You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. (Matthew 5:27-30).

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Master announced the standard of righteousness of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20). It is the highest standard ever known to man, a reflection of the moral nature of God (Matthew 5:48). Whereas the Jewish leaders, quoting directly from the Ten Commandments, condemned adultery, the Lord Jesus Christ condemns the attitude and action that leads to adultery. It is so important that we avoid this sin in the heart, eye, and hand, that we must take what ever action, regardless of how radical, to avoid it.

The English word "pornography" means "Sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal" (American Heritage Dictionary). I am not interested in the definition given by civil courts but in that stated by the Lord. Any material - photographs, magazines, movies, music, books, web sites, chat rooms, etc. - that causes one to sexually desire anyone other than his/her God approved marriage partner, must be torn from our lives.

Pornography has always been with us, but in no other age has it been so readily available as today. Consider these 2006 statistics for the United States: There are 4.2 million (12% of total web sites) overtly pornographic web sites, 68 million (25% of total search engine requests) daily pornographic search engine requests, 2.5 billion (8% of total e-mails) daily pornographic e-mails, and 1.5 billion (35% of all downloads) monthly pornographic downloads (peer-to-peer). 42.7% of American Internet users view porn. Internet pornography sales were $4.9 billion. The average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is eleven years. The largest consumer group of Internet pornography is the 35-49 age group. 80% of 15-17 year olds have had multiple hard core pornography exposure. 90% of 8-16 year olds have viewed porn online, most while doing homework. 40 million American adults regularly visit Internet porn sites (Family Safe Media).

Undoubtedly, some who are reading this article have been committing this deadly sin, and others are severely tempted by it. What can you do? Here are ten steps, taught by the Lord, to sexual purity.

1. Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). This is the key. Determine to be pure (cf. Genesis 39:7-12; Daniel 1:8).
2. If you are guilty, truly repent, confess your sin to God, and pray God for forgiveness (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9). If you really repent, you will turn from your evil way (Matthew 12:41; Jonah 3:10).
3. If other Christians know, confess to them and ask for their help in avoiding this sin (James 5:15,19-20).
4. Make an agreement with your eyes that you will not use them to arouse sinful lust (Job 31:1). "So put to death your worldly impulses: sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire..." (Colossians 3:5, ISV). Do whatever it takes - get rid of the computer and the TV, don't go to the movies, etc. - to rid your life of this spiritual cancer (Matthew 5:29-30).
5. Spend much time in prayer seeking strength and avoidance of temptation (Matthew 6:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
6. Spend more time studying the Bible rather than seeking amusement in TV, Internet, magazines, and movies (Psalm 119:97,99; 1 Peter 2:1-3). You must replace the evil with good, or the evil will return even stronger (Matthew 12:43-45).
7. Discipline your mind to think on proper things (Philippians 4:8). This is possible if you take seriously the previous steps.
8. Choose your friends wisely. Choose to have friends who will help you go to heaven rather than lead you to hell (1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 12:26; 13:20; 14:7).
9. Be in all the classes and worship assemblies of the church to encourage others and to be encouraged by them (Hebrews 10:24-25).
10. Turn your attention to helping others rather than seeing those of the opposite sex as sources of sexual gratification (Matthew 22:34-40; Romans 12:9-13; Galatians 6:1-2,9-10; 1 John 3:14-18).

As soldiers of Christ, put on the whole armor of God (2 Timothy 2:3; Ephesians 6:10-18). You can overcome this sin through the power of God working in you.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13).

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Works Cited

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
The Bible, International Standard Version.
Family Safe Media
Truth Magazine