It's Not Too Late: Hope in the Fight Against Pornography

I saw the pain in his eyes. And the fear.

His question concerned uncertainty about his own salvation, and it was easy to see that this was not a philosophical or theoretical concern. It was an inner struggle of the soul because of the sin that haunted him.

One follow-up question helped to identify the source of the problem: guilt over his constant relapse into Internet pornography. I told him it was good that he felt guilty. It was a sign of God’s grace.

At the time, such situations were not a surprise to me in my student ministry. Here on a Christian campus, the pastoral issue that came up more often than any other was assurance of salvation. And after a few initial conversations and some surprise, the reason for this issue became obvious: pornography and masturbation.

An epidemic in this generation

Certainty of salvation among Christians seems to have reached an all-time low due to the epidemic of pornography use, thanks to easy access to the Internet. Sometimes this manifests itself in the form of anxiety about finding meaning in life and confusion about understanding God’s truth, but often the lack of certainty is the result of some deep-seated sin. Can I really be saved if I keep returning to the same sin that I have vowed to give up so many times? 

We recently conducted a survey among 8,000 readers of the online magazine DesiringGod. Our research found that regular pornography use is not only alarmingly common, but increasingly common among young people. More than 151% of self-identified Christian men over the age of sixty admitted to regular pornography use. Among men in their fifties, the rate was more than 201%, among men in their forties, 251%, and among men in their thirties, 301%. However, nearly 501% of Christian men between the ages of 18 and 29 admitted to regular pornography use. (The survey also found a similar trend among women, but on a smaller scale: 101% of women between the ages of 18 and 29; 51% in their thirties; and even smaller rates for women in their forties, fifties, and older.)

«"Access to pornography on the Internet may be a new challenge for this generation, but the call to repentance is age-old.".

Hear His voice today

While the problem of access to pornography via the Internet is new to this generation—and is gradually destroying those who were exposed to it at a young age—the call to repentance from lingering sin remains eternally constant. And perhaps no biblical text is more relevant to today’s struggle than Hebrews, chapters 3 and 4.

The Epistle to the Hebrews, more than two thousand years old, takes us even further back into the depths of past centuries—to God’s call to repentance in Psalm 95:7–8: «Today, if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts» (Heb. 3:7–8, 13, 15; 4:7). Although this divine call to repentance has been heard throughout the ages, its gracious action applies only to those believers whose hearts have not yet hardened in unbelief and turned away from repentance.

The Epistle to the Hebrews was written to a group of persecuted Jewish Christians who were tempted to abandon their worship of Jesus as the Messiah (which was the cause of their persecution) and return to the Judaism they had practiced before without Jesus. Such a move is not only theologically disastrous (in terms of understanding God and His revelation) but also personally and irreversibly destructive. These early Christians experienced the same hardening of heart that is characteristic of repeated sin and unbelief among Christians today.

In this context, the letter to the Hebrews turns to Psalm 95 and its direct appeal: «Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.» This is a word that our generation desperately needs to hear.

If you can still hear Him

The emphasis on the word "today" is extremely important. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. The only thing we have is now.

If you hear God's voice today—a call to Christ and His holiness—and reject that voice, your heart will become one step harder. Don't think you have next week, next month, next year, or even tomorrow to find the way to repentance.

Every time we ignore the reproving voice of grace, we are one step closer to judgment. Every conscious acceptance of unrighteousness darkens the soul and hardens the heart. At some point there will be no more warmth or softness. And then, as in the case of Esau, who «found no place for repentance» (Heb. 12:17), it will be too late.

«"Our great hope in the fight against pornography is not in ourselves, but in Christ, who conquered, and in whom we also will conquer.".

But today—this very day—if you still hear His gracious voice in the promptings of the Spirit, if you still feel guilt, if you still sense shame, if you still feel disgust for the filth of sin—make today your day of conversion. «Be careful not to deny Him who speaks» (Heb. 12:25). 

It is good that you feel sorrow for your persistent sin. It is a touch of grace. You still have a chance to return from the coldness of sin to the warmth of a forgiving Christ. If your heart were already hardened beyond repair, sin would no longer trouble you. Your feeling of remorse is an expression of His goodness.

While it's still going on today

Make this day an important day for a new step in the fight against sin. Renounce sin while your heart still has the strength to do so. Involve a Christian friend in your fight, with whom you can experience the priceless grace spoken of in Hebrews 3:12–13:

«"Beware, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort yourselves daily, as long as it is called 'today,' lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."«

Choose righteousness today. Every specific choice for holiness matters. Every choice against evil, every act of righteousness in heart, mind, and body matters. Every turning away from sin prepares you, at least in a small way, to choose righteousness the next time. As Joe Rigney said, «We always become what we will be,» and today really does matter. Today matters.

Where is our hope?

And most importantly, today, once again direct your gaze to your Advocate and Great High Priest, who can «sympathize with our weaknesses» and «who in like manner was with us »tempted in all things, yet without sin« (Heb. 4:15). He is ready to grant mercy and send grace »for help in time of need« (Heb. 4:16). We say »no« to sin by saying »yes” to joy in Him.

Here, at the right hand of God, sits our eternal hope. Not in our responsibility or our decisions, and certainly not in our willpower. Not in our past experiences, not in our present possibilities, and not in the potential of the future. Our great hope lies not in ourselves, but outside of ourselves—in Christ, who has overcome, and in whom we too will overcome.