Called to Holiness
- Rev. Christopher Brademeyer
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Called to Holiness
Reminiscere – 3/1/2026
1 Thessalonians 4:1-7
Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer
That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Epistle lesson from the First Epistle to the Thessalonians in the fourth chapter with special emphasis on verse seven which reads as follows:
“For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.”[1]
Thus far the Scriptures.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The traditional name for this Sunday, the second in Lent, is Reminiscere. It means, “remember.” It comes from the Introit which says, “Remember Your mercy, O Lord, and Your steadfast love.”[2] In this season of Lent, the Church prays that God would remember His mercy, which He loves to do more than anything else. And today, through the Apostle Paul in our Epistle lesson, the Lord also calls us to remember something else: that we have been called to holiness.
St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Thessalonica that, “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” It is not God’s will that you should be destroyed, forgotten, or condemned. No, God wants you, His people, to be holy. “God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” This is a high calling. And it immediately brings us into conflict. This conflict is not firstly with the world out there, but with the sinful self within.
The Temptation of the Flesh
When Paul spoke of sanctification, he spoke very concretely. He did not leave holiness in vague spiritual language. He named the battleground: “that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.” That is to say, Paul identifies a significant impediment to our holiness in the desires of our sinful flesh. The temptation of the flesh takes many forms.
First, there is physical lust. Our age is saturated with it. What previous generations had to seek out in shame is now delivered instantly, privately, and endlessly through pornography. Where once it required effort and embarrassment, today it requires only a device and a few seconds.
This is not a small issue. It catechizes the imagination. It trains the eyes. It reshapes desire. It reduces persons made in the image of God to objects for consumption. What God designed as a covenantal gift within marriage becomes detached from promise, faithfulness, and self-giving love. Worst of all, it does not satisfy. It inflames. It enslaves. It isolates.
Recent studies report that a large majority of men and nearly half of women admit to using pornography. The average child is exposed before the teenage years. We cannot pretend this is distant from us.[3] It is in our homes, in our pockets, and in our culture.
The consequences are not only spiritual but relational and emotional. Its use increases marital fracture, anxiety, depression, shame, even among those who claim no religious conviction. Lust promises freedom, but it produces bondage.
Parents, this means vigilance is part of your vocation. The world is catechizing your children whether you intend it or not. Guard them. Teach them. Do not surrender that responsibility.
And for all of us: do not believe the lie that this is harmless. Paul is not being prudish; he is being pastoral. “Control your own body in holiness and honor.” Why? Because your body is not disposable. It is not your toy, nor is it your master. It belongs to Christ. The greatest problem with lust is not merely practical or emotional but spiritual. Whether the lust is for bodies or for possessions in greed and covetousness, it curves the heart inward. It seeks gratification and control rather than self-giving love.
Lust vs. Love
Lust is fundamentally different than love. Lust takes. Love gives. Lust consumes. Love sacrifices. Lust asks, “What can I get?” Love asks, “How can I serve?” Love leads to God because God Himself is love. True love is ordered toward Him and shaped by Him. Lust leads to idols because it is ordered toward the selfishness of the sinful heart. This is why Paul says this is how “the Gentiles who do not know God” live. The issue is not merely desire, but whether God is known and trusted.
Consider the example of marriage. In Ephesians chapter five, St. Paul teaches that the love of husband and wife is a living picture of Christ and His Church. A husband is called to love his wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. That is not selfish lust. It is the opposite; it is self-donation. This is a promise of faithfulness expressed in real life. Christian marriage is not ultimately about personal fulfillment. It is about reflecting Christ’s faithful love. It leads beyond itself to God.
Lust, on the other hand, always leads to idolatry. Because when desire is detached from God’s will, it becomes ultimate. The body becomes a god. Pleasure becomes a god. Money becomes a god. The self becomes a god. And whatever we treat as ultimate will eventually enslave us. Lust promises freedom. It delivers bondage. Love looks costly, but it delivers joy, satisfaction, and well-being beyond anything that we can imagine.
Holiness Is About Being in Christ
So how does this battle end? How is the sinner made holy? Is it simply a matter of trying harder? More discipline? More shame? No.
Holiness is not self-manufactured moral improvement. Holiness is being in Christ. You were joined to Him in Holy Baptism. You were clothed with His righteousness. You were set apart, sanctified, not because you had conquered lust, but because He had conquered sin. Holiness is given through the Word and the Sacraments. Through the preached Gospel, Christ speaks forgiveness into ears that have listened to lies. Through Holy Absolution, He declares clean what feels stained. Through His Supper, He places into your mouth His holy Body and precious Blood not as a reward for purity, but as medicine for sinners.
Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul says, “Whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”[4] The Spirit does not merely command holiness; He creates it. He wages war against the flesh. He reorders desire. He teaches the heart to love what God loves.
The Christian life, then, is a real struggle. Simul justus et peccator, at the same time righteous and sinner. The old Adam clings stubbornly to his sin. Temptations remain real. Failures happen. But this struggle is not built on despair. It is built on forgiveness and God’s merciful grace. Every day, the Christian drowns the old Adam through repentance. Every day, a new man arises by grace. The foundation is not your progress. It is Christ’s mercy.
This means that you have been given the spiritual apparatus to fight against lust. Practically, this means that we should all take the fight to our sin. In the matter of lust, put up roadblocks. Make it hard to access this material. Get a friend you can be honest with about your struggles. Share your successes and failures, not for a pity party, but for accountability. Pray. Read your Scriptures to keep up your strength. Find an outlet for your frustration such as exercise or a hobby. You are not alone in your struggles.
When you fall, you do not run from God. Run to Him. Confess your sins, receive absolution. Then begin again, not as one rejected, but as one remembered by the mercy of God.
Conclusion
This Sunday is about remembering. Remember that you have been called to holiness. Remember that lust leads only to emptiness and idolatry. Remember that love reflects Christ and leads to God. Remember that holiness is not achieved by your strength but given in Christ.Remember that the Spirit has been given to you.
And above all, remember this: God has not called you for impurity, but in holiness. He has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. He has claimed your body and soul as His own. He is not finished with you; you will overcome lust and every sin, not because your fight is flawless, but because Christ has already won the victory, and He remembers you with His mercy.
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1] 1 Thessalonians 4:7 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the Holy Scriptures are from the ESV.
[2] Psalm 25:1
[4] 1 Thessalonians 4:8
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