53+ Bible Verses on Abstinence: Key to a Life of Pure Love

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for the Lord’s people.”

Being created in the image of God, believers should restrain from adultery, immorality, and from having any kind of impurity or greed in their thoughts and actions. They should realize their sin and confess in order to repent for it so that they may be filled with the spirit of God.

“But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.”

The followers of the Lord should be aware of what comprises adultery and immorality and should not resort to such corruption; rather, they should engage in natural reproductive activities with their spouses, i.e., the way God meant it as a part of His will.

“Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.”

One with faith in God must follow His word and, despite being capable of sin should refrain from acts prohibited in His will, such as idolatry and immoral adultery acts, and follow the dietary restrictions so that all children of God can be united in His glory and can seek salvation from Him.

“No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

The believers of God should lead disciplined lives so that they can exercise self-control to not engage in desires of the flesh and other temptations and instead follow the word of God so as to be united with Him in Heaven and have eternal life alongside.

“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

It is normal for to have worldly temptations, but one must not allow himself to serve these sinful desires above everything else as this put them in the darkness. They should follow the light shown by Christ and act in His ways to be free from sin to seek salvation.

“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”

Followers of the Lord should know that it is normal to experience the temptations of sin, and since they have already been saved by the Lord, Christ, who had repented for their sins, they are now free to fight against such desires to remain with the spirit of God and be one with Him.

God sent His only son, Christ, to His people to free their souls from its sins and that they could be eternally saved, but these sinful lusts have remained in their bodies for which they must be disciplined and follow the path of righteousness to continue being under God’s grace.

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

Believers can seek salvation only through their faith in their savior, Christ. To follow His path of righteousness, they have to restrain from sinful worldly practices of adultery, immorality and spiritual impurity and instead aim to live by pure and godly practices.

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

It is important for God’s people to trust their faith in Him, have a healthy and godly approach to their adultery, and maintain the purity of their marriage, as indulging in adultery sins will lead to consequences as all will be judged before God.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”

God’s spirit lives in all His people and is harbored in their bodies; therefore, one must preserve his purity in thoughts and actions and must refrain from immorality by indulging in sinful temptations of the body as their bodies belong to Him through salvation by the sacrifice of Christ.

“They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.”

Disciples of God have His spirit in them through their faith in the savior, Jesus Christ and being the omnipotent being, and he provides His knowledge and power to all His people so that they can love each other and be righteous and disciplined to be in His image and share in His glory.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to us all. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

One must be faithful to God and trust in Him as it is normal to face sinful temptations, being human. He should live his life righteously and follow God’s word by praying to Him, and he will be blessed by His grace that would help him endure in these hard times and help him be free from sins.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery.”

The Lord’s followers, being freed from their sins by Christ, are responsible for exercising restraint and not living self-righteously by giving in to sinful desires of the flesh and the impurity of their spirit. They should aim at utilizing their freedom by spreading love and compassion.

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins people commit are outside their bodies, but those who sin sexually sin against their own bodies.”

It is necessary to avoid thoughts and actions of adultery nature that are sinful as engaging in such activities causes harm to the body within itself spiritually and tampers the purity of the soul. One should trust in God and seek His power to be able to avoid such self-harm.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Followers of God who remain pure in their heart and are free from corruptions of the mind and from adultery sin are blessed by Him and as a reward for their self-discipline and righteousness, can expect to be in the presence of God in Heaven and that their souls can live eternally with Him.

“herefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is true worship.”

Believers should be grateful for the mercy of God in saving them from their sins and providing meaning in their lives. Hence, they should not live for selfish worldly needs; rather, they should offer their bodies to God and live their lives in service to Him by fulfilling His purposes.

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.”

The Lord’s disciples should be pure in their intentions and holy in their conduct by avoiding all forms of adultery sin. They should only engage in activities that are under God’s will. 

“Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.”

Being a good Christian encompasses participating in activities that are selfless and positive in nature, and thus one should live in the ways of Christ and follow His light. At the same time, they should avoid the feats of darkness such as intoxication, jealousy and immorality.

“They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.”

Worshippers of God must know what activities are acceptable and holy under God’s will and those that are impure and prohibited. Thus, they should be in control of their actions by refraining from sinful desires and following God’s word and being grateful for His many gifts.

“Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

Under God’s will, Husbands and wives should have mutual love and respect and their service to each other in the form of adultery union is selfless and reflects the self-sacrifice of Christ. In this way, they can avoid adultery immorality and, in turn, help each other be in Christ.

“Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean.”

God provides for all His people and rewards them because of His greatness and merciful nature. It is their duty to obey His word, abstain from acts or thoughts regarded as impure and ungodly, and maintain dietary restrictions, and they shall be blessed with His grace.

“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat.”

One should not be guided by the body’s desires and maintain a pure and noble way of life. Followers should also exercise control and maintain associations with people who lead disciplined and righteous lives as opposed to those who give in to such pleasures of the world.

“You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.”

Those in service to God should refrain from being intoxicated and strictly follow the commandments of the Lord. In this way, they can avoid committing a sin as even the smallest of sins will be judged by God, and they shall be answerable before Him.

“But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.”

The followers of God should maintain their commitment regarding promises made to God and in order to do so must have perseverance and self-control; otherwise, it would be ungodly and would harm the holy union with Him.

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”

Following the ways of Christ and leading the life called upon by the divine grace of God requires one to have certain qualities to be in Christ. They should work to do good, have a deeper understanding of God and His word and have the tenacity and self-control to maintain their spiritual health by doing the rightful and abstaining from evil.

“It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.”

One should have the discipline and self-restraint to follow the path of righteousness and do good. They should set aside all indulgences for their enjoyment for the sake of those of weaker faith and instead spread love and see that sinful desires do not tempt them.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Christ saved all His people from their sins through His sacrifice because of His love and concern for them. But to be saved by His noble deed, one needs to have faith in Him and be guided by His light in the ways of their life. This requires them to be righteous, strong in faith, and will to refrain from committing sins.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

A follower of God has the wisdom to realize the reality of temptations, and it is up to him to take precautions to avoid any sinful desires. He should preserve the purity of the intentions of His heart which will allow him to do good so that he can be in God’s image and share in His glory.