Sexual Purity

“For this is is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.” (I Thessalonians 4:3)

Why is it important to discuss sexual purity in the midst of a study on personal revival? Because we are a “whole” … the body, the mind, and the spirit. Our bodies are are a temple… and how we treat our bodies and how we use our bodies is important.

Clearly, when sexual purity is examined in the midst of a marriage, then adultery (all kinds … including lust or too close friendships) can cause damage: broken trust, defilement, lying, reproach to God, guilt and shame for the family, self-centeredness, confusion, strife, anger, frustration, and living in a fantasy. Some safeguards we discussed that might help (in a pro-active way) to prevent adultery might include open communication, accountability, transparency, honesty, building hedges, establish mutually agreed upon boundaries, benchmarks, avoiding compromising situations, NOT complaining about mate to a member of the opposite sex, and most important of all, praying for one another. So often, adultery occurs because of a slow “withering away” in the relationship and it is not “checked” early enough in the process. The “other” appears to be better and so, we begin to “live a lie.”

Adultery and sexual sins have actually become prevalent even in the church. Most of us agree that the power of the secular world and its “messages” sets the stage for infidelity. I believe that “loss of intimacy” with God can cause a loss of intimacy with a mate and as a result, send us out looking elsewhere for that intimacy. I believe women crave intimacy!

One of the questions DeMoss asks in her workbook is “what advice would you give to a teenage son or daughter about why or how to keep morally pure.” We all had a laugh as we waited for others speak, hoping someone else would have a “good idea” that might actually work! Some of the suggestions were that we talk about “consequence” – not just in the face of sex and the possible consequences there, but consequences for all of our actions. Other suggestions were to tell the teen that abstinence sets the stage for giving a “precious gift” to your marriage partner and on the flip side, by having sex before marraige, you are also “stealing that gift from that person’s spouse of the future.” In the end, we agreed that it’s important to communicate the importance of choice! I also added that we should share with our teens that every sexual liaison creates a binding … a literal spiritual thread… that remains forever unless supernaturally cut by Christ’s “sword of truth.”

Because of my interest in word pictures, I asked the group to brainstorm a bit on the word “purity.” What are some of the word associations that you have for purity?

• white
• harmony
• not contaminated
• without spot or blemish
• 100%
• not blended
• clean
• whole
• innocence
• fresh
• bright
• unadulterated

Interesting collections of words I think.

In the end, we must choose to nurture these words in our lives. If we have failed, then it is critical that we confess. If we ask for purity in our lives, then we must also expect the refining process.
“Refiner’s Fire, my heart’s one desire is to be holy… ”