What are the benefits of abstinence?

James 1:12God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:25If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Abstaining from sin brings God’s blessings.

Romans 6:1-2, 13Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

Abstaining from sin is a way to develop and show our devotion to God. To cling to a sinful lifestyle and please a holy God at the same time is impossible.

Hebrews 13:4Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

Abstaining from sexual activity before marriage provides great blessings of trust and intimacy to the husband and wife after marriage. After a person is married, the self-control built during pre-marital abstinence also serves well as a guard against adultery.

Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

Hebrews 13:5Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

Greed offers false promises of fulfillment and security. Abstaining from this temptation opens our hearts to experiencing the never-ending satisfaction of being close to God.