W. Frank Walton
12/16/09
The sins of sexual immorality (fornication, adultery, homosexuality, etc.) are frequently condemned in Scripture as vile, corrupting misuses of the Christian’s body (1 Cor 6:18). Yet, behind the immoral act is the desire (lust). The various temptations of the mind leading up to the overt act of sexual immorality are warned against as sinful. Jesus warned against the deadly sin of unmitigated sexual lust. “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt 5:28 ESV).“Uncleanness” (Col 3:5), which is a work of the flesh (Gal 5:19), is the mental sin of a filthy mind that dwells upon sexual immorality. Pornography is the graphic depiction of lewd images designed to arouse illicit sexual lust.
The sex drive is one of the most powerful hormonal drives in men, which God designed to be properly fulfilled and enjoyed exclusively in a lawful marriage relation (Heb 13:4, 1 Cor 7:1-5, Prov 5:15-20). Jesus urges us, teaching against immoral lust, that we must learn to eradicate the desire at its root, or it can destroy us (Matt 5:29-30). Churches, parents, husbands, elders, preachers and individual Christians must learn how to protect our moral purity and guard against this pernicious plague that floods our ungodly society.
The Moral Challenge of Pornography in the Internet Age
Our sexually immoral society is much like the pagan culture surrounding the inauguration of the gospel age. The ruins of Roman Pompeii from 79 AD, excavated in the 1860’s, was shocking to Victorian England for its extensive pornographic drawings of various stages of immorality. Similarly, Christians today face a pervasive problem with pornography that feeds lust. It is freely promoted through the worldly media, especially the internet, as $100 billion industry. Recently, The Oprah Winfrey Show had prominent porn star Jenna Jameson appear to promote “erotica for women.” Mainstream news’ outlet Foxnews.com carried 6 news references to her in the past year.
CBS.com reported hotel viewership of porn movies is 55%. At a 2003 meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial lawyers, 67% of the lawyers present said that the internet played a significant role in divorce, with interest in online porn contributing to half of the cases. This was almost non-existent 15 years ago. The U.S. Justice Department, in the 1996 case ACLU v. Reno, reported, “Never before in the history of telecommunications media in the United States has so much indecent (and obscene) material been so easily accessible by so many minors in so many American homes with so few restrictions.” Also, one search engine reported that 70% of porn is viewed between the business hours of 9 am to 5 pm. According to a study by theCrimes Against Children’s Resource Center, the percentage of Internet users ages 10 to 17 exposed to unwanted pornography increased from 25% in 2000 to 34% in 2005. According to a 2004 survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 45% of teens said they have friends who regularly download pornography from the Internet. According to Nielsen/Net Ratings for February 2002, nearly 16% of visitors to “adult” websites were younger than 18 years of age.
Dr. Jerry Jones, who has counseled hundreds of Christian men struggling with this temptation, said in a lecture that it is the #1 private sin plaguing Christian men. Chuck Colson, who likens cybersex to spiritual crack cocaine, cited a study where 20% of religious adults have visited a pornographic website within the last month. A 1996 survey of men attending at a “Promise Keepers” rally found that over 50% had visited pornographic website within the last month. A Christianity Today survey in 2001 found that 37% of evangelical pastors admit that it is a current personal struggle. An Internet Filter Review survey religious people found that 10% of respondents admitted to being porn addicts, of which a quarter of these are women. Sadly, a Barna Group survey of religious believers in the U.S. found that 29% feel it is permissible to view sexually explicit movies.
We must recognize this pervasive danger and protect ourselves and our young people. In a 2002 survey, by age 16, 90% of these teens have seen a pornographic image on the internet, often inadvertently. The San Diego police reported that 40% of abductions (ages 15-17) are through internet contact. In a 2002 survey, 54% of teens believed they could carry on an online romance and 42% could view a porn site, without their parents’ knowledge. A 2001 UCLA survey found that 55% of teens ages 12 to 15 do not tell their parents what they do online. In a survey of teen girls, 75% say their parents have rules for using the internet (meaning 25% don’t!), while 43% admit breaking those rules. Many heart-breaking tales of spiritual destruction can be told that arises from the addictive allure of pornography.
The Spiritual Solution to Overcome
Let’s not lose heart. The early Christians, who were faithful to the Lord and His gospel, were able to resist and overcome the rampant sexual lewdness of the first century world. Paul dealt with this permissive immoral philosophy of sexual license at Corinth (1 Cor 6:12-20), as did Peter in confronting those enslaved to their lusts with “eyes full of adultery” (2 Pet 2:14), as well as Jesus in examining the immoral thinking at the Pergamum church (Rev 2:14-16). Commentator William Barclay called sexual purity “the moral miracle of the first century world.” The first century world, like today, regarded sexual appetite as something to indulge, not control. Christians through Christ have the power to control and properly channel the mind.
1. Guard the Mind. “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life” (Prov 4:23). We must recognize it as a danger and resolve to not secretly indulge in lust fueled by pornography. Job made a covenant with his eyes to not gaze at an attractive young woman (Job 31:1). Jesus exemplified the resolve to say no to temptation: “Begone, Satan!” (Matt 4:10). Entertaining lustful thoughts are mental parasites that will rot our spirituality. We must “put to death” this lust or it will consume us (Col 3:5-6). If we resist the devil, he will flee (Ja 4:7).
2. Avoid Temptation. Young people, especially young men like Joseph, need to heed the warning, “flee youthful lusts” (2 Tim 2:22, Gen 39:13). Stay away from tempting situations. This also applies to older Christians who are told to fight temptation like a man and “flee” (1 Cor 6:18).
3. Focus on the Spiritual. To say no to sin, we must say yes to positive, spiritual thoughts. “Set your mind on things above, where Christ is…” (Col 3:2). The best way to overcome the temptation to pornography is to change your focus on something wholesome, good and righteous. When we say “no” to Satan’s ploys, we must also say “yes” to God and “draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Ja 4:8). Memorize temptation busting Scriptures, which is using “the shield of faith” to “quench the fiery darts” of temptation (Eph 6:16). Spend time with strong Christians, attend all the services of the church, regularly read your Bible and pray fervently. This can lessen the pull of pornography.
4. Use a Mature, Understanding Helper if Needed. “Confess your sins one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed” (Ja 5:16). This context (Ja 5:13-16) teaches that if we have persistent sin that we are having a hard time overcoming, then we need to find a mature, safe, understanding Christian that we can talk to and who can help us “bear” our “burden” (Gal 6:1-2). This may include the elders (Ja 5:14) or a helpful, responsible Christian we can confide in (Ja 5:16). I have known of some Christians that have needed such help to overcome pornographic addiction and were helped thereby.
5. Practical Steps. Those who know how to use the safety features of their computer browser can set conservative control of where a computer browser is allowed to go. Also, to software browsing filters protect your computer from the threat of pornography. The top recommended filtering software I’ve found is NetNanny.com. A free filter can be downloaded atwww1.k9webprotection.com. One way to exhibit moral accountability is not erasing browsing history on your computer. Covenant Eyes is a website service that has your browsing history emailed to a trusted “accountability partner.”
The war against rampant sexual temptation is a winnable spiritual conflict (Eph 6:10-13). It is literally a matter of spiritual life or death. Through Christ, we “can do all things” (Phil 4:13).