Sex, Lies and Purity

It's been on my heart for some time to write about this. It makes me nervous, I'm even a little shaky as I write this, but it's on my heart and I think it needs to be said. I've prayed a lot about what I'm going to say, so hopefully the Spirit speaks through me and this comes across OK.

Being a Christian, we're often told that sex is bad. Not bad in general, but bad outside of the marriage covenant. Here's the thing, the Bible was written a long time ago, and the people in it gave into sexual sin, lust, and immorality. Here were are in 2013 and the media screams sex. You can't open a magazine, turn on the TV, or walk through the book section at Target without it staring you right in the face. And there is so much talk about remaining pure for marriage but there is no clear cut guideline for what "pure" is. The Bible doesn't explicitly say how far is too far, where the "line" is, or what "pure" means in terms of sexual immorality. What exactly constitutes immoral? And we often forget that when we are told to maintain pure bodies and minds, it's not just related to sexual things, but really, we "should" be watching, reading, and listening to things that glorify God. We should speak kind words, love the unlovable, and help the helpless, but we get so caught up in sexual sin and what it means that we forget about those other things. 

And the judgment, oh my word the judgment. I go to college, so I'm surrounded by people with varying beliefs. God is the only one who can judge. And Jesus tells us that all sin is equal. So why would you judge someone for making a mistake and having sex but not for making a mistake and having a little to drink? Or cursing? Or disobeying and being disrespectful to their parents? We can't deny that people struggle with their sins, so why focus on condemning the ones who committed sexual sin? 

People make mistakes. 

But guess what? For every mistake, God forgives you ten fold!

And I think we too often forget this. Because of the stigma that goes with this specific sin or type of sin, people lie. They cover up their transgressions. We all know that how you act on the outside reflects what's happening on the inside. So when people are too ashamed of their sins to admit them and be vulnerable in a safe place, how can we expect them to admit them to God? And then they accept Christ's forgiveness, but we aren't aiding each other in forgiving ourselves (quite possibly one of the hardest things to do) when we don't create an environment for people to openly admit the mistakes they've made. We close off the opportunity for fellowship and the chance to lift each other up in prayer. And God cannot be glorified in a toxic situation like that. 

This also always seems to reflect more on the girl than on the boy. But giving a speech on purity and dating and stating that a girl won't be wanted by a man because she isn't pure or clean is completely counterproductive because...Jesus wants her. Jesus wants his bride, no matter what, and He will do whatever it takes to get her. And if she has to commit some sins that finally make her realize His undying love for her, He will still take her. God will stand there with open arms welcoming His bride home. And she will find a man one day, one whom God has picked specifically for her. This man will see her as God does: pure, holy, clean, and innocent. And the same goes for a guy. He will find a woman who sees him as God does. 

Ugh, it just kills me how quick people are to condemn. Because if a young man or woman has committed this sin and regrets it, then they are broken. We are to help the brokenhearted find Jesus. We show them Christ's love. And we aren't doing that if we condemn them or make it so they are ashamed to be who they really are and grow in Christ as they can. 

Jesus wants everyone. Look at the people God used in the Bible to do extraordinary things. Look at Jesus' disciples. All of these people were far from the perfect, holy beings we try to be on earth. No sin is too great for Christ to wash away. He will always be able to wash away the blood and the dirt and grime. He wants us all. 

Real purity is admitting your mistakes. It's offering your body, heart, and mind for God to make clean. It's a daily surrender, and we all struggle with it, so why should we be quick to judge because committing sexual acts seems like a bigger sin than cursing when mad or drinking or gossiping? 

And we believe in Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his great purpose." "All things" includes the sins we commit. Because through overcoming that sin, we could lead someone to Jesus. I don't know if any of this makes sense, but it's what I've been thinking about a lot lately, and as always I hope someone got something from this.

Smile, God loves you!