Our third membership commitment is "Do you commit yourself to fidelity in marriage and chastity outside of marriage?"

     This was written with positive words - fidelity, chastity.  We might interpret this a wholly negative, to avoid fornication.  Fornication is an old  inclusive word that just means sex outside of marriage, whether one is married or single. Chastity means the opposite; no sex outside of marriage.  Chastity is very counter-cultural.

    Many don't consider some common sexual variations as "having sex" and so not being fornication. Remember, President Clinton said, "I did not have sex with that woman."   In contrast, when Jimmy Carter was running for President, in a Playboy interview, he confessed to having "committed adultery in" [his] heart." ( I think that issue was the last time I bought Playboy, and I really did buy it for the article, but -- I don't claim purity when I looked over the rest of the issue.)   Carter was referring to what Jesus said -- that looking at a person with lust was adultery; that is a very broad view of what's included in sexual sin.

Some of the reasons for sexual purity are
    1) obedience to God - this of course relates to our first commitment to Jesus as Lord.  God's laws are not arbitrary; they are for our good, given because he loves us.  God made us - and he knows what is good for us and what harms us.
    2) Love - which means to not harm people: ourselves and others
        a) two become one flesh; a union is created - even by a one time sexual encounter.   Since divorcing and remarrying, or marrying a divorced person, is considered adultery according to Jesus, divorce does not sever the marriage bond in God's eyes.  Two becoming one is life-long.  This is a beautiful thing if honored. When this is broken it causes emotional and spiritual harm.
        b) Disease
        c) unwanted pregnancy
    3) as a witness to the faithfulness of the church to God, and God's faithfulness to the church.

    In scripture, God's people being (or not being) faithful to him and sexual purity are frequently related.

    Sex is an awesomely beautiful creation of God; created with a purpose.  It binds husband and wife together, strengthening families spiritually and emotionally, as well as creating families in the first place. Husbands and wives are commanded not to deny sex to each other.  In the same way, worship binds the church and God together, strengthening our relationship, spiritually and emotionally.

    Richard Rohr, a Catholic priest I knew in Cincinnati, taught what seemed to me to be a radical idea; that worship is "making love" to God.  But the image fits so many other scriptural images.  The church is the bride of Christ.  Idolatry is spoken of as prostitution and adultery. God says he is a "jealous God."  Paul gives an exposition on marriage; then says what he's really talking about is Christ and the church.

    Worship can be very good - or very evil if it is not directed to God.  Sex can be very good - or very evil if not within marriage.

    I expect most of us adults have committed some sort of sexual sin in the past.  I know I have.  But God forgives.  We do not need to live feeling condemned, just need to know we have no right to condemn others.  Then we seek purity for the glory of God.  Sometimes "the glory of God" may seem abstract.  We make this commitment of chastity to each other because it is important to this part of the body of Christ, Plow Creek.  We need to build each other up, not  do things that harm the church.