 4. At the same time it emphasizes the separation of Christians from their pagan neighbors.

This verse is of interest for another reason unrelated to its principal thought. From the Jewish point of view humanity was divided into two groups: Jews and Gentiles (τὰ ἔθνη). Here Paul differentiates between his converts at Thessalonica and the pagan Gentiles. While he could refer to Gentiles as offspring of Abraham by virtue of their faith (cf. Gal. 3:6–9, 28f.), he nowhere speaks of them as “Jews,” since this was an ethnic distinction. By the time of Ignatius of Antioch early in the second century Christians were speaking of three races instead of two: Jews, Gentiles, and Christians. Already this distinction is implied here with Paul’s distinction between his converts at Thessalonica and the Gentiles. The majority of the Christians at Thessalonica had come from the ranks of the Gentiles, but their conversion gave them a new identity. They had not, however, become Jews, and therefore they represented a distinctively new grouping of humanity from Paul’s perspective (cf. Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11).

 Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 153–154.

 

6절) ‘이 일에’는 ‘토 프라그마티’로 ‘프라그마’는 ‘행위, 사실, 사건’의 의미로 ‘논의 되고 있는 문제, 소송’를 의미한다. ‘토’는 ‘this’에 해당되는 의미로 지금 논의 중인 문제, 즉 음란과 색욕을 좇는 문제를 지적하고 있는 것이다. 

‘분수를 넘어서 해한다’라는 것은 무슨 의미인가? ‘분수를 넘다’로 번역된 ‘휘페르바이네인’의 원형 ‘휘페르바이노’는 ‘~을 넘어서, ~이상의’의 ‘휘페르’와 ‘걷다’라는 의미의 ‘바이노’의 합성어로 ‘금지되어 있는 선을 넘어가다’라는 뜻이다. 이 단어는 신약성경에서 이곳에서 한번 사용된다. 여기서 넘어가서는 안되는 선은 혼인 관계로 즉 혼인 관계를 넘어서서 타인의 아내를 취함으로 형제를 해하는 것이다. 구체적으로 교회 안에서 타인의 아내를 넘보고 이를 취하는 것은 그 형제에게 막대한 해를 끼치는 행위가 되는 것이다. 

-  Several factors militate against this interpretation. In the first place the τὸ μή construction is uncertain in meaning (Frame, 151f.). That a new subject is being introduced seems unlikely since a transition to business ethics would be abrupt in the context, and v. 7 seems to refer to sexual aberrations, the theme of vv. 3–5. The prepositional phrase ἐν τῷ πράγματι cannot be taken to mean “in business affairs,” as Beauvery and Holtz suggest, because the noun has never been shown to have a peculiarly commercial connotation (Frame, 153; C. Maurer, TDNT VI, 639) and the singular form of τῷ πράγματι does not suit a general reference. The most natural meaning of ἐν τῷ πράγματι is “in this matter,” referring back to the theme of sexual immorality introduced in v. 3. If this interpretation is correct it confirms the view that τὸ μή is resumptive in force.

The argument that the infinitives ὑπερβαίνειν and πλεονεκτεῖν best fit a commercial context is also specious. The former denotes an overstepping of something or, figuratively, transgression of some law or command, and therefore lacks any specific commercial connotations. The latter refers to desire to claim more than one’s fair share or to taking advantage of someone. While this could have an economic connotation, it need not, since it is equally possible to take advantage of someone or to “desire” what one has no right to in sexual matters. That v. 6a does not make any sense in connection with the marriage relation discussed in v. 4 is based on a faulty interpretation. In all probability v. 4 refers to premarital and extramarital sexual affairs, not to a husband’s attitude toward his own wife, as was shown above.

TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich; tr. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Ten volumes; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964–76.

 Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 154–155.

 

‘신원하여 주다’라는 표현은 ‘엑디코스’로 ‘~로 부터’의 ‘에크’와 ‘공의, 형벌’의 ‘디케’의 합성어로 ‘공의에 입각하여 처벌하는 것, 원수 갚는 자’라는 의미이다. 주님께서는 형제를 해하는 일에 대해서 주께서 공의에 입각하여 원수를 갚아주실 것이라고 말하는 것이다.(시 94:1) 해함을 당한 형제가 힘이 없고, 공권력이 이 일에 대해서 처벌하지 않는다고 해도 주께서는 이를 기억하고 보복하실 것임을 기억해야 한다. 

 

‘너희에게 미리 말하고 증언한 것’ ‘프로에이파멘'의 원형 ‘프로에이폰’는 ‘미리 이전에 말하다, 공개적으로 명백히 말하다’의 의미를 지닌다. ‘증언한’은 ‘디에마르티라메다’로 ‘사실을 먼저 확인하여 엄숙하게 무언가를 주장하다’라는 의미이다. 본절의 내용을 통해서 바울의 일행은 데살로니가 성도들에게 하나님의 뜻인 거룩함을 추구하고 하나님을 모르는 이방인과 같이 색욕을 좇지 말것에 대해서 분명하게 증거하고 강조하였다는 사실을 알 수 있다. 

 

7절) 7절은 ‘가르’라는 접속사로 시작된다. 이는 ‘왜냐하면, for’에 해당되는 표현인데 이는 3-6절 전체를 받고 있다. 말하자면 우리 그리스도인들이 음란과, 색욕 같은 성적 범죄에 자신을 드려서는 안되는 이유가 바로 하나님께서 우리를 거룩하게 하시기 위해서 부르셨기 때문이다. 하나님께서 나를, 성도들을 부르신 목적을 분명하게 알 때 우리는 하나님의 그 부르심에 합당하게 살기 위해서 노력하게 된다. 

‘부르심은’에 해당하는 ‘에칼레센’은 ‘부르다’라는 의미를 가진 ‘칼레오’의 부정과거 능동태이다. 이는 하나님께서 이미 과거에 능동적으로 부르셨다는 의미이다. 부도덕하고 각종 죄악으로 가득찬 세상으로부터 하나님께서 선택하신 몇몇을 구별하여 불러내셨다는 것이다. 이처럼 하나님의 기쁘신 뜻대로 세상으로부터 불러냄을 받은 자들의 모임이 바로 ‘에클레시아’ 교회이다. 교회는 밖으로 불러냄을 받은 자들이라는 의미이다. 

하나님께서는 우리를 ‘아카다르시아’가 아니라 ‘하기오스모스’를 위하여 부르셨다. 부정이 아니라 거룩을 위하여 부르셨다. 

- called. When the Thessalonians embraced Paul’s gospel, they were responding to God’s effectual call (see note on Rom. 8:30; cf. note on 1 Thess. 1:4). That call did not have as its goal impurity but rather a life of holiness.

 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2309.

 

-  The negative view of their call, expressed in the words “God did not call us to uncleanness,” is contrasted with a positive understanding in the words ἀλλʼ ἐν ἁγιασμῷ (“in holiness”). The change to the preposition ἐν serves to stress the contrast between the negative understanding of the call and its positive dimension. ἐν can be used in place of εἰς with the verb καλεῖν (“to call”; see 1 Cor. 7:15), but as Turner (Syntax, 263) notes, this may well be a pregnant construction of Paul’s that should be interpreted similarly to the “in Christ” formula. If this is correct, the meaning is that the Thessalonians were called “into the sphere where God’s sanctification takes place.” This picks up the theme of 4:3. The emphasis, however, is not on the readers’ need to strive for sanctification but rather on the fact that Christian existence is to be lived in the sphere of God’s holiness.

 Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 157.

 

8절) 본문에서 사용된 그러므로는 ‘토이가로운’으로 신약에 두번 사용된다.(히 12:1) 이는 ‘토이가르’의 강조형으로 앞선 것으로부터의 논리적 추론을 강조하는 표현이다. 

-  The unusual particle τοιγαροῦν (“for that very reason”) occurs in the NT only here and in Heb. 12:1. It is a strengthened form of τοιγάρ indicating a logical inference from what has preceded: if God has called Christians to live in holiness (ἁγιασμός), it follows that to live in sexual debauchery (ἀκαθαρσία) constitutes a rejection of God’s call.

 Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 157.

 

 ‘저버리는’의 의미인 ‘아데테오’는 본래 어떤 법규정이나 언약 등의 효력을 폐지하고 무효로 하는 것을 의미하는 동사이다.(갈 3:15, 히 10:28) 그러나 일반적으로 ‘거절하다, 무시하다’의 의미로 더 많이 쓰인다. 그렇다면 본문에서 무엇을 저버렸다는 것인가? 본문에는 명시되어 있지 않지만 현재 논의되고 있는 성적 방종을 버리고 거룩함을 추구하라는 바울의 교훈을 의미한다. 이렇게 하나님이 바울을 통해서 명하신 이 명령을 저버리는 사람은 사람을 저버리는 것이 아니라 그 명령을 주신 하나님을 저버리는 사람이 되는 것이다. 

 

당시 데살로니가 교회에는 영지주의자들이 들어와 바울이 가르친 엄격한 교훈을 잊어버리고 성윤리에 대한 좀더 너그러운, 자유로운 태도를 취할 것을 권했다. 그러면서 그들은 이것이 하나님의 법을 저버리는 것이 아니라고 유혹한 것이다. 이에 바울은 이 명령이 자신으로부터 나온 것이 아니라 성령을 주신 하나님께로부터 온 것임을 강조하는 것이다. 하나님은 성도들에게 성령을 지속적으로 주시는 분이시다. 그렇기에 하나님이 명하신 이 성적 윤리를 어기는 것은 하나님의 성령의 전으로서 역할을 제대로 하는 것이 아님을, 하나님을 저버리고 무시하는 것이라는 사실을 말한다. 

 

-  The main clause of v. 8, τοιγαροῦν ὁ ἀθετῶν οὐκ ἄνθρωπον ἀθετεῖ ἀλλʼ τὸν θεόν (“for that very reason the one who rejects [these things] does not reject humanity but God”) is a negative statement closely related to a tradition found in somewhat different forms several places in the Gospels (see Mk. 9:37 par.; Mt. 10:40; Lk. 10:16; Jn. 12:44; 13:20). Its antecedents occur in the OT, as 1 Sa. 8:7 shows. The closest of the Gospel parallels is Lk. 10:16: ὁ ἀκούων ὑμῶν ἐμοῦ ἀκούει, καὶ ὁ ἀθετῶν ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ ἀθετεῖ (“the one hearing you hears me, the one rejecting you rejects me”). Whether Paul knew this particular form of the tradition and modeled v. 8 on it cannot be determined because he might well have based his saying on the principle that lies behind Lk. 10:16 without knowing Jesus’ saying.

The principle involved concerns the Jewish idea of the šālı̂aḥ, who was the appointed representative of another. According to the rules of conduct associated with šālı̂aḥs, the representative of a person could act in his place with full legal rights. To receive or to reject such a representative was to receive or reject the sender. (For studies on the šālı̂aḥ principle see K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT I, 413–420; Borgen, “God’s Agent”; Barrett, “Shaliaḥ”). This is particularly relevant because the idea of apostleship in early Christianity had its roots in the šālı̂aḥ tradition of Jewish thought (Rengstorf, 421).

TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich; tr. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Ten volumes; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964–76.

 Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 157–158.

 

6-8절) 바울은 성도들로 하여금 성적인 행위와 관련하여 거룩한 삶을 살아야 하는 이유를 제시하는데 이는 서로 다른 시기와 삼위일체와 관련이 있다. 1) 주 예수 그리스도께서 장차 오심으로 ‘이 모든 일에 대해서 주께서 신원하시기에’(6절), 2) 하나님의 과거의 선택 행위, '우리를 거룩하게 하기 위해 부르신 하나님’(7절), 3) 성령의 현재 역사하심, ‘거룩한 삶을 살도록 믿는 자에게 능력을 주심’(8절) 

-  Paul gives three reasons why believers must live a holy life with regard to their sexual conduct, and each reason involves a different time period and person of the Trinity: (1) the future coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to “punish all those who commit such sins” (v. 6); (2) the past electing action of God, who “calls us … to live a holy life” (v. 7); and (3) the present working of the Holy Spirit, whom “God gives” to empower believers to live a holy life (v. 8).

 Douglas J. Moo, “The Letters and Revelation,” in NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 2154.

 

 

HOLINESS

Andrew David Naselli

Holiness is woven through the Bible’s storyline. The holy God created holy people who became unholy. He later selected Israel as his holy people, but they repeatedly failed to be holy. Jesus, who embodies holiness, made his people holy, so Christians are holy and must strive to live in a holy manner, however imperfectly, until God consummates his plan to make his people holy.

HOLINESS PERSONIFIED: GOD

Many people equate holiness with taboos. The Bible equates it fundamentally with God.

What Is Holiness?

“Holiness” is commonly defined as being separate or set apart. God is holy in that he is set apart from everything that is not God, and God’s people must be holy by being set apart from sin. So holiness, according to this definition, is separateness that entails moral purity. But that does not sufficiently describe the essence of holiness or distinguish different senses in which people and things can be holy. There is a sense in which only God is holy and another sense in which others can be holy.

God Is Holy

In its most focused usage, “holy” is an adjective uniquely associated with God. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty” (Isa 6:3; cf. Rev 4:8). Surely this loses something if rendered “Separate, separate, separate” or “Moral, moral, moral.” Saying “God is holy” is like saying “God is uniquely God” or “God alone is God”: the word “holy” in such a context becomes almost an adjective for God. That God swears by his holiness (Ps 89:35; Amos 4:2) is equivalent to saying that he swears “by himself” (Amos 6:8). God is supremely and exclusively God. He has no rivals. As uniquely excellent, he is his own category: “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you” (1 Sam 2:2; cf. Exod 15:11; Ps 77:13; Isa 40:25). The Bible calls God “the Holy One” over 50 times and calls the Spirit of God “the Holy Spirit” over 90 times.

People and Objects Are Holy in Relation to God

God alone is innately holy (Rev 15:4). His name is holy (Isa 57:15). Yet the use of the word “holy” stretches out in widening circles to apply to people and things. If human beings or things are holy, they are holy only derivatively—not because they are divine or moral but because God restricts them for his special use. In a broad sense, everything belongs to God, but in a more narrow sense, some things and people belong exclusively to God in a special way. For example, heaven—God’s dwelling place—is holy (Deut 26:15), and God refers to angels as his “holy ones” (Ps 89:5–7) and “the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

HOLINESS LOST: HUMANS

Adam and Eve were the crown of God’s good creation, and they walked with God in the sanctuary of Eden. But the sinless couple sinned and lost their holiness, so God expelled them from his presence (Gen 1–3; Eccl 7:29). (See “Creation,” p. 2330, and “Sin,” p. 2332.) The story of the Bible is, from one perspective, about how God is working to restore to an even greater degree the holiness that our first parents forfeited.

HOLINESS ESTABLISHED AND PRACTICED: ISRAEL

God later selected Israel to become his holy people as he dwelt among them. The OT calls God “the Holy One of Israel” over 30 times.

Israel Was Holy

Following the exodus of God’s people from Egypt, Israel became a holy nation because God was uniquely present with them. Israel was God’s special people: “You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deut 7:6; cf. Exod 19:4–6; Deut 14:2).

In the OT, holiness is usually associated with God’s special presence in theophanies (see note on Deut 4:24) or at Israel’s tabernacle and temple. God’s holiness radiated outward from the Most Holy Place, making everything associated with it holy: the building and courtyard (Lev 16:15–16; Ps 79:1); the furniture and utensils (Exod 30:26–29; Num 4:14–15); the priests and their clothing (Exod 29:21; Lev 21:6–8); the sacrifices, offerings, and tithed crops (Lev 27:30; Num 18:17); and the oil, incense, and censers (Exod 30:25, 34–37; Num 16:37). (See “Priest,” p. 2342, and “Sacrifice,” p. 2344.)

Israel Was Responsible to Be Holy

God commanded Israel, “You are to be my holy people” (Exod 22:31). “Be holy, because I am holy” (Lev 11:44–45; cf. Lev 19:2; 20:7; 21:8). “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own” (Lev 20:26).

Israel was responsible to regard God as holy (Isa 8:13) by obeying his commands regarding rituals and morality (Num 15:40; Deut 28:9; cf. Num 20:12). They were to keep God’s Sabbaths holy (Exod 20:8–11), and the priests were to “distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean” (Lev 10:10). Uncleanness, which is linked to imperfection and death, is the opposite of holiness, which is linked to wholeness and life. God’s instructions about cleanness and uncleanness covered all spheres of life, including diet, purification after childbirth, skin diseases, infections, and bodily discharges, and they reminded the people of their holy calling (Lev 11–15).

But because Israel continually profaned their holy God, who judges unholy people (2 Kgs 17:7–23; 2 Chr 36:15–16), God graciously met the need of sinful humans with a holy Savior.

HOLINESS EMBODIED AND ACCOMPLISHED: JESUS

Jesus Is Holy

“Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” (1 Sam 6:20). Only one can stand on his own merits: Jesus. He is “holy and true” (Rev 3:7; 6:10). Jesus is the one whom “the Father set apart as his very own” (John 10:36). The angel Gabriel announced to Mary, “The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). An unclean demon recognized Jesus as “the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34). Jesus made unclean people clean by touching them, and he never became unclean because he is inherently holy. Peter called Jesus “the Holy One of God” (John 6:69), “the Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14), and God’s “holy servant” (Acts 4:27, 30).

Jesus Makes People Holy

Jesus is both the Holy One and “the one who makes people holy” (Heb 2:11). He is “our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor 1:30). His perfect life and sacrificial death satisfied God’s holy wrath against sinners: “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10:10). “Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood” (Heb 13:12).

To serve in God’s presence, OT priests were made holy by a consecration ritual involving atonement, purification, and eating a special meal. These same elements also underlie the Passover ritual, by which God consecrated Israel as a holy nation. This pattern continues in the NT: Jesus brings about a new exodus that consecrates believers as holy. God is uniquely present with the church, composed of both Jewish and Gentile Christians, because it is “a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph 2:21; cf. 1 Cor 3:17). God has chosen Christians to be “a holy priesthood”; they are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Pet 2:5, 9). (See “Exile and Exodus,” p. 2347, and “Temple,” p. 2340.)

HOLINESS APPLIED AND PRACTICED: CHRISTIANS

Many theologians sharply distinguish justification from sanctification. (“Sanctify” means to make holy.) Justification is the instantaneous, completed act in which God declares a believing sinner to be righteous, and sanctification is the progressive, incomplete, lifelong maturing process in which a Christian is gradually made more holy. Those are valid and important systematic categories, but the latter category can confuse people because the NT letters present three tenses of sanctification: past, present, and future. A Christian can say, “I am sanctified. I am being sanctified. And I will be sanctified.”

• Past. Definitive or positional sanctification occurs when God sets people apart for himself at the moment they become Christians.

• Present. Progressive sanctification is what many Christians today refer to as sanctification (see above).

• Future. Ultimate sanctification corresponds to glorification. This happens when God sets his people apart from sin’s presence and possibility.

Christians Are Holy

When the Bible refers to Christians as “holy” or “sanctified,” it usually refers, not to progressive sanctification, but to definitive or positional sanctification (e.g., Rom 1:7; Eph 1:1; 5:3; Col 1:2, 12; 3:12; 2 Thess 1:10; Heb 2:11; Jude 3; Rev 13:7). In this sense, every Christian is a saint; every Christian is holy; every Christian is sanctified. For example, Paul addresses the church at Corinth as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people” (1 Cor 1:2; cf. 1 Cor 6:11). They were already “sanctified” even though they were failing to be holy in several areas.

Christians Are Responsible to Be Holy

God commands Christians, “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’ ” (1 Pet 1:15–16, quoting Lev 11:44–45). Christians must worship God by offering their “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Rom 12:1). Since Christians belong exclusively to God, they must reflect God’s moral character with “holy and godly lives” (2 Pet 3:11; cf. Rom 6:19, 22; 2 Cor 7:1). “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable … For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” (1 Thess 4:3–4, 7). “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness

 

 Andrew David Naselli, “Holiness,” in NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 2364–2365.