This blog is the third in a series on Christian struggles.
Having looked at the definition of porn, what God Himself thinks of it, and His will for your life, you’re probably asking such questions as “How can I live out God’s will when it comes to purity? I’ve been committing this sin of fornication for months, even years!”, or, “Why should I try to be this pure? It’s impossible!” You feel there’s no victory in this area of your life, and all you can look back on is defeat after defeat on the battlefield of purity.
Praise God there is victory, and it was not won by you—it never could have been won by you in your sinfulness—but by your King, by your Saviour and Lord! Christ Jesus in His humanity was perfectly obedient, and by this perfection all who are united to Him by grace through faith are clothed in His righteousness; oh, miracle of miracles that when God looks at us He does not see our disgusting filthiness but only Christ and His holiness! What a gracious exchange—God made Him Who knew no sin to be sin our our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)!
Ask God to help you truly grasp this mind-blowing, life-changing truth—God took all of your sin and made His sinless Son to be that sin, and God took all of the righteousness of His Son and credited that to you! The punishment for all of your past, present and future filthiness completely and mercifully diverted from you, and poured out on Jesus; stop beating yourself up over your past sins—the Father already emptied His righteous wrath on His Son—there’s not one drop left over for you, praise God! Not only that, but He’s given you Himself—His Holy Spirit dwells within you; not only that, but Christ Jesus ever lives at His Father’s right hand to make intercession for you; not only that but the indwelling Spirit prays to the Father on your behalf; not only that, but God has granted to you everything pertaining to life and godliness. Everything you need to live a God-glorifying life is at your disposal, all because of the gracious provision of God in Christ. Stop saying you can’t overcome these temptations, you can in Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 10:13)!
God can overcome them, and Jesus has already on your behalf, and you have God the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, and in every single temptation you face He graciously provides the way of escape; please stop saying you’re dirty or unworthy before God—you are, but in Jesus you are righteous and worthy; please stop trying to run away from God—run to Him, to the One who cares, who cleanses, who forgives, who lavishes us with love and mercy.
In whatever circumstance you find yourself in: habitually looking at porn, almost scarily without a care; feeling ‘dirty’, unworthy before God, having just looked at porn for the first or the millionth time with a deep sense that you can’t come to Him in prayer, or seek Him through His Word; feeling completely alone, without hope, with seemingly no way out of this dark, vicious cycle of sin and ‘back’ into a ‘close’ relationship with our loving Father—please know that there is hope, there is grace, there is mercy, there is forgiveness, there is strength, there is purity, there is a Way, and it’s all found in the One Who bore on His cross, in His body every single sin you have committed, every single sin you are committing and every single sin you ever will commit. Don’t run away from Him, don’t try and hide from the omnipresent God as our father Adam did, and don’t try to earn your way back into His favour. It’s impossible and futile—when you give in to temptation and sin in whatever form that takes, immediately sprint towards the ever-present, forgiving and gracious One, for He is abundant in loving-kindness, and has lavished you with such goodness.
I would like you to think about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden—the super-abundant God had given to them food of every type and variety. They were wholly spoilt for choice as to what to eat, yet they chose the one thing God had forbidden them to eat; what about your life? God has lavished you with such goodness, He’s given you so much, in Himself, and yet you keep chasing after one of the things He forbids; you’re yearning for anything other than the Creator and His good will for your life—why?! Chase after His goodness, chase after Him, the only One in the universe who can satisfy.
Think about it—God, who created absolutely everything and everyone out of nothing whatsoever, has actually given us the gift of sex; He’s not some killjoy, who gets a sick, twisted kick out of withholding fun and pleasure; He’s our infinitely loving Creator who knows exactly what we need, and that includes our joy. He’s a pleasure-giving, all-knowing good and gracious God. However, such desires and actions must be used in the right context, within the God-created, God-ordained covenant of marriage between one man and one wife, which itself is just a shadow, a picture, of a far, far deeper and wholly more intimate relationship—that of Christ Jesus and us, His Church (see Ephesians 5:22-33). If you’re not married, please remember that marriage is merely a picture of a much deeper truth—that of the true intimacy and lasting, eternal union between the ultimate Bridegroom and us, His bride. If you are married, enjoy the gift of sex, not in and of itself, but again as a picture of the joy and far richer intimacy Christ Jesus brings to His bride.
Why do people look at porn? What’s the fascination? Why the almost unbreakable urge to return to that which you vowed never to look at again? Remember that within the definition of fornication is the idea of a selling off—what price are you paying, as you give in to the temptations you can have victory over in Jesus? For an extremely short-lasting empty pleasure, which is almost immediately followed by a residing, oppressing burden of guilt, a deep feeling of uncleanness and distance from God. You are chasing after a deeper intimacy with another. Please know, please remember, that there is no lasting joy, or any joy whatsoever for that matter, in porn, in fornication, in adultery, in masturbation—such things only falsely promise intimacy and joy, which can only truly be found in Jesus.
God is a true Pleasure-Giver, who wants to satisfy us at a deep and lasting level which no-one or nothing else can provide; Jesus is our Satisfaction, He is our Joy and our Fulfilment—seek Him, and Him alone.
