In todays oversexualized culture, living a pure life is not what is accepted as the norm. And yet, we know that this is what God wants of us. In a time where we see that more and more of those in the spotlight are opting to not get married, and toinstead just live together, this article will be providing some real truth from God Himself about this issue.
Whenever we watch a TV show or a movie, we are often bombarded with images of people living together and engaging in physical relationshps without the sanctity of marriage. This is saying to our generation, “You don’t need marriage. You can just live like all these stars do”. But God has a different opinion on the matter. In the Bible, he clearly states that “a man shall leave his father and mother and be united with a woman, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 [my translation]). There is no denying what is being said here. Man and woman must unite through marriage to live a pure life. So which is right and which is incorrect? Simple question. The Bible is unfailing and true, whereas the worldly view of this is morally incorrect.
Purity in the world can come in many forms and is not reserved for marriage. As a generation of young adults, we have been told by our peers that going out and having sex with as many people as possible will make us “cool”. Yet in reality, this is not the case. Instead, for girls it has them labelled as many different things, which can include whore. The only reason I even use the term is because I want to convey that this is something that is so commonplace, and is even beginning to be acepted by many. If you walk around in some high schools, some of the girls are happy if someone whispers that they are a whore, because they believe that this is making them socially acceptable. However, what this is really doing is putting them down and placing yourself on a pedestal. Most of the guys who call girls these types of things are often sexist and think only of a girl as an object with which they can have sex. This is often because they feel that they are not accepted and so therefore must join in the activities of others who they believe to be cool, and so therefore accepted.
Although sexual purity is a large part of living a pure life, it is by no means the only thing that you must practice. We must also practice purity in the way that we act towards others. I am not saying that you need to agree with the choices that they make, but we must love them no matter what. If we are to love them, then we must love them in a Christ-like manner. What I mean is that we must love them unconditionally.Remember that Christ died on the cross to save not only us but to save them as well. As Christians, we are called to love our neighbours as oursleves, so if we can not love our neighbours even though they may sleep around or have an addiction to pornography, how can we call ourselves true followers of Christ.
I realize that this is beginning to sound very bad so far. And you know what? I am doing this on purpose. Lately I have been seeing way too much of this type of stuff going on in the world and it makes me sick to even begin to think about it. My last article about Lust & Pornography spoke of how our generation is in trouble, and unless we can find the remedy, the trouble will only continue to get worse. The remedy is to rely solely on God, and to live a life which is pure. Now, I don’t expect you to be perfect, because that is impossible. However, I would like to see this generation begin to take a stand against the troubles of this world, and to make a difference. Whether that be as simple as putting off any form of physical relationship with your boyfriend/girlfriend or taking a stand up against the sins of the world, that is entirely up to you. I am not trying to say that dating is bad, because it is not. However, when things begin to get out of control, you know that you are having problems. If you do want to have some sort of physical contact in your relationship, let it just be holding hands while walking or a quick kiss on the cheek to say goodnight. If you hold true to these, and do not progress and further in the physical side of a relationship, you should be fine.
Well, I have been talking about a lot of random things which we can do to live a pure life or to not live as such. However, have I really got down to the point? I certainly hope that I have. My point is that God wants to have a relationship with us, and yet it pains Him when we do some of the things I have been talking about. If you have had pre-marrital sex, God is not going to stop loving you. However, I would suggest asking for His forgiveness. Although there is no actual reference to not having sex outside of marriage in the Bible, it is very clearly implied in many places.
So purity is something that we should all strive for. For sexual purity, it can be as easy as writing out a card saying that you will practice abstinence until marriage from this day forward, and then have someone witness it for you. I did just that type of thing at a performance of a play on sexual purity I went to with my churches youth group, and have caried that card with me ever since. It will be something that I can give to my wife on our wedding night. For all other types of purity, it is a god idea to set up an accountability partner. Again, I have done this, and it is a great idea. You can speak to your accountability partnet whenever you feel the urge to do something which is impure, and they can do the same.
If you want to remain pure, you will need to help of God. So if you truly want to start your new life of remain pure right now, pray this simple prayer:
“Dear God, thank you for all that you have given me in my lifetime. I pray this prayer to you now, stating my intent to remain pure for You. I will not practive sexual immorality nor will I engage in any other type of impure activities. God, I know that this will not be easy for me, as a member of a fallen people, but I believe with Your help that I will be able to accomplish this goal. Please be with me as I continue on this journey and always remind me of times when situations are not proper for my new life of purity. I love You and want to get to know you better. Please reveal yourself to me, Lord. Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, then it is time for you to begin to life as a pure person. There can be no more looking lustfully as members of the opposite sex. You must truly believe what you have prayed. You have made a commitment to a God that talkes promises seriously. Don’t take what you have prayed about lightly.
Although living a pure life is not what is accepted as normal or even easy, as Christians we are called to do just that. It is not simple, and we are sure to stumble along the way, but when archieve our goal, we will know that all of the trouble was worth it, that every time we were made fun of because we did not want to do something everyone else was doing, every time we chose to not go somewhere because we knew what would happen if we went there, we were living out what God wanted for us, and that should make us feel good.