LADIES, BEWARE OF DEFRAUDING MEN:

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel (wife) in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AND DEFRAUD his brother (both male and female) in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified”. 1 Thess 4:3-7

God is passing warning to men that we should abstain from sexual immorality, “For this is the will of God…our sanctification”. The word sanctification means “set apart for the service of God”. It means, whatever we do let it be in holiness and to the glory of God. So, when men abstain from fornication, God accounted it to them as their sanctification. And a man cannot have a sanctified relationship with a woman and honour her by not sleeping with her before marriage except he is first of all living in sanctification.

Secondly, God commanded man to possess his vessels (wife) in sanctification and honour, and not in lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. He is not to take advantage of her before marriage and defraud her but to honour her as a sanctified vessel, willing to marry her.

“Defrauding” is raising expectations in another person which you cannot righteously fulfil. In business, defrauding is cheating— leading someone to expect certain benefits which you know are false. When a guy professes to love a girl and talks about their getting married some day in order to entice her to have sex with him that is defrauding. The Bible says that God takes note of this and that He is the “avenger” of all who do this. This means God will punish those who commit this sin. So daughters, beware of such men that will not love you in sanctification and honour.