A Word of Warning: Resist the Lure of Pornography

Chalcedon ^ | 1/9/02 | Gerald W. Tritle

[truthandlife]

Pornography – the written and/or graphically portrayed uncovering of nakedness, especially in acts of fornication – grips the hearts and lives of many Christian men and, according to recent surveys, twenty percent of ministers. It tempts potential patrons from its store shelves and by mail, and it champions over three million websites, enticing over twenty percent of online viewers.

Porn appeals to an undisciplined culture (both inside and outside the church) that refuses to mature mentally and sexually. Specifically, many Christian men of all ages find it easier to view porn than to fulfill their God-given responsibilities to glorify their Lord and to love their spouses, their children, their estates, and their congregations.

As Christians, we would expect unregenerate men, who are in bondage to the sin of their Adamic nature, to embrace no conviction against viewing pornography. These men, as are all men before coming to Christ, are corrupt by nature and in need of spiritual rebirth, needing to call upon Christ Jesus for salvation. These men will only curtail or cease viewing porn when they are threatened civically (being jailed or imprisoned), professionally (getting fired), or domestically (being sued for divorce).

To the Christian, porn appeals to the workings of sin in the flesh (Rom. 7:23) that must yet be submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is unbiblical for the world or the church to think that a Christian cannot be tempted to view and to succumb to the viewing of porn during a time or times of weakness. Yet, having yielded to the beguiling temptation of viewing porn, the Christian must realize, as spoken by Christ Jesus, that he has sinned by committing fornication (in the case of the unmarried) or adultery (in the case of the married) in the heart – sins which Jesus says will deprive one of eternal life.

For the Christian minister, porn can be alluring as he manages his pressures to serve others, his solitary work environment, his mental exhaustion, and perhaps, his frustrations resulting from his entering the ministry as a novice not fully disciple himself. If he also has relationship and sexual difficulties at home, then porn becomes for him an easy, seemingly victimless escape. However, when he views porn, he jeopardizes the ministry that his God has entrusted to him. 1 Timothy 3:4-5 is clear that the minister’s household must be in order for him to retain his ministry, and, thus, his admitting his habitual porn use exposes problems in his own household, which he must correct lest he be ministerially disqualified. Often, the tremendous guilt that follows is difficult to jettison because the minister is supposedly required to be not only “perfect” but is also forbidden to confess his faults to his brethren (contrary to James 5:16), which would aid in his repentance and restoration.

All Christians: Shall you risk bringing reproach upon the name of our Lord Jesus for a season of lust-filled escape? Shall you risk destroying your own Christian reputations, marriages, families, and estates? Shall you risk jail or prison to fulfill your potentially illegal lusts before calling upon the name of our Lord to save you from yourselves? Do you realize that your viewing Internet porn can be and most likely is being monitored, if not by your bosses at work, then potentially by credit card companies and by porn sites themselves? Furthermore, have you considered that the hardness of your heart and your refusal to repent of this sin may prove indeed that you are no Christian at all, and are, therefore, in danger of eternal damnation? “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” (Job 31:1).

Never forget that all men will eventually appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the deeds done in this life. We, therefore, strongly urge both Christians and non-Christians to repent of this heinous sin and to beg God’s gracious pardon. Christians, if you confess your sin, God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin. Get rid of your porn regardless of its form or format. Don’t place yourself in a position to view porn. Don’t allow your mind to be idle and filled with pornographic fantasies and thoughts. On the contrary, plan to stay mentally active and to replace pornographic thoughts with pure, holy, and natural thoughts (see Philippians 4:8). Pray for God’s grace to deliver you from the desire to view porn for His name’s sake. Pursue spiritual maturity and love (toward your wife, your children, your church, and your Lord) instead of gratifying your selfish, sinful desires.

Those of you who are spiritual are to restore, with a spirit of meekness, those who have fallen into this sin lest you also be tempted. God will forgive the sins of those who truly repent and turn from their sin.

[discostu]

Yeah, one of talks about things he knows (remember I've served my time both in FF and smut), and one casts judgement from a position of ignorance.

[TRY ONE]

– sins which Jesus says will deprive one of eternal life. I agrree with all of your points regarding pornography. But a person who has accepted Christ as savior cannot lose their salvation. Once a person is saved they can only break fellowship with God by sinning. Salavation cannot be earned by works. If it could be then we would have no need for Christ

Very well stated....

The statement of "– sins which Jesus says will deprive one of eternal life...." was the only major flaw in the article.....

Even the Book of Hesitations does not have a list of sins which will deprive one of eternal life....

[discostu]

'Bout right, I was a little pup back then, but I knew people in that world at the time (guys you're brothers were probably arresting, most of whom are dead now) and got and have gotten a lot of stories. Everything is different now. The only landmarks of that era left are the Bandit and the Empress. The Bandit is still a biker bar but they have a strictly enforced no colors rule and the youngest bikers you'll see in there are probably in their mid-40s. The Empress is effectively run by the IRS, every member of the family has been busted for tax evasion, the IRS keeps one out to run the place and pay the tax bills, then that person screws up so the IRS sends them back to jail and gives a different one early parole (incidentally that family also ran The Living Room on the other end of Speedway, which is where I was a DJ, it's now a used car dealership).

The whole scene has changed. In your day the clientelle for strip clubs was outlaw bikers and construction workers. Now it's fratboys and corporate execs. Then they were all fronts for prostitution and drugs. Now the smart managers turn in girls they find out are doing that stuff (well, there's still a lot of white powder in the dressing room from what I hear, but it's for consumption not for sale). It's fun to run into old timers from your era, they talk about it as the good old days. It's gone through the same kind of transition Vegas has (been to Vegas since the junkbond kings took over? hard to imagine the place was ever mob run) gone through. Lost a lot of the mystery and aura along the way too, but in the end it's a change for the better.

[wjcsux]

One of the guys I went to H.S. with was one of the owners of the Living Room in the early 70's. I went in there while on leave, and he was there. He was involved in various small businesses in Tucson between tours he did at the Big House in Florence.

[discostu]

Dan something?

[wjcsux]

Butch.

[discostu]

OK, just trying to figure out if it was the same family that ran it in the end (same folks that have run the Empress since day 1). Different people. Still the best brake place in Tucson behind it though. And now the only male stripclub in town is across the street. My wife went to a bachelorette party there, she was not impressed, her big line about the place is "they wear knee pads". Who'd have ever thought males strippers would turn out to be wimpier than female strippers.