The Importance of Purity
On April 4, 2014 the auditorium of the Heritage Baptist Church in Lawrence, Kansas was brilliantly decorated with trimmings of pink and grey as I stood next to Pastor Hanks waiting for my bride to appear on her father’s arm at the back door. I watched the bridesmaids come down the aisle adorned in very modest and matching dresses, as to my left stood my groomsman clad is sharp grey suits. Any moment the time would come when I would see the girl I had come to love, the one I determined to give my life to. As I stood there like a penguin in my black tux and bow tie, I felt a slight urge to glance at my watch, but feared it would be quite inappropriate for the moment since I had anywhere from 100 to 200 people in front of me who couldn’t decide whether to watch me or the back door. All of the sudden it happened! There she was, my beautiful bride, adorned in white, and escorted by her father’s sure arm. She came down the aisle cautiously, patiently, soaking in every moment of her last walk as a part of her father’s household.
When I descended the steps on the platform and her father placed her hand in mine, it was the first time I had ever held a girl’s hand. When the preacher pronounced us man and wife and I kissed her, it was the first time I had ever kissed a girl’s lips. There is no greater joy for a man than to be able to look at his wife with a clear conscience and honestly tell her that she is the first, and only one he has done this with. That is purity.
Your purity is a very valuable thing. In fact, it is one of the most precious things you possess. It is the most valuable gift you can give your spouse on your wedding day. Preserving your purity as a young person is one of the most important things you can do. For those who desire to give their future spouse the greatest gift of all there are a few things you must do if you will preserve your purity.
IT STARTS WITH YOUR MINDSET
Before you will ever keep yourself pure, you must determine in your own mind that you will keep yourself pure. Daniel kept himself pure because he first purposed in his heart. "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself..." (Daniel 1:8) You must purpose in your heart that you will not defile yourself and that you will keep yourself pure until you reach the wedding alter to give the one you love this special gift of purity.
KEEP THE STANDARD OF PURITY
Standards are what determine the level at which you intend to live in your Christian life. Christians with low a low standard in their Christian living are less likely to obey the Lord and please Him. As Christians we ought to seek to have a high level of living in our Christian life so as to please the Lord. God gives us Biblical standards by which we should live our lives. We then mold our mindset and thinking around those standards with the desire that we might please the Lord with our obedience.
The standard of purity in the Bible is set with the physical touch between a man and a woman. "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman." (I Corinthians 7:1)
The young person who desires to be pure according to God's standard of purity will not engage in physical contact with someone of the oposite gender. This is a high standard of Christian living that God has set for purity. Yet, in following it we will be pure and please God.
STAY IN FULL VIEW
If we will maintian this high standard of purity that God has set then we must make provisions to guard against the desires of our own sinful flesh. You cannot trust your own heart to keep you from sin. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) Therefore it is best to always keep yourself above reproach. Never let yourself be alone with someone of the opposite gender. You should always be in a group with at least three people if you are in mixed company. Not only should you be in a group, but you should surround yourself with people who will help you guard your purity. Never trust yourself alone with someone of the opposite gender, this will open the door for temptation to overrun your willpower and cause you to loose some, or all of your purity.
The greatest gift you will give your future spouse is your purity. Take the steps necessary to perserve it for that day as God intended for your to do.