Part of Sanctification: Fighting for Purity

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 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.”

God is holy. In some parts of the Scriptures, that attribute of God is even repeated thrice, “Holy Holy Holy is the LORD God Almighty!” And as children of God, we are also called to be holy. God is devoted to purity and holiness and also wills for us to walk in sanctification, as written in Thessalonians 4:3-5: that we should avoid sexual immorality, that each of us should learn to control our own bodies in a way that is holy and honorable, not passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God. The verse clearly states that those who don’t know God pursue and practice those things – sexual immorality. They have no control over their own passions, but on the contrary, they let it drive them. God is omniscient; he knows that we have those desires in us because he made us to have those desires.

Ever since the LORD saved me by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, my walk with Christ has not been easy. I am not saying that in a surprised tone because the Bible clearly states in many instances that a believer will not only go through persecution for His Name, but expect loving discipline from the Father. As the writer of the book of Hebrews puts it, He chastises those he loves. Jesus gives this analogy on him being the Vine, and the Father the vinedresser, and we are the branches.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. – John 15:1-2

Most of his regeneration work in me is through the experiences he lets me go through. I believe in his sovereignty over all things in my life. He is in control and everything exists for his greater glory. In his sovereignty, he made me meet -. Ever since I met him five months ago, I have learned so many things that I would otherwise never learn alone. As I see it, we are two sinful people saved by God’s grace in Christ who, by God’s sovereignty, and for His sole glory, come together with the pursuit of marriage.

Five months ago, I was a very different person. Themes like Marriage and Sexual Purity are almost foreign to me. I read about it in Scriptures, but I never thought I will be putting it into application sooner. But as it is, the Lord operates on his own timeline, not mine. If it were me, I would think its so soon to even start being preoccupied about those things because I’m still single and marriage is too far out to happen. Boy I didn’t know I was in for a big surprise when he led - to me.

Being single in this lust-driven sinful world is not an easy battle, much more being in a relationship. The world around us promotes sexual immorality like it’s the normal thing to do and would even view Christians as an anomaly for not practicing it. Though it is hard, I consider it a blessing that God started this relationship being long distance, because the possibility of the danger of our hormones raging and the thrill of being in love with each other will eventually drive us to sin. I am not saying that being miles apart will exempt us from being careful.

Sometimes in our conversation, a harmless topic could spark into sexual innuendos. Most times, it would really stir something deep inside me (and him, too), thoughts that are not anymore pleasing to the Lord. I have struggled to keep my purity for the Lord. I despised the sin that so easily entangled me before and I am not keeping my guard down now. Jesus has paid a lofty price – Himself, to free me from that bondage of sin. How could I give the devil a foothold to delve in sexual immorality again disguised in another way. Had not been for the grace and mercy of God to keep us in sin, the spirit that would dominate now would be even greater because it will involve another person (which reminds me of the time when Jesus drove out the spirit out of the demon-possessed man).

It is a struggle, but Jesus promises it will be worth it. Jesus gives me and him sexuality to be practiced in the context of marriage. The Bible is explicitly saying that over and over again, so as to grill it into our hearts lest we forget. This is a new set of opportunity for us to be sanctified. “Pursue purity for Christ. Abstain from sexual immorality. Flee from temptation. He will provide a way out”, these are snippets of Scripture verses that the Spirit impresses on me in this walk. By His grace, He will preserve us. For His glory, and our good.

Helpful Resource:

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-far-is-too-far-before-marriage

Bullets (and parentheses)

Hi.

How have you been, blogger?

Two months have passed since I last wrote you an entry. Well, not much has happened in between really so you didn't miss a lot. You can blame it to the ever brilliant minds of Google's developers, who seem to have left you to the oblivion that is "Website Only" mode. I feel bad for you, really. You have been such a resource for me ever since I started blogging before "blogging" was overused and became bastardized by these "bloggers" of the instagram era. It just goes to show how people these days have been used to instant gratification, mostly provided by pictures and moving pictures, that they simply won't have the energy to read words written in blank spaces because their attention spans are but a wee longer than that of a toddler. Gosh, it terrifies me to succumb to the fact that this world is truly headed for the worst, by which Biblically it is, - and social media seem to be hastening it.

Yet still I am one of the few who still tarry to read and write despite my personal critiques  are telling me I am not good in it anymore. The same personal critiques who tricked me to believing I was, at some point.

Anyway, I think I may be losing my finesse for typing in full sentences to express my thoughts - compounding that they are fragmented already. Dan said I may suffer from flight of ideas, an observation I would not contend as there may be some truth in his diagnosis. More so, I haven't been into much reading lately, despite the recent visitation of Big Bad Wolf booksale, of which I purchased Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee and The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (I literally had to verify his surname's spelling so as not to humiliate myself, but I guess I just did so on the process? Ehhh).

I just missed writing. Writing for my self. Writing to impress others, and that pang when you feel like you didnt achieve that purpose.

But to stay true to the title of this entry...Bullets.

On the course of 2 months,

• I learned to cook some dishes. Adobong Bisaya, pinakupsan as my mother would call it, is not so hard to do. Very easy for beginners like me who still need to remind themselves that onions and garlics aren't the same, and there is a certain maneuver to properly cut vegetables without cutting your finger while doing so. 
• God has been so extensively unbelievably patient in my sanctification. I am so overwhelmed by it. I cannot even fathom the greatness of his love. He is not just a sideline to me. He is my everything. 
• Theology.
• Waiting. More waiting. 
• Sanctification. More sanctification.
• Love. More love. 
• Grace. More grace.
• D-. This guy. This blessing. I do not deserve him. I'm afraid of whats to happen. But God. His sovereignty overules everything, and I find my comfort in that. 
• and more Waiting. . .

So, yes, that's about it for now. See you in another,what, 2 months?