Our culture does not take sin seriously, especially sexual sin – “Well, it might not be right for you, but it’s fine for me,” or “It’s no big deal.” If it weren’t a big deal, Jesus wouldn’t have had to die because of it. When we choose not to take sin seriously, we are literally telling God that we would rather do our own thing than trust Him with our lives. Every Christian is faced with a question: “With whom will I identify, the world or Jesus?” A true Christian should not be comfortable in habitual sin. Yes, these sins might sometimes be prevalent in a Christian’s walk, but they must not be the manner of living (v. 7).

In 2 Timothy 2:22, we see the theme of “flee vs. pursue” again in Scripture. This is an important thing to understand about our Christian walk. Our relationship with the Lord requires us to not only to flee sinful things but to actively pursue things that honor the Lord. Notice it says we are to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart. This is the great thing about our God; we can call on Him! We have access to the Creator of the universe to help us with this task. We can trust Him and His plan for our lives! Living a life of obedience to the Lord will require sacrifice and sometimes uncomfortable choices, but it is worth it because of who God is. Sexual purity is not going to come naturally to us: That is clear in Scripture. Daily, we must make choices to “flee” things that could make us stumble, and “pursue” things that make us more like Christ.

What does it mean for us to have an active faith?