Sexual Purity: A Display of Love and Obedience in Response to Christ’s Love For Us

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 6:12-14

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1Corinthians 6:19-20

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:2

The mind of sinful [woman] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
Romans 8:6

“A repressed desire or thought is one which has been thrust into the subconscious (usually at a very early age) and can now come before the mind only in a disguised and unrecognizable form. Repressed sexuality does not appear to the patient to be sexuality at all. When an adolescent or an adult is engaged in resisting a conscious desire, [she] is not dealing with a repression nor is [she] in the least danger of creating a repression. On the contrary, those who are seriously attempting chastity are more conscious, and soon know a great deal more about their own sexuality then anyone else. They come to know their desire…Virtue – even attempted virtue – brings light…” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity 102)

“…Your sexuality is comprised of four distinct aspects: the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of your being. These four parts combine to form the unique individual God designed you to be. Again, your sexuality is not what you do. Your sexuality is who you are, and you are made with a body, mind, heart, and spirit, not just a body. So, sexual integrity is not just about remaining physically abstinent. It is about purity in all four aspects of your being.” (Shannon Etheridge, Every Young Woman’s Battle 25).

“We are sexual beings so that we may know something more of the supremacy of Christ – we must know him in his supremacy – in order to experience our sexuality as sacred and sweet and Christ-exulting and secondary – quietly, powerfully secondary” (John Piper, Sex and the Supremacy of Christ 38).

Questions:
What myths about sexuality dominate our culture and how can we dispel them?

Are you aware of and knowledgeable about your own sexuality/sexual desires?

How can we learn about the complexity of our sexuality so that we can fight for purity?

How can we embrace sexual purity as a preferred lifestyle – physically, emotionally, and spiritually?

What do we do when we struggle?

When/where are you tempted? And what tempts you (films, seclusion, loneliness, novels, blogs, music, instant messaging, magazines)?

Emotional lust, Physical lust, Masturbation, Sexual Intercourse, Oral Sex, Homosexuality