Purity, Virginity & Wedding Dresses

The symbolism behind the white wedding dress has always been beautiful to me. I can’t wait to see my bride in her dress. But one thing has bothered me about a lot of teaching on purity that I have heard growing up. What I have heard, over and over again– almost to the point I believe it– is that virginity equals purity. What a twisting of the truth! Purity does not come from our efforts at restraining from sexual immorality. If so, none of us will ever be pure, because even our thoughts defile our purity. Purity is not a smaller form of works-based righteousness. The overwhelming truth of Scripture is that Christ and his blood make us pure! (Isaiah 1:8, Psalm 51:7, Revelation 3:5, Hebrews 1:3, Leviticus 20:8, Exodus 31:13, Ephesians 5:26, Hebrews 13:12, Daniel 12:10, Titus 2:14, etc.) The initiation of purification is not us. God does command us to continue to walk in purity (1 Peter 1:22, 1 Timothy 5:1-2, etc.), but we can only do this because we have been made new through Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17) So, on mine and Liz’s wedding day, tears will flow from my eyes as she walks down the aisle, shining in bright white, not because we were “so good” at being pure, but because we have been washed by Christ DESPITE our failures and follies so that we can pursue the things of God.