Sexual Purity

Sex as God intended—in marriage, between a man and a woman—is a pleasure to be celebrated (see Proverbs 5:15-19). Sex outside of marriage brings serious negative consequences—emotional, physical, and spiritual. Promising long-term pleasure it can’t deliver, addiction to sex and pornography enslave and degrade everyone involved.

Over thirty years ago, while researching and writing my first book Christians in the Wake of the Sexual Revolution (later revised as Restoring Sexual Sanity), I realized what a prominent and distinctive earmark of the early church its sexual purity really was. Christians were known to be Christians partly because they thought and lived differently when it came to sex.

Consistent victory over sin is possible in this area as with any other sin, with God’s help and empowerment as we partner with His Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:29). But this side of Heaven, we still face temptation, and yes, sometimes we do fail our Lord and Savior by sinning.

I think a question that could really get to the heart of this issue and provide some clarity is asking yourself, “Does this act point me to Jesus and help me glorify God in my life?”

Satan paints a target on each of our chests. But we have a choice about whether Satan will hit that target. Sexual sin is NOT inevitable. Many Christians are seeking God’s will in any number of areas. A good place to start is with God’s directly stated will: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

I shared the following notes with a pastor friend who was preparing a message addressing sexual immorality and gender confusion. It’s a different approach, a verse by verse brief commentary on a passage.

The problem is certainly not purity itself! “It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). However, it’s true that one of the weaknesses of the purity movement was the false belief that following a formula of courtship instead of dating will buy you or guarantee you a great marriage.

A reader wrote: "I ran across your blog while researching VidAngel. I’m a Christian, and a mom to seven. I’m thinking VidAngel is an amazing answer for us, in wanting to enjoy so many stories without the smut. But I had a friend ask, 'Aren’t we still supporting those who make movies with all this content we wish to avoid?'"