September 15, 2010 by Stacy McDonald
An Uncommon Gift…
Last night, we met together at church for our twice-a-month Titus 2 ladies class. In our discussion, ladies talked about the way chastity (or the lack thereof) affects marriage; both, our own, and society’s view of it.
What is the meaning of profane?
- to treat (something sacred) with irreverence
- to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use (vulgar means common or ordinary)
The beautiful gift of sexuality is profaned when we treat it as vulgar (common or ordinary). Sexual intimacy is not meant to be common or ordinary, and we as Christians are not to take part in the wrong use of it. Our restraint should not be viewed as contempt or repression, but as honoring the marriage bed.
Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. (Hebrews 13:4) The breathtaking gift of sexual intimacy is profaned by public nakedness, promiscuity, and perversion.
Saying that those who pursue modesty are “uncomfortable with their bodies” or “ashamed of their sexuality” is comparable to saying that I am uncomfortable with my expensive silverware because I refuse to use it to feed the pet mouse with. Just as my valuable silver is too precious to put to common use, so the treasure of the human body should be too valuable to use in any but the appropriate context. C. S. Lewis observed that “when a thing is enclosed, the mind does not willingly regard it as common.” Thanks to the Enlightenment, sexuality has come to be common. No wonder we don’t see the need for it to be enclosed any more. – Robin Phillips
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7 Responses to “An Uncommon Gift…”
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Spot on. I know I am not alone in my frustration in how both women and men fail/choose not to grasp this Truth.
In the summer months I drove past a car wash fundraiser where women were scantily clad in string bikinis advertising this car wash. I made the mistake of not cooling down before I wrote a blog post on it, but my points were sound and grounded in Scripture, but my goodness, did I ever get an earful from an anonymous (of course) reader. She (I assume) was offended at my assertion that these women were essentially prostituting (using their bodies for financial gain) themselves.
Thank you for your insightful and eloquent coverage on this topic.
I think that the reason that there is often a confusion between modesty and sexual repression is because, well, often there is. That is not to say that everyone who attempts to seek modesty is repressed. That is certianly not the case! However, I do think that many people who are repressed or who have very negative feelings about their sexuality hide that behind those negative feelings behind the veil of modesty.
In my opinon, hatred of one’s sexuality or of one’s self as a sexual being is sinful, because it is distain for a gift from God; it is replusion at the thought of part of the creation which God called good. Does that all make sense?
Hi Katie,
I understand what you’re saying, and I think that makes sense. I grew up wearing a body brace (you can see a photo of what it looked like HERE.) and I’ve experienced the feeling of wanting to hide my body in an unhealthy way.
But what we’re talking about here is different. It is a valuing, not a devaluing. I like C.S. Lewis’ quote here: “When a thing is enclosed, the mind does not willingly regard it as common.” My body is not for “common use,” so I don’t flaunt it publicly. That doesn’t mean I wear a sack or hide the fact that I’m a woman, but it does mean that I don’t “let it all hang out,” so to speak.
A modest woman communicates that she has something valuable to protect. When we expose our bodies to strangers, and violate our purity by unchaste behavior, we are devaluing our bodies—we are profaning our sexuality and making vulgar that which is supposed to be holy.
I have searched for your bible study, The Heart of Chastity, but cannot find it. Where can I order this for my church?
How many copies did you need, Brenda? Currently, we have only produced enough for our church to use. We plan to make it a downloadable booklet; but, so far, nobody is sure how to do that. :-) If you let me know how many you need, I can see if we could print some for your church and mail them to you.
Oh, I just love that quote by Robin! Because our children have been trained in modesty and privacy, they will automatically know it is wrong if another adult we are close to (or not) asks them to undress or go into the bathroom with them. Modesty protects them!
I will find out if there is an interest among the women and let you know. Thank you!