Mine started about fourteen years ago, on a mildly sunny Saturday afternoon. A group of us boys were playing three-a-side football. My team got knocked out early, which was frustrating because it meant waiting for two other teams to play before we could get back on the pitch. Annoyed, we stepped aside to join the other boys who were waiting.
But this time, they weren’t just waiting. As I approached, I noticed a small cluster of boys huddled around something. Curiosity got the best of me, and I edged closer. At the center of the group, one boy was holding a phone. They were all fixated on the screen. I looked, too. At first, I didn’t really process what I was seeing, but then I took a second, more intentional look. There was a woman—barely dressed, positioned suggestively on a bed or maybe a pool. Then a man appeared, and if you’ve ever stumbled onto explicit content, you probably know how the rest of that pornographic video played out.
I can’t even pretend it was just a “quick” glance before I turned away, driven by guilt. The truth is, that single clip was the beginning of a struggle that would last for years. It wasn’t until three or four years later that I started to engage more deeply, but that first moment planted a seed. Like me, many porn addicts didn’t know when the evil suddenly creeped upon them. And even if you think you willingly went in, you had been influenced. Either way, it was the sinful nature finding expression in us.
I could easily share all the grim details of my struggle, showing you how dark things got and how I finally broke free. It might sound impressive, and maybe even make you think that I’ve now got it all together. But that’s not my goal, and it’s certainly not the point. I don’t want to come across as though I’ve cleaned myself up by my own power or act like those still struggling with porn are beneath me. I’ve been there, and I understand how real the battle is.
I also don’t want my words to sound clever or enticing, like I’m trying to hook you in with some personal success story. The truth is, no matter how well I tell it, my story alone can’t free you. What I really want to do is share with you the truth that God has shown from His word—the truth that goes deeper than our struggles and speaks to the real issue of sin in all of us. It's not my wisdom that will help you; it's God's truth that you need.
Every person born into this world carries a sinful nature—a deep-rooted condition that affects the way we think, act, and relate to others. This sinful nature acts like a magnet, drawing each of us toward certain specific sins. For some, the pull might lead them into lying, for others it may be stealing, lust, anger, or addictions like pornography. While the specific sins we struggle with may vary from person to person, the core issue remains the same: the sin that dwells within us.
What’s important to understand is that this sinful nature doesn’t always need external influences to manifest. Some sins seem to spring up from within us without being taught. For instance, no one teaches a young child to be selfish, to covet, or to lash out in anger when things don’t go their way. These tendencies appear naturally, almost instinctively, because of the fallen condition we are all born into. A child may not know how to articulate greed or jealousy, but they can experience and express it even at an early age. This points to the fact that sin is not just learned behavior—it’s a natural part of our human condition.
At the same time, certain sins are also influenced by the environments we are exposed to. We live in a world filled with brokenness, and as we grow up, we encounter various influences that shape our desires and actions. For example, a person may be exposed to unhealthy ideas or habits—whether through the media, friendships, family dynamics, or societal pressures—that draw them into specific sinful behaviors. Someone might not start off being drawn to pornography, but repeated exposure to sexualized content in the world around them can create a powerful attraction to it. Others may struggle with hatred or envy because of negative influences they've been surrounded by or experiences of injustice that have hardened their hearts.
In both cases—whether sin arises from within us or is drawn out by external influences—the core issue is the same: our sinful nature. It’s not just that we do bad things; it’s that we are broken at a fundamental level, and this brokenness drives us toward rebellion against God. Our specific sins may differ, but the root cause is universal: we are separated from God by a sinful condition that we cannot fix on our own.
This is why the Gospel message is so vital. It reminds us that we don’t just need help with our specific sins; we need a complete transformation from the inside out. Jesus came not only to forgive our individual wrongdoings but to address the very nature of sin that controls us. Through His sacrifice, we can receive new hearts, new desires, and new power to overcome the sinful pulls in our lives. The sins we struggle with, whether internal or external, are only symptoms of the greater issue—and that issue is our need for God’s grace to heal and restore us from the inside out.
We live in a world full of distractions and temptations, and one of the most prevalent is pornography. It has affected many lives, damaging relationships and warping our view of love and intimacy. However, as real as the problem of pornography is, it’s important to recognize that it is not the root issue. There is something deeper that we must confront: the nature of sin itself.
The Bible teaches that all human beings are in need of salvation. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This means that every one of us, no matter how good we try to be, has a heart that is tainted by sin. Sin isn't just about the bad things we do—it’s about the brokenness within us, the inclination to live independently of God, seeking our own way rather than His.
From the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world through human rebellion against God. Adam and Eve’s decision to trust their own judgment rather than God's resulted in a separation from Him, and since then, sin has infiltrated every part of human life. It is why we struggle with temptation, addiction, and moral failures. But these are only the symptoms of a much deeper disease.
Pornography is a Symptom, Not the Root Problem: Let’s use pornography as an example. It’s easy to focus on it as the problem and believe that if you could just get rid of it, everything would be okay. However, this approach overlooks the true root cause. The real issue is not just the habit, but what is driving it—an unfulfilled longing, an attempt to escape, a need for intimacy, or a desire for control. These are deeper heart issues that stem from sin — which is a state of being far-flung from God.
Sin, at its core, is a distortion of good things that God created—a distortion that arose when humanity chose to separate itself from God. Our desires for love, intimacy, and connection are good, but sin warps those desires, leading us to seek fulfillment in ways that are destructive. When we turn to pornography, we are often trying to fill a void that can only be truly satisfied by God.