Much can be said about chastity, but let me start with these scriptures:
Matthew 5:27-29 NIV
[27]You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ [28] But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [29] If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Romans 13:13-14 ESV
[13] Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. [14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
I think it had taken me longer than I should to realize that God’s word speaks so clearly on matters purity.
But wait, Look not at a woman lustfully? Make no provision for the flesh? This is quite something else. Sincerely, hiyo kidogo haiwezi make. And true, with man it is impossible; but with God nothing is impossible. And God has given us all that pertains to life and godliness. He has given us His grace that teaches us to say no to ungodliness and to live godly and upright lives, His Spirit who gives life to our mortal bodies, Christ who overcame sin and death and through whom we overcome! And much much more…
Otherwise we would have been stuck at the point of; “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.
Previously:
I had always battled in my mind the question “how far is too far?” I entertained a lot of sensual ideas, I put up with a lot of flirting, a lot of relative ideologies and the idea of being in situationships and temporal relationships. It was messed up. On one end my conscience rebuking me and on the other end defending.
But the Lord has been gracious to me. Patiently dealing with me and teaching me His will in various ways; through His word, through His servants who’ve shared His word and much more. Maybe today I will focus more on sharing some of the lessons I have grasped along rather than the experiences along my path. Here are some of the principles I have learnt:
1) I am no longer a slave to sin, hence I am able to overcome through Christ. Romans 7-8 brings out a great exposition on this. Let me highlight that our attitude to sin should be that we are dead to it. At one point I thought it fatiguing and futile trying to work against my flesh and was like: “God, I think I am at the crossroad, to choose life or death. And what is so bad about gratifying the flesh and perishing at the end?” But the Lord was quick to remind me that; if I really considered living in accordance with His will a sort of suffering, I should remember that the present sufferings do not compare to the glory that will be revealed in us. What a great glory then must this be!
Above everything He reminds us that His commands are not burdensome. Christ reminds us: are you weary? Trying to meet the ‘religious expectation?’ Come to Him and learn from Him, his burden is light. And so again in Christ, it is not always that we are burdened with a lot of trying; it is not a set of rules, but Him working in us to bear His fruit as long as we abide in Him.
2) To fix my eyes on Jesus.
Focussing on the heavenly reward rather than the earthly things. (The goal is Christ and nothing else…)
Philippians 3:14 NIV I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
3) Not to conform to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewal of my mind.
And this renewal of mind starts from us surrendering our ideologies and learning from God’s word. It’s not what we consider right that is right but what God says is right.
4) Not to give up my eternal treasures for momentary pleasures.
The analogy of Esau highlighted in Hebrews 12 has been a great learning point for me. Esau was hungry and needed the lentils. In the moment, he did not think much of selling his birth right. But later the blessing of the firstborn was finally on Jacob and he could not reclaim it even though he sought it with tears. Godlessness on matters purity is pursuing momentarily pleasures at the expense of our eternal riches.
5) If anything, whether a situation, a program, a way of life etc causes you to sin, you better do away with it than lose eternity. As Jesus would put it, “if your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.”
6) Other brethren also face temptations as I do.
There’s a need to fellowship with others, encouraging one another and praying for one another. Also, a mark of us walking in the light is that we are able to have fellowship with God as well as other brethren.
1 John 1:6-7 ESV: [6] If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
This to me was a great rebuke in my journey at a point where I thought of those in the fellowship as “them”, and myself as not part of them. I realized that if I cannot fellowship with other brethren, then I’m probably treading on the paths of darkness.
7)There’s grace for restoration if we ever stumble.
God is faithful to forgive, if we confess our sins. His sacrifice is not too little that it cannot atone for your sin, but be sure to repent, not just to be sorrowful.
***
That is the much I have today. I may not go into the bits of how sexual immorality separates us eternally from God or our communal role in encouraging purity in the church… But you can check out more on this or tupatane pale dm (•‿•).
Most importantly, lest you are misled, it’s not that I have already attained all these. I am still in the race, running towards the eternal crown. Meanwhile, I am called to discipline my own body and to trust in the one who overcame. I can echo Paul’s words: I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1st Cor 9:27)
Titus 2:11-12 NIV
[11] For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. [12] It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
~Maranatha 🍐㮝