Is Viewing Pornography a Sin?

If you are struggling with an addiction to pornography, you are not alone.

Every day, web surfers search for pornography 68 million times. And many of those surfers identify as Christians. More than 75 percent of Christian men aged 18 to 30 admitted to viewing porn at least once a month; astoundingly, 30 percent of pastors admitted to visiting a porn site in the last 30 days (Barna Group “The Porn Phenomenon”). Clearly, pornography affects people from all backgrounds.

Yet God is clear about the ultimate, dire results of sexual sin. “Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers … will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:10). But is the use of pornography one of these sexual sins? Jesus said that lustfully looking upon a woman who is not your wife is a form of adultery (Matthew 5:28). Therefore, the use of pornography violates God’s commandment against adultery.

However, God’s laws against sexual sin aren’t arbitrary. He’s not trying to keep you from enjoying it. Rather, He designed sexuality as way to powerfully bond a man and woman through physical intimacy, emotional connection, and heightened brain activity. It is because of sex’s profound effect on the mind, body, and our emotions that God placed boundaries on its use: one man, one woman, in the union of marriage. 

Think of sexuality like a racecar designed to go 200 miles per hour. When on the racetrack, the car is doing what it’s designed to do (go fast) exactly where it is designed to go fast (on a racetrack). It makes it possible for someone to experience the thrill of speed in a safe, contained environment. But take that racecar and put it in a residential neighborhood, where children play in the streets, and go 200 miles per hour—it’s not a matter of if someone gets hurt, but when. Think of God’s law governing human sexual activity as the speed limit signs in your neighborhood. His rules of one partner in marriage is designed to keep you safe (free from jealousy and mistrust with one’s spouse, for example).

We can clearly see the harm of sexual activity when it occurs outside the bond of marriage, including the use of pornography. For one, it seriously damages a person’s spiritual and emotional health, causing users to perceive others as mere objects (idols) to be used for selfish purposes; models become nothing more than bodies to be selfishly used for pleasure (idol worship), the opposite of what happens in the mutually loving relationship of marriage. Quickly, this self-focused spirit overflows into other relationships. Instead of treating others with dignity and respect, one begins to see them as nothing more than a means to one’s own satisfaction. One will become quick-tempered and lose trust in others.

Ask yourself, “Would I want to be treated as an object?” If your answer is no, then you agree that it’s best for everyone to treat others with the dignity God also gave you, including those models or actors who are willingly engaging in the production of pornography. (Many models featured in pornography are doing so against their will.) Always think of them as who they are: God’s children who have lost their way and who are, tragically, subject to the profound warnings in Romans 1:18–32.

Simply put, viewing pornography will ultimately, little by little, defile your character and erode your relationships, especially with God, the Life-giver. That’s why it is always best for you to put all your trust into God’s plan for sexuality, including abstaining from the use of pornography. Like Joseph did in Egypt, flee from sexual sin—it really is that dangerous; indulging in it can rob you of eternal life. It is important to fully repent. While God certainly will forgive you of a sin when you ask, if you continue to engage in it, He will respect your freedom of choice and will not stop the spiritual death that will inevitably result.

However, if you’re caught up in this sexual sin, you need not be discouraged. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24, 25). As you’ll read in Ian’s story, you’ll discover that Jesus can set you free from addiction to pornography. There is hope for you today! 

Addicted

Ian had an embarrassing secret. It made him feel hopeless, dirty, and trapped. Sometimes, he’d lay awake for hours trying to keep his thoughts pure, but always the images swirled back, knocking down his defenses. Ian knew it was wrong, but there was no denying that he was addicted to pornography and masturbation.

Ian had grown up in a loving Christian home, but during his teenage years, he’d chosen his own path, even producing counterfeit money at one point. He began smoking and drinking with his friends and was soon entrenched in their wild lifestyle. Along the way, he began indulging in pornography.

After he graduated from college, Ian began to pursue his lifelong dream of running a surf school, and spiritual things were far from his mind. But when Ian heard Pastor Doug Batchelor’s sermons at his parents’ home, he gave his heart to God for the first time. Very quickly, God set him free from his cravings for alcohol and tobacco—but Ian’s craving for pornography remained.

“I was addicted,” Ian shares. “I begged God for victory because I knew it was wrong. Yet I could never win the battle. I knew that God could set me free, but I kept struggling. I could not get rid of this sin. If I wasn’t looking at pornography, I was thinking about it.”

Feeling hopeless, Ian soon began to rationalize his sexual addiction. It’s okay because I’m not physically committing adultery; I can look at cartoon porn; that’s not the real thing. Your body likes this. It’s okay to feel good. Such rationalizing is dangerous. “I was like a house without walls,” Ian says. “It felt like I had no way of overcoming this sin. I felt hopelessness. I wanted to praise God, but this sin made it nearly impossible.”

Set Free

Ian kept going to church and listening to sermons, and he soon felt impressed that he needed to be baptized. However, with COVID-19 in full swing, many churches were closed. Finally, Ian’s parents found a pastor who would baptize him. There was one catch: Ian would have to pay for the water to fill the tank. But money was no object at this point. “I realized that I had a big problem and needed something big to help me,” he explains.

During Ian’s baptismal studies, the pastor emphasized one thing especially: “Stay away from sexual sin.” He also told Ian that he must choose to either be a slave to sin or a servant of God, explaining that being baptized means he was making a commitment to rely on God’s power to overcome sin. 

Ian says, “The miracles started right after I was baptized.” God removed the craving for pornography from Ian’s life. But Ian was still on a journey in which cooperation with the Holy Spirit remains essential. He explains, “I realized there was still work to be done. God said to me, ‘You are still walking on dangerous ground in the devil’s territory. Keep looking to me.’”

The Path to Total Victory

One of the first things God impressed on Ian was to stop playing a certain mobile video game he had recently purchased. “But God, I paid good money for that game!” he protested. 

Yet God continued to impress him, “If you play that game, the devil will have an entrance into your life to tempt you with pornography.” 

The battle was sometimes fierce. Even so, Ian held firm that he would continue cooperating with God’s Spirit. “Some nights, I’d lie awake until 4:00 am pleading with God for purity of mind. I determined not to let go until He gave me victory.” Two Scriptures stood out to Ian, and he claimed them with all his might. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13), and “It is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). 

By God’s grace, Ian’s prayers were answered and he has experienced victory over pornography!

Steps to Overcoming

Ian shares the following tips for overcoming pornography:

1. Put Jesus First: “God used my hopelessness to bring me straight to Him. I had to realize that the only way I could overcome was through faith in Jesus.”

2. Claim Bible Promises: “I only knew a couple of Bible verses when God first convicted me. I prayed those verses over and over again. Now I am memorizing more Bible verses so that I will be able to answer the devil’s temptations faster.”

3. Pray Like Your Life Depends on It: “I often lay prostrate on the floor when I’m pleading with God for victory over sin. I need the help of the Divine. I cannot overcome in my own strength.”

4. Be 100% for God: “I realized I had to be totally committed to God. I couldn’t go halfway.”

5. Block Social Media Notifications: “God showed me that I could stop notifications from friends who posted sexual content without having to unfriend them and hurt their feelings. Then their content didn’t show up on my social media feeds.”

6. Use YouTube’s Algorithms to Help You: “I realized I could block bad channels. Pretty soon, YouTube wasn’t suggesting sexual content for me anymore.” 

7. Develop a Healthy Schedule: “The devil really attacked when I stayed up all night watching TV. Going to bed at a reasonable time has helped a lot.”

8. Be Careful What Video Games You Play: “I had to delete a lot of my video games because they had violent or sexual content.”

9. Be Careful of Magic: “I felt all the walls God was building around my soul fall down when I watched anything promoting the use of magic or spiritualism. I had to stop watching them.” 

“Jesus is my champion!” Ian says. “He worked a miracle in my life, and I know He can work it in yours too.”

Resources

If you’re struggling with pornography, visit Gateway to Wholeness for a biblical course on overcoming pornography. 

If you are a concerned friend, pastor, parent, or church member, visit New Freedom to Love for helpful resources and tools. 

Other Interesting Articles