1 Thessalonians 4:1–8

Christ's second coming is transformative. It gives every moment eternal significance and empowers Christians with profound hope, urgency, and purpose. Discover this compelling truth about Christ's second coming through this series in Thessalonians and see how this changes everything.

As we begin, I have two questions I'd like for you to ponder, if you would. Question one, what is the one area that most distinguishes the church from the world? Begin ruminating on that and I'll ask you question number two. What is the one area that makes the pressure gauge of sanctification start rising? Now admittedly, there can be more than one right answer to that question or to those questions.

But in my opinion, I think the answer is the Christian's sexual ethic. It's the question, it's the answer that I think to the question what most distinguishes us from the world and what makes the pressure gauge of sanctification rise? The Christian's sexual ethic. You could even say it more fundamentally how we love one another.

This is the area where we are most visible and most vulnerable. Now think about it. There are a lot of areas where the church and the world don't look that different.

We eat the same food, enjoy the same recreation. We vacate in a lot of the same places. We engage in many of the same sports.

We work a lot of similar jobs, live in the same neighborhoods, drive the same kinds of cars, and so forth and so forth. In all frankness, there are many similarities that aren't negative or sinful. But there's one area where we cannot afford to look anything like the world.

It's in our sexual ethic. And by that, I'm asking this question, do we love one another biblically? You see, God and his holy scriptures, they call us out of and away from things like friends with benefits, trading spouses, hooking up, divorce for any reason, remarriage for any reason, slutty streaming shows, porn websites, intimacy outside of biblical marriage, abuse, lusting, coarse language, fornication, adultery, immodesty, living together as practice for marriage. These and other relational sins, the Bible calls us out of those and away from those.

These are sins between people who say they love each other. That's why I say the sexual ethic for the Christian is fundamentally answering this question. Are we loving each other biblically? So we're called out of and away from those kinds of things.

And we're called to moral purity with our bodies, our eyes, our minds. We're called to singular and sacrificial love in a marriage, porn-free lives, porn-free homes, a selfless lifestyle that consistently exhibits virtue, which is nothing more than moral excellence, not vice. I mean, we are to be in a word different, especially in how we love one another.

And when we're not that different, it doesn't end well. I mean, few things affect the church more deeply than when people inside the church, they act like people outside the church. It's true generally, frustrates you and you've seen it.

And it is specifically and especially true regarding sexual conduct. When our sexual ethic is compromised, we lose credibility quickly. Here's why.

Even the world expects you to be different. They'll criticize you for it. They'll misinterpret you and they'll make fun of you, but they surely expect you to be different.

And when we aren't different in the most fundamental way, how we love each other, they see no reason to lend an ear to the gospel. If it hasn't changed us, why would they listen? And let's be honest. In the church, love is a big deal.

Rightly so. It really matters. It's a main thing.

Jesus said in John 13, 35, by this, the world will know you're my disciples if you have love for one another. It's a big deal. Paul said in first Corinthians 13, 13, that when you're lining up faith, hope, and love, love's the greatest of these.

He said in first Timothy 1, 5, that the end or the goal of the commandment is love from a pure heart. And in Galatians 5, 22, when he lists spiritual fruit, guess which one is first? Say it with me. Love.

So we should not act like it's not a main thing or a big deal. It is. But when love moves away from being a spiritual fruit to being a selfish pursuit, well, the church can get worldly in a hot minute, can't it? When a believing community moves away from a godly basis and perspective of love, which I believe is seeing it as a in a spiritual community, as commitment and sacrifice, we move away from that to a greedy basis and perspective, which revolves around physical feelings and gratification, which that's how the culture and the world operate.

We move away from the godly perspective to the greedy one, and the church gets upside down, and we lose our identity, and we lose our impact. And so the sexual ethic matters. This seems to be the point that Paul is making in the first 12 verses of 1 Thessalonians 4. That continued obedience to Christ's commands, which by the way is simply sanctification, that's especially critical in sexual areas so that we love each other rightly, not wrongly, thus showcasing our true and real identity.

This seems to be Paul's point in those verses. So 1 Thessalonians 4, let's put our eyes on that text, can we? The first 12 verses really are the section he talks about this. There is a dividing line between verse 8 and verse 9. So I'll cover verses 1 through 8 this morning.

I'll cover 9 to 12 next week. 1 through 8 really deals with how not to love each other. Verses 9 through 12, how to love each other, but it's all aimed at loving each other well, having the correct sexual ethic in the body.

Let's see this unfold for us. It's 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 to 12. God's Word says this to us.

Additionally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God as you are doing, do this even more. For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is God's will, your sanctification, that you keep away from sexual immorality, that each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passions like the Gentiles who don't know God.

This means one must not transgress against and take advantage of a brother or sister in this manner because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses as we previously told and warned you. For God has not called us to impurity, but to live in holiness. Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Let me write for you a visual of these eight verses. You see them behind me. The scriptures are in front of you, but here's a big picture of you.

We'll call it a 30,000 foot understanding of how I think this passage is laid out. It's laid out really in a what, a how, and a why. We're going to go through these in a moment.

Just know this, that all of these verses together, they lead us to this sobering truth, what we are calling during this series, our Thessalonian truth. If you're new, we normally call it our take-home truth, but we're kind of adjusting that and drawing from each paragraph a Thessalonian truth. And it's this right here, we'll see this surface from these three different paragraphs.

Will you read this with me? Sanctification is continued obedience to Christ's commands, and it is especially critical in sexual areas, so that we love each other rightly, not wrongly, showcasing our true identity. A little long, but I think every single part necessary. I think you'll see this as we unpack the paragraphs.

So let's notice the first three and a half verses, can we? This is what I call the what section, and there are a number of synonyms in this section. These first three and a half verses that I think point to the big idea. I want you to get the big idea through a number of synonyms, you'll see that point to this.

Notice first of all, verse one, the phrase, how you should live and please God. Notice in verse one, the phrase, do this even more. In verse one, the phrase, verse two, the commands we gave you.

Verse three, this is God's will. I think all of those are pointing to the main word, which is the main what of these first three and a half verses. It's the word sanctification in verse three.

In other words, continuing to obey God and please him and doing this more, obeying the commands that Christ gave us in an increasing fashion, all of that is sanctification. And that's what Paul is pointing at. Here's further proof.

This same word is used three more times in these eight verses. Now you don't see it as sanctification because it's not written that way in your English version. You see it as the word holiness.

Do you see it in verse four? You see it in verse seven? Do you see it in verse eight? It's the same word as sanctification in verse three. It means to be set apart. So this is what Paul is aiming at, not only in the singular word, but in the repetition of the word.

The text shows us Paul is aiming at and calling for sanctification. Say the word with me, sanctification. It is continued and increasing obedience to the commands of Christ.

That's all it is. This is his main and clarion call. But notice it is his main and clarion call in a specific area, sexual conduct.

Or we could say in the area of how we love one another. That's the aspect of sanctification that he's addressing. And I might add, it's the aspect of God's will that he's addressing.

Those are synonyms in this text. This is God's will, your sanctification. And he goes into a number of ways that we're to continue to obey Christ's commands in sexual areas.

Now this brings up a truth about sanctification, which is the what of the text. This brings up a truth about sanctification that often we don't mention, but we need to, and I will. It's this right here.

Usually as sanctification increases, it gets more specific. Consider yourself the penny in the funnel. You've seen these at stores that sell t-shirts, you know, 15 for $5, that kind of thing, the one-wear kind of t-shirt, you know, you're on vacation, you'll see these shops and somewhere in that shop, there'll be a big yellow funnel.

You put a penny in, it starts up high, doesn't it? That's an easy ride. That's sanctification when you first get saved. It's really not a problem.

As that funnel gets tighter and smaller and that penny goes faster, it's more intense, isn't it? That's sanctification years in as the Lord hones in and is refining you, processing you, making you more and more like his son, one degree of glory to another. It's very fast and it's quick and it's intense. This is how sanctification works.

It always gets more specific as you grow spiritually, and as it gets more specific, it usually gets more intense. Now we'll say more about sanctification in late July. It's the topic of our next theological rest stop, but suffice it for now to simply admit that the specificity and the intensity of sanctification as it increases may be one of the reasons a lot of people stop short of deep maturity and holiness.

They feel the finger of the Holy Spirit pressing in, the funnel tightening, the circle getting more intense, and they just resist because it's more specific, it's more personal, it's more costly, and so too many Christians settle. That's sad, isn't it? I've come to realize that people do like sanctification until it gets very specific. Well, this is Paul's main point in this section, sanctification.

It's God's will, and he's saying that we should pursue it through continued increasing obedience. Now notice, especially in the areas of sexual matters. Another question I want to answer is this.

Why does he turn to sexual sin right away in the last part of verse 3? Why didn't he choose some other sin to address or some other set of sins to address? Why does he go right to sexual sin to these Thessalonian believers? Was he addressing a prevalent sin that they were dealing with, or maybe was he targeting a potential sin that was on the horizon? Here's my opinion on this. We don't know for sure. The text doesn't say, but here's my opinion.

In light of the previous commendation he gives him in verse 1 in which he says, you are obeying well, I think Paul was probably highlighting what may have been a surface issue lurking in the corner, so to speak. Like, as you continue to grow, as you continue to obey, be aware this will be your first major hurdle. This is where things will get difficult.

So, I think Paul's seeking here to cut the infection out early. He's bringing in the loop of what is ahead. How they're going to be most different and noticeably different than the Gentile world, it'll be in this area.

So, here's what's ahead. He's trying to give them some clues and some commandments on what they should do. He wants them to stay far away from loving others in the wrong way, which would be selfish and immoral.

And so, he gives them four imperatives that they should embrace regarding their sexual behavior. Four fundamental phrases about their sexual ethic. This is the how section.

It's verses 3b through about 6a. Four phrases. They are imperatives, but they each begin, at least in the original language, with the word to.

So, that's why they're in infinitive phrases. I say more about this on the podcast Tuesday, but these really form the next section for us and give us the meat, the bulk of how a Christian should not love and really stay in step with the Christian sexual ethic. Now, keep in mind, these statements will seem like categories as you hear them.

So, don't be alarmed as you hear them. The various types of sexual sins come to mind. I'll define them.

I'll explain these statements, but I can't list every possible way that one could sin sexually, but you'll probably have a number of thoughts as you hear these statements and understand them. I pray it'll stir us and convict us to think about what the Lord expects of us as one of his holy saints. So, statement number one, middle of verse three, he says, keep away from sexual immorality.

Well, you just jot this word down next to that phrase. Think about the word distance. That'll be our key word, distance.

Say it with me, distance. Now, the word here used is immorality. It's the word pornea.

You obviously know what comes from that word in our culture, pornography. This is a very common and umbrella word for all types of sexual sin, whether it's premarital, extramarital. It could include prostitution, incest, abuse, any type of wrong sexual behavior.

It's often categorized scripturally under the word pornea. Now, admittedly, this is a very general command. I think the purpose is that Paul is insisting that believers have a wholly new and different sexual ethic, a completely different set of sexual standards.

This call really mirrors Romans 12, 1, in which he says, let your mind be renewed. Don't have a mind like the world, have a wholly new mind. It mirrors Ephesians 5, in which he says the Christian community should not even speak about what the pagans do in secret sexually.

So do you see the aim of Paul here? He's saying just have a large distance between what you look and act like and what the world looks and acts like sexually. And this general commandment is first because I believe it is practically the simplest and most obvious way to set yourself apart. Admittedly, there can be other answers to that question, but if you pressed hard enough, I would say within the top two or three, the Christian sexual ethic is a top way to show a difference between you and the pagan culture.

It's the surest way to show that you have received and you can testify to the gospel of God's grace. And so Paul here is just saying, let there be a distance between how the world lives and how you live. Abstain from, keep away from, remove yourself from sexual immorality of all types.

I remember one time as a high schooler when the distance between the world and the church unfortunately was way too small in our church. I was a high schooler and one evening it was announced that our associate pastor, who was a married man, was caught having an affair with our pastor's secretary, who was a single woman. It was, I mean, it was, it was, I can't even explain the way that room felt.

Unexpected. We were all floored. These were prominent people in our church and prominent people for years.

Thankfully, the church dealt with it biblically and gracefully from everything we were told and could see. And they repented. They stayed.

I will say to you that for years, rumors swirled in our church. I was a high schooler, felt really called to ministry. I always tell you that my parents were just the best thing in the world for me.

And they really kind of kept me grounded, kept my rudder really right on so I didn't get disillusioned or, you know, off track in regards to God's call in my life or even the church in general. But I do remember how that really changed our church for a season. I mean, our outreach and impact, it just felt different as we'd go out to the neighborhoods, as we'd invite people.

The first line was often, oh, that church? And all they remembered was, your leaders, they're no different than we are. The distance was really small at that point. You see, when you minimize the distance between the sexual ethics of the world and the sexual ethics of the church, you maximize the risk of sin infiltrating the fold and plundering the sheep.

So Paul here is calling for a great distance to abstain and remove yourself from sexual immorality. Look at statement number two. He says to control his own body.

Here's the second phrase. Would you think about the word discipline? Remember the first phrase speaks to what? Distance. The second word now, the second phrase would speak to distance.

This really seems to be more like the positive aspect of the first commandment. The first one is do not get even close to sexual immorality, but do this instead. Control your own body.

So one's kind of negative in that sense, one's more positive. Here Paul is pointing, and he tells us by the modifiers, towards a disposition of discipline that is seen, look at the text, in a life of holiness and honor. The text also says this is contrasted against a life of lustful passion.

So do you see the contrast? Discipline that leads to holiness and honor, not just lustful passion. So he wants them to control their bodies. Now this is, again, pretty general, but I think it's by design.

Some translations use the word possess your vessel. Paul here is asking and calling for us to operate our bodies in a way that reflects God's character. God is holy, completely honorable.

So he wants us to control our bodies to reflect that character. Again, this is one of the ways that we draw a dividing line between ourselves and the unbelieving culture. Paul does that here.

We're not like the Gentiles or the pagans. Instead, we're disciplined and our life reflects God's character. Now, this phrase is pretty individual as well.

When you agree, he says control your own body. So perhaps in this moment, ask yourself these kinds of questions. Is there anything that I do in private that indicates a lack of sexual control? What do I watch? What do I listen to or read? I think it's very healthy to examine your personal habits through the lens of control.

Now, one other note about this phrase to control his own body. There is a very intriguing and historical debate about how this phrase is translated. I won't go into it here.

I go into great detail on the podcast Tuesday. If you're looking for a quick nerdy trip to Word Town USA, check the podcast Tuesday. I have a lot of fun.

I love these kind of rabbit trails. It doesn't affect any doctrine. It really isn't important to the text because either way works.

But I did find it really intriguing how there is a different phrase in view in some translations. I'll talk more about that Tuesday. Listen in.

I think you'll find it quite interesting and it will help you stay in touch with really what the author, Paul, through the Holy Spirit is communicating to us. Let's go to phrase number three, can we? It's this phrase, not to transgress against a brother or sister. This is the third command or the third imperative in the infinitive form.

Think about this word, demarcation. Say it with me, demarcation. Because the word transgress here is a compound word.

It means to go beyond. So in the original language, two words come together, the word go and the word beyond. That's how we get the word transgress.

It means to cross a line, to go beyond what's legally allowed, what's biblically allowed. And so the word describes a person stepping beyond the bounds of legal or proper behavior. They're a transgressor.

They've committed a transgression. They've gone beyond. Now in this text, I'll be frank with you, this could refer to any type of behavior that goes beyond what the law allows.

Technically in the specific text, he's not delineating a sexual activity. I think the context is in that. Don't worry.

But in this case, he is simply saying you can't go beyond what the law allows. And within the context, especially sexually. And so to go beyond what is biblical and sexual matters is to transgress.

You cross a line of demarcation. Now obviously things like adultery and fornication, they're in view here. Not hard to figure that out.

But so are actions like flirting with someone who's not your wife or husband. You've crossed a line. Emotional affairs.

Using insinuating or coded language with someone to try and seduce them or lure them into a wrong relationship. We're crossing a line. So I don't want you to minimize what's being commanded here.

When we do what's not allowed with one another, we break God's law. That's a transgression. It's not simply a mistake, a bad day, an accident, or a slip up.

It's a sin, a transgression. Lastly, the fourth phrase. He says not to take advantage of a brother or sister.

These are two that are pretty close together not to transgress or take advantage, but they are two separate phrases. And here I want you to think about the word defraud. Say that with me.

Defraud. So the four phrases, we have four key words. The first phrase speaks to distance.

The second one to discipline. The third one, demarcation. Now the fourth one, say with me, defrauding.

Because the word here, take advantage, it connotes the violation of a trust. These words are used two of the times in the New Testament. And every time these words are used, they refer to exploiting a situation or a relationship for personal satisfaction.

In fact, to be very honest with you, this goes beyond dishonesty. It's a con game of sorts that's being viewed. You make promises you never intend to keep, and through deceit, you get what you wanted in the moment.

See, that type of taking advantage, that results in a loss of trust. It's the abuse of a relationship. And while transgression may lean more legal in its definition, this definitely leans more personal.

You're defrauding someone. This is a phrase that I would especially urge our engaged couples to remember. And when you give in to sexual desires prior to marriage, you're taking advantage of a brother or sister.

They're not your wife or husband yet, but you're acting like you can deliver on a promise that only a husband or wife can make and fulfill. That's sexual fraud. And if you're in that situation, I would encourage you to repent and now create some new boundaries that actually establish a distance between you and the world's sexual ethic and live in the new reality that forgiveness brings.

It may be difficult and seem like a crazy life for a few months, but it will be well worth it to avoid sexual defrauding of the person you're about to marry. And there's one more phrase. It's not an infinitive or an imperative, but it is this phrase, in this manner.

Do you see it there in verse 6? Let me just simply say this closes out these four phrases that actually serve as our four commandments because it shows us that these sins should not even be tangled with or messed with in any way. And though they could apply to non-sexual situations, the phrase in this manner shows us Paul is primarily concerned with how we wrongly love people physically and sexually. And so it's another pointer to the fact that in the area of sexual behavior, sanctification is necessary, but it can get specific and personal.

And so these four phrases that Paul gives us, it's the heart of the text. They're giving us four categories of sins that we cannot embrace in our pursuit of Christian love in the church. He is, in essence, showing us the wrong ways we love people, and he's commanding us not to engage in them.

Let me ask you this question. Why should we not? Well, this is how Paul closes. It's the final few verses, middle of 6 through the end of 8. And the simple answer is this, we don't engage in these because of judgment.

That's at least one of the reasons. Paul lists it out here. In fact, he's pretty clear on what happens if we ignore these four phrases, these four areas.

If we engage in these practices, he says God will judge. In fact, look what he says. He says, first of all, there's a divine judgment.

Do you see this when he calls the Lord an avenger? Don't think marvel, okay? What you should do is marvel at the text that God sees and knows and responds. What we don't have in the text is a timeline. We don't know when or even how God avenges sexual sin.

We don't know. We have the simple promise that God will judge sexual sin, unrepented, deliberate to sin, and with no regard to God. He's not sleeping.

He's aware. And the Bible here says that he will judge that. He will avenge that.

Avenge is an interesting word. I'm not sure if you know this, but it comes from two words. Out is the first part of the word avenge, like exit or exodus, and then justice.

So this text says that God is the one who gets the justice out of what appears to be an injustice. Now, does he mean of the situation or the person? It can also mean punisher. So is God getting the justice out of the person? Is he taking justice out on the person? You can have fun with that word and play with it.

I'm just saying the text assures us God will see that justice is done where there's an injustice sexually. So I would not tread lightly here. Hear the word of the Lord.

The other kind of judgment mentioned here is what I call self-judgment. It's a very interesting closing. Verse 8, it seems to say that if you reject these commandments, if you just say, I don't think that applies to me or I'm not going to do that, you indict yourself.

It's like self-incrimination. So God doesn't need to judge you. Why? You've judged yourself.

The word judge is to discern, to evaluate. And so if you're just saying, well, I don't believe this, I don't accept this. If you're in the body of Christ, you're a believer, at least you say you are, but you're rejecting these commands.

The text says you're actually rejecting God. Now, let me just explain what that means. It's a very intensified warning because he's equating rejecting these commands.

That's what this in verse 8 is, with rejecting God. So let's just put the cards on the table. If you consistently and repeatedly reject God's expectations for his children in regards to sexual matters, you are rejecting God.

This is what the text plainly says. In the plainest of terms, Paul is saying that you don't belong to God when your behavior is consistently opposite of God. So even right now, as perhaps you weren't expecting this message on this Sunday, so blatant and in our face, like, Todd, I just, I can accept those things.

That's way too personal, way too specific. I don't want to be sanctified that much. You actually may be saying, I don't belong to God.

I don't accept this. Which goes to the earlier point, not only is our sexual ethic the way in which we're most visible, it is the one in which we're most vulnerable. It says a ton about who we actually belong to.

Now, the converse is also true. And this brings us great and deep joy. Throughout this passage, there is a link.

You'll see it if you just read it over and over. There's a link between the Holy Spirit. You'll see at the end of verse eight, God's given you His Holy Spirit.

There's a link between the Holy Spirit and holiness. Remember that's the key word in the verses. It's the main aim, sanctification.

In other words, here's why holiness happens in the life of the believer. He or she has the Holy Spirit of God, not the unholy spirit of the world. So what do you think the result will be if someone has the Holy Spirit? You got it.

A progressively holy life, even sexually. That's called sanctification. That's God's will.

And if you have the Holy Spirit, it is bound to happen. It's slow, but it's sure. It's progressive.

And it's all about the Holy Spirit. He produces the holiness that is spoken of in this text. So I would call you in this moment to evaluate and judge your life.

Is there proof of the Holy Spirit? If there's not, then you are not a Christian. You're not born again. And I would urge you upon that self-indictment to repent and turn to Jesus.

Let Him save you and forgive you and give you His Holy Spirit who will empower holiness in your life in an increasing way, even in areas of sexual matters. So these three sections, the what, the how, and the why, let's put them in the oven. We've baked it.

Here's the dish now we're serving up. Here's the Thessalonian truth that we want you to kind of chew on, want you to digest this in your small groups all week. You've seen it once.

I think you've seen it surface in the text. Can we just read it one more time together? A little lengthy, but I think helpful. Together, church.

Sanctification is continued obedience to Christ's commands, and it is especially critical in sexual areas so that we love each other rightly, not wrongly, showcasing our true identity. I think you're seeing how that is drawn from these eight verses. Lord willing, the Holy Spirit's massaging your heart, convicting your soul, engaging your mind to think about what needs to change, be adjusted in your life.

Well, this dish we're serving up, this delicious truth, we want you to chew on and digest. As much as I know that's what the text is saying, I want to turn it into an action for you because I want the protein in that dish to give you energy for obedience. I don't want you to leave and be a doer only.

I want you to be a doer. So can we take the Thessalonian truth and get a Thessalonian action? It's a lot shorter. I will pursue sanctification by refusing to love wrongly, and the wrong ways to love are mentioned in the four phrases.

We're just not going to do those things. We're going to keep a great distance between us and sexual immorality of all types. We're going to pursue a disciplined life that reflects God's character.

We're not going to cross any lines, and we are, what's the fourth D? Demarcation and then defrauding. Yeah, we're not going to manipulate, defraud a brother or sister to get what we want in the moment and not make good on promises. That's what we're going to pursue.

We're not going to do those things. So this is the action point. Will you say it with me now? I will pursue sanctification by refusing to love wrongly.

And I can assure you, First Family, as this is embedded into us more and more by the Holy Spirit, there will be a greater awareness that we are made different by the Lord Jesus Christ. Because when you see this truth and you read these verses, you could be overwhelmed and think, wow, I'm not up for this. You may be thinking of all you've got to extract and pull out and the work ahead.

You're like, I don't know how this is done. I'll tell you how it's done. It's done by two, by the mention of one name, two times in verse one.

I'd have been waiting all message to tell you this. It's the Lord Jesus. That's how Paul begins the entire text.

He says, look at it. I encourage you in the Lord Jesus. And he says, these commands come through the Lord Jesus.

And if you'll turn to Jesus, his commandments will not be burdensome. If you try to white knuckle your way through this, if you see this as another list, like you've got to power your way through it, it will eat you up and spit you out. But if you will turn to Jesus, cast all of your care upon him, his commandments will not be burdensome, but instead you will find the power of the Holy Spirit with you and in you to pursue.

And you'll actually desire what he desires. The key is in the relationship. So FFC, I encourage you embrace the Bible's sexual ethic, commit to moral purity, physical holiness, honorable living in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.