Matthew 18:15–17; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–5

“Pleasure is supreme.” . . . “Follow your feelings.” . . . “Do whatever makes you happy.” . . . “Purity? That went out with the Puritans!”

These slogans of our pleasure-obsessed society pulse from the media like a strobe light, mesmerizing us into a state of moral apathy. Sitcoms depict abstinence as fit for only the undesirable or the immature. And advertisements blatantly seduce us into acquiring absolutely everything our hearts desire.

But before we burn the media at the stake, we have some confessing of our own to do. Christianity historically has been the advocate and defender of purity, but that may no longer be the case. When we watch the news and read about current events, the church seems silent. Maybe we have drifted from the call to defend biblical purity.

Far too many Christians have bought into the “pursue pleasure at all costs” philosophy. Marriages are breaking up at almost the same rate inside the church as outside. Christian leaders often create just as much scandal as any movie star. And many churches no longer place holy living at the top of their priority list. But purity, as Paul explained in Romans 6, is a powerful alternative to our culture’s formula for living.

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