Purity And Peace

Purity and Peace

You can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:13

Mark Regnerus is a sociologist with some provocative things to say about sex and marriage. Among many other fascinating observations, he points out what many of us instinctively know: most women desire marriage more than most men and there is a woeful imbalance between the number of Christian men and women in the marriage market. The result is that women are more likely to compromise their moral standards in hopes of finding a mate.^a

Sex used to be one of the primary motivating factors that prompted men to commit to marriage. But when women give in to the pressure to have sex without the protective benefits of marriage, many men, even Christian men, refuse to commit. Additionally, sex bonds a couple together in a way that makes it nearly impossible to make wise decisions regarding the future of the relationship. No wonder many women remain in relationships that are going nowhere or even in abusive, destructive relationships in which it is difficult to experience God’s peace.

If you have had sex with someone you’re not married to or you are currently in such a relationship, ask God to help you become chaste. Tell him you want to value yourself more highly in the future. Confide in mature Christians who can help you take the necessary steps to either end the relationship or revise it in light of God’s commandments. Sexual purity may not be easy, but it is possible. Without it, you will never know the peace God promises.

Father, help us to resist the temptation of letting another human being occupy the central, holy place in our hearts that belongs only to Jesus. Give us the grace to put Christ first and not second, to do what is right and trust him for the results.

^a Mark Regnerus, “Sex Economics,” Christianity Today, February 2011, 26–28.