1 Thessalonians 4:5

“not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God”

“Not in the passion of lust”: “And not for the mere gratification of his passions” (TCNT). There is. passion that is healthy, but this passion is being fueled by pure lust. Lust is pure greed. The adulterer is not satisfied with one woman. This reveals that the real "root" cause of lust is selfishness. Hence, getting married, changing one's environment and so on will fail to control lust, if the root cause is not faced and confronted. God knows that we can overcome lust. “The God-empowered man rules his body. He is not caught in the grip of lustful passions he is quite unable to control” (Morris p. 124). “Some men think that nothing can be done about sexual passions except to gratify them” (Fields p. 106). Again, such verses demonstrate that we are not inherently depraved or born with inherent evil desires, because Scripture is repeatedly exhorting mankind to flee, abstain, and depart from such things as lust (2 Timothy 2:22), and such. departure is even to reach down into our hearts (Matthew 5:28). Recently. heard someone argue, “Well, just because it is inborn, does not mean that you have to act upon it”. But, God requires more than that. God requires that we also abstain from it mentally and emotionally as well.

“Even as the Gentiles who know not God”: “The heathen knew gods as licentious as they are themselves, but not God” (Robertson p. 29). Marshall notes, “Paul's characterization of its typical (the Roman Empire) way of life was justified. It would be possible to offer. similar verdict on modern western civilization, as represented by its films, TV and novels, and as reflected in the statistics for marital breakdown” (p. 110). Engaging in fornication is living like an unbeliever and lowering oneself to the level of one who is ignorant of God. When we lose hold of God, when we abandon Him, we are in essence abandoning ourselves (Romans 1:18).