Tag: porneia
Pornography Bible
What does the Bible say about pornography?
The three main categories of sin are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Pornography causes users to lust after the flesh, and it is undeniably a lust of the eyes. Viewing pornography is a sexual sin, but at its root it is a heart problem. Not only is it a gratification of lust, but it also reveals a desire for validation outside of God. Viewing porn distorts one’s view of self, offers counterfeit satisfaction, misrepresents the value of the opposite sex, and perverts God’s good gift of sex. The negative impact pornography has on the brain, mental health, view of the opposite sex, emotional health, and the marriage relationship reveals the true nature of pornography. God alone can heal the heart affected by any hurt, trauma, or rejection. God alone can ultimately meet the desire to be fulfilled and validated, and only He can truly satisfy one’s longings and desires.
Pornography does not qualify as one of the things we are to think about, according to Philippians 4:8. Pornography is addictive, and we are not to be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12; 2 Peter 2:19). Lusting in the mind, which is the essence of pornography, is offensive to God (Matthew 5:28) and destructive (see Proverbs 6:25–28; Ephesians 4:19).
For those involved in pornography, God can and will give the victory to those who seek Him. Are you involved with pornography and desire freedom from it? Here are some steps to victory:
- Confess your sin to God (1 John 1:9).
- Ask God to cleanse, renew, and transform your mind (Romans 12:2).
- Ask God to fill your mind with things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (Philippians 4:8)—and consume media that can be described that way.
- Ask God to reveal the void in your heart you are trying to fill with pornography, and ask Him to help you find your satisfaction in Him (Psalm 16:11; 37:4).
- Learn to possess your body in holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3–4).
- Understand the proper meaning of sex and rely on your spouse alone to meet that need (1 Corinthians 7:1–5).
- Realize that, if you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
- Take practical steps to reduce your exposure to pornographic images. Install pornography blockers on your computer, limit television and video usage, and find another Christian who will pray for you and help keep you accountable.
You can find freedom from the bondage of pornography. God’s plan for your life, including His design for your sexuality, is far better than anything sin entices you with.
Whoremonger
What is a whoremonger in the Bible?
The word whoremonger in the Bible is a reference to those who associate with prostitutes or who, in general, exhibit wanton sexual behavior. Whoremonger is an old-fashioned word found mainly in the King James Version and the Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible. In modern language, we would say the person is a “fornicator” or “adulterer.” Broadly speaking, a whoremonger is anyone who engages in sexual intercourse outside of marriage.
An example of the word whoremonger is found in Ephesians 5:5 in the KJV: “For this ye know, that no whoremonger . . . hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Most other translations simply say “immoral person.” The Greek word in this verse is pornos, related to porneia, from which we get the English word pornography. Essentially, all sexual immorality falls into this category, but the word changes depending on the person committing the act and his or her gender. For example, a woman who engages in sexual immorality is called a “whore” (porne) in the KJV, but a man who does the same is called a “whoremonger” (pornos).
These Greek words are interesting because they draw no distinctions among a) sexual immorality for monetary gain, b) sexual immorality for the sake of lust, and c) sex outside of marriage between two loving partners. This is difficult for us to comprehend because our culture considers paying a stranger for sex to be quite different from a dating couple “going all the way.” We tend to categorize a man who uses a prostitute (and the prostitute herself) entirely differently from a boyfriend and girlfriend living together. But God classifies both as porneia. A man sleeping with his longtime girlfriend is just as much a “whoremonger” as the man picking up prostitutes, according to the Bible.
Unrepentant, continued sexual immorality is an indication that a person is not saved (Ephesians 5:5). The sexually immoral in the church—those who claim to be saved but who live as whoremongers—must face church discipline, biblically: “Now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral. . . . Do not even eat with such people” (1 Corinthians 5:11). Sexual sin brings serious consequences, and there should not even be a hint of immorality among God’s people (Ephesians 5:3).
Sexual immorality
What is sexual immorality?
In the New Testament, the word most often translated “sexual immorality” is porneia. This word is also translated as “whoredom,” “fornication,” and “idolatry.” It means “a surrendering of sexual purity,” and it is primarily used of premarital sexual relations. From this Greek word we get the English word pornography, stemming from the concept of “selling off.” Sexual immorality is the “selling off” of sexual purity and involves any type of sexual expression outside the boundaries of a biblically defined marriage relationship (Matthew 19:4–5).
The connection between sexual immorality and idolatry is best understood in the context of 1 Corinthians 6:18, which says, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” The bodies of believers are the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Pagan idol worship often involved perverse and immoral sexual acts performed in the temple of a false god. When we use our physical bodies for immoral purposes, we are imitating pagan worship by profaning God’s holy temple with acts He calls detestable (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).
Biblical prohibitions against sexual immorality are often coupled with warnings against “impurity” (Romans 1:24; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 4:19). This word in the Greek is akatharsia, which means “defiled, foul, ceremonially unfit.” It connotes actions that render a person unfit to enter God’s presence. Those who persist in unrepentant immorality and impurity cannot come into the presence of God. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8; cf. Psalm 24:3–4). It is impossible to maintain a healthy intimacy with God when our bodies and souls are given over to impurities of any kind.
Sexuality is God’s design. He alone can define the parameters for its use. The Bible is clear that sex was created to be enjoyed between one man and one woman who are in a covenant marriage until one of them dies (Matthew 19:6). Sexuality is His sacred wedding gift to human beings. Any expression of it outside those parameters constitutes an abuse of God’s gift. Adultery, premarital sex, pornography, and homosexual relations are all contrary to God’s design. That makes those things sinful.
The following are some common objections to God’s commands against sexual immorality:
- It’s not wrong if we love each other. The Bible makes no distinction between “loving” and “unloving” sexual relations. The only biblical distinction is between married and unmarried people. Sex within marriage is blessed (Genesis 1:28); sex outside of marriage is “fornication” or “sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 7:2–5).
- Times have changed, and what was wrong in biblical times is no longer considered sin. Most of the passages condemning sexual immorality also include evils such as greed, lust, stealing, etc. (1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians 5:19–21). We have no problem understanding that these other things are still sin. God’s character does not change with culture’s opinion (Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8).
- We’re married in God’s eyes. The fallacy of this idea is that the God who created marriage in the first place would retract His own command to accommodate what He has called sin. God declared marriage to be one man and one woman united for life (Mark 10:6–9). The Bible often uses the imagery of a wedding and a covenant marriage as a metaphor to teach spiritual truth (Matthew 22:2; Revelation 19:9). God takes marriage seriously, and His “eyes” see immorality for what it is, regardless of how cleverly we have redefined it.
- I can still have a good relationship with God because He understands. Proverbs 28:9 says, “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” We fool ourselves when we think that we can stubbornly choose sin and God does not care. First John 2:3–4 contains a serious challenge for those who persist in this line of thinking: “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”
Hebrews 13:4 makes God’s expectation for His children crystal clear: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” Sexual immorality is wrong. The blood of Jesus can cleanse us from every type of impurity when we repent and receive His forgiveness (1 John 1:7–9). But that cleansing means our old nature and all its practices, including sexual immorality, are put to death (Romans 6:12–14; 8:13). Ephesians 5:3 says, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”
