Junior Charley Worthey said he is waiting to have sex until marriage because he loves Jesus and wants to be obedient to him.
“If sex is made for marriage as the Bible says, that is where it will be at its best,” he said.
Freshman Erica Layton agrees with practicing purity in relationships. Layton and Worthey have been in a relationship for the past 4 months.
“People talk about how much they can do [with their significant other], but instead of asking how much is too far, you should ask God how close you should get to them,” she said.
Layton and Worthey made the decision to pray about their relationship and not even kiss before they get married.
“We decided that we’re not going to kiss until we get married so we can enjoy the wonder and mystery of sex and avoid temptation,” Worthey said. “We want to draw
our line as far away from it as possible.”
Worthey has done a lot of studying about the issue of purity. He mentioned a study that was done in which found that 31% of people who waited until marriage for sex had a higher satisfaction rate.
“If the God of the bible really is the King of world, then reality should reflect that,” he said. “God wants you to have the best sex possible.”
While some people practice abstinence for religious reasons, there are those who wait until marriage for personal choice.
Junior Lucas Straub says he is waiting until he gets married for personal choice and so things will be more memorable when he does engage in sexual activity.
“I think it creates a lot of fights when you do get married,” he said. “Plus I think it’s something special that you share.”
However, Straub said when he finds his future wife, it doesn’t matter to him if she is pure or not.
A study done by USA today reported that 95 percent of people have engaged in premarital sex.
“I think everyone has sexual temptation to some extent, it’s how you deal with it that matters,” Layton said.
Straub said there are times when he has been put in difficult situations, but stayed true to his values in abstinence.
“I’ve been put in situations where that was their intention but I said no,” said Straub. “I’ve never even had that thought, it’s always been an absolute no for me.”
Worthey recommends practicing abstinence and waiting for marriage because of the effects he has seen from some of his friends who have experienced sex before marriage.
“I know people who’ve had premarital sex and they aren’t as happy,” said Worthey. “It seems to me, those people have sex out of bondage rather than love.”
Worthey and Layton both said when you find the person you are supposed to spend your life with, it is worth it to put your values first and stay pure.
“It’s not about finding the right person,” Layton said, “It’s about becoming the right person first.”
The couple relates purity to the Bible in Proverbs 5:18-19. It is for those reasons that Worthey said others should wait for marriage to engage in sexual activity.
“I want people to have the best sex possible, not in a perverted way, but to avoid the wounds that premarital sex causes,” he said.