Earlier I wrote a few paragraphs entitled Why Guys Who Watch Porn Will Never Get Married. The title was admittedly inaccurate and was used to grab the attention of the reader. The purpose of the post was to expose what is often hidden behind all the supposed glamour of porn and how porn negatively impacts relationships. But the post was incomplete as it left no hope for the one who struggles and may have conveyed that they are trapped in this sin.
So we ask, why do those who sin have hope(and not just with porn but a host of heart sins which affect relationship - words, lack of forgiveness, envy, greed, etc)? Where do they find encouragement? We want to look at just two places from Scripture.
First, in 1 Corinthians 6.9-11 Paul lists a number of sins, among them sexually immorality, greed, drunkenness and slander. Is the believer ever trapped? Paul writes: And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
There is hope which begins with our standing before God. We are a changed people in His sight - we are washed (cleansed), sanctified (set apart, made holy), justified (given a righteous standing before God because of Jesus). It would seem strange that someone who struggles with sexual immorality would never be able to grow in holiness and therefore, never grow more and more conformed to their standing before God. This gives the believer great hope because the change will not ultimately come because we change ourselves but simply and profoundly, because God will change us. God within us through His Spirit will grow us in holiness. This change is often gradual and therefore the believer must continually come back to the cross, being reminded of God's work in us. God will mercifully and graciously discipline us so we become more like our Father in heaven.
Second, Romans 6 tells us that we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. The good news here is not only is God working on our behalf, but humanly speaking, God gives us means to strengthen our resolve to walk in holiness. We are not powerless and the grip of sin is never stronger than the grip of God. And so the person struggling with porn, words, envy, greed or anger is able to bow before a sovereign God pleading mercy and then rise, using God-given resources to battle unrighteousness.
And so, is there hope? Absolutely. It is an amazing paradox that in the glamour of porn we find death and in the horror of Christ's death we find life.
4 comments:
If you're a porn addict and want to continue looking at young women being exploited for their bodies, just do it man. Don't go looking for forgiveness, or to justify your perversity through God.
Don't be a coward. Just say it to God, punish me to the full extent of your law. I'm a perv.
Grow a spine, man, one that will raise your head high when you step away from the laptop screen.
I don't think your god is a particularly nice deity. How well do you really know him? Perhaps He is just a manifestation of what you need him to be. After all there have been many, many gods in history. Gallons of blood were spilt in their honour and children and virgins were sacrificed to appease them. Where are they now?
Your god, I presume you do mean Yahewah, was the Jewish god of war. He was one mean son of a bitch. It got cute when he sent himself down to earth as his son to atone for the design faults in the people that he created in His image. What was he doing when he should have been keeping an eye on the tree of knowledge?
Anyway, the gospels spread and the church was established. Trouble is, it hasn't spread quite far enough and god seems to be rather silent these days. He may speak to you but my guess is, you imagine it.
All those people dying in religious wars and conflict when god could do something, anything to show thast he is the one true god. His silence is deafening.
As for porn, god doesn't like sex. If people weren't so screwed up by the restrictions on where they can put their dicks by their faith, the world may be a better place.
Maybe a bit of porn would have stopped some chatherlic priests shagging the chiorboys.
Mr Robinson you correct. I see it in the men I work with. Single bragging on watching porn and don't have a girlfriend in site for miles. Women of porn are not reality, get on track to finding a woman of God with a Proverbs 31 attitude.
I find your blog most interesting, but some of your visiter need lots of prayer. God bless, Lloyd
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