If you’re a Christian, you already know the answer to that question. By removing sexuality from the context of a relationship pornography infects the way that we view our sexual partners.  It is a sin against God and it is a sin against our bodies. The word pornography, literally ‘writing about prostitutes,’ was coined by the Victorians in response to the sexually explicit material that they discovered during the excavation of the buried Roman city of Pompeii. Of course, humans have produced sexually explicit images for thousands of years; sometimes these images fulfilled a religious role in pagan religions, but they were also created purely to elicit sexual arousal in the viewer. What modern technology has enabled is the proliferation of high definition sexual images in such quantities that the supply of ‘porn’ is literally inexhaustible. What’s more, it can be easily accessed for free from any electronic device. As I type I’m just a couple of clicks away from a limitless quantity of ‘porn’. 

Every second 28,258 internet users in America are watching pornography; it accounts for 35% of all internet downloads. Every day in America there are 68 million internet searches for pornography and as a result 200,000 Americans are currently classified as ‘porn addicts’.  One might reasonably expect that the behavior of Christians would be different, but according to a survey published by the Barna Group, 64% of Christian men and 33% of Christian women, view pornography regularly. Since many people are likely to be unwilling to admit to their ‘porn’ consumption, the actual figures are likely to be much higher. 

What does the Bible say about pornography?

The Bible of course does not use the word ‘pornography’, what the Bible talks about is ‘lust’, which is what pornography is designed to create. Jesus is completely unequivocal on the subject.

‘But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’ Matthew 5:28

Lust is a sin against God and a sin against your body.

‘For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world.’ 1 John 2:16

Christians must choose between the transitory pleasures of the flesh and the life eternal.

‘Put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry.’ Colossians 3:5

How to use routine and faith to quit porn.

Pornography is addictive, repeated exposure resets your neurochemistry so that the more you use it, the more you need it.

‘Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.’ 1 Corinthians 6:18

Most of us have an electronic device within easy reach at every hour of the day, which means that we are always just seconds away from access to pornography. It’s this ease of access that makes the use of pornography so pervasive and so damaging.  We are sexual beings, God made us that way, but it is our responsibility as Christians to keep our desires in check and the way that we can do that is through spiritual discipline. When we maintain God at the forefront of our thought, there is no room for pornography. Jesus taught us that we should pray three times a day and that our most important time spent in prayer is when we are on our own with God.

‘go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.’ Matthew 6:8

Spiritual discipline is about having secure routines that enable you to maintain God at the center of your life. Regular prayer and a sacred space in which you will not be disturbed are the basics of a strong spiritual discipline. One technique that you may find useful to strengthen your spiritual discipline is journaling, we offer a range of products to help you get started. Journaling enables you to plan your time with God, and perhaps more importantly, it enables you to track your prayers. With the help of a journal you can see the progress that you are making on your spiritual journey: you can look back and observe the direction of your prayer and you can see how God has responded to your prayers. You can monitor the frequency of your temptation and you can watch the sin that is ‘porn’ shrivel before the glorious light of God’s word as you pray the Scriptures. 

We are all susceptible to having lustful thoughts and, down the centuries, many Christians have struggled with their sexual desire, which is a God given dimension of the human experience. As we have discussed, pornography is now so readily available that it only takes a moment of weakness to get access to explicit sexual images. If you are a regular porn user you need to recognize that this is a problem, it does not mean that you are a bad person, but it is something you should work towards quitting. It may not happen overnight. 

Ask for God’s forgiveness and He will help you to find a way to control your desires.