Copyright https://www.christianity.com 2025, Christianity.com Mon, 27 Jan 2025 02:26:23 -0500 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/5-reasons-why-watching-pornography-is-a-sin.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/5-reasons-why-watching-pornography-is-a-sin.html Clarence L. Haynes Jr. https://www.christianity.com/author/clarence-l-haynes-jr/ "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body." - 1 Corinthians 6:18Pornography is more accessible than it has ever been. Some estimates have suggested that pornography-related websites account for anywhere from four to 12 percent of all the websites online. According to Statista, which tracks the amount of traffic websites receive, in 2024 the top porn website garnered almost 5.5 billion views per month. The site that was second had over four billion views per month. So not only is porn easily accessible, many people are watching it and a good portion of those are Christians. In a recent Barna survey, they revealed:“Just over half of practicing Christians report consuming porn with some level of frequency, including 22 percent who view it weekly (15 percent) or daily (7 percent).”While it's common to think of this as a man's issue, some studies have shown that women's viewing of pornography is increasing. For those who watch porn, it usually happens in isolation and for Christians, in silence because typically no one knows they are doing it. With the amount of people watching porn, even among Christians, it leads me to wonder if people are asking, is watching porn a sin? The short and simple answer is yes. However, this question begs us to understand why this is a sin and how it can affect your life if you choose to watch it. Beyond that, there is also a darker side to the porn industry that cannot be ignored which gives further evidence to the reality that watching porn is a sin.Photo credit: ©Getty Images/scyther5 Tue, 14 Jan 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/sin/is-it-a-sin-to-hate-myself-what-does-the-bible-say.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/sin/is-it-a-sin-to-hate-myself-what-does-the-bible-say.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ At the core, hating myself rejects God and his truth. He doesn’t hate me, no matter what I’ve done, so choosing to do so denies the word of God. Thu, 12 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/church/how-to-recognize-the-early-warning-signs-of-spiritual-abuse.html https://www.christianity.com/church/how-to-recognize-the-early-warning-signs-of-spiritual-abuse.html Mike Leake https://www.christianity.com/author/mike-leake/  It is important to define spiritual abuse. Fri, 04 Oct 2024 10:00:00 -0400 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/is-being-gay-a-sin.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/is-being-gay-a-sin.html Mike Leake https://www.christianity.com/author/mike-leake/ The Bible does not use the same categories that we use when it comes to this discussion. Fri, 30 Aug 2024 10:00:00 -0400 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/videos/video-answers/how-does-pride-sneak-into-your-life.html https://www.christianity.com/videos/video-answers/how-does-pride-sneak-into-your-life.html Robert Hampshire https://www.christianity.com/author/robert-hampshire/ There is no room for pride in the life of a Christian who accurately sees himself and herself in light of the Gospel. Sat, 03 Aug 2024 10:00:00 -0400 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/featured-plus-pdfs/what-is-temptation-and-what-isnt-an-8-part-study.html https://www.christianity.com/featured-plus-pdfs/what-is-temptation-and-what-isnt-an-8-part-study.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ We come to salvation in Christ, filling us with joy and excitement. We are ready to live for Jesus for the rest of our earthly lives and continue to be with the Father in eternal glory. Then we get tempted. We want to do something we know is wrong. Without a proper understanding, our temptation often shakes our faith, causing us shame or guilt. Unfortunately, misunderstanding temptation comes in several forms, from bad teaching to permissiveness (excusing sin or denying sin exists) or legalism (trying to be righteous in our power). Understanding temptation, however, brings us peace and empowers us to deal with our wayward desires in love and truth. In this 8-part study, we will look at 4 things temptation is and 4 things temptation is not. Sat, 13 Jul 2024 09:00:00 -0400 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/7-sneaky-signs-of-slothfulness.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/7-sneaky-signs-of-slothfulness.html Meg Bucher https://www.christianity.com/author/meg-bucher/ As a distance runner, I distinctly remember the maturation process of learning how to pace myself. Running on adrenaline, I would shoot out of the starting line but be habitually unable to keep that pace for the entire race, finding myself holding on for dear life instead of finishing the race as strong or stronger than I started. God cares about our ability to finish things well. Did you know that the sin of sloth is the inability to finish things? Scripture uses running a race as a metaphor for fulfilling our purpose in this life. Sloth is a habitual disinclination to exertion. It’s laziness. The sneaky sin of sloth doesn’t just keep us from stepping to the starting line; it tempts us to give up completely before we finish.Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/fizkes Fri, 28 Jun 2024 09:00:00 -0400 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/lies-christians-believe-about-the-unpardonable-sin.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/lies-christians-believe-about-the-unpardonable-sin.html Vivian Bricker https://www.christianity.com/author/vivian-bricker/ There are many lies circulating in the world today surrounding the unforgivable, unpardonable sin. Within the past few years, there was a social media trend on TikTok that featured the  “unpardonable sin challenge.” Challenges such as this on social media shows how far removed the world is from Jesus and a proper understanding of the Bible. To think it is “cool” to try to commit the unpardonable sin is heartbreaking as well as it shows how unknowledgeable the present generation is of the Bible. The unpardonable or unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The main references of the unpardonable sin are found in Mark 3:22-30 and Matthew 12:22-32. When we look specifically at Matthew 12:30-32, we see the Lord speaking and He says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”Surrounding the context of Matthew 12, we see the Pharisees trying to claim Jesus is Beelzebul, the prince of demons. In other words, the Pharisees were accusing Jesus of being possessed by a demon and what was at work in Him was from the devil. The Lord turns the tables and tells the Pharisees that they have spoken blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. They thought they were being holy and upright, but they were actually committing a sin that cannot be forgiven. This is the unpardonable sin and it will never be forgiven in this age or in the age to come. Now that we know what the unpardonable sin is, we can dismantle any and all lies about it. Here are five lies about the unpardonable sin.Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Tinnakorn Jorruang  Fri, 21 Jun 2024 15:20:00 -0400 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/church/when-a-christian-leader-fails-you.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/church/when-a-christian-leader-fails-you.html Kristen Wetherell https://www.christianity.com/author/kristen-wetherell/ Leaders in the church aren’t exempt from sin. No one is. Wed, 19 Jun 2024 09:00:00 -0400 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/newsletters/church-matters/should-a-fallen-pastor-be-restored.html https://www.christianity.com/newsletters/church-matters/should-a-fallen-pastor-be-restored.html Dena Johnson Martin https://www.christianity.com/author/dena-johnsonmartin/ If a fallen pastor wants to return to ministry, we must examine his life, the fruit he is producing. Tue, 18 Jun 2024 10:10:00 -0400 2025-01-27T02:26:23-05:00