Purity in an Impure World: Hope for Change

There are some who hear and read things on purity and feel overwhelming shame and remorse. This post is for you. There are some who hear and read things on purity and think it doesn't apply to them. This post is for you, too. There are some who read and hear things on purity and think that it is pointless. This post is for you, as well.

Some think that their life is fine the way it is. They don’t see a problem with their impurity. But is it really satisfying you? If you were honest with yourself would you be able to say that it is enough? You were designed to receive maximum fulfillment in Jesus only, and the very fact that you keep going back to your sin even though you feel unsatisfied in the morning is because you are trying to make those acts mean something they were never designed to mean. There is a void in your soul that only Jesus can fill. No person can fill that for you. Jesus is so much better than any temporary pleasure that sex can bring.

Some think that their life is fine the way it is because they don’t ever do anything that bad. But have you ever lusted? Have you ever watched a scene in a movie that was sexual? Have you ever lusted and wished you could act out on it? Maybe you have and maybe you haven’t. Praise God for that. The only reason you are still standing pure to this day is by the sheer grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. Praise him for that. Thank him for that. And ask him to continue giving you grace.

Some, on the other hand, feel so broken over their sin. They feel like they have failed miserably. They feel like there is no hope for a sinner like them. I encourage you, dear sister, that there is a fountain of grace for you at the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that he is living water. He is life. He is salvation for those who turn from their sin and trust in his death and resurrection alone. Do not despair. There is no sin so great that he is not sufficient to conquer with his finished work.

The point of purity is not so you can say you made it to marriage without having sex. It’s about God and obedience to him because you love him. All our attempts at purity without the shed blood of Jesus on our behalf are worthless. We need him in our fight to stay pure. I am married and I still need him daily to fight my sinful tendency towards impurity. God does not care how far we go, really. He also doesn’t care if you signed a purity card or wear a purity ring. He cares about your heart. He cares about your soul. He cares about what you worship. He wants you to worship him only—not sex, not boys, not popularity, not school, not beauty, not fun, not friends, not even church youth group. Purity is important because the Creator of the universe, and you, is pure. Purity is important because his Son, Jesus Christ, was the purest man who ever lived. And he died to make us pure. He died to cleanse us from our impurity. And the sad reality is, even if you have never engaged in any sexual immorality—you are still an impure person in need of Christ’s purity. We all are. But the great hope is that we can have Jesus. Do not look to your own attempts at purity. They will fail you every time. But Jesus, he is the hope for impure people like you and me.

Read Parts One, Two, and Three