Excerpt from an article by the Ethics and Liberty Commission:
A desire for self-gratification in our first human parents led to their downfall and sin (Gen. 3:5-7). It must be understood that sin exists as a distortion of what is true and good. Pornography is an example of such a distortion; it distorts something wonderful (sex) that God has provided for mankind. God created sex as a wonderful act between a man and a woman, and it is important that we understand why God created sex so that we understand the difference between distorted sexuality (pornography and lust) and biblical sexuality. God created sex as a physical expression of the “one flesh” union between a man and a woman in marriage (Gen. 2:24). It provides intimacy and pleasure within marriage, and leads to the miracle of procreation. It is important that this proper view of biblical sexuality is understood, taught, and practiced.
Throughout the Bible we are warned not to love what the world has distorted: “Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. Because everything that belongs to the world— the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever” (1 John 2:15-17).
Pornography is a visual medium of both physical and mental images. We must constantly remind ourselves that we live in a world wracked by sin, which constantly distorts what is good; we must therefore be careful what we think or see. We have to continually remind ourselves that if sowing to please the flesh will reap corruption, but we sowing to please the Spirit results in eternal life (Gal. 6:8).
Unfortunately, many are committed to a false belief that once saved we have the liberty to do as we please. Some in the church of Corinth believed such a lie and were using their liberty to gratify the sinful nature; the Apostle Paul continually warned them against such a belief. Nowhere does the Bible suggest that, once born into the family of God, believers are free to do as they please. Once saved, a believer must seek to please God with his or her life (1 Thess. 4:1). When saved, we are free from the law and from works by which no one can be saved (Gal. 3:11). We are not free, however, to do as we please; we are free to do that which pleases Him (1 Thess. 4:1). We please Him when we use our spiritual liberty to walk in the power of the Spirit (Gal. 5:17-25).
Pornography, which includes print, films, television, and adult entertainment clubs, is not morally neutral. We should recoil from such an absurd suggestion. The reason for the call of purity among believers in 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 is that a believer’s body is the temple of God. Paul singles out sexual sin as particularly reprehensible because it is a sin against the body, which is a temple of God (1 Cor. 6:18-19)
