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Thursday, January 1st, 2026
Holy Name of Jesus
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Mace New Testament

1 Thessalonians 4:7

for God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness:

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Chastity;   Holiness;   Injustice;   Thompson Chain Reference - Chastity-Impurity;   Impurity;   The Topic Concordance - Calling;   Despisement;   Holiness;   Teaching;   Uncleanness;   Will of God;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Call of God, the;   Chastity;   Holiness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Thessalonians, Epistle to the 1 and 2;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Call;   Holiness;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Holy, Holiness;   Marriage;   Sanctification;   Thessalonians, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Call, Calling;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Thessalonians, the Epistles to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   Holy;   Immorality;   Sanctification;   Vengeance;   1 Thessalonians;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Holiness;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   Thessalonians, First Epistle to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Abstinence;   Call, Called, Calling;   Perseverance;   Thessalonians Epistles to the;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Holiness;   6 Holiness Sanctification;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Thessalo'nians, First Epistle to the,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Sanctification;   Thessalonians, the First Epistle of Paul to the;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 20;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness.
King James Version (1611)
For God hath not called vs vnto vncleannesse, but vnto holinesse.
King James Version
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
English Standard Version
For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
New American Standard Bible
For God has not called us for impurity, but in sanctification.
New Century Version
God called us to be holy and does not want us to live in sin.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.
Legacy Standard Bible
For God did not call us to impurity, but in sanctification.
Berean Standard Bible
For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.
Contemporary English Version
God didn't choose you to be filthy, but to be pure.
Complete Jewish Bible
For God did not call us to live an unclean life but a holy one.
Darby Translation
For God has not called us to uncleanness, but in sanctification.
Easy-to-Read Version
God chose us to be holy. He does not want us to live in sin.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For God hath not called vs vnto vncleannesse, but vnto holinesse.
George Lamsa Translation
For God has not called you unto uncleanness but unto holiness.
Good News Translation
God did not call us to live in immorality, but in holiness.
Lexham English Bible
For God did not call us to impurity, but in holiness.
Literal Translation
For God did not call us to impurity, but in purity.
Amplified Bible
For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness [to be dedicated, and set apart by behavior that pleases Him, whether in public or in private].
American Standard Version
For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
Bible in Basic English
Because it is God's purpose that our way of life may be not unclean but holy.
Hebrew Names Version
For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
International Standard Version
For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.Leviticus 11:44; 19:2; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:14-15;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
For Aloha hath not called us to uncleanness, but unto sanctification.
Murdock Translation
For God did not call you unto impurity, but to sanctification.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For God hath not called vs vnto vncleanenesse, but into holynesse.
English Revised Version
For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
World English Bible
For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness.
Weymouth's New Testament
God has not called us to an unclean life, but to one of purity.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For God clepide not vs in to vnclennesse, but in to holynesse.
Update Bible Version
For God called us not for impurity, but in sanctification.
Webster's Bible Translation
For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness.
New English Translation
For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.
New King James Version
For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
New Living Translation
God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.
New Life Bible
For God has not called us to live in sin. He has called us to live a holy life.
New Revised Standard
For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For God did not call us, with a permission of impurity, but, in sanctification.
Douay-Rheims Bible
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification.
Revised Standard Version
For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For god hath not called vs vnto vnclennes: but vnto holynes.
Young's Literal Translation
for God did not call us on uncleanness, but in sanctification;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For God hath not called vs to vnclennesse, but vnto holynes.
Simplified Cowboy Version
God did not invite us in to talk big, but to ride hard.

Contextual Overview

1 Finally, my brethren, we intreat and conjure you by the Lord Jesus Christ, to observe the instructions we gave you about your religious conduct, and to make continual progress therein. 2 for you know the precepts we gave you in the name of the Lord Jesus. 3 and such is the will of God, that you should be holy, and avoid licentiousness; 4 that every one of you should take care to preserve the dignity of his 5 person unsullied by the vices of the Gentiles, who know not God: 6 that no man should be exorbitant, and behave contumeliously to his brother: because the Lord is the avenger of all such crimes, as we have formerly remonstrated to you. 7 for God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness: 8 he therefore that violates these precepts, does not despise man, but God, who has endued me with his holy spirit.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

God: Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 19:2, Romans 1:7, Romans 8:29, Romans 8:30, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 4:1, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:14, 2 Timothy 1:9, Hebrews 12:14, 1 Peter 1:14-16, 1 Peter 2:9-12, 1 Peter 2:21, 1 Peter 2:22

uncleanness: 1 Thessalonians 2:3, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 4:19, 2 Peter 2:10

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:45 - be holy Leviticus 20:7 - General Numbers 15:40 - be holy Psalms 110:3 - beauties Isaiah 35:8 - The way Luke 1:75 - General John 17:19 - for 1 Corinthians 5:1 - fornication 2 Corinthians 7:1 - perfecting Ephesians 5:3 - fornication Colossians 1:22 - to Titus 2:12 - denying 1 Peter 1:15 - as 2 Peter 1:3 - called

Cross-References

Acts 10:35
but in every nation, he that feareth him, and acts justly, is acceptable to him.
Romans 6:16
by no means. know ye not, that to whom ye subject your selves vassals at command, his vassals you are whom you thus obey; the vassals either of sin to destruction, or of obedience to justification?
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to you, that you present your bodies a living victim, holy, acceptable unto God, as the service of a rational being.
Romans 14:18
for he that thus pays his allegiance to Christ, is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
Romans 15:16
to be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, officiating the gospel of God, that the Gentiles might be made an acceptable offering, being sanctified by the holy spirit.
Ephesians 1:6
to display the glory of his grace, which has render'd us acceptable by his beloved son:
1 Timothy 5:4
if a widow has children or grand-children, let them above all things instruct their own family to be religious, and let them be grateful to their parents, for this is acceptable to God.
Hebrews 11:4
'Twas by faith that Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he was declared righteous, God himself having testified that he accepted his offering, and after he died for his faith, he was not silent.
James 1:15
and the genuine offspring of sin is death.
1 Peter 2:5
you your selves are as so many living stones, you are the edifice, the spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, agreeable to God by Jesus Christ.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For God hath not called us,.... The Syriac version reads "you". This is another reason to enforce the above exhortations, and to caution them against the above unclean practices, taken from the end of the effectual calling by the efficacious grace of God, which is not

unto uncleanness of any sort, as before specified. This they had lived in before their calling, and were now called from it into communion with Christ, who loves righteousness, and hates iniquity; and by the Gospel, which teaches to deny ungodliness, and worldly lusts, and to forsake all impurity, both of flesh and spirit:

but this call is

unto holiness of life and conversation in general, and to chastity in thought, look, word, and actions in particular; for God that calls is holy, and therefore those who are called ought to be so; the calling with which they are called is an holy calling, principles of grace and holiness are wrought in their souls, when they are called; and the end of their calling is to live soberly, righteously, and godly; and then, and then only, do they walk worthy of that calling wherewith they are called, and of God who has, by his grace, called them to his kingdom and glory.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness - When he called us to be his followers, it was not that we should lead lives of impurity, but of holiness. We should, therefore, fulfil the purposes for which we were called into his kingdom. The word “uncleanness” (ἀκαθαρσία akatharsia), means, properly, “impurity, filth;” and then, in a moral sense, “pollution, lewdness,” as opposed to chastity; Romans 1:24; Rom 6:19; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 4:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 7. God hath not called us unto uncleanness — He is the creator of male and female, and the institutor of marriage, and he has called men and women to this state; but the end of this and all the other callings of God to man is holiness, not uncleanness. And they who use the marriage state as he directs, will find it conducive to their holiness and perfection.


 
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