Purity calls for more than not committing adultery, we are not to flirt with people’s spouses either. Purity calls for more than abstaining from pornography, we are not to dwell on lingerie ads. Purity involves the TV that we watch, the jokes we share, the way we act with people and the way that we think about them.
We are called to the sort of purity that does not tolerate compromise. The Apostle Paul writes, ‘But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people’ (Eph. 5:3). So often we tolerate more than a hint of sexual impurity in our lives.
The couple who are dating might not be sleeping together but they kiss in such a way that really turns them on—that’s more than a hint of sexual immorality! A wife might not be cheating on her husband but she likes to forget that she is married when she watches that George Clooney film—that’s more than a hint of sexual immorality! A man may never have bought Playboy but he does check out the women as he drives his car—that’s more than a hint of sexual immorality!
Perhaps we have settled for a compromise. We think that we are no worse than most. To aim at true purity seems too much to ask. Maybe we have tried hard and failed often and we just think real purity is beyond us. We might enjoy our compromises too much to let them go. We might hide behind excuses: ‘sure I’m only human’, ‘compared to some other Christians I do okay in this department.’ What does such compromise say about out confidence in God’s grace and our commitment to Christ as our king?
We are called to the sort of purity that does not tolerate compromise. The Apostle Paul writes, ‘But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people’ (Eph. 5:3). So often we tolerate more than a hint of sexual impurity in our lives.
The couple who are dating might not be sleeping together but they kiss in such a way that really turns them on—that’s more than a hint of sexual immorality! A wife might not be cheating on her husband but she likes to forget that she is married when she watches that George Clooney film—that’s more than a hint of sexual immorality! A man may never have bought Playboy but he does check out the women as he drives his car—that’s more than a hint of sexual immorality!
Perhaps we have settled for a compromise. We think that we are no worse than most. To aim at true purity seems too much to ask. Maybe we have tried hard and failed often and we just think real purity is beyond us. We might enjoy our compromises too much to let them go. We might hide behind excuses: ‘sure I’m only human’, ‘compared to some other Christians I do okay in this department.’ What does such compromise say about out confidence in God’s grace and our commitment to Christ as our king?
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