Soma

I love small books.  As someone who grew up hating to read, small books (and those with pictures!) were always a welcome sight.  At 93 pages and measuring about 4 inches wide by 6 inches tall, The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn may be small, but it packs quite a punch.

There are definitely more exhaustive treatments of the battle with sexual temptation out there, and many of those are very helpful tools.  But, for someone who is in the midst of the battle with purity (in other words, for anyone reading this blog), this book is a great place to start (or to continue).  Alcorn lays out the foundational truths of treasuring Christ and the idolatry of sex in such simple and practical ways that we are drawn into the joy of purity as a result.  In addition, Alcorn in a fun writer who (unlike many Christian books) is a pleasant, easy read.  And he loves to state things as plainly as possible.  In fact (at the risk of giving away “the secret”) Alcorn identifies the “Purity Principle” as simply this:

Purity is always smart; impurity is always stupid.

Not sometimes.  Not usually.  Always.  You’re not an exception.  I’m not an exception.  There are no exceptions.

Flowing out of this very simple priciple (that he demonstrates clearly from Scripture), Alcorn then goes on to flush out what this battle looks like in all kinds of different situations.  He talks specifically to single people, he talks specifically to married people, he talks to people in the midst of a struggle that seems “hopeless,” and he talks to people who feel like they have achieved “victory.”  No matter where you are at in life, this book can be a great tool in your battle against sexual sin and lust.  Even if your problem is only with your roaving eyes, or your secret fantasies, leaving sin like that alone is a disasterous choice.

There is definitely much more to be said regarding this incredibly important topic than Alcorn can fit into these 93 pages, and you will not be “cured” by reading this book, but nevertheless I would strongly suggest grabbing a copy and allowing its focus on Scripture to inform your heart and your own battle.

And to help demonstrate the combination of gravity and humor with which Alcorn tackles this overwhelmingly important topic, I would be remis if I didn’t share one of my favorite quotes.

While other urges exist for our physical maintenance, sex does not (see 1 Corinthians 6:12-13).  We will die without food and water.  We will not die without sex.  No matter how strong the desire, sex is never an emergency, never a necessity.  A friend told me, “No body has ever exploded due to toxic sperm build up.”

See…some of you just learned something already!