Chapter Two formally introduces us to the Purity Principle, and it’s simple: purity is 
always smart; impurity is always stupid. Perhaps when you read that you were tempted to put the book down and say, “duh!” That may seem not only simple, but childishly simplistic. However, all we have to do is think back to the first chapter’s painful examples of people forfeiting what could have been and see stupidity at work. And let’s be honest, all we really have to do is look back at our own lives and our own mistakes to see real, tangible, cringe-inducing stupidity.
Next, Alcorn talks briefly about punishment for violating God’s character, for sinning. It is so helpful for us to remember what our author says next about the way God has worked the punishment for sin into the sin itself. Check out Patrick Lavey’s book review of William Struthers’ Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain for more about the physiological effects of this insidious and widespread addiction. An inevitable consequence for giving into our lusts is that we are much more likely to continue giving into those and other lusts. There are consequences. God sees and he knows and he judges. “For whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7), and “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?” (Proverbs 6:27).
Alcorn also wisely addresses the are of motivations, carefully helping us think through the biblical reality of multiple motivations. Obeying God is certainly a motivation and probably our highest one! But that does not eliminate the validity of also being motivated by the fear of God and the hope of reward. In fact, the Bible very clearly uses all these (and more?) to help us avoid turning to the right or to the left. To stay on the narrow road, we must follow the directions given, but we also have a goal to arrive at and a proper fear of risk.
We are also taken to Proverbs 5-7, where Solomon gives his sons great advice regarding sexual immorality, and in particular, adultery. Here we also see the motivations on display. The young man who gives in to the temptation is a fool; he’s not smart, but stupid! Some of you may be feeling shame for your sin in this area even as you are reading this. But as Alcorn says of his own viewing of pornography, shame alone will not keep us from impurity; we must take action! And in taking action, we would do well to see one of God’s purposes for our purity: joy!
When God calls on you to pursue purity, you are not being asked to do what will deprive you of joy. In fact, you are being called on to do what will bring you the greatest joy!
So let’s strategize and plan (prepare!) on how to stay pure for the Lord’s sake, for our sake, for our family’s sake, for our church’s sake, and for the sake of a pornified culture that is lost and looking for a better way.
I can’t leave this topic without pointing to a Petra song from my childhood. Actually, twenty years ago on No Doubt, Petra sang Think Twice, a song based on 2 Timothy 2:22. I found–and still find!–it a helpful and catchy (if corny!) reminder of considering the cost of blindly following our lusts. I’ll end by posting the lyrics below:
You can think of times when you had the right chance
You could make a choice when nobody could see
You could think of ways of defending your deeds
Justify the way that you wanted to be
Wait just a minute (2x)
Hey, did you ever think twice
Something inside says stay away
Hey, did you ever think twice
When there’s still time you can go the other way
Hey, did you ever think twice
If you don’t stop you’re gonna’ pay the price
Hey, did you ever think twice
You can think of things that you wanted to try
You can think of things that you wish you could see
You could go a way that would seem so right
Thinking of a place that you wish you could be
Wait just a minute (2x)
Face to face with sin
You better think again, you better think again
Take another look for a second time
And give a second thought to where you draw the line
