When we think of chastity, we generally think of sexual purity. That is extended when we look at the definition. This daily devotional looks at how chastity for disciples of Christ is related to purity.
Nuggets
- God wants all of us to be pure in all areas, not just our sexual selves.
- There are several sins that fall under the canopy of sexual immorality.
- All sins can be termed impurity.
- We have to give pure worship to God.
Devotions in the What Is Purity? series
Let's Put It into Context
When we look up purity in the Holman Bible Dictionary, we are redirected to clean. Clean in the Scriptures refers to disciples being holy and pure. Holy means to be set apart, perfect, and pure.
Glossary
I know. Circular definitions.
Pure means without blemish. For disciples, we would define pure as without the stain of sin.
Chaste, according to the Holman Bible Dictionary, means “holy purity demanded of God’s people with special reference to the sexual purity of women.”
Resource
What Does It Mean to Mortify Sins to be Chaste?
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Col. 3: 5 NIV).
It has always baffled me that the definition of chaste singles out women’s sexual misconduct while most of the Scripture verses are gender neutral – or speak to the man’s sexual misconduct.
- “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex. 20: 14 NIV).
- “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” (Job 31: 1 NIV).
- “Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman? For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths” (Prov. 5: 20-21 NIV).
- “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and to insight, ‘You are my relative.’ They will keep you from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words” (Prov. 7: 4-5 NIV).
- “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt. 5: 28 NIV).
- “Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood” (Ac. 15: 20 NIV).
- “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy” (Rom. 13: 13 NIV).
- “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” (I Cor. 6: 18-19 NIV).
- “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people” (Eph. 5: 3 NIV).
Paul seems to be the one to who felt the need to have an extended teaching on the subject. In First Corinthians 7, he gives some direction from the Lord – and some of his own opinion (I Cor. 7: 25), but it is more on the topic of marriage.
I think God wants all of us to be pure in all areas, not just our sexual selves. Remember, pure as a disciple means without the stain of sin.
We are charged to mortify our sins – whatever they may be. Mortify means to place a death penalty on our sins.
Glossary
We aren’t only to kick them out of the house. (They may come back if we do that.)
We are supposed to put a blindfold on them and put them in front of the firing squad. We said once that we need to be private investigator, police, judge, jury, and executioner.
This is supposed to be a clean break, so we do not fall under their influence again. We are talking total destruction here.
Maclaren reminded us that we are only called to do and don’t. When we execute our sins, “Character is the outcome and test of doctrine.”
Resource
This is the repentance effect. We not only say we are sorry, please forgive us, but we also change ourselves to reflect His character. The bottom line is we are wrong (sinful) and need to get right with God.
In order to do this, there are several things that need righted. Paul told us to work on “… sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Col. 3: 5 NIV). Let’s take a look at these.
Sexual Immortality
There are several sins that fall under the canopy of sexual immorality. We talked about these before. We looked at adultery, fornication, lasciviousness, and homosexuality.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Impurity
To me, this is a broad term. All sins can be termed impurity. So, how do we suss out what is meant here?
Maclaren was the only one to give us any insight into what is being discussed here. He wrote, “All uncleanness embraces every manifestation in word, look, or deed of the impure spirit.”
Resource
We know that impurity can be committed through actions. That’s what we usually consider sins — our famous do’s and don’ts.
Hmmm. Impurity can be committed through communication. Our little tongues can outrun our brains, and we have sinned.
We sin through looks. We observe sin and don’t run away. We don’t try to stop it. We let it corrupt us.
Lust and Evil Desires
We’ve talked before that lust is usually translated as desires. Maclaren called this an intense desire for earthly things.
Resource
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Greed
Many of the sermons I found talked about greed. Of course, most of them called it covetousness. Covetousness is a greed for wealth and possessions.
Maclaren did hook covetousness with sensuality. He wrote, “The worldly nature flies for solace either to the pleasures of appetite or acquisition.”
Resource
Greed is a thirst for something we don’t have or more of what we do. Arnot wrote that we have two choices: “… to starve it by a religious self-denial, or feed it by a carnal indulgence.
Resource
Arnot also tied covetousness to fornication. When committing sins of fornication, we can covet more.
Beveridge noted we should cover righteousness. We should use that to temper our love for this world.
Resource
Idolatry
An idol is an object of worship in any form that takes from God the worship that is His due. We can worship anything from objects to people.
We have to give pure worship to God. If we don’t, He won’t accept our worship.
We just talked about God not accepting the Israelites’ worship. God requires us to be pure — in our worship and our lives.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Making the Connections
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” (I Thess. 4: 7 NIV).
Lyttelton put things into perspective. Paul was writing to new converts. They hadn’t been raised in the church. They had been far from pure.
We probably have a little trouble relating. Or so we think.
Why is it so important to be pure from sexual immorality? Our actions influence our principles and values.
We can change. We can clean up.
Yes, Jesus raised the standards. We can’t lower them to make people more comfortable.
Lyttelton wrote, “The true Christian saint has been able to go forth into the world of sin and shame, and by the mere unconscious force of his instinctive purity, turn the corrupted and the impure from powers of evil into living manifestations of Christ’s grace.” What that is saying is that disciples impact the world when we exhibit the purity God wants.
Resource
We need to witness through words, too; but worldview people have to see how we are different. Words aren’t going to mean anything if our actions are consistent.
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
Oh, yeah. We need self-discipline to address chastity issues, especially when we are dealing with sexual sins.
How Do We Apply This?
Cutting out sin in our lives is not going to be easy or pretty. That is especially true for sexual sins.
This is going to be difficult for us, as society promotes sexual immorality. Well, yes. Satan is definitely in control of this world.
I know we would all like some magic formula or process to remove the sin in our lives. Not going to happen.
What do we need to do? Seek God.
Yes, that will always be the answer. Read our Bibles more. Pray more. Study what it means. Meditate on it so we can figure out what we need God to cut out of us.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
Prayer
What do you think?
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I agree, chastity should apply equally to men, and that God expects us to be pure in all areas of our lives, not just sexually. Good reminders about how to rid ourselves of sin. I love the picture you painted of bringing our sins before a firing squad and having it put to death. ? I also like the idea of us being private investigator. This is so true! We simply must examine ourselves to find and identify things about ourselves that we must change…or put to death, as you put it! ???
Thanks for the encouragement! I am glad my words could paint pictures of how we are to follow God.
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