Life + Love by Ben StuartSample

Pursuing Purity

Corinth was wild. As a port city with a lot of money, it could provide travelers with the opportunity for illicit encounters. Liberating sexuality from the confines of marriage didn’t bring freedom. In fact, one reason the church grew in the earliest days of Christianity is exactly because the sexual ethic of Jesus’ followers led to healthier, happier lives, particularly for women.

Paul teaches us that the physical union of sexual immorality directly violates our identity as people who’ve been united with Christ. No other sin carries this consequence. Our bodies were purchased with a price: the death of Jesus. We don’t have rights over our own body, much less someone else’s. Therefore, Paul tells us to flee sexual sin. Modern culture, like the culture in Corinth, has a casual view of sexuality, but Paul elevated the often unseen yet dangerous consequences.

The Greek word for “sexual immorality” (v. 18) is the root of our English word pornography. It refers to any sexual activity outside the bounds of marriage. If someone isn’t your spouse, they’re your brother or your sister in Christ. Our dating lives should be marked by God-honoring purity. That means recognizing that sex is a good gift from a God who loves us, to be enjoyed inside the boundaries of marriage. However, If you’ve ever made a sexual mistake, there’s hope. Paul didn’t leave us with guilt and shame. 

Paul listed a litany of sins, one of which was sexual immorality. People who practice these sins “will not inherit God’s kingdom.” (v. 9). Paul said some of us were defined by the sins he listed. However, three words give us hope: “used to be” (v. 11). Now we’re free from the sins that once had a grip on our hearts. Through Jesus, the sin that used to master us has been washed away. Our Savior has justified and sanctified us through the cross. 

It’s worth mentioning that in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he seems to give us the rest of the story about the guy who was unrepentant of sexually inappropriate behavior. The community confronted him, and he repented. Writing in his follow-up letter, Paul called the Corinthians not only to forgive the man but also to comfort him and love him. God’s goal isn’t to shame or punish us. On the contrary, a good friend honestly tells you when you’re making serious mistakes. The goal is restorative, not punitive. This is good news. If you’ve been reading this and feel condemned, that isn’t the goal. Conviction is, but God convicts us so that He can comfort us. You can change. And the people of Jesus are meant to come around you and support you in the restoration process.

A study of the dangers of sexual immorality can tempt us to think God is anti-sex, but that’s not true. The good news is that God is pro-sex. Sex was His idea. 

God isn’t against sex, but He’s against its distortion. Why? Because God is pro-people. He’s for you and your dating partner. He wants what’s best for you because He loves you even more than you love yourself.