Chastity, a virtue highly esteemed within the Christian tradition, is the practice of refraining from sexual immorality and maintaining purity in thought, word, and deed. It is a reflection of one's commitment to God's design for human sexuality, which is to be expressed within the bounds of marriage between one man and one woman. The Bible provides numerous exhortations to uphold chastity and to distance oneself from those who live contrary to this virtue.

Biblical Foundation

The call to chastity is rooted in the holiness of God and His desire for His people to reflect His character. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 , the Apostle Paul writes, "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." This passage underscores the importance of self-control and the distinction between the conduct of believers and that of those who do not know God.

Shunning the Immoral

The Bible warns believers to avoid close associations with those who reject the principles of chastity. In 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 , Paul instructs the church, "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I was not including the sexually immoral of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters. In that case, you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbal abuser, a drunkard or swindler. With such a man do not even eat."

This directive emphasizes the need for the church to maintain its purity by distancing itself from those who profess faith yet live in unrepentant immorality. The purpose of such separation is not only to protect the community from corrupting influences but also to encourage repentance and restoration.

Wisdom Literature

The wisdom literature of the Old Testament also speaks to the importance of chastity and the dangers of associating with those who lack it. Proverbs 5:3-8 warns against the allure of the adulteress: "Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol. She does not consider the path of life; she does not know that her ways are unstable. So now, my sons, listen to me, and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth. Keep your path far from her; do not go near the door of her house."

This passage highlights the destructive consequences of engaging with those who are devoid of chastity and the wisdom of maintaining a safe distance from such temptations.

New Testament Exhortations

The New Testament continues to affirm the call to chastity and the necessity of shunning those who reject it. In Ephesians 5:3-7 , Paul exhorts believers, "But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partners with them."

This passage reinforces the call to purity and the importance of avoiding partnerships with those who live in disobedience to God's commands regarding sexual conduct.

Practical Application

In practical terms, shunning those devoid of chastity involves making wise choices about relationships and influences. This may include setting boundaries in friendships, being discerning about media consumption, and seeking accountability within the Christian community. The goal is to cultivate an environment that supports and encourages the pursuit of holiness and fidelity to God's design for sexuality.1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I have written to you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortionist; with such an one no not to eat.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Peter 4:3
For the time past of our life may suffice us to have worked the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, parties, and abominable idolatries:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

On Contempt for Pain, Poverty, and Other External Things.
... pains, some of which we endure, and others we shun. ... good;" likewise also those who,
through chastity, have become ... means by the merciful, not only those who do ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter v on contempt for pain.htm

Thanksgiving to God for the Pardon Granted to the Offenders ...
... Therefore shun wickedness, lest thou hear it said, "The poison of ... the knowledge of
good things, and of those which are ... is an evil thing, and that chastity is a ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily xii thanksgiving to god.htm

Letter cviii. To Eustochium.
... and made all the speed she could to shun and to ... in-law has vowed herself to perpetual
chastity, and by ... or in war, God gives the same guerdon to those who win it ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cviii to eustochium.htm

Regeneration by Faith. Of Repentance.
... and fraud, but the author of love, chastity, sobriety, modesty ... The promise as to
those who call upon him ... a remedy for their calamities, and yet shun to approach ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 3 regeneration by faith.htm

From the Latin Translation of Cassiodorus.
... p.538, on Modesty and Chastity. ... The lovers of frugality shun luxury as the bane of
soul and body ... For it is not those that abstain from wickedness from compulsion ...
/.../who is the rich man that shall be saved/i from the latin translation of.htm

The First Epistle of St. Peter
... 1 Timothy 2:9), that simplicity is part and parcel of chastity, so far ... words tell
against the idea that the prayers are those of a ... 11 let him shun wrong and ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the first epistle of st.htm

Exposition of the Moral Law.
... weak soever we may be, our duty is to cultivate the one, and shun the other. ... How
far obedience due to parents, and those in the place of parents ... Chastity defined ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 8 exposition of the.htm

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