PHYSICAL PURITY

Practicing righteousness over sinfulness consistently and avoiding all unhealthy practices.

Objective

  • To do what is good and right in all circumstances.
  • To maintain a healthy and productive lifestyle.
  • To refrain from smoking, doing drugs, or getting drunk.

Key Scriptures

Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
2 Corinthians 7:1

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 6:12-13

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:17-18

Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
Proverbs 4:14-15

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Commentary

The Bible makes it very clear that we are to honor Him with our bodies. Health is important. Christ died so that we could live – and live life abundantly. That means what he accomplished at Calvary was for our physical well-being as well as our spiritual well-being. To do anything to conflict with that is counterproductive. Doing drugs, getting drunk, and having sex outside of marriage are all sins. Committing these sins gives place to the devil to bring sickness and disease into your body and ultimately kill you. If we are to be physically pure then we must follow these Scriptures, which admonish us to avoid all physical and spiritual contaminants, to not offer our bodies to sin; and to NOT get drunk but to be filled with the Spirit.

Steps to Attaining and Maintaining Physical Purity

1. Look for opportunities to do good and bless others.
Doing what is good and right is a fundamental product of physical purity. In honoring God with your body you are choosing to abstain from any and every sinful action, and to choose to do what pleases God. It is through this Godly lifestyle that not only will you be blessed by fulfilling your own specific divine purpose, but you will learn to consistently be a blessing to others. Blessing others doesn’t mean always spending money or sacrificing great quantities of your time, although those are great ways to bless people. Often you can change the course of someone’s entire day but simply offering a kind word, some encouragement, or even just smiling. How about asking how they are doing and waiting to actually listen to what they have to say? We’re so accustomed to being focused on ourselves, we must remember that we are lights in this world, which means we shine outward not inward. So every day ask God who he wants you to be a blessing to and in what way, and constantly look for opportunities to help people and do what is right. You’ll be surprised, even when you think no one is watching you, people are watching and being affected by your actions. And finally, when you are met with the opportunity to do what is sinful, you always have the opportunity to say “no” and refrain from indulging in that sin. This is also a critical element in attaining and maintaining physical purity that must not be taken for granted.

2. Abstain from everything that contaminates your body.
The most common physical contaminants relevant to physical purity are drugs and alcohol. It would be wise to avoid both of these vices. Not only are drugs illegal, they conflict with everything pure. If you’ve already fallen into this trap you know that you can waste years of your life suffering the negative consequences. So don’t even entertain the idea. There is no curiosity in the world that would make me want to try any type of drug. I’ve seen firsthand what they do to people, I’ve seen the death and destruction they cause, and I’ve seen people spend years fighting to get free from drugs. It’s not worth it. So don’t dabble with drugs, and if you already have, do whatever is necessary to stop and never go back. Similarly alcohol has the potential to not only ruin lives but end lives as well. You may already be fully aware that when you’re drunk you don’t think straight. When you don’t think straight you say and do things you shouldn’t do. Don’t ever put yourself in a situation where you can’t control yourself, and drinking alcohol is a quick way to relinquish your self-control to your sinful nature and suffer all sorts of negative consequences.

3. Find healthy positive activities to get involved in and have clean fun.
Have good clean fun. There are plenty of activities you can do that won’t cause you to compromise your morals. Go to an amusement park, get into sports, take an art class or a cooking course. Surround yourself with your family and your closest Christian friends who will assist you on your journey to maintain physical purity.

Real Life Experience

I know a young man who was brought up in the church, however, he chose to live a life of sin. His life of sex, smoking, heavy drinking, and heavy drug use caused him to deteriorate and he wound up in and out of jail for several years. He ignored all council and was determined to live a life of sin. Consequently, he suffered in every way: His body became weak and damaged from years of contamination, he became mentally unstable and he ruined just about every relationship he had.

Choosing to live in sin takes its toll and the effects can remain for years. He actually told me that he was finally clean from drugs, but that he was thinking about them all the time. He said “If crack was legal I would be doing it right now.” I was absolutely flabbergasted to hear that. After everything he lost, after his family fell apart, and he was left jobless, broke, and alone in jail he was still thinking about gratifying his flesh! This violates Scripture and is NOT God’s will for us. God did not bless us with health through Jesus Christ for us to abuse our bodies and give the devil free reign to wreak havoc inside of us. On the contrary, if we do our part and live healthy, holy and honorable lives before God, He will honor us with health for all of our days.

Additional Key Scriptures

Anyone, then who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
James 4:17

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Romans 12:13

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Proverbs 3:7-8

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
Proverbs 20:1