Living a Chaste Life
Living a Chaste Life
Galatians 5:22-24 Turning away from sin can be made easier by practicing the Seven Capital Virtues. Today we look at the first of these, Chastity.
Original image Hans Memling (1433-1494), “Allegory with a Virgin”
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Galatians 5:22-24 NASB1995
I want to start today’s post by thanking God for YOU, our readers. A few days ago we published our 500th devotional, which wouldn’t be possible without God’s blessings, His Word, the prodding of the Holy Spirit to examine various topics, and His people — YOU. May God bless all of you!
The past several weeks have been an examination of what are called the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth. In case you missed any of the previous devotionals, the links on each of the sins will take you to the corresponding article. The first of the devotionals, on Pride, is now our most popular post ever. It seems that it resonated with many readers since the word is now associated with a month-long celebration of sin…
How do we combat sin? Although we’re forgiven our sins once we put our faith in Jesus Christ, many Christians seem to forget that confession and repentance are part of the equation as well. Studying the Word of God so that it becomes “written on your heart” and listening to the conviction of the Holy Spirit can help you identify when you’re sinning. One of the best ways to break bad habits is to do something that is the exact opposite, so I’ll be taking a look at what are called the Seven Capital Virtues (also known as remedial virtues). These virtues include chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility.
Each of these virtues has a contrasting sin — in order: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
The first of the Seven Capital Virtues is chastity. That word tends to evoke giggles and sarcasm from most people in our time, with snarkiness about chastity belts and purity rings. What does chastity really mean? It’s a noun meaning “the state or quality of being chaste,” which has these definitions among others:
refraining from sexual intercourse that is regarded as contrary to morality or religion; virtuous.
virgin.
not engaging in sexual relations; celibate.
free from obscenity; decent: chaste conversation.
Looking at the definition #1 in the Biblical sense, that means refraining from any sexual intercourse that is not between a married man and woman. Practicing chastity means no premarital sex, no adultery, no homosexuality, no group sex, no bestiality, no pedophilia, no rape, and refraining from any other type of sexual activity that is not between a married male and female.
I’m sure that all of our readers are probably in agreement living a chaste lifestyle, but there might be others who would say “whoa, that’s no fun!” All I can say is that from the Biblical view, anything outside of chastity is sin. I can’t tell people to stop sinning; they have to feel that Spirit-driven conviction that what they’re doing is wrong and then stop, confess, and not sin again.
Definition #2 is fairly straightforward, maintaining virginity until marriage. No going out for quick, anonymous hookups at the local nightclub because you’re feeling frisky or your friends are teasing you because you’re “not getting any.”
Definition #3, celibacy, is a choice that many people feel repulsed by thanks to our mass media preoccupation with sex as well as the social pressure to have sex. I find it fascinating that Christopher Yuan, a one-time gay drug dealer and prison inmate turned pastor, speaker, and author, counsels celibacy to those who are struggling with their sexuality.
The final definition, #4 - “free from obscenity” - doesn’t refer to the sexual act but to obscene language and behavior. Being chaste means putting an end to the “f-bombs” and other obscenities that many of us color our speech with, staying away from pornography, or wearing clothing that is beyond revealing.
Regardless of how holy you may feel, you might personally struggle with one or more of the defined tenets of chastity. Barb and I confess that we didn’t wait to get married before fooling around… and both of us have prayed for forgiveness for that long-ago sin. Both of us also have a tendency to use “colorful language” more often than we should…
Being aware of sin patterns and how to break them is a critical part of sanctification. I pray that this month-long examination of sin and virtues helps all of us to become better Christians.
Today’s verses encompass the very familiar “Fruits of the Spirit”, all virtues that contain and complement the Seven Capital Virtues. Chastity is one of those fruits — self-control — that Christians must cultivate.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I thank You that I am forgiven of the sins of my youth that I have confessed and repented of in Jesus’ name. I pray for all of those who are struggling with living chastely and who may be putting temporary earthly sensual pleasures above their eternal life with You. May my prayers serve to intercede on behalf of those fighting their baser urges. In Jesus’ holy name I pray, AMEN.