Hello,
I’m back to teaching you guys again about Christian issues. Today we are talking about Sexual Purity yay!
What is Sexual Purity?
Sexual Purity applies to both our actions and our attitudes. It is the active choice to refrain from sexual activity outside the bounds of marriage. It is also the decision to guard your heart and mind by not allowing impure thoughts or attitudes take over (BraveHeart 2020).
Humans are well aware of the pleasing effect of sex, which is seen as a gift from God in the Bible. The Bible teaches that God designed sex to exist within certain boundaries, marriage between a man and a woman Ephesians 5:31. When exercised in line with God’s intended boundaries, it is beautiful and constructive. When out of control, violating God’s intended purpose, it becomes ugly and destructive (Preach It Teach It 2020). All of these sentiments reflect teaching from the Bible on Sexual Purity.
Biblical Reasons For Sexual Purity
“You should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God. . . . For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life”.
(1 Thessalonians 4:3–5, 7).
The passage above outlines God’s reasons for Sexual Purity in the lives of Christians.
First, we are “sanctified,” and for that reason we are to avoid sexual immorality. The Greek word translated “sanctified” means literally “purified, made holy…[unto God].” As Christians, we are to live a “purified” life because we have been made holy by the exchange of our sin for the righteousness of Christ on the cross and have been made completely new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17–21). Our old natures, with all their impurities, sexual and otherwise, have died, and now the life we live, we live by faith in the One who died for us (Galatians 2:20). To continue in sexual impurity (premarital intimate sexual activity) is to deny that and doing so is, in fact, a legitimate reason to question whether we have ever truly become Christians in the first place. Sanctification, the process by which we become more and more Christ-like, is an essential evidence of the reality of our salvation.
We also see in 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 the necessity of controlling our bodies. When we give in to sexual immorality, we give evidence that the Holy Spirit is not filling us because we do not possess one of the Fruits of the Spirit – Self-Control. All believers display the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) to a greater or lesser degree depending on whether or not we are allowing the Holy Spirit to have control. Uncontrolled “passionate lust” is an idea of Humans (Galatians 5:19), not of the Holy Spirit. So controlling our lusts and living Sexually Pure lives is essential to anyone who professes to know Christ. In doing so, we honour God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18–20) (GotQuestions. 2020. ‘Why is sexual purity so important?’ ).
Practical Reasons For Sexual Purity
Sexual purity is not an option for an obedient Christian; it’s a requirement as God’s will is centered on our character and moral purity much more than on our circumstances (Preach It Teach It 2020).
Behind every negative command are positive principles for our delight. Specifically, God’s commands to wait for sex until marriage is given to both protect you and provide for you. The following Table provides those reasons:
| Protect | Provide |
|---|---|
| Your mind from the images of past relationships. | Freedom to enjoy your future spouse without distracting mental images. |
| You from mistrust and suspicion in relationships. | A foundation of trust for your current and future relationships. |
| You from confusing the intensity of sex with the intimacy of love. | You with intimacy: True knowledge of the other person outside of the physical. |
| You from the fear and consequences of sexually transmitted diseases. | You peace of mind as you enter a marriage commitment. |
| Your Christian testimony. | Integrity in your Christian witness that ministers to others. |
| Your fellowship with God. | The abundant life. |
Are You Being Sexually Impure?
There are things in the Bible that are clearly sin, however, there are more gray areas than rules in our pursuit of Sexual Purity. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What Are My Intentions? There is a distinct difference between trying to be holy and trying to find loopholes.
- Does This Honor God? In your heart, can you feel comfortable doing this? Touch is not inherently evil; it is lust and not being able to control your body that dishonours God.
- Does This Cause Me or My Boyfriend/Girlfriend to Stumble? This is key because often a small touch on the hand will not lead to sin, but greater amounts of touch (even on the hand) can lead to increased temptation for sexual activity. It is important to know that in relationships, as emotions grow for one another, the desire for physical intimacy grows. This is important to take into account in order that we understand the reality of this increasing temptation for sexual impurity (Discipleship Defined 2020).
What if I have already “done it”?
One of the greatest mistakes people can make is to assume that since they have already “done it” God wants nothing to do with them. This is simply not true. God is well aware of our tendencies – that is why Jesus Christ came.
For King David, what began with a stare led to adultery, unwanted pregnancy and murder. This is about as bad as it gets. However, consider what happened next. David admitted his sin and asked God for forgiveness. Like David, we can receive God’s complete forgiveness and receive a clean start see Psalm 51 (follow this link to read)
Here’s what you do:
- Confess the Sin. Specifically name your sin before God and ask His forgiveness 1 John 1:9
- Confess the Sin. Specifically name your sin before God and ask His forgiveness 1 John 1:9
- Forgive Yourself. If you are not willing to forgive yourself, you are saying two things to Jesus: that His death was not enough for your sins and you are a higher judge of what can be forgiven than He is. Jesus died on the cross for you out of His heart of love. When you do not forgive yourself, you throw this sacrifice right back into His face. If Jesus sacrifice cannot cover your sin, it cannot cover any sin.
- Yield Yourself to God. Ask Jesus to fill you with His power to honour him with your body and to say no to future temptation, and trust the Holy Spirit to work in your life.
- Bear Fruits of Repentance. Repentance means turning around, changing one’s mind. This might mean breaking off a relationship or perhaps making a decision not to be alone together. Whatever it is, your actions should show you have changed. The individual who professes to be a Christian but who continues to practice sin should realize that he or she might not be a Christian at all John 14:21; 1 John 2:3
God’s complete love and forgiveness enable us to make a clean start and to live a life pleasing to Him (Discipleship Defined 2020).
Amen!
Bibliography
BRAVEheart. 2020. ‘What Is Sexual Purity?’ BRAVEheart Website, at: <braveheart.org/purity/what-is-sexual-purity/> 19 November 2020
Discipleship Defined. 2020. ‘Sexual Purity’ Discipleship Defined, Website, at: <http://www.discipleshipdefined.com/resources/sexual-purity> 19 November 2020
GotQuestions. 2020. ‘Why is sexual purity so important?’ GotQuestions website, at: <https://www.gotquestions.org/sexual-purity.html> 19 November 2020
Preach It Teach It. 2020. ‘Sixteen Guidelines for Sexual Purity’ Preach It Teach It Website, at: <https://preachitteachit.org/articles/detail/sixteen-guidelines-for-sexual-purity/> 19 November 2020
Hope Like Rivers 
Amazing read!
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