Stormproof Men IISample

 The Description of Purity

I experience purity to the degree that I make godly choices 

• by avoiding all inappropriate sexual activity 
• by enjoying appropriate expressions of masculinity 
• by enjoying appropriate relations with the opposite sex 

The first principle in experiencing purity - the prohibition - defines what we should avoid: all inappropriate sex. The next five positive principles describe what we should do instead: The first two, enjoying appropriate expressions of masculinity and enjoying appropriate relations with the opposite sex, overlap, so we’ll look at them together. 

My sexuality is part of who I am. Every man, no matter his marital status, can enjoy appropriate expressions of his masculinity. I can do “man things” with other men (or by myself) such as fishing, hunting, golfing, watching baseball, riding a motorcycle, channel surfing, working with power tools, cutting down trees or a host of other such typical acts. Experiencing purity does not mean I stop being a “manly man,” rather, it means I can still enjoy being who I am as God created me.

In the context of enjoying appropriate masculinity, what does "enjoying appropriate relationships with the opposite sex" look like? It looks much different for the married man and his wife than for the same man with a different woman. We have crossed the line when we have sexual contact with another woman. Intercourse with my wife is appropriate; intercourse with my neighbor’s wife is not. Kissing my wife is appropriate; kissing my neighbor’s wife is not. You get the idea! 

What about the unmarried man? What is appropriate for him? He is free to enjoy some physical contact with a woman (holding hands, hugs, appropriate kissing), spending time with her, enjoying conversations with her, and the like. Practice abstinence until marriage. I know our culture pushes a different message. It says casual sex, sex outside of marriage, cohabitation, oral sex when dating, pornography and the like are normal and acceptable. Our culture does not promote the message “wait.” And so, many Christian men and women do not practice waiting.

• that glorify God 

The third positive principle in the description of purity, choices that glorify God, recognizes our "higher calling" to God as believers. Our lives should be characterized as God-centered, not me-centered. The themes of the glory of God and glorifying Him fill the pages of Scriptures. To glorify God simply means we bestow honor and praise on Him (to "put the spotlight" on God). The better we understand who He is, what He has done for us, and who we are in Him, the greater will be our desire to glorify Him. In this passage alone, we see that He has given us the Holy Spirit, that we are His temple, and that we belong to Him because we have been “bought with a price.” So, glorifying God serves as a positive goal for us as we strive for purity.