The Right Reason

1 Corinthians 6:19–20
“You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

I believe one mistake parents sometimes make when having the sex talk with their children is giving them the wrong reason to abstain.

Well...maybe wrong isn't the best word.

Because the reasons themselves aren't necessarily wrong.

“You don't want to have a baby.”

“You could catch a disease.”

“You don't want to get a bad reputation.”

Those are real consequences that our children should understand.

Pregnancy can happen.

Sexually transmitted infections are real.

And yes, choices can have consequences that affect your life long after the moment has passed.

But none of those should be the main reason we teach our children to abstain.

Because what happens when they learn about birth control?

What happens when they hear, “We'll use protection”?

What happens when they decide nobody will ever find out?

If avoiding pregnancy, disease, or embarrassment is the foundation for abstinence, then the moment they believe they have found a way around those consequences, they may also believe they no longer have a reason to wait.

That's why we have to give them something deeper.

Jesus.

Our children need to understand that sexual purity begins with having their own relationship with Jesus Christ and making a personal decision to obey Him.

Not because Mama said no.

Not because Daddy might find out.

Not because the church would be disappointed.

Not because somebody might talk about them.

But because:

“I love Jesus, and I want my life—including my body—to honor Him.”

That is a completely different foundation.

First Corinthians 6 tells us that our bodies belong to God.

Think about that.

Scripture doesn't merely tell us what not to do with our bodies. It tells us why our bodies matter in the first place.

We were bought at a price.

Jesus sacrificed His life for us.

He endured the cross for us.

He gave His body for us.

So shouldn't there be something within us that says:

“Lord, because You gave Yourself for me, I want to honor You with myself.”

That includes our sexuality.

Abstinence isn't supposed to be reduced to:

“Don't have sex because something bad might happen.”

It is:

“I belong to Jesus, so I want to live according to His design.”

And that distinction matters.

Fear might stop someone temporarily.

Conviction can guide them for a lifetime.

Fear says:

“I better not do this because I might get caught.”

Conviction says:

“Even if nobody ever finds out, God knows—and I want to please Him.”

Fear says:

“What if I get pregnant?”

Conviction says:

“What has God asked of me?”

Fear asks:

“How far can I go without suffering consequences?”

Relationship asks:

“How can I honor Jesus?”

That's what I want our young people to understand.

Because eventually, Mama won't be standing beside them.

Daddy won't be there.

And the person they are dating may be saying all the right things while encouraging them to do the wrong ones.

At some point, their decision has to become their own.

That's why we cannot only give our children rules.

We have to introduce them to the One behind the rules.

Teach them why God created sex.

Teach them that sex itself is not dirty or shameful.

Teach them that God's boundaries are not meant to deprive them of something good but to show them the proper place for something He created to be good.

Teach them that obedience will sometimes require sacrifice.

And most importantly, help them develop a relationship with Jesus strong enough that when temptation comes, their first thought isn't simply:

“My parents told me not to.”

But:

“I made a commitment to God.”

Will that guarantee they never make a mistake?

No.

Our children still have free will.

They will have temptations.

They may stumble.

And if they do, they need to know that Jesus offers repentance, forgiveness, and restoration—not a lifetime sentence of shame.

But we can give them the right foundation.

Pregnancy prevention matters.

Sexual health matters.

Wisdom matters.

Consequences matter.

But none of them are greater than this:

I belong to Jesus.

And because I belong to Him, I want to honor Him with my body.

That is the reason we WAIT.

Want to continue the conversation about biblical abstinence, purity, and honoring God in relationships? WAIT blogs are live every Tuesday.