Why Live by Bible Standards?

IS THE Bible’s view regarding sex old-fashioned and needlessly restrictive? No. On the contrary, the Bible’s view of sex can help us avoid:

▪ Sexually transmitted diseases

▪ Out-of-wedlock pregnancies

▪ The painful consequences of broken marriages

▪ A guilty conscience

▪ The degradation of being used by others

Our Creator, Jehovah God, * wants us to enjoy and benefit from the use of his gifts. God is “the One teaching you to benefit yourself.” (Isaiah 48:17) A person who lives by the Bible’s guidelines on sex gains:

▪ God’s approval

▪ Peace of mind

▪ Stronger family relationships

▪ A good reputation

▪ Self-respect

What, though, if you are not currently living by the Bible’s moral standards? Is it possible for you to change your lifestyle? Will God hold your past conduct against you?

Consider this fact: Some who made up the first-century Christian congregation were formerly fornicators, adulterers, and homosexuals. They chose to change their lifestyle, and they reaped significant benefits. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) Today, thousands of individuals throughout the world have made a similar choice. They have freed themselves from a promiscuous lifestyle and have experienced the benefits of bringing their conduct  into harmony with the Bible’s standards. Note, for example, the experience of Sarah, mentioned in the opening article.

“I Quickly Felt Relief”

Sarah discovered that her unrestrained lifestyle did not bring her the freedom and satisfaction for which she yearned. “I felt that my conscience had become seared,” she says. “I was ashamed and worried that I might become pregnant or pick up a horrible disease. I never lost my belief that God existed, and I knew that my course of life had hurt him. I felt unclean, and it ate away at me.”

Eventually, Sarah found the strength to change her lifestyle. She sought the help of her parents, who are Jehovah’s Witnesses. She also asked for help from qualified Christian elders in the local congregation. “I was pleasantly surprised by the warmth and love of my parents and the congregation elders,” Sarah says. “I quickly felt relief.”

Now Sarah is raising two children of her own. “I openly tell my children,” says Sarah, “about the choices I made. I want them to understand how disregarding God’s standards affected me. My goal is to help them appreciate the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of living by God’s standards regarding sex. I am convinced that God gives us moral standards because he does not want to see us get hurt.”

You too can experience the benefits of following God’s loving guidance. The Bible makes this promise: “The orders from Jehovah are upright, causing the heart to rejoice; the commandment of Jehovah is clean, making the eyes shine. . . . In the keeping of them there is a large reward.”​—Psalm 19:8, 11. *

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 8]

Those who ignore Bible standards often cause emotional pain

[Blurb on page 9]

Those who live by Bible standards have a clean conscience and enjoy stronger family relationships