by Pastor Patrick Cho

Back in 2015, the church held a men’s seminar addressing “Personal Purity in an Internet Age.” Even almost three years later, men are still helped by the recorded sessions, and in counseling I often find myself referring back to them. As I mentioned in the seminar, I firmly believe that internet pornography is one of the greatest threats to the church today. It is tearing families apart, weakening churches, crippling ministries, and destroying relationships. The Bible says that sexual sin is against one’s own body (1 Cor. 6:18), but the consequences of the sin are far more extensive.

Why is pornography specifically in focus here and not sexual sin in general? What is different about the pursuit of purity in an internet age? While the heart issues of lust and self-centeredness involved are generally the same (because there is never really anything new under the sun, cf. Ecc. 1:9), internet pornography poses a serious threat to the church, perhaps more than it has ever encountered in history. What makes it so dangerous?

First, internet pornography is private. Men and women can indulge in this sexual sin in the secrecy and convenience of locked rooms and empty homes. Those who view pornography online fully buy into the lie that they fall into this sin when they are alone because they forget they are never alone. In the context of instructing his son about sexual sin, Solomon reminds his son God is always watching (Prov. 5:21; cf. Heb. 4:13).

Second, internet pornography is accessible. When we held the seminar in 2015, we began by surveying the men in attendance about their exposure to online porn. Sadly, 100% of the men said they were exposed to sexual images online at least once in their life. I am confident this would not have been the same percentage before the age of the internet. Pornography used to be difficult to obtain, but now it is a click away.

Finally, internet pornography is free. This is perhaps one of the most dangerous aspects of its accessibility. Anyone can view pornography because it does not charge a fee. This removes any safeguard against having children view porn because they do not need to possess a credit card. How incredibly sad that it is just as easy to view porn on the internet as it is to look up your favorite recipe, see sports highlights, or read the daily news.

This is why internet pornography is so dangerous, but it is also destructive. Sexual sin is devastating to the life of the church. This might be a surprising claim because it is so often understood as a personal and private sin. Although the sin itself might be committed in private, its consequences are much more far reaching. This sin destroys and dismantles marriages (Heb. 13:4), it disqualifies leadership (1 Tim. 3:2), it defrauds others (1 Thess. 4:6), and it deters spiritual growth (1 Thess. 4:7-8).

The church knows how prevalent a problem this has become. We counsel people to help them pick up the pieces of broken relationships and to deal with the crushing guilt and shame of their sin. Of course, there is forgiveness with Christ, and with it there is hope for change. If this is an issue in your life, not only do you need to confess this sin to the Lord and turn from it, but because of the kind of stranglehold it can have on you, you need to seek help to provide necessary counsel and accountability so that you can break free from it. Every member of the church ought to consider the danger and destruction of online pornography and be aware of how much it is affecting our brothers and sisters in Christ.