“Chastity,” Topics and Questions (2025)
Overview
Chastity
Like all of God’s commandments, the law of chastity is a blessing from God to help us have peace and joy. Living this law can also help us stay emotionally and physically safe and well. And it helps us prepare to receive God’s greatest blessings, including eternal life.
Chastity means not having any sexual relations outside of a legal marriage between a man and a woman. Those who are chaste also strive to have sexually appropriate thoughts, words, and actions. Living this law includes being completely loyal to your spouse within marriage, both physically and emotionally.
A Gift and a Commandment from God
Physical intimacy between husband and wife can be joyful, beautiful, and sacred. It is a gift from God for the creation of children and for the expression of love within marriage. When people care for one another enough to keep the law of chastity, their love, trust, and commitment can increase, resulting in greater happiness and unity.
Chastity is a commandment from God, and obedience to that law helps us prepare to enter the house of the Lord. In the temple, we are invited to more fully commit by covenant to live the law of chastity.
In the world today, Satan has led many people to believe that sexual intimacy outside of marriage is acceptable. However, violations of the law of chastity are very serious. Those who ignore the law of chastity misuse the sacred power God has given to create life.
Our Heavenly Father has given us the law of chastity for our spiritual and physical protection. Obedience to this law is essential to personal peace and happiness. Those who keep themselves sexually pure will also be more sensitive to the Holy Ghost’s guidance, strength, comfort, and protection.
Strength to Keep the Law of Chastity
No matter how strong our temptations are, the Lord will help us resist them if we choose to keep our covenants with Him. The Apostle Paul taught, “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
The Lord trusts us to make decisions that will honor the gift of our body and others’ bodies, and we are truly blessed as we make choices based on that trust. The Spirit will guide and strengthen us to help us keep this law.
Sexual Sins
The Lord and His prophets warn against sexual immorality. The prophet Alma taught about the seriousness of sexual sin. All sexual relations outside of marriage between a man and a woman break the law of chastity and are physically and spiritually dangerous for those who engage in them.
One violation of the law of chastity is adultery, which is sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than their spouse. Adultery is one of the sins warned against in the Ten Commandments.
The Apostle Paul also taught that it “is the will of God” that we “abstain from fornication,” which, in a gospel context, is engaging in sexual behavior outside of marriage between a man and a woman.
Same-sex marriage as well as any sexual relations between those of the same sex are also against God’s commandments.
Forgiveness for the Repentant
Though sexual sins are very serious, the gift of repentance is real. Because the Lord loves us, He will fully forgive us when we choose to repent and turn to Him. Repentance requires patience, perseverance, and a change of heart, but it is worth the effort.
When Church members commit serious sins, their repentance also includes confession to their bishop or stake president. If you are not sure if you should meet with your bishop or stake president, you can pray for guidance. You can also counsel with a parent or trusted leader.
When we confess to our Church leader, “he is then able to exercise the keys of the gospel of repentance on [our] behalf (see Doctrine and Covenants 13:1; 84:26–27; 107:18, 20). This helps [us] heal and return to the gospel path through the power of the Savior’s Atonement.” Confessing to your leader can help you unburden yourself so you can seek the Lord’s help to change and heal and know how to move forward.
The despair of sin can be replaced with the sweet peace and joy of forgiveness. To learn more about how to repent, see the gospel topic “Repentance.”
It is wrong to commit sexual sins with the thought that we will simply repent later. This attitude shows irreverence for the Lord and the covenants we make with Him. We show our love for God, ourselves, and others when we do our best to never commit sexual sin in the first place.
Victims of sexual abuse are not responsible for what happened to them. Those who have been sexually abused have not sinned or broken the law of chastity, and they do not need to repent of that abuse.