The world often dismisses the deep and abiding love God has for each person simply because God also hates sin and loves rightousness. As authentic Christians committed to Biblical principles and guidelines, we recognize that in the Bible God has standards of behavior for us His people. Ephesians 5:3-4 sets forth God’s ideal of how he wants us to live:
“Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place.”
Galatians 5:16,19 state, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature…. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery.”
And 1 Thessalonians 4:3 states, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.” Supporting verses include Mark 7:21-23, Acts 15:29, Romans 13:12-13, 1 Corinthians 6:18, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Colossians 3:5-6, Hebrews 12:16, Hebrews 13:4, Jude 7, Revelation 2:14,20;21:8, etc….
Very interestingly, we find that God’s love for us is not based upon our ability to meet His standards for us but rather is a very real deep abiding love that existed even before our conversion while we were still lost in our sin as Romans 5:8 reveals, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” as does 1 John 4:10 which states, “This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
So while God loves people with a very real deep abiding love extending grace, grace, and more grace to cover our sin and failings, we see that purity is also a very real matter as evidenced both by the standards He has set forth regarding it and the great atoning sacrifice that was necessary to pay for the lack of it.
This great atoning sacrifice was necessary because as Romans 6:23 points out, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” and Romans 3:23 shows us that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The reality is that understanding and abiding by God’s standards are part of a vibrant relationship with God in Christ. But Christians fail, Christians sin, and Christians struggle. Fortunately, when Christians break His standards, God doesn’t reject us or stop loving us but by choosing to sin we move out of His will for our lives and away from Him which is why Hebrews 12:1 states:
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Each person who hears the Gospel makes a choice whether they will accept Christ and God’s atoning work for them and seek to live a life of purity striving for God’s standards and will for their life accepting His grace as they work that out or whether they will reject this and live a life in impurity (or strive for self-righteousness which as Isaiah 64:6 points out amounts to nothing more than “filthy rags” before our perfectly pure God). John 5:28-29 contrasts the resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment highlighting the difference between a life in Christ spent pursuing God’s will and His standards and a life spent rejecting them.
The Bible makes it clear we must be careful to strive for purity with a humble heart not a proud one. This is why our leaders are really trusted servants. As Matthew 6:1 points out, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven” and Galatians 6:3 which says, “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Ego, narcissism, self-righteousness, legalism, pride, etc… have no place in our quest for purity but love for one another does as 1 John 4:11 states, “Dear friends since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Which brings us to the question of what to do when an authentic Christian (not to be confused with someone who professes to be a Christian but really is not) is living a life of impurity?
First realize that men and women in Christ who fall into an addiction or an impure lifestyle are our neighbors and include very respectable people in our communities. They can be living lives of purity in every area of their life yet have fallen into a sinful addiction like alcoholism, drug addiction, or gambling addiction or some sort of sexual immorality such as adultery, fornication, or homosexuality (1)(2)(3). As 1 Corinthians 10:13 states, "No temptation has taken you except which is common to man [kind]...."
The Bible gives us a roadmap to follow when it becomes clear this is occurring and the ultimate goal is to bring about repentance and restoration from a position of God’s love as reflected in Galatians 6:1 which states, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” This is our aim no matter how the member fell whether by deception (2 Corinthians 14), by accident (1 Peter 5:8), willful rebellion (1 Corinthians 5:1-2), or some other means.
Christians Helping Our World is non-denominational and does not stress a “legalistic” approach. For a good explanation of our position on the Biblical approach read ‘Church Discipline’ by J. Hampton Keathley, III, Th.M. at http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=532
There are many excellent Christian recovery programs today and we list some of them on our resources page. We also recognize that some Christians participate in various anonymous type programs recognizing Christ as God (e.g. their “higher power”) and support these Christians as well. It is our position that all Christians who find they are struggling with addiction and/or sexual immorality seek recovery as soon as possible knowing that there is no shame with Christians who have chosen a path of recovery.
May God bless you and work in your life mightly to finish the good work He began.
(1) The Biblical Design for Human Sexuality by Rich Deem http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/sexuality.html
(2) Genetics and Homosexuality by Rich Deem http://www.godandscience.org/evolution/genetics_of_homosexuality.html
(3) Is it Okay for Christians to use Marijuana and Other Drugs? by Rich Deem http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/marijuana.html
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