What Does The Bible Say?
Question- What does the bible say about maintaining your virginity until marriage?
Answer- The bible is very clear about this. In the Old Testament, if someone was discovered to have been involved in impurity before marriage, there were severe penalties (including the death penalty). In Leviticus 18, it outlines various prohibited sexual relationships that were prohibited under any condition (bestiality, incest, adultery). In Deuteronomy 22:13-21, it addresses the consequences of a woman who is found not to be a virgin at the time of her marriage, which highlights the expectation of virginity and abstinence before marriage.
The New Testament in 1 Corinthians 7:2 is much clearer. The solution to the temptation of sexual immorality is for each man to have his own wife and each woman her own husband. In 1 Cor. 6:18, this verse urges people to flee from sexual immorality, further emphasizing the importance of sexual purity within the marriage covenant. In Hebrews 12:4, it states,” let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. This verse highlights that sex is a gift from the man and woman to one another only within the boundaries of marriage.
The New Testament is clear that sex is intended for the context of marriage and any sexual activity outside of that is considered impure and a perversion of God’s design for marriage.
The world does not view marriage this way. The idea of being a virgin until you marry is made fun of, and people are belittled if they let it be known that it is their intention. Statistics gathered in the 1970s revealed that only 21% of the women polled said they were virgins when they married. By the 2010s, this number dropped to only 5%. Data from 2002 indicates that 77% of individuals had engaged in some type of sexual impurity by the age of 20 and 75 % said they had engaged in premarital sex.
This decline in overall rates of virginity has occurred for both genders. The news has been encouraging in the last decade. There is a marked increase in young people who are choosing the biblical way. Most religions, including Christianity and Islam, consider premarital sex a sin. While precise figures are unavailable, data that has been seen shows that there is a renewed trend toward virginity being the choice of many young people today.
Our western society has reaped the whirlwind of impurity and lack of virginity until marriage, with an increase of STDS, VD, Sterility, AIDS, HIV and a host of other sexually transmitted diseases. God clearly knew that chastity has clear advantages. He made mankind and certainly knows how best to regulate sexuality so as to prohibit sexual diseases, emotional trauma and harm. Also, adultery (sex outside of marriage between two married people) is the lone reason God gives for a scriptural divorce (Matt. 19:9; 5:32, 1 Cor. 7; Romans 7). God departed from His chosen people in the Old Testament due to their spiritual impurity towards Him, leaving Him for idols. Part of the reason for this was the sexual impurity that was demanded and common in the worship of other gods and idols. God wants His people to be pure. In 1Peter 1:5-7, Christians are commanded to supply to their faith several things. “Supply to your faith, virtue (moral excellence), knowledge, temperance (self-control), patience, godliness, brotherly love, and love.”
We are to be teaching our young people and all others today that the way to please God and have the very best marriages is to keep ourselves for our spouse (before and after marriage). Before marriage, our bodies belong to us and God. After marriage, they belong to us, God and one another. Any sexual activity before marriage is condemned by God and should be avoided. Any person who asks you to give up your virginity before marriage is not looking out for you and does not truly respect you or themselves. Romans 7 teaches that marriage is to be for life and that we should enjoy sexuality within the bonds of marriage with no guilt. Anything else is sin.
A person can repent of this sin and others, but it is best to never go down the road of sexual impurity. That way, you will only have one person in your memory bank when you engage in sexuality in your marriage. Guard your heart and stay pure until marriage.
Please address all questions and comments to us at What Does the Bible Say? c/o Maple Street Church of Christ, P.O. Box 3086, Liberty, TX 77575 and visit our website at maplestreetliberty.org