Chastity, as a virtue, is deeply rooted in the biblical narrative and is commanded as a reflection of God's holiness and the sanctity of the human body. The Bible presents chastity not merely as an ideal but as a divine mandate for those who seek to live in accordance with God's will.

Old Testament Foundations

The call to chastity is evident in the Old Testament, where sexual purity is closely linked to the covenant relationship between God and His people. In Leviticus 18, God provides the Israelites with specific laws regarding sexual conduct, emphasizing the importance of maintaining purity. Leviticus 18:30 states, "So you must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God."

The wisdom literature also underscores the value of chastity. Proverbs 5:18-19 encourages fidelity within marriage: "May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever."

New Testament Teachings

In the New Testament, the call to chastity is reiterated and expanded upon, particularly in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, elevates the standard of purity by addressing the heart's intentions. Matthew 5:27-28 records Jesus' words: "You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

The apostle Paul further emphasizes the importance of chastity in the life of a believer. In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 , Paul writes, "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body."

Paul's exhortation to the Thessalonians also highlights the call to live a life of holiness and honor. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 states, "For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God."

Theological Implications

Chastity is not merely a personal or private matter but is integral to the Christian witness and community. It reflects the believer's commitment to living a life that honors God and respects the dignity of others. The call to chastity is a call to embody the transformative power of the Gospel, demonstrating the believer's identity as a new creation in Christ.

The biblical command for chastity is a call to align one's life with God's design for human relationships, recognizing the sacredness of the body as a vessel of the Holy Spirit. Through chastity, believers are invited to participate in the divine nature, reflecting God's purity and love in a world that often distorts and devalues these virtues.Exodus 20:14
You shall not commit adultery.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 31:3
Give not your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 15:20
But that we write to them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 13:13
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Colossians 3:5
Mortify therefore your members which are on the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Chastity the Chief Ornament of the True Tabernacle; Seven
... feast; above all things, saying that each one should adorn his tabernacle with chastity. ...
fruits of the earth have been gathered in, we are commanded to keep ...
/.../chapter i chastity the chief ornament.htm

Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery.
... Now, if no other work were commanded but chastity alone, we would all have enough
to do with this one; so perilous and raging a vice is unchastity. ...
/.../luther/a treatise on good works/thou shalt not commit adultery.htm

The Ninth Item of the Accusation; and Pelagius' Reply.
... which is not commanded,"but only this, that virginity, which is not commanded, is
something more than conjugal chastity, which is commanded; so that to ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 29 xiii the ninth item.htm

Whether God Ought to be Obeyed in all Things?
... Nor was it contrary to chastity that Osee was commanded to take an adulteress, because
God Himself is the ordainer of human generation, and the right manner of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether god ought to be 2.htm

The Mind Clearer when Cleansed from Sin; the Ornaments of the Mind ...
... all, it is commanded that the bough of the Agnos tree be brought to decorate the
Tabernacle, because it is by its very name the tree of chastity, by which ...
/.../chapter iv the mind clearer when.htm

The Bramble and the Agnos the Symbol of Chastity; the Four Gospels ...
... lust, and from a woman"that is, from pleasure"the tree of chastity is a ... reproaching
them because they had deserted those men whom God had commanded to help ...
/.../chapter iii the bramble and the.htm

St. Ambrose, Treating of the Words in the Gospel Concerning ...
... is. Chastity is commanded, entire continence counselled. "But all men
cannot receive this saying, but they to whom it is given. ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter xiii st ambrose treating.htm

The Protection of Chastity and virginity Divinely Given to Men ...
... and such a means of salvation to men, by guiding us to life, as chastity. ... Pharaoh
was a type of the devil in Egypt, since he mercilessly commanded the males to ...
/.../chapter ii the protection of chastity.htm

How Each one Ought to Prepare Himself for the Future Resurrection.
... I am examined whether I bring these things which are commanded, whether I am adorned
with virtuous works, whether I am overshadowed by the boughs of chastity. ...
/.../chapter iii how each one ought.htm

Thekla Singing Decorously a Hymn, the Rest of the virgins Sing ...
... Theopatra said that Arete having said these things, commanded them all to rise,
and ... lustral water, unjustly by a wicked man, on account of his chastity, was led ...
/.../chapter ii thekla singing decorously a.htm

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