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Pornography is idolatry: that’s not something you hear often. I already spoke about repentance on my blog. Further, I want to talk about one of the most important things we need to do to experience total freedom.
Pornography is idolatry
When your heart does not find complete satisfaction in Jesus it will try to find satisfaction in other places or things. Someone well said that a heart which does not find its pleasure and satisfaction in God alone is an idol factory. That was the problem with my heart and with the heart of many other people who are indulging in pornography or any different sinful behavior or addiction. Our heart must be taught that the only One who can quench our thirst is Jesus (John 4:14).
As I said before, sin has a name. And the name for the sin of pornography is idolatry. Talking about sinful sexual lust, Pastor Jack Hayford writes in his book Fatal attractions:
The desire for a thing becomes the overwhelming drive in a person’s soul— he or she can never get enough. The person becomes ensnared in the bondage of lust and turns the object of that lust’s compulsion into an idol.
Pastor Hayford continues
…masturbation involves fantasy, which is related to idolatry; fantasy, pornography and masturbation are closely tied. Again, we are talking about an image behind which a demon spirit resides— whether that image be on paper, on screen or in a person’s head.
Only repentance will bring us to Christ who can then set us free. He is the Only One who can set us free! Do not make God your final solution because He is the only solution to your bondage.
What is idolatry?
According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, idolatry is
image-worship or divine honor paid to any created object. Paul describes the origin of idolatry in Rom. 1:21-25: men forsook God, and sank into ignorance and moral corruption (1:28). The forms of idolatry are, (1.) Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc. (2.) Nature worship, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as the supposed powers of nature. (3.) Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, or of heroes
However, where can we read in the Bible that sexual sin is idolatry? In Ephesians 5:3-5 (ESV) we read
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Very straightforward. Read also from verse 6 to 14 for even more clarification.
Pornography is idolatry and Baal worship
There is a god mentioned all over the Old Testament and even in the New Testament (Matt. 12:24). His name is Baal. This idol appears over sixty times in the Bible— that makes it pretty significant and we should pay attention to what God wants us to learn.
Baal was a Phoenician—Canaanite god and Asherah was his wife. The worship of these gods always involved something sexual. Probably anything one can think of as sexual sin was permitted and required in the worship of these gods. One can read more about this topic in The Healing Presence by Leanne Payne.
One might think this practice of worshiping Baal and Asherah is not relevant as nobody does that in our days. Maybe not so much in the form the Bible and history present worship to them but the spirit of Baal and Asherah is alive and well today. Of course, it has different names. Today people would not say they worship Baal. Because what in the ancient times was called worship to Baal and Asherah now is called pornography, sexual fantasies or masturbation, etc. Any other type of sexual sin can be categorized with this label—that’s why I state pornography is idolatry.
Worship God alone
You see, God is calling us to worship Him alone and no other (Exodus 20:3-6). The battle is always for our worship because we were created to worship. There is only One who is worthy to be worshipped! In John 4:23-24 (ESV) we read
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
When we worship anyone else before God or besides God (Exodus 20:3), there are consequences. When we adore the created things of this world and nature and not the Creator, Satan will get a foothold in our lives. Moreover, as someone said idols would require more and more sacrifices. Sacrifices of time, thoughts, health, relationships, finances, etc. Furthermore, as I said in my previous post, lust has a progressive nature and can bring someone to do some of the most wicked things one can imagine. It can transform a man into an animal.
The good news is that Jesus Christ can save and redeem us (Hebrews 13:8, ESV)
He is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Where there is genuine repentance, there is forgiveness and restoration. God loves to restore people. I am one of His stories and you can be one too.
A lesson from Gideon
The Lord revealed Himself to Gideon (Judges chapter six), as He chooses him to deliver His people from the hands of Midian. Then the first thing God required from Gideon was that he would destroy the Baal and Asherah worship from his family (vs. 25-26). One can see false worship was learned on the generational line of his father.
In verse 27 we read that Gideon obeyed the Lord, but he did that in the night as he was afraid. However, God did not give Gideon victory over Midian before he destroyed the idols from his family line and his life. So, after Gideon demolished the idols, we can see a very different man— a true warrior. From a fearful man, we see a courageous man. Baal and Asherah worship will always hinder our calling. We need to be radical with idolatry as Gideon or Elijah was (read 1 Kings 18).
Pornography is idolatry and how to renounce your idols
It is a great spiritual truth that we become like the spirit to which we submit. When we are submitted to the Holy Spirit, holiness is manifest in our lives. When we are submitted to the spirit of lust…lust takes control of our lives (see 1 Pet. 1:13-16).
Now we will look at how can we come out of the spirit of lust and idolatry. Jesus said in John 8:36 (ESV)
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
There is freedom in the Name of Jesus and His sacrifice. I remember the moment when I practiced this truth— renouncing Baal and Asherah from my life. It was indeed a great moment of victory in the spiritual realm.
Would you like to do the same? In your own words and with a loud voice make a simple declaration, in the Name of Jesus that pornography is idolatry. Words have power! Confess and name your sin as idolatry before the Lord. Maybe you sense you need to confess your secret love for your idols and the sacrifices of time, money, etc. you have brought. Declare that you repent of any false worship to Baal and Asherah and of any association you have had with them.
Do something about it
Repent of any sin you have committed on your phone, computer, tablet or TV, or any other source. Repent for any thoughts and images you allowed from these idols in your mind and heart. Renounce your allegiance with them and ask and receive forgiveness for your involvement with these idols. Ask for God’s grace to face all the consequences of idolatry in your life. Moreover, spend time in the Presence of God and see what else you need to confess or repent for. Do not skip this step.
In 1 Samuel 7:3 (ESV)
And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
God does not blesses idols (Jer. 3:24). Whenever I cannot see God’s blessing in an area of my life I pray and ask the Lord if there is an idol I need to remove, by the grace of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit. I know idols do stop God’s blessing. And our God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:4). Moreover, He says in Isaiah 42:8 (ESV)
I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
Now what?
In 1 John 5:21 (ESV) we read
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
God will not remove my idols in my place if I secretly love them. I know the lesson about idolatry is not taught today as much as it should. I hope that in this post the Lord used my words to make you aware of the danger of idolatry and the need to repent and renounce your idols. Pornography is idolatry—I hope you know that now.
If you want to read more about idolatry I recommend Brother John’s essay!
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I am a blogger, writer, pastor, Director of Zion Romania Bible School, husband to Olguta, a father and, most importantly, a child of God. I also completed my studies at the King’s University where I earned a B.A. in Theology with a concentration in Messianic Jewish Studies. I love Israel and I love the ‘Jewishness’ of the Bible.
Onisim I came across your article today and you make some good points about pornography being idolatry. Some definitions of idolatry point to a worship of an object representing a deity but there are also definitions defining idolatry as having extreme admiration or reverence for someone or something. However the second definition may not be the biblical one and the definition of idolatry has changed over time.
Every part of scripture I have read that referred to idolatry was linked to an image (golden calf for example) or carved object representing a deity. I will reread scripture about Gideon but I also thought the idols in his house were physical carvings representing a deity. The idol in the village that he tore down was also a physical creation representing a deity.
I just don’t think most people look at pornography in reverence or worship the sexual images as a deity. When I looked at pornography it was out of lust and the enjoyment of the feeling it gave. I later realized it was the release of dopamine in my brain that I was addicted too. Also what about 1 Corinthians 7:9 that talks about sexual sin, “But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” It does not refer to the sexual passion as idolatry. Is a husband desiring his naked wife sexually idolatry? I need to know where the line is drawn to understand more clearly.
Your linking pornography to the worship of Baal and Asherah I am not convinced of. Could also seeing a woman in a bikini at a beach and having sexual thoughts about her worshiping Baal as well? Help me understand this clearly. Or is the act of masturbating to a sexualized image a form of sacrifice to the image / idol?
I have been fighting porn addiction myself and am not excusing my sin in any way. I do feel like I deserve death for my depravity. I just want to understand things clearly and truthfully. I will continue to think about what you wrote and thank you. It does scare me because as I read through the old testament and am repulsed of the Israelites worshiping idols, it scares me to think I could have been doing the same!
Williamson Satan is real and God is real , Satan is the father of sin , John 8:44 and 1John 3:8 The real issue is that you enjoy it, all sin is pleasurable but the payment is death and hell .God says it not man . We must filter our actions through his mind , to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. We must develop the mind of Christ by the words of Christ, the Bible . Philippians 2:5 . God’s kingdom is that of righteousness, get your mind and heart in the ways of God and get real with your self. We either live until Christ by his spirit or we live unto ourselves, if you or anyone choose the latter will be your own Savior . John15:14 is very clear on God’s feelings, the problem is that a lot of believers don’t even consider his feelings, let alone about sin , question if you gave up your soul for someone to live and they keep doing what is going to kill them and keep them separate from you how would you feel about it.The decisions wouldn’t be that hard if you gave up everything.People are selfish and take his sacrifice and his grace for granted instead of appreciating him for the sacrifice so we can be free and overcome. It is sad to Love sin more than God and our flesh. That is the problem. So we pray to find covenant with him by his spirit and to truly love him as Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 says Romans 5:5 . Christ gives us his love to Love him first, he is our first love .1john 4:19 ; revelation 2 :4; Isaiah 63:7-14 . I have to repent just like everyone else, I have received the precious gift of the Holy Ghost THAT ENABLES ME to me please him. John 1-13 (vs12) he gives us power , ability to do and fullfill his righteousness. Because that is the only way to be received into his kingdom after death.
Hebrews 10:26-31 should TERRIFY any addict.
William,
Thank you for stopping at my humble blog and for reading my post. And thank you for taking the time to reply to my post and express your concerns with my logic/theology. I know I’m not perfect and I know I am learning all the time.
To answer your questions…You said: ‘every part of scripture I have read that referred to idolatry was linked to an image (golden calf for example) or carved object representing a deity.’
What about Ezekiel 14?
Ezekiel 14:1-3 (ESV)
‘Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?’
You can read the rest of the passage. What happened here is that some leaders/elders of Israel came to the prophet Ezekiel. And Ezekiel receives a supernatural word from God about the hearts of these leaders. God revealed to Ezekiel that these leaders of Israel worship the idols inside their hearts.
They did not worship physical idols. Nevertheless, God says they worshipped idols. On the outside, nothing changed in their allegiance to God, but on the inside, they worshipped idols.
You are right in your point about Gideon—the idols from Gideon’s family were physical. However, the lesson remains the same. And I believe we should look at the ‘big picture’ of the story—there was idolatry in the family. In the context were physical idols; however, the lesson for us today I believe is about any kind of idolatry (physical or idolatry of the heart).
You said: ‘I just don’t think most people look at pornography in reverence or worship the sexual images as a deity.’
The point is not to look at pornography in reverence or worship only…it can also be fascination or adoration. As M. H. Manser says about idolatry:
‘[Idolatry is] the worship or adoration of anyone or anything other than the Lord God. Idolatry includes the worship of other gods, such as those of the nations surrounding Israel, images or idols and the creation itself.[1]’
Look at this definition: ‘An idol is something that a person devote himself to or trusts in for ultimate satisfaction, security or salvation. An idol is anything that is loved more than God. Tim Keller says, “It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. … An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.”[2]
About 1 Corinthians 7:9. Paul speaks here to believers, and he confirms that a godly sexual relationship within the covenant of marriage is God’s plan for meeting our sexual needs. Moreover, Paul understands that marriage is a legitimate refuge from pressures of sexual immorality. It’s better to get married, Paul said, than burn with the passion of hormones and lose self-control.
‘Is a husband desiring his naked wife sexually idolatry?’ I don’t believe that. I believe the opposite—I think a husband should have a desire for his wife…but only for his wife.
‘Could also seeing a woman in a bikini at a beach and having sexual thoughts about her worshiping Baal as well? Help me understand this clearly. Or is the act of masturbating to a sexualized image a form of sacrifice to the image / idol?’
First, my question for you is this: do you think it’s a sin to have sexual thoughts about a woman other than your wife? If you answer yes, you’re right (according to Matt 5:28). Jesus calls this sin…and sin has a name—lust. In Matthew 5:28 Jesus refers to Exodus 20:14. The Jewish teachers of 1st century taught that adultery was wrong. However, they applied the law only to the actions, not to the heart. Jesus is very much interested in how sin affects the heart/mind as well.
Next, from what I understand from the Bible and history, Baal worship is connected with sexual sin of any kind. I am sure that people who worshipped Baal had sexual fantasies as well. I see the worship of Baal as more than only having sexual fantasies and/or masturbation, but I can conclude as well that sexual fantasies and lust are always present in Baal worship. In this way, I believe it can be connected to the worship of Baal. By entertaining sexual thoughts, in a way, I believe one worships Baal in his/her heart.
I believe entertaining sexual thoughts about a woman other than your wife is lust and is idolatry.
Leanne Payne goes into more details about Baal worship in her book. That being said, I believe when we entertain sexual fantasies in our mind/heart, we are already worshiping someone or something: ourselves or other people- and we do that in the spirit of Baal worship.
I really appreciate your questions and your interest in walking in God’s ways. If there is more I can do for you, please let me know. You can contact me at ask.onisim@gmail.com or ask@onisim.net
[1] Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser.
[2] https://everlastingtruths.com/2018/03/14/what-are-idols-of-the-heart/
Thank you for this great revelation, the word of God cannot lie, the truth will definitely set you free, as I set out to work on myself. My question is these, my husband left me for about a year plus, how then do I fight against the sexual urges that comes, while seriously trying not to engage in fornication or will I still tag it adultery. Also am I still married to him according to the scripture since he abandoned me and my kids. How do I fight against sexual urges after being engaged in active sexual relationship with my husband.
First, I am very sorry to hear about your situation. I can only imagine how hard it is for you to raise your children alone without their father and how hard it is emotionally. Second, I am blessed by your mature understanding of God’s Word and for not looking after shortcuts to your specific situation (as there are no shortcuts). My only advice is to find your strength and fulfillment in God. I believe a great resource can be Mike Cleveland’s book https://amzn.to/3uhiH7L
Reading this post has opened my eyes. This was the first post I came across after searching “pornography is an idol”. I searched this 10 minutes after having masturbation.
I have strangled with this for 17 years, pornography was introduced to me through several means and as i got older it became deeper. I now understand that I was placing myself at the altar of baal for sacrifice, so many things have been snatched away from me.
I am here to say thank you for writing this blog so well, every bible verse that has been cited is meaningful to my current situation.
May the Lord continue to bless you.
May the Lord help you break free from any addiction. Glory to Jesus!