"Paul speaks of purity as a capacity that can be acquired through practice. But it requires sgtrenous exercise and discipline. To find purity, we must bring our desires under Christ's control, directing them, with his help, towards the true, beautiful, and good.
"Of course, purity means abstaining from lust. But purity is not simply negative — it is about more than abstinence. In Paul's words, it is a matter of directing the body towards holiness and honor.
"The negative and positive poles of purity — abstinence and self-control —depend on each other. In order to control the body in holiness, a person must honor the bodily and sexual aspects of human existence. To acquire purity, a person must honor both himself and every other human being, male and female.
"Why should we honor the body? Because God created it and declared it 'very good.' Does this apply to every part of the body? Paul writes:
God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.… Those parts of the body that seem weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. … [T]here should be no division in the body, but … its parts should have equal concern for one another. (1 Cor. 12:18-25)"Though Paul is actually writing about the Church — as the Body of Christ — his words deepen our understanding of the theology of the body.
"Self control is not needed because the body is evil — the truth is just the opposite. The body should be controlled with honor because it is worthy of honor. This is perhaps the most important theme in Paul's doctrine of purity." (Underlining added.)
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