How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
Psalm 119 v.9
I don’t know about you but I get the feeling that the idea of purity is becoming increasingly quaint in our world today. Further, to actually to suggest that purity is something to be sought after and cherished in line with God’s word here in this Psalm, is to put oneself completely beyond the pale in the eyes of many.
The fact that Psalmist asks the question (and I assume that the idea of sexual purity is high in his thinking ) is a clear indication that the whole issue is something that matters to God. I want to suggest that the question the Psalmist asks and the answer he gives under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is a question that should be on the lips of all Christians, and with the answer ringing in our ears, we should be actively promoting, along with every other aspect, this part of godly and holy living.
What has caused the world to not only reject purity but actually promote impurity?
It is because we have lost sight of God’s plans and purposes and have become almost totally self-centred. We have rejected, as I have indicated in previous blogs, the idea that there is absolute truth and have focussed on ‘my truth’ and ‘your truth’ which basically means you can do what you believe and want and I can so what I believe and want, providing your actions don’t offend me and vice versa! Tragically this results in the situation that even the youngest children in schools are likely to be confronted with ideas and actions in the realm of sex/relationships education that can do no other than lead to impurity.
The following is a comment from ‘Christian Post’ on the bill currently before the Senedd.
Christian law firms have expressed concerns over the passing of a bill that would make it mandatory for all schools, including faith schools, in Wales to teach humanism on an equal footing with religions as well as broaden sex education themes and content.
The provisions of the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill, which is set to become law after passing all debate stages, amount to “transferring the right of parents to decide their child’s best interests about sex and religious education to the State,” writes Elizabeth Francis, a legal officer for human rights group Alliance Defending Freedom, U.K., in an op-ed for The Conservative Woman.
The Bill would change the term “religious education” to “religion, values, and ethics” so that non-religious worldviews can be taught alongside Christianity and other religious beliefs. It would also allow humanists to be part of the bodies that oversee and develop the syllabus, according to The Christian Institute.
An initial proposal included giving atheists a veto over any religious teaching in schools, but the clause was later dropped. However, it still “allows for disproportionate time to be spent studying Humanism or atheism. It also repealed key safeguards on the teaching of sex education,” the Institute says.
Now I am not saying that all teaching that is not Christian necessarily leads to impurity but such legislation severely reduces the contact that young people have with God’s word, which the psalmist gives as the key to purity.
What then should we do?
We who read this need to take heed of this key question and answer for we are all dangerously prone to fall in this area. In my lifetime getting on for 80 years the media has blasted impurity across its many outlets. Pornography is freely available and it is calculated that 9 out of 10 boys and 6 out of 10 girls will have been exposed to pornography before they are 18 years old.
The purity standards, even of those who call themselves Evangelical Christians, are often far what God’s word sets before us and this should alarm us. But we should be even more concerned for our children and young people, the majority of whom have no knowledge of God’s word and often have no example to follow in this area, from family and friends.
Christian brothers and sisters I suggest that in the light of this we all need to take special heed of Psalm 119 v.9 and let God’s word on these and indeed all issues penetrate our whole being so that we might be those to whom others can look and be blessed.
Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.
Matthew 5 v.8