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Sanctification and Love

^1 (C1)Finally, ^(C2)believers, we ask and admonish you in the Lord Jesus, that you follow the instruction that you received from us about how you ought to ^(C3)walk and ^(C4)please God (just as you are actually doing) and that you ^(C5)excel even more and more pursuing a life of purpose and living in a way that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation.² For you know what commandments and precepts we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.³ For this is the will of God, that you be sanctified separated and set apart from sin: that you ^(C1)abstain and back away from sexual immorality;⁴ that ^(C1)each of you know how to control his own ^(C2)body in holiness and ^(C3)honor being available for God's purpose and separated from things profane,⁵ not to be used in ^(C1)lustful passion, like the Gentiles who ^(C2)do not know God and are ignorant of His will;⁶ and that ^(C1)in this matter of sexual misconduct no man shall transgress and ^(C2)defraud his brother because ^(C3)the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we have told you before and ^(C4)solemnly warned you.⁷ For ^(C1)God has not called us to ^(C2)impurity, but to holiness to be dedicated, and set apart by behavior that pleases Him, whether in public or in private.⁸ So whoever rejects and disregards this is not merely rejecting man but the God who ^(C1)gives His Holy Spirit to you to dwell in you and empower you to overcome temptation.

⁹ Now concerning ^(C1)brotherly love, you ^(C2)have no need for anyone to write you, for you have been personally ^(C3)taught by God to love one another that is, to have an unselfish concern for others and to do things for their benefit. ^(VR1)10 For indeed ^(C1)you already do practice it toward all the ^(F1)believers throughout Macedonia by actively displaying your love and concern for them. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, that you ^(C2)excel in this matter more and more,¹¹ and to make it your ambition ^(C1)to live quietly and peacefully, and to ^(C2)mind your own affairs and ^(C3)work with your hands, just as we directed you,¹² so that you will ^(C1)behave properly toward ^(C2)outsiders exhibiting good character, personal integrity, and moral courage worthy of the respect of the outside world, and ^(C3)be dependent on no one and in need of nothing be self-supporting.

Those Who Died in Christ

¹³ Now ^(C1)we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who ^(C2)are asleep in death, so that you will not grieve for them as the ^(C3)others do who have ^(C4)no hope beyond this present life.¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again as in fact He did, ^(C1)even so God in this same way—by raising them from the dead will bring with Him ^(C2)those believers who have fallen asleep in Jesus.¹⁵ For we say this to you ^(C1)by the Lord's own word, that ^(C2)we who are still alive and remain until ^(C3)the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede into His presence ^(C4)those believers who have fallen asleep in death.¹⁶ For the Lord ^(C1)Himself ^(C2)will come down from heaven with a ^(C3)shout of command, with the voice of ^(C4)the ^(F1)archangel and with the blast of the ^(C5)trumpet of God, and ^(C6)the dead in Christ will rise first.¹⁷ Then ^(C1)we who are alive and remain on the earth will simultaneously be ^(C2)caught up (raptured) together with them the resurrected ones ^(C3)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always ^(C4)be with the Lord! ^(VR1)18 Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words concerning our reunion with believers who have died.