Impurity or sexual immorality is an ENORMOUS problem that
infests our society. Is it possible to remain pure in such a fallen world as
this? What does purity look like? How can purity be achieved? What does the
Bible say about purity? I am going to try to find answers to these four
questions in this article, but first one concept must be understood. Purity is
one of the most important qualities for a Christian to have, yet often it is
the one that is the biggest problem. Before I get too deep into this article,
take a quick look at 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8. This is about as direct of a
command as you can have. Verse 8 says, “Therefore, he who rejects this does not
reject man, but God…” So basically, sexual immorality is you trading God and
your purity for earthly pleasure.
The fourth
question that I asked was “What does the Bible say about purity?” The actual
word “purity” is only used seven times in the Bible (NKJV), but the word “pure”
is used over one hundred times. First, look at 1 Timothy 4:12, which says, “Let
no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in
conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, [and] in purity.” Next, look at 1
Corinthians 6:18, which simply starts off, “Flee sexual immorality…” If 1
Thessalonians 4:3-8 wasn’t clear, this is. Turn a few pages later in 1
Corinthians to chapter ten, verse eight, which says, “Nor let us commit sexual
immorality…” I think we have the answer to the question… RUN!
The next
question that I want to find an answer to is whether or not it is possible to
remain pure in such a fallen world as this. Before I give my opinion on that, I
want to first say that it is very difficult to remain pure with the amount of
sexual sin there is in the world today, but it is possible. This doesn’t
belittle struggles that women have with sexual sin, but it does tend to be
harder for men than women. Struggling with what we see is a great struggle for
men, and it’s mostly a matter of not following Matthew 5:28 and Job 31:1.
Now, with
Johnny Raincloud out of the way, I’m going to move on to the question of “What
does purity look like?” Purity is normally a battle in relationships with
members of the opposite sex. So, let me base my answer off of 1 Timothy 5:2
(see verse one for context). We are supposed to treat other women who are
around our age as sisters and women that are several years older than us as
mothers and for guys it’s the same thing but like brothers and fathers. Until
you are married, treat the person that you’re dating or courting like a brother
or sister. That sets a high but achievable standard for purity in our
relationships and what we see.
Finally, we
get to the last question, “How can purity be achieved?” Maybe you’ve already
“blown it” so to speak, but really you haven’t. Your battle for purity is an
ongoing thing, and if you have “blown it”, your battle starts again now. You
haven’t lost, you’ve maybe just been dormant. Perhaps you’ve been successful in
your battle for purity, and if that’s the case, awesome, but you haven’t won,
you’ll fight until you die. The answer to this question was more or less
answered in the previous paragraph. We achieve it by following the standard
that has been set in 1 Timothy 5:2.
Before I end
this article I want to include four “P’s” that have helped me a lot. The first
“p” is purity, which is one of the many things that we should be striving for,
but it is also possibly the hardest. The second “p” is promise. Make a
commitment to give God your best, which includes a pure body. The third “p” is
power. This one means that we cannot accomplish things in our own strength. We
have to ask God for help with our problems, which ushers in the third “p”;
prayer. Prayer is one of the most important, if not the most important, part of
a Christian’s life. So remember those, and above all, pray for strength.
Do not
rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older
women as mothers, [and] younger women as sisters, with all purity… ~ 1 Timothy
5:2
Let no one
despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in
love, in spirit, in faith, [and] in purity ~ 1 Timothy 4:12
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