The Law of Chastity

Chapter 25: The Law of Chastity

"Chapter 25: The Law of Chastity," Part Seven: Following Jesus Christ, ()

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Our Father in Heaven has given us the sacred power to have children. He has told us how to use this power. If we use it correctly, we can be very happy.

Our Father in Heaven Has Told Us to Have Children and to Obey the Law of Chastity

After Adam and Eve were married, our Father in Heaven told them to have children. He told Adam and his wife, Eve, to have children so the spirits in heaven could come to earth and receive bodies of flesh and bones. A body of flesh and bones is one of the greatest gifts our Father in Heaven has given us. Our Father in Heaven has a body of flesh and bones, and He wants His children to become like Him.

The power to have children is very sacred. Our Father in Heaven has given us a law that tells us how to use this power. This law is called the law of chastity. It says we should have sexual relations only with the person to whom we are legally married. This means we must not have sexual relations before we are married, and after we are married we should have sexual relations only with our husband or wife.

Having an abortion, or removing an unborn child from within its mother and allowing it to die or killing the baby while it is still inside the mother, is wrong unless there are special circumstances, which need to be carefully considered with prayer and the help of our bishop or branch president. We should not help anyone else to have an abortion.

Parents are the ones who should teach the law of chastity to their children. Parents should teach them that their bodies are sacred and that they should allow no one to touch certain parts of their bodies. They should correct wrong ideas and words their children learn from others.

As children grow older, they should be taught that our Father in Heaven has given us the power to have children and that using this power after we are married is good. By the time our children are 12 or 13 years old, we should have already helped them to understand how children are created. We need to teach them early in a very tactful way to protect them from harm or from false teachings.

Discussion

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  Why did our Father in Heaven give us the power to have children?
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  What is the law of chastity?
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  What should we teach our children about their bodies?

Satan Wants Us to Break the Law of Chastity

Satan wants to stop us from returning to our Father in Heaven. Satan wants us to break the law of chastity. He wants us to think the power to have children is not sacred. He wants us to think breaking the law of chastity is not a sin.

Satan uses clever ways to persuade us to break this law. He tries to make us think that letting others see and touch our bodies is acceptable. Satan wants us to think bad thoughts. He urges us to look at pictures, movies, and dances that tempt us to be unchaste. He also urges us to take part in dances and to listen to stories, jokes, and music that tempt us to unchastity. Satan wants us to do these things so our bodies will not seem sacred and so we will use the power to have children in the wrong way.

Satan sometimes tempts us through our feelings. Satan knows when we are lonely, confused, or unhappy. He chooses these times of weakness to make us want to break the law of chastity. He wants us to think we have the right to use the power to have children in any way we wish to use it. He tries to make us think nothing bad will happen to us if we break the law of chastity.

Our Father in Heaven can give us the strength to resist Satan’s temptations. He does not want us to see wicked things or think wicked thoughts. He has promised He will not allow Satan to tempt us more than we can resist. He has prepared a way for us to overcome temptations.

We can pray to our Father in Heaven for help to resist Satan. When we pray, our Father in Heaven will send the Holy Ghost to help us. The Holy Ghost will help us remember that our bodies are sacred and that the power to have children is sacred. The Holy Ghost will help us not to use this power in the wrong way. He will help us choose good things to see and read and think about. He will help us remember that breaking the law of chastity will make us sad and that obeying this law will make us happy.

Discussion

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  Why does Satan want us to break the law of chastity?
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  What can we do to resist Satan’s temptations?
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  How will our Father in Heaven help us obey the law of chastity?

Breaking the Law of Chastity Is a Very Serious Sin

Sexual relations are good and pure when they are kept between a husband and his wife who love and respect one another. They are the way our Father in Heaven has given us to have children. They are also a way for husbands and wives to express their love for one another and become closer to one another in their feelings. But to have sexual relations outside of marriage is a very serious sin.

Breaking the law of chastity makes us unhappy. When we realize we have not obeyed our Father in Heaven, we will feel guilty and ashamed. We will realize we have used in a wrong way the sacred power He gave us and that we have made others unhappy. Breaking the law of chastity may cause a baby to be born without a proper family.

Only two sins are more serious than breaking the law of chastity. These are denying the Holy Ghost and murder. Those who have broken the law of chastity can be forgiven. Our Father in Heaven has said that if they will have faith in Jesus and repent of their sins, He will forgive them. Those who break the law of chastity and do not repent will not be able to live with our Father in Heaven.

Those who were raped or abused sexually are not guilty of breaking the law of chastity.

Forgiveness can come only through faith in Jesus and repentance. We must realize we have sinned and truly feel sorry for the wrong we have done. We must stop doing the thing that is wrong and confess the sin to our Father in Heaven, to the persons we may have hurt, and to the proper priesthood authority (bishop, branch president, stake president, or mission president). Our Father in Heaven has said He will forgive those who have faith in Jesus, confess their sins to our Father in Heaven and to the proper Church leader, and sincerely repent. Anyone who does not do all these things has not truly repented and will not be forgiven.

Discussion

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  Why is breaking the law of chastity such a serious sin?
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  What can happen to us when we break the law of chastity?
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  Why should we obey the law of chastity?
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  What must we do to repent of breaking the law of chastity?

Obeying the Law of Chastity Makes Us Happy

When we obey the law of chastity, we show a good example for our children to follow. We know our Father in Heaven is pleased with us for obeying Him. When we obey it, those in our family know that we love them, and we have no reason to feel guilty or ashamed. We become more like our Father in Heaven. Our Father in Heaven blesses us and our children, or the children we will have, when we obey the law of chastity.

Using the power our Father in Heaven has placed in our bodies within marriage will bring happiness. For a married couple, having sexual relations can bring happiness. It can bring them closer together with strong feelings of love. The children that may be born are a blessing from our Father in Heaven. Though children sometimes cause much worry or sadness for their parents, they also bring great joy. Some of the greatest happiness we know in our life will come as our children grow, learn, marry, and have their own children.

Discussion

• • 
  What blessings do we receive when we obey the law of chastity?
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  Why are we happier when we obey the law of chastity than when we do not obey it?

References

Our Father in Heaven Has Told Us to Have Children and to Obey the Law of Chastity

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  Genesis 1:28 (Our Father in Heaven commanded Adam and Eve to have children.)
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  Exodus 20:14 (Our Father in Heaven commanded us not to commit adultery.)
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  Leviticus 20:10–23 (Sins against the law of chastity are condemned.)
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  1 Corinthians 6:19 (Our bodies are sacred.)
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  Moroni 9:9 (Chastity is precious above all other things.)

Satan Wants Us to Break the Law of Chastity

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  Matthew 5:27–28 (We should not even think about doing wrong things.)
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  1 Corinthians 10:13 (Our Father in Heaven will give us power to resist temptation.)
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  Alma 12:14 (We should think and say good things.)

Breaking the Law of Chastity Is a Very Serious Sin

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  Proverbs 6:25–32 (Breaking the law of chastity will make us sad.)
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  Isaiah 1:16–18 (Our Father in Heaven will forgive those who repent.)
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  1 Corinthians 6:9 (Those who break the law of chastity and do not repent cannot return to live in the presence of God.)
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  Alma 39:5 (Only two other sins are greater than breaking the law of chastity.)

Obeying the Law of Chastity Makes Us Happy

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  Galatians 5:16–24 (Our Father in Heaven will bless those who obey the law of chastity.)
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  Titus 2 (Living righteously makes us happy.)