“Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
– James 3:16
Heath Lambert has a simple point in chapter seven of Finally Free: “If you look at pornography, you are arrogant” (p. 108). According to James 3:16, “if looking at pornography is an evil practice (and it is!), then it must flow from a heart that is full of envy, selfish ambition, and arrogance” (p. 109). The following paragraph captures the heart of his argument:
[People] look at pornography out of an arrogant desire to see [people] in a way that God does not allow. They show arrogant defiance to God’s commands, rejecting the delight of sexual intimacy in marriage and deciding for themselves what they believe is better – looking at naked [people] in porn. They show arrogant disregard for God’s call to selfless marital love … [and] arrogant derision for the [actors and] actresses whom they should be seeking to respect as [people] who need to hear the good news of Jesus. (p. 110)
There Are Three Things to Consider
Lambert writes that “it is impossible to look at porn and be humble” (p. 111). Therefore, if you can cultivate humility, you can have a powerful weapon to fight porn. With this in mind, here are the three things that Lambert recommends considering:
- Salvation
“There is nothing that fosters humility like a consideration of what God has done for us in saving us from the consequences of our sin” (p. 111). - Sin
“If you want to cut the root of porn with the ax of humility, you must consider the other sins in your life as well” (p. 115). - Service
“Every second you spend looking at porn is a second … you’re not buying flowers for your wife, cutting the grass of a sick neighbor, buying a meal for an elderly couple, helping your parents with work around the house, inviting a coworker to dinner to share the gospel with him, teaching your child about the Bible, cleaning the dishes after dinner, playing hide-and-seek with your kids, or visiting a church member in the hospital” (p. 116).
Conclusion
In conclusion, I’ll end the same way Lambert does – by pointing us back to the forgiving and transforming grace of God found in Jesus Christ. And while you wait for next week’s post, may you find in Him the grace to cultivate humility.
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 2:4-5
