by: Jonathan Painter
“Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.”
On April 4, 2014, the auditorium of the Heritage Baptist Church in Lawrence, Kansas was brilliantly decorated with trimmings of pink and grey as I stood next to Pastor Hanks waiting for my bride to appear on her father’s arm at the back door. I watched the bridesmaids come down the aisle adorned in very modest and matching dresses, and to my left stood my groomsman clad is sharp grey suits. Any moment the time would come when I would see the girl I had come to love, the one I determined to give my life to. As I stood there like a penguin in my black tux and bow tie, I felt a slight urge to glance at my watch, but feared it would be quite inappropriate for the moment since I had anywhere from 100 to 200 people in front of me who couldn’t decide whether to watch me or the back door. All of the sudden it happened! There she was, my beautiful bride, adorned in white, and escorted by her father’s sure arm. She came down the aisle cautiously, patiently, soaking in every moment of her last walk as a part of her father’s household.
When I descended the steps on the platform and her father placed her hand in mine, it was the first time I had ever held a girl’s hand. When the preacher pronounced us man and wife and I kissed her, it was the first time I had ever kissed a girl’s lips. There is no greater joy for a man than to be able to look at his wife with a clear conscience and honestly tell her that she is the first, and only one he has done this with.
So often we think of purity as abstaining from sexual activity with a person of the opposite gender, and true we should be pure in this, but purity runs much deeper than this. The Bible makes it very clear, “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is not good for a man to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” (I Corinthians 7:1) What does this mean? DO NOT TOUCH SOMEONE OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER! That means, boys keep your hands off the girls! Young ladies don’t let that boy wipe his dirty paws on y
ou! KEEP THYSELF PURE! It is a good thing for a lady to be able to walk an aisle in a white dress and be able to tell her groom that she has never known a man, but it is a better thing to be able to tell him you have never kissed a man. However, it is the greatest thing to stand and tell your groom that you have never had any physical contact with a man, this is purity at its highest peak!
Never forget that every time you let that boy caress you, you are giving away purity that should be for your husband someday. Every time you let that girl rub your shoulders, you are giving away purity and pleasure that should belong to your wife someday. The purity of physical contact should only be given to the person you exchange vows with at a marriage altar, and not to anyone else but your spouse. If you don’t have a spouse, you have no business giving your purity away. I can say this now from experience, the sweetest wedding gift you can give to your spouse and receive from your spouse is the priceless purity as a whole that has been saved specially for them. This is truly purity at its peak.
Jonathan Painter
Youth Pastor
Lincoln Baptist Church
Lincoln, Nebraska