Born Again Virgins

By Rev. Walter Snyder

It’s never too late to start talking about, nor is it ever too late to receive, God’s forgiveness for sexual and relational sins and change our behavior under His guidance and blessing.

Devout Lutheran Christians want to live lives of love and faithfulness, to do God’s will, to receive His blessings, and to bless those around themselves. They know their Catechisms and can probably recite the Sixth Commandment (”You shall not commit adultery” and its meaning) and go on to explain what this means in their lives. Then, of course, they turn on the television, log on to Facebook, go to a movie, or hit a friend’s party and all the conflicting desires collide.

Some continue to resist sexual temptation; some succumb. But even those who refuse to surrender physically to desire often find themselves retreating on the emotional and spiritual fronts. Those lustful thoughts (see Matthew 5:28) may not reach immediate consummation but that doesn’t make them any less harmful or sinful.

It’s not often the first or second time we’re strongly tempted that we surrender. Much of the time, an accumulation of stored lust (often mislabeled as “unrequited love” or some other such garbage) slowly and steadily wears us down until we finally give in physically. If you’re convinced that you’ve fought long and hard, the collapse of your defenses can be even more devastating than if you quickly and casually give in at your friend’s drinkand-grope party.

Regardless of when and how it happens, active, physical sexual sin sinks more hooks into its victims than do most other sins. Paul warns that “the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Using modern terminology, that makes the sexual sinner both victimizer and victim. Continuing feelings of guilt, coupled with the glorious feelings of passion and love for another throw barriers in the way of receiving absolution as Christ forgives you.

And that means that the cure of forgiveness in Christ needs to be applied with special care. We can usually get an intellectual handle on God’s ability to forgive and not give us what what deserve for our sins—but when the event is as unforgettable as making love to someone whom we see as the loves of our lives, our inability to release the memories makes it more difficult to accept God’s gift of remembering our sins no more.

From the days of vinyl and cassette tapes, Robin Williams performed a comedy evangelist routine where he touched a couple in the front row and said, “Look! Two born-again virgins!”

“Yeah, right,” you might think. “I remember every sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. We were together. We were one. We can’t undo that.” And you’d be right ... “we” cannot undo that. We can only either dismiss, excuse, and ignore what we did or we can attack it directly and find ourselves mummy-wrapped in guilt.

The good news is that you have been reborn— from above—in water and the Word. The God who says, “I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5), doesn’t wait until the end of time to get started. He’s already actively involved in forgiving, healing, and strengthening you and me. The Bible gives no details, yet we know that Jesus—fully and truly man—had to resist sexual sins just as He did all others. Hebrews 4:15 tells us, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

His resistance and perfection is His gift to you. You cannot reverse what you might have done— there’s no rewind button on this movie. But you can exchange it for what Christ did. You can give Him the deed, the thoughts, the desires, the guilt, and the shame and He replaces it with His own perfect record and spotless reputation. And you can call on Him to grant you the strength to continue in your new standing as a “born-again virgin” ... as well as born-again truth-teller, born-again neighbor-lover, and born-again God-fearer. For “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Rev. Walter Snyder has been involved with Higher Things since Dying to Live (2000). He’s also been answering religion questions online for over fifteen years. He co-wrote What Do Lutherans Believe and writes devotions, prayers, and sermons for Concordia Publishing House. He lives in Concordia, Missouri with wife Stephanie, dog, Adhdie, and cat, Butterscotch.