Got Purity?

Well, I went, I talked and I walked out alive. I guess all went well enough. No decision cards were handed in so depending on your flavour of the faith, maybe you wouldn’t call Saturday night a success.

Having had a wonderful evening with the believers at Aylmer’s Evengelical Mennonite Church, my thoughts return here to cyberspace and back to working through ‘The Law’ in the life of a believer. I hope this isn’t being drawn out too long, but I feel led to linger here for a while. I really don’t see a need to talk about eating strangled animals, drinking blood or eating food which has knowingly been offered to an idol. The sexual sin thing remains with me though.

I mean, since it is named among the 4 non-negotiables for a follower of Christ and since we’re told that no other sin so clearly affects the body as this one, I believe it deserves a little more thought, time and study.

Before I continue however, I want to set up the playing field. I want to make sure that this is a fair game where everybody gets to participate. So I’m asking for your input. Here is the question at hand....

Have any of you lived lives that are completely sexually pure?

I’m taking Jesus’ standard here. In other words, you have never lusted after someone who is not married to you. You have never had sexual intercourse out of marriage. You have never flipped through a nudy book. You are completely clean with regards to God’s standards for human sexuality. Can any of us claim that?

I ask this question in order to make sure the playing field really is level. So often, when church people like me talk about sexual sin, we’re accused of demonizing one particular group or another. Many of us don’t mind acknowledging that we are sinners in a general sense. However, when it comes down to specifics where our sin is labelled as it is, our human nature tends to be both offensive and offended.

So – in my next post, if I speak on a few particulars of God’s sexual standards, don’t get all offended unless there is such a thing as being completely without fault before God in this area. If we really are sinners then it should be no surprise to find out that we have actually sinned.

If on the other hand you believe yourself to be above reproach and are completely self righteous, then I probably will offend you. In that case, please don’t bother reading my next post on this issue.