The world’s largest porn provider made headlines by providing free temporary access to all residents of Italy during the pandemic. Some see porn as a harmless form of fantasy and entertainment, but it’s actually something much more insidious.
A recent survey from Barna revealed the troubling reality that 62% of men who claim to be “Christian” view pornography at least once a month and around 20% of “Christian” women said the same. Both those statistics are growing as the culture and even the church have become increasingly desensitized to porn. As a Christian, as a husband, as a dad, as a marriage ministry professional and a recovering porn addict, these stats are incredibly troubling to me.
Our culture has normalized pornography to the point where we’ve started ignoring all sound reason and research that tells of the insidious repercussions left in its aftermath. I could cite all kinds of statistics to from Fight The New Drug or XXX Church, or a myriad of other sources to prove the personal and relational devastation caused by porn. I could tell you personal stories about how my own past porn use nearly sabotaged my marriage or how I’ve had a front row seat to seeing porn play a major role in the destruction of countless relationships.
I’ve written on these stats in detail in my past books and articles, but I’d like to do something different. Since pornography has become so laissez-faire within the church, I want to talk specifically about how God views pornography. With a Christian crisis in porn, I want to do my small part to end (or at least disrupt) the epidemic of pornography within the Body of Christ. Since many preachers remain mute on this topic (which is tragic), there’s a void in accessible teachings on what the Bible has to say on topics related to porn.
Did you know that God hates porn? Christians are often surprised to learn that God hates anything. Many of us have bought into an unbiblical depiction of God as if He is a perpetually-permissive, smiling “Buddha-like” deity who is never angered or offended by anything. “How could a loving God hate anything?” we might naively ask.
God is full of love and mercy. Thankfully, this is true. Our hope and our salvation depends on these attributes of God and the sacrificial atonement made possible through Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection. God is indeed loving, but it’s precisely because He loves us that He hates anything that seeks to destroy our relationship with Him or with each other. Here are a few of the Bible’s examples of things hated by God:
- “Vile images.” (Ezekiel 7:20)
- “Detestable idols.” (Jeremiah 16:18)
- “Abusing children.” (Deuteronomy 12:31)
- “Divorce.” (Malachi 2:16)
- “Sinful fantasies.” (Proverbs 6:18)
- “Sexual immorality.” (Revelation 21:8)
- “Lust.” (Matthew 5:28)
- “Prostitution.” (1 Corinthians 6:15)
There are many other places in Scripture where we see a clear picture of what God hates. I’m highlighting these eight because each of them have a direct correlation to pornography. Each of these eight items is a manifestation of porn. Compare the list above to these manifestations and descriptions of porn:
- Porn is a “vile image” because it objectifies human beings created in the sacred image of God.
- Porn is a form of “detestable idols” because idolatry means pursuing a counterfeit source of fulfillment in place of God.
- Porn directly and indirectly causes the “abuse of children” through broken homes, sexual abuse, and many other factors.
- Porn is a direct contributor to many “divorce” cases.
- Porn’s primary intent is to evoke “sinful fantasies” in the mind of the viewer.
- Porn is a celebration of “sexual immorality.”
- Porn is fueled and funded by “lust.”
- Porn is a form of “prostitution” since it’s performed by people being paid for sex and funded by consumers who are paying for sexual entertainment.
In short, porn breaks God’s heart because it breaks God’s children.
Here’s the bottom line, the secular world may continue indulging in porn and sexual immorality, but if the church will rise up, we can make a difference. If people who claim to be followers of Christ would stop using porn, we could put a dent in the juggernaut of the porn industry and impact the human trafficking and many abuses connected to it. We could also bring healing to our own hearts and homes in the process.
I know this from Scripture, but I also know it from personal experience. I vividly remember the destructive cycle of sin and self-loathing that kept me trapped in porn. I also remember the sweet freedom once I finally surrendered this issue into the hands of my Savior and embraced the grace and healing He’d been waiting to offer me all along.
If you are where I once was and you feel stuck in the toxic trap of pornography, please know there’s help available. You don’t have to keep living like this. You can’t keep living like this. We have many resources to help you and equip you at MarriageToday, and I’d also encourage you to listen to one of our newest episodes entitled “Porn and Sex Addiction” on The Naked Marriage Podcast.
Since this is about God’s opinions (not just my own), I want to make sure to give God the last word on the subject. Remember He is full of grace and mercy and He wants to set you free. The Book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament has many strong words condemning “vile images,” but it also includes loving words of hope like this…
“They will never again pollute themselves with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful apostasy. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 37:23 NLT)