How Does Holiness Act? Part 3: The Proper Conduct of Sexual Morality

How Does Holiness Act? Part 3: The Proper Conduct of Sexual Morality
1 Peter 1.13-16
13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Romans 13.13-14
13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

As we continue our series on how holiness acts, we come to the second set of sinful natures which defile holiness--sexual immorality. Paul says in Romans 13 that we are not to behave "in sexual immorality and debauchery." Let me stop here, however, and make sure these terms are clear. Sexual immorality involves any sexual behavior within at least four distinct categories:
1.) Lust(such as pornography)
2.) Fornication(sex before marriage)
3.) Adultery(sex outside of one's marriage with another person)
4.) Defilement(homosexuality, sexual activity with animals, etc.)

Similarly, there is debauchery--unrestrained sexual behavior. These are the people who are obsessed with sex. One could make an excellent case that our society is filled with debauchery. One cannot turn on a television show without the topic surfacing either directly or indirectly. It has invaded primetime television, books, magazines, the Internet, billboards, and our everyday culture. But debauchery CAN exist within marriages. If one's relationship with one's spouse is centered wholly on sexual activity, then one is engaging in debauchery.

Both of these practices are regarded as unholy by God. When we do these things we are not "[clothing ourselves] with the Lord Jesus Christ" but are instead "[thinking] about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." So what is the solution? The solution is to keep a pure mind. To be honest, sexual immorality is probably one of the toughest sins to avoid because it is a sin that results from(in most cases) wholly natural desires. Really the only sound way to avoid it is to "clothe [yourself] with the Lord Jesus Christ." We must do as Paul says and "prepare [our] minds for action." We must "be self-controlled, [setting our] hope fully on the grace to be given [us] when Jesus Christ is revealed." Self control of the mind by focusing on Christ is the most efficient way to avoid sexual immorality. One cannot enable himself to even consider what he knows is sexually immoral and unholy because the moment he allows such thoughts, the flesh kicks in and pursues all sorts of unrighteousness.

So what does holiness look like when acted out in regards to sexual morality? It is the sort of thing that gets one away from the computer/television/books when he or she is being tempted with lust. It is the sort of thing that says to the unmarried man or woman, "I will never put/be put in a situation where something COULD happen with my date/girlfriend/boyfriend." It is the sort of thing that says to the married man or woman, "My husband/wife is part of my own flesh--I will not defile myself by defiling the temple of my body." When we begin to take on this mindset, interesting side effects occur. When we stop lusting, we begin to see the value of a person and not simply as a mere object of our pleasure. We begin to see how true love does not blossom until its time has come fully. We begin to see our spouse and our relationship with them as a holy union between God, a man, and a woman. THIS, beloved, is how holiness looks. THIS is how sexual purity and holiness appears before our Lord Jesus Christ. When we follow His example, we will experience this action in the form that Christ designed at the time that Christ designed for us. We will remain holy unto Him.

Perhaps you have fallen into sexual immorality in some form or another. It is incredibly easy to do. Many of us are ashamed to admit it before God because we feel as if it is worth than any other sin. Remember that sin is sin is sin. Whatever you may have done or have thought, remember that we have a Savior who washes it all away. Allow Jesus to cleanse your eyes with His blood. He will wash you as white as snow. When King David committed adultery, we believe he wrote Psalm 51 afterwards. In it he pleads with God: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51.1-2;7). May that be the prayer today for anyone who is struggling or has struggled with sexual immorality. Allow Jesus to wash you clean and become holy, for He is holy. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich