11) Devotion 11 - Principles of Purity

1Thess.4:3-8 – “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warn you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, the very God who give you his Holy Spirit” (NIV)

It is the will or command of God that we should be sanctified or holy. This does not mean that He intended to make us holy but rather it means that it was his command that we should be holy. One is truly sanctified when one is converted, believing, repenting and being baptized into Christ; but the state of sanctification is one which the Christian must be careful to maintain. This text, therefore, should not be brought as a proof that we are sanctified. It is proof only that God requires holiness from us.

Here, Paul is addressing the specific sin of sexual immorality and warned us not to sin against our brothers and sister in this area.

1Tim.5:1-2 – “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, the younger as sisters, with all purity”.

Paul’s teaching here is that we are to relate to everyone in the church as if they are the members of our own family. That is, if needs arise to reprove an older man or women, he or she should be entreated like our own parents and done with great caution and respect. And we should regard the younger men and women as our own sibling, especially the sisters and treat them with the purity one would grant his physical sister.

That means, do not do anything to your girlfriend that you would not do to your own sister. Your girlfriend is still a sister in Christ as long as she is not married to you. Thus, you have the responsibility to keep her in holiness. Unfortunately, many ‘brothers’ violate their ‘sisters’ sexually, the very ones whom they are supposed to protect, and they commit ‘incest’ in the spiritual family for the lack of the fear of God.

Ephesians 5:23 – “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

If God expected the man to be the head of the household after marriage, we believe that God holds men accountable to be the spiritual leaders even in the dating relationship. Thus men set the spiritual tone for the dates. The boyfriend is supposed to lead the girlfriend in purity to cross over to marriage. If you cannot lead in holiness during the dating time, you can’t lead in holiness after marriage. A good boyfriend is one who leads you closer to God and not to sin.

Negative Impact of Premarital sex

In today’s culture, there is a strong pressure to engage in premarital sex. Giving in to the temptation can have disastrous consequences. It takes commitment to moral and spiritual values to stand against the tide. Sexual desires and activities must be placed under Christ’s control. God created sex for procreation and for pleasure and as an expression of love between married couples.

Premarital sex is not some harmless activity. The Bible calls it “fornication”. It is impossible to be a fornicator and still be spiritual. It creates a guilt complex that keeps us from reading the Bible devotionally and praying and it usually estranges us from our friends. Sex is so intimate that most sexually active couples pair off and spend their time almost exclusively together rather than with their other Christian friends. In doing so, they cut themselves off from the very people who could help bring them back into fellowship with God.

Weakens our Character

Sexual sins of fornication and adultery both have serious consequences that often adversely affect the rest of a person’s life. Those who were virgins at marriage are less likely to seek a divorce. Perhaps the same principle of resolve that helps a young person remain virtuous during their single years, also helps them through the difficult times of marriage.

Saying yes to premarital sex weakens one character and destroys self-esteem due to guilt.

Virtue is maintained by self-control as a result of character strength and moral commitment. These same character traits will help a couple maintain moral purity and fidelity to each other in marriage. Thus, if we engage in premarital sex, it will also put us at high risk of adultery!