Purity before marriage is a value that the Bible upholds. From Old Testament teachings to New Testament encouragement, Scripture emphasizes the importance of sexual integrity, honoring God’s design for relationships, and preserving purity until marriage.
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What Does The Bible Say About Purity Before Marriage
1 Corinthians 6:18
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”
This verse emphasizes the importance of fleeing from sexual immorality, specifically highlighting the consequences of sexual sin on one’s own body.
Sexual purity before marriage is a vital aspect of following Christ and honoring the sanctity of the marital covenant. It calls believers to avoid engaging in any sexual activity outside the context of a committed and monogamous marriage relationship.
Hebrews 13:4
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
This verse emphasizes the importance of holding marriage in high esteem and keeping the marriage bed undefiled.
It serves as a reminder that sexual immorality, including premarital sex, is not in line with God’s design for human relationships. God calls believers to honor the institution of marriage and to keep the sexual relationship within the boundaries of the marital covenant.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.”
This passage emphasizes that it is God’s will for believers to live in holiness and to abstain from sexual immorality.
By exercising self-control and honoring God with their bodies, believers display their knowledge of God and His desire for purity before marriage.
1 Corinthians 7:2
“But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.”
This verse highlights the importance of marriage as a means to fulfill sexual desires in a God-honoring way.
It encourages believers to enter into the sacred covenant of marriage instead of succumbing to the temptation of sexual immorality.
Proverbs 5:18-19
“Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.”
This verse celebrates the blessings and joys of marital intimacy within the bounds of a committed relationship.
It encourages husbands to find delight and satisfaction in the love and physical intimacy shared with their spouse, emphasizing the exclusivity and enduring nature of the marital relationship.
Ephesians 5:3
“But 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.”
This verse sets a high standard for believers, calling them to completely avoid any form of sexual immorality or impure behavior.
It emphasizes the need for Christians to live differently from the world and to align their behavior with the holiness expected of God’s people.
Galatians 5:16
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
This verse encourages believers to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to resist the temptations of the flesh.
By walking in the Spirit, believers can overcome the desires that lead to sexual immorality and live a life that pleases God.
Colossians 3:5
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
This verse calls believers to actively root out and eliminate any form of sexual immorality, impurity, and lust from their lives.
It highlights the grave nature of these sins and draws a connection between sexual sin and idolatry, emphasizing their detestable nature in the eyes of God.
1 Corinthians 7:8-9
“Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”
This passage acknowledges the challenges faced by unmarried individuals in maintaining sexual purity.
While remaining unmarried is commendable, the option of entering into marriage is presented as a means to protect against sexual temptation and preserve purity.
1 Peter 2:11
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.”
This verse reminds believers that, as followers of Christ, they are called to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against their souls.
It serves as a call to resistance and highlights the importance of guarding one’s heart and mind against sexual immorality.
2 Timothy 2:22
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
This verse encourages believers to actively flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.
It emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with fellow believers who also strive for purity, forming a supportive community in the pursuit of God’s standards.
Matthew 5:28
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
This verse highlights the significance of not just refraining from physical sexual immorality, but also guarding one’s thoughts and desires.
It emphasizes the importance of purity in the mind and heart, challenging believers to have a deep reverence for the holiness of God’s standards.
Psalm 119:9
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”
This verse presents the Word of God as a guiding light to help young people stay on the path of purity.
It emphasizes the importance of aligning one’s life and actions with the principles found in Scripture as a means to maintain purity before marriage.
Psalm 51:10
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
This verse is a plea to God for inner transformation and a desire for a clean heart and a renewed spirit.
It acknowledges the need for God’s cleansing and empowering work in the pursuit of purity, recognizing that it is through His grace and strength that true purity can be achieved.
Proverbs 6:27-28
“Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?”
This proverb draws a parallel between engaging in sexual immorality and the inevitability of its consequences.
It serves as a warning against engaging in premarital sex, highlighting the destructive nature of such actions and the damaging consequences that follow.
1 Corinthians 6:13
“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”
This verse clarifies that our bodies are not meant for sexual immorality but rather to be dedicated to the Lord.
It underscores the need for believers to honor God with their bodies and abstain from any form of sexual impurity.
Romans 13:14
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
This verse calls believers to clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and not make any provisions to fulfill the desires of the flesh.
It challenges believers to rely on the power and presence of Christ to resist the temptations of the flesh and maintain their purity.
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
This verse encourages believers to focus their minds and thoughts on things that are true, noble, pure, lovely, and admirable.
By intentionally directing their thoughts towards these virtuous qualities, believers can guard their hearts and minds against impure thoughts and desires.
James 1:14-15
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
This passage explains the process of temptation, showing how engaging in sinful desires ultimately leads to death.
It serves as a warning against the devastating consequences of succumbing to sexual immorality and emphasizes the need for believers to resist temptation and pursue purity.
1 John 2:15-16
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”
This passage calls believers to avoid the love and attachment to worldly desires, including the lust of the flesh.
It highlights the contrast between worldly desires and the desire to love and please God, emphasizing the need to reject the temptations that lead to sexual immorality.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
This verse reminds believers that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that they are to honor God in their bodies.
It serves as a motivation for maintaining purity before marriage, recognizing that believers belong to God and are called to live in a way that brings glory to Him.
Psalm 119:11
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
This verse emphasizes the importance of internalizing God’s Word as a means of avoiding sin.
By hiding the word of God in our hearts, we equip ourselves to resist the temptations of sexual immorality and stay on the path of purity.
Titus 2:11-12
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age.”
This passage reminds believers that the grace of God empowers them to say “no” to ungodliness and resist worldly passions.
It highlights the role of God’s grace in the pursuit of purity and calls believers to live self-controlled and godly lives in every aspect, including sexuality.
Proverbs 4:23
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
This proverb emphasizes the importance of guarding one’s heart as the source from which all actions flow.
It serves as a reminder to keep the heart pure from impure desires and to prioritize the pursuit of purity before marriage in every area of life.