Path to Purity

Because of the grace of God, it is possible for a human being to be saved from eternal punishment and to have the presence of Jesus to live with our hearts. By responding in faith to His invitation, we can have eternal and abundant life. Titus chapter 2 says:
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

The 12th verse tells us that it is possible to turn away from what the verse calls "ungodliness and worldly lusts."  We recognize that we have the power in order to do that and to live a life described as sober, righteous, and godly.  It's more than just following rules, but to rely on the Spirit who enables us to live a life of triumph, so that we may know Christ and that He might be seen in us.  He gives us the capacity and the motivation to obey Him.

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In Hebrews 12, we read about the potential that a Christian believer has to walk in a victorious manner, to overcome sin - but it takes determination. We can read these words:
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

Throughout our society, we see instance after instance of people behaving badly - the concept of marriage has been trampled in some circles, and the proliferation of immoral relationships has set a poor example about how people should ideally treat one another.

The trial of Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard featured a display of two broken people who may have said they loved each other, but certainly did not honor one another, and a conflicted jury granted each of them financial settlements - Depp more than Heard, but the truth is, how much money does it take to ease the pain?  1 million, 10 million, 100 million.  Putting a price tag on emotional stability is an exercise in futility, and as I fear Southern Baptist leadership may learn soon, and to a limited extent, have already learned, paying off victims of alleged sexual abuse may bring the satisfaction of punishing the offending party, but can it bring the peace and healing of Christ?  And, covering up reported instances isn't a solution, either. 

One thing that seems to be missing in our discussions of misbehavior has to do with personal responsibility.  The Bible provides a clear and effective roadmap for fleeing temptation, and we have to take the "way of escape," as 1st Corinthians 10 puts it - where there is the opportunity to compromise, you have to look for the exit ramp.  

But, a reverence for and adherence to God's standards is extremely important.  For each Christian believer, personal holiness and a commitment to purity is paramount. There are those that state that what has come to be known as "purity culture" is essentially obsolete and was a manipulative failed experiment to keep young people from engaging in illicit sexual activity, but we can't ignore the Bible's clear instruction to be pure.  

Recently, second-generation Duck Dynasty star Sadie Robertson Huff spoke to that issue.  The Movieguide website reported:

In a recent episode of her WHOA, THAT’S GOOD podcast, Sadie Robertson Huff discussed purity and waiting until marriage, something she and her husband Christian practiced before they got married.

“It really is worth it,” she explained. “I would just encourage you: Anytime you open that before it’s meant to be open, there tends to be shame, guilt, insecurity, self-doubt, all this stuff. But within marriage, we found that to be a beautiful gift. And so it’s definitely, definitely worth the wait. And you’ll see why it’s intended for marriage. It’s intended for two becoming one.”

She related that she and her now-husband, Christian, said to each other prior to their marriage: "‘We want your plan, God, not our own. We want to see your planning come to life in our relationship.'" The article continued:

While Huff encouraged her listeners to practice celibacy before marriage, she also had a message of forgiveness and grace for those who have fallen short of that goal.

“If you’ve already had sex before, you’re not alone,” Huff shared. “We had both had pasts before we met each other that were not totally pure. [But] then meeting each other, we decided we wanted to pursue purity together. And so we did.”

Even in 2014, this was a message that Sadie was championing, even to the secular press, like E! Online, which said:

In her new book, Live Original: How the Duck Commander Teen Keeps It Real and Stays True to Her Values, the Duck Dynasty reality star is sharing her personal advice for other teenagers about how to stay pure in romantic relationships and avoid premarital sex.

In fact, during an interview with Inside Edition, the 17-year-old revealed three specific tips that she follows to remain chaste: Don't stay home alone together, stay out of each other's bedrooms and pray together before dates or "whenever you need to."

That's some great counsel within a dating relationship, and a variation for all adults, regardless of martial status, is what is known as the "Billy Graham Rule."  Even though there has been widespread criticism of the principles, it is straightforward and Biblical, I believe.  At BillyGraham.org, there was an excerpt from his autobiography, Just As I Am, that included this simple explanation of the concept, which was codified by several team members in Modesto, CA in 1948:

We all knew of evangelists who had fallen into immorality while separated from their families by travel. We pledged among ourselves to avoid any situation that would have even the appearance of compromise or suspicion. From that day on, I did not travel, meet or eat alone with a woman other than my wife. We determined that the Apostle Paul’s mandate to the young pastor Timothy would be ours as well: “Flee … youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 1:22, KJV).

The Bible teaches us how we are saved, and then provides the roadmap for a fruitful Christian life that glorifies God.  But, personal holiness is more than keeping rules - it flows from a heart with a desire to please God.  Jesus has set us free from sin and empowers us to live a victorious life.  As we talked about earlier this week, we can know the right thing to do, but it we fail to act, then it is sin.  And, sin leads us away from Christ.   

So, the power is there, but we have to have the right heart.  We have to guard against corruption at every turn.  Hebrews 12 talks about a dedicated fight against the desires of the flesh, and fortunately, we have the power of the Spirit, who cleanses us and teaches us how to walk in the ways of Jesus.