Purity
A bit of a different post today, my friends.. May it be a source of deep encouragement for you..
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your Word.” Psalm 119.9
A good friend of mine recently expressed to me his feelings on sex, that it really only carries the amount of significance you place on it. It could mean nothing more than a handshake, or it could mean a lot of emotional commitment. I think this is how most people view sex these days.
It’s not how I view sex. From what I understand and have studied in Scripture, sex is the sacred consummation of marriage between a husband and his wife, and afterwards to be regularly enjoyed by that couple. Any sex or form of sex outside of that matrimony is really only be rooted in seeking to serve selfish and carnal desires.
Many are exceedingly confused and kind of groan to find out that I am a virgin, and that I am intentionally and happily so. I completely understand why someone without a relationship with Christ would engage in sex, but for me, I don’t live to serve myself and my desires. Ultimately, I live to serve Christ and His pure desires… which means that sometimes my own desires must take a backseat or even be permanently extinguished.
Virginity is a rare and beautiful gift to offer someone. In this day and age, being a virgin is like being a unicorn – many aren’t sure we exist! But my future wife, as the Bible mandates, deserves me completely and wholly, a ‘me’ that resists temptation because I care so incredibly much for her. And believe it or not, I absolutely expect the same from her. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I call it simple commitment.
For those of us Christians trying SO hard to maintain purity and integrity in a world that can’t understand it, always keep perspective. Serving self is infinitesimally inferior to being obedient to Christ. We have learned discipline that literally no one else can fathom, and God’s reward for us will be beautiful and rich. You will never be tempted so strongly that you are incapable of resisting, and God is for you!
In sharing my heart on this albeit controversial matter, I am absolutely not condemning anyone who is not a virgin outside of wedlock. God’s mercy endures forever. Every day is a new opportunity to simply make the best decisions you can, and He will be with you, like the patient and affirming Father I know Him to be. We serve a good God! And in those terrible situations where someone has been the victim of sexual abuse, let me gently remind you that virginity is something that you offer someone – it can never be taken from you.
From my heart, deeply and truly,
Josh