PURITY IN AN IMPURE WORLD

By Pastor Mitch Horton | September 2007 | Posted in • Featured Content | (0) Comments One of the lessons we learn as we navigate through life in a fallen world is that many good things can in excess harm you. Fire is useful in a controlled environment, like the burner in my gas hot water heater, or the gas furnace in the crawlspace of my home. I like hot water in my shower, and I enjoy warmth on a cold December day. But I'll never forget the day I looked out my window as a three-year-old to see my neighbor's house burning to the ground! Their gas heater had exploded, and the fire was no longer in the controlled, confined environment. Sex is a wonderful gift of God for men and women. Used properly in the confines of marriage, it's a beautiful expression of the love a husband and wife have for one another. And it results in the human race continuing to populate the planet. But used in the wrong way, sex can ruin a healthy life, bring destruction to an individual, divide a home, and bring a curse on a nation. So let's examine the right and wrong uses of sexuality in our lives, and bring some much-needed balance to a subject that is demoralized in just about every way conceivable in our day. With the fall of man, basic human desires have become tools that are exploited by the world, the flesh and the devil. Sex was originally created by God for the propagation of the race and for the enhancement of marriage.1 After the fall of man, basic human desires and drives became selfish and need-centered instead of God-centered. Sexuality was meant by God to propagate life and to enhance the love relationship in marriage. Now, sex is used to bring sin, shame, and hurt to millions. And Satan uses it as a tool to destroy human life and to banish human beings from the presence of a Holy God. So let's bring the subject of sexuality into the twenty-first century, and bring into it the balance of scripture. Psychologists tell us that the two strongest drives in the human are preservation of life and sexual expression. Innately within us comes the desire to preserve our lives: to eat, to clothe ourselves, and to shelter ourselves from harm. And the second strongest desire in a human is the sexual desire.2 This desire is not sinful in itself, for God is the one who gave us the sexual desire in the first place.3 Used according to His plan, sexual expression is a normal part of the way God created us to live. "Now let's get real. Any sex outside of the confines of marriage is forbidden by a Holy God. His will is that a person remains a virgin until marriage, and then once married, God's best is that a couple remains married for life!" Notice that men and women are unique in creation. All of the male and female animal species were created individually from the dust of the ground. But the woman was formed from the body of the man.4 I believe this was because of the unique sexual relationship that God ordained in marriage. Animals copulate with any other animal within their species. But God created marriage for the human race and intended that a man and woman enjoy a lifelong relationship in marriage. God wanted one man and one woman to stay together for life. That's the reason the woman was taken out of man. And this unique creation was to indicate a monogamous sexual relationship in marriage for life.5 God created sex as an experience only to be engaged in within the confines of marriage. Hebrews 13:4 states God's intentions clearly: Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed6 undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. The Message Paraphrase states it well: Honor marriage and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex.7 Now let's get real. Any sex outside of the confines of marriage is forbidden by a Holy God. His will is that a person remains a virgin until marriage, and then once married, God's best is that a couple remains married for life! These standards are being challenged in every way in our day, but scripture gives us the ultimate best that God has for us! Understand that fornication8 (any act of sex outside of marriage), adultery9 (sexual relations with anyone other than one's spouse), lesbianism,10 homosexuality,11 bestiality,12 and pederasty13 (sex with children), are all forbidden by God.14 History provides detailed clues for the curious as to what happens when a culture loses its morals. Rome once ruled the world but fell into ruins because of the lack of self control among its citizen. Reading the literature of that day will show that sexual promiscuity was engaged in without conscience, and was one of the factors that led to the demise of that civilization.15 God told the Israelites not to associate with the Canaanites in the Promised Land because of their gross immoral idolatry. If fact, Joshua was commanded to kill the inhabitants of the land, including fathers, mothers, children, and even animals, as they conquered city after city.16 According to Dake's Annotated Reference Bible,17 the heathen nations surrounding Israel were involved in idolatry that involved Baal worship with depraved forms of sexual immorality.18 I mention this to show that demonic forces are involved in immoral sexual behavior. And Satan has increased the sexual emphasis worldwide in our day because he knows the damage it will do to civilizations worldwide.19 God's standards of holiness for believers are clear, and are for our protection and wellbeing. Notice 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 (Phillips Translation): God's plan is to make you holy, and that means a clean cut with sexual immorality. Every one of you should learn to control his body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect, and never allowing it to fall victim to lust, as do pagans with no knowledge of God. You cannot break this rule without cheating your fellow men. Indeed God will punish all who do offend in this matter, as we have plainly told you and warned you. The calling of God is not to impurity but to the most thorough purity, and anyone who makes light of the matter is not making light of man's ruling but of God's command. It is not for nothing that the Spirit that God gives us is called the Holy Spirit.20 Paul wrote a letter to the believers in Corinth and told them not to incite a flame of sexual passion in the opposite sex.21 He encouraged self-control and marriage as a way to deal with God-given sexual desires.22 The bottom line is that if we compromise in the area of sexuality, we break fellowship with our Father, open ourselves up to demonic attack,23 and plant the seeds for the destruction of our nation! I want to give some simple guidelines here that will aid the believer in remaining pure and sexually moral before God. "Make your marriage affair-proof or adultery-proof by observing the following simple guidelines: Never engage in friendship with the opposite sex alone without your spouse." First of all, make a decision to control the sexual appetite until marriage. To begin with, make a choice daily to stay away from lust-filled media, from sitcoms with all their innuendos to the internet with its loads of lustful fare for the flesh. Make a covenant with your eyes,24 and refuse to look upon impurity. Remember that what occupies the eyes and ears fills the heart and controls the person.25 If you sow to the flesh, you reap fleshly desires. If you sow to the spirit, you reap desires for the things of God.26 And remember that you sow with your eyes, your ears, and your thoughts.27 We are to avoid all appearance of evil.28 That means it's important to make a decision to never be alone with the opposite sex if you're single. Plan activities with a group, and refuse to go alone to each other's homes. Christians sin more at night and when they are tired than at any other time, so go home at a decent time. Remember that we are witnesses with our lifestyles, and people are watching us when we least suspect it. You may think going into the home of a person of the opposite sex is innocent, and you may be innocent in your intent, but others around you think carnally. You plant the wrong impression by going into the home of a person of the opposite sex alone! And you are asking for temptations of the flesh to resist! Be wise and don't be alone! Another wise choice for the single believer is to make a vow of purity before God until you're married. When I was young, I asked the Lord to keep me sexually pure so that I would have a gift for my wife. I was 13 or 14 years old when I made this consecration to God, and He helped me honor Him in my teen years with abstinence before my marriage. It's also wise to hold yourself accountable to a friend who is a strong believer. An accountability partner can provide a strong incentive for purity if you'll meet with that person weekly. The second guideline for remaining sexually pure before God is that once you're married, commit for life. Never allow the "d" word, divorce, to come out of your mouth as a way to solve problems that arise. Keep the lines of communication open, and be aware that you're bought with a price, and you're not your own. You now belong to Jesus and your spouse. You are responsible before God to meet the needs of your spouse in natural ways, mentally, emotionally, and physically.29 Make your marriage affair-proof or adultery-proof by observing the following simple guidelines: Never engage in friendship with the opposite sex alone without your spouse. At work or church, keep your conversations with the opposite sex away from personal issues. These should be discussed with your spouse. Refuse to eat out alone with a person of the opposite sex. As a married person, refuse even to ride in a vehicle alone with the opposite sex. It's just too intimate. Refuse to correspond over the internet with the opposite sex, except with strictly business information. Keep clear of personal relationships carried on in cyber space with the opposite sex. These precautions can save a life from ruin. Read Proverbs 5, 6, and 7 as an incentive for purity in your life. The results of immorality are too clear to overlook in these passages. The third thing that you can do to remain pure and moral before God is to daily commit to Jesus' Lordship over your life. Commit your mind and emotions to Him. Commit every part of your being to Him, and ask Him to help you with the human desires He gave you. Refuse to be an idolater.30 Someone said that idolatry is meeting a legitimate need in an illegitimate way. Don't use satisfying your appetites, whether physical hunger or sexual, as a release from the pressures and stresses of life. Submit every part of your person to Jesus, and talk to Him in exact detail about your life and lifestyle. Honor God with your body and with your spiritual life. Therefore, since these great promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring our consecration to completeness in the reverential fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1, Amplified) Remember, whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.31 _______________________________________________________ 1. See Genesis 1:26-28; Proverbs 5:15-19. In creation, everything that God made was very good. God placed the sexual appetite innately within the human psyche. Every bodily function in original creation was both perfect and necessary. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were tuned to the pitch of God's desires and harmonized with God's plan for them spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially. Chaos and disorder resulted from the fall. 2. I recommend Tim Lahaye's book The Act of Marriage to couples I counsel prior to marriage. It provides a much needed balanced view of sexuality and helps couples become comfortable with how God created them to respond to one another. 3. Throughout the history of the church, many Christians have believed that the sex drive is evil. St. Augustine, one of the theologians of the early church, believed that sex was sinful, and that the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden referred to the act of sexual intercourse. But if that were true, then why did God command Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth? And why did God make sexuality an enjoyable part of humanity and physiology if in fact He forbade it? On the contrary, He made sexuality a beautiful thing in the context of marriage. And He intended that it be a gift enjoyed only by those in a relationship called marriage. 4. Genesis 2:19-22 5. Genesis 2:24 – Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they two shall become one flesh. This word joined indicates a close relationship that includes sexual expression. Verse 25 indicates that Adam and Eve observed each other's nakedness and were not ashamed, further indicating a sexual relationship. 6. The Greek word for bed is Koite, from which we get the word coitus, a term referring to sexual intercourse. 7. (Quoted from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.) 8. See 1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Corinthians 6:9. 9. See Exodus 20:13; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Revelation 21:8; Leviticus 20:10. 10. Romans 1:26; Leviticus 18:22-30 11. Romans 1:27; Leviticus 20:13; Leviticus 18:22-30; 1 Corinthians 6:9 12. Leviticus 20:15-16; Exodus 22:19; Exodus 18:23 13. 1 Corinthians 6:9 – The King James translates the latter part of the verse abusers of themselves with mankind, referring to sodomites (homosexuals), pederasts (child sex abusers), and lesbians. Any and all acts of sex outside of the marriage covenant are forbidden in scripture. 14. According to Leviticus 18:24-25, these sins defile a nation and cause the land to vomit out its inhabitants. Our nation would be wise to heed the clear warning of scripture, or we could face a judgment similar to Sodom and Gomorrah! 15. In Kenneth Wuest's Studies in the Greek New Testament is a very interesting quote: The moral life of the Greco-Roman world had sunk so low that, while protests against the prevailing corruption were never entirely wanting, fornication had long come to be regarded as a matter of moral indifference, and was indulged in without scruple, not only by the mass, but by philosophers and men of distinction who in other respects led exemplary lives. (Kenneth S. Wuest, Studies in the Greek New Testament, Volume 1 Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953), The Books of Ephesians and Colossians, p.120) 16. See Deuteronomy 2:34, 3:6, 13:11-18. 17. Dake's Annotated Reference Bible (Lawrenceville, Ga: Dake's Bible Sales, 1961) 106, col. 4, "Asherah" 18. Ibid. 106. Here's a quote from Dake's article on page 106, column 4, "Asherah": Asherah, a pillar or image of wood. It was set up with the image of Baal, and worshipped by libidinous rites and lascivious practices…The word comes from the root ashar, to be straight, upright, erect. The pillar was set upright or erect in the ground like a totem pole. It was either a living tree with the top cut off and the trunk fashioned into a certain shape (Deut. 16:21), or a log fashioned into an idol and set erect in the ground…Originally the idol was worshipped as a symbol of the tree of life, but later perverted to mean the origin of life and pictured with the male organs of procreation (Ezekiel 16:17). Such symbols became the objects of worship carried on with all forms of impurity, perversion, and licentiousness by crowds of devotees involved in demonized and obscene orgies. 19. See Revelation 12:12. 20. J.B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English (New York: Macmillan, 1972), 428-429. Used with permission. 21. See 1 Corinthians 7:1-9. The phrase in verse one: it is good for a man not to touch a woman is correctly translated it is good for a man not to incite a flame of passion in a woman. He then addresses sexual fulfillment in marriage as a way to avoid sexual sin. 22. Three principles of sexuality reign in marriage: 1) The principle of need found in verse 2: Nevertheless because of sexuality, let each man have his own wife, and each woman have her own husband; 2) The principle of authority found in verse 4: The wife does not have authority over her own body but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body but the wife does; and 3) The principle of habit found in verse 5: Do not cheat each other of normal sexual intercourse unless of course you both decide to abstain temporarily to make special opportunity for prayer. But afterwards you should resume relations as before or you will expose yourself to the obvious temptation of Satan. (1 Corinthians 7:2-5) 23. Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. (1 Corinthians 6:13) Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20) 24. Job 31:1; Psalm 101:3 25. Make a decision not to look at anything that will cost you spiritually. 26. See Romans 8:5-8. 27. Practice Philippians 4:8 and Colossians 3:2. In this verse in Colossians, to set your mind means to direct your attention to a thing. We are to remain moment by moment focused on Jesus through the Word! 28. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 29. See Endnote 22 above. 30. See 1 John 5:21. 31. Colossians 3:17