1 Thessalonians 4:7
“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God's call is not toward impurity but toward holiness.
What Does 1 Thessalonians 4:7 Mean?
Paul sums up the whole appeal in a single contrast: 'God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.' The call of God has a direction and a character. He did not summon His people in order to leave them in impurity, but to bring them into holiness. The destination of the call defines the path.
This verse lifts the matter from rules to identity. The question is not merely what is forbidden but what God called us for, and the answer is holiness, a life set apart for Him. Every believer can measure their conduct by remembering the purpose of their calling. Impurity contradicts the very reason God reached out to us; holiness fulfills it. There is dignity in this, for it means the moral life is not arbitrary restriction but the natural shape of a people claimed by a holy God. To walk in purity is simply to walk in the direction God was always calling us, toward Himself.
In the Original Language
akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία), 'uncleanness' -- impurity, moral filthiness, the opposite of being clean before God.