Sanctification in Area of Sexual Purity

Sanctification is God's will for His children. To be sanctified (to be holy) is to be set apart (from the world, sin, and flesh) for God's use, service, and purpose. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 explicitly states it's the will of God (His heart's desire) that we are to abstain (deliberately refrain) from sexual immorality (which includes premarital sex, extramarital sex, homosexual sex, pornography, sodomy, rape, molestation, incest, sexual perversion, prostitution, etc.), control our own body in a way that is holy and honorable (worthy of respect), not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God. "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." (1 Thessalonians 4:7) Don't be like the pagans/unbelievers who view sex as means of gratifying their passionate lust and view sexual purity/chastity as weakness. They do what they do because they do not know God personally even though they may know about Him. We, His children, on the other hand, know God personally and thus have no excuse whatsoever to engage in sexual immorality. We no longer have to live like the unbelievers who are driven by their passionate lust for sexual gratification. "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (lust)." (Galatians 5:24) John Piper defines lust as "a sexual desire that dishonors its object and disregards God... If your sexual desire is not guided by respect for the honor of others and regard for the holiness of God, it is lust." 

We must be vigilant about avoiding/keeping ourselves away from those situations in which we might be tempted to commit sexual sin. We must not be foolish or arrogant in thinking that we can handle it or that we won't fall into temptation. So many people including pastors and Christian leaders have committed sexual sin. They lose their credibility and often their ministry. It is truly tragic when God's children commit sexual sin and live to please flesh like those who do not know God. "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples 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 bodies." (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

To please, honor, and glorify God is to do His will. Each day we have a choice whether to yield ourselves to His will or to do our own self-centered will...to follow Christ's teachings or to follow the world's ways. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2) Sadly, some people constantly wonder what God's will is for their lives while ignoring to obey the will of God which was already written in His Word. Submit/surrender all to God and He will lead you.

Sanctification is the lifetime process of being made holy, of growing more and more mature spiritually, and of becoming more and more like Christ. The Holy Spirit works in our lives using God's Word to sanctify us as we walk in the Spirit, obey God's Word, and imitate Christ. If we want to do God's will and grow in holiness, we must spend time in God's Word and be doers of the Word. There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity. The process of sanctification is a beautiful interplay of the Holy Spirit's empowerment and the believer's responsibility. "It is time for us Christians, to face up to our responsibility for holiness. Too often we say we are 'defeated' by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient." (Jerry Bridges) 

"A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine." (Dwight L. Moody)

"The best way to overcome the world (worldliness), is not with morality or self-discipline. Christians overcome the world by seeing the beauty and excellence of Christ. They overcome the world by seeing something more attractive than the world--the Lord Jesus Christ!" (Thomas Chalmers)

Prayer: "More purity give me, more strength to o’ercome,
More freedom from earth-stains, more longings for home;
More fit for the kingdom, more used would I be,
More blessed and holy--more, Savior, like Thee." (Bliss)