Recently I picked up a book to read because it sounded like a book with good pro-life themes. Since I work in the pro-life pregnancy care setting, I thought I would enjoy reading it. However, I quickly found that this pro-life book had on-page sex scenes, and I had to stop reading it. Perhaps the rest of the story would’ve had a great pro-life message, but it was buried under content that did not honor the Lord.
The biggest selling genre in fiction right now is erotica, books written with smutty or spicy scenes in them, and the overwhelming majority of people buying these books are women. Unfortunately, this trend has crept into the church. Social media is full of professing Christians who love to review spicy books and even talk about skipping to the “good parts” of those books. There are even Christian authors publishing books under the banner of Christianity that include open-door sex scenes.
Sexual sin is not just a guy issue. Pure Desire and Barna did a study together in 2024 and found that “64% of Gen Z women say pornography is a problem for them.”1 This alongside the huge book sales for erotica clearly display that women need help with sexual sin, too. While we often focus on sexual sin as a male issue within the church, the world is not shy about women’s increasing involvement in pornography and erotica. One article from The Australian Women’s Weekly praised the erotica genre as a way for women to explore their sexual fantasies:
“With technological advances came an ability for women to download and read this type of novel without ever having to physically confront a salesperson. You can read it on the bus and no one has any idea what’s going on in your imagination. That access has also given women permission to explore some of their own feelings about sex and fantasy.”2
While the article portrayed erotica books as a good thing from their worldview, I found it intriguing that the author mentioned that technology makes it easier to access this spicy literature without anyone knowing. Even with a worldview hostile to the ways of God, people still feel the need to hide their sexual sin. The image of God in every person, despite the marring of sin, means that we know in our hearts that our sin is not acceptable in the eyes of God; we are without excuse, as Romans 1 tells us.
How should we respond to this issue? What does God’s Word say about porn, erotica, and the sexual temptations around us? God’s Word is not silent on the issue:
Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18
The Greek word for immorality in this verse is porneia, which is used to refer to any illicit sexual intercourse (harlotry, adultery, incest, fornication, homosexuality, etc.).3 Interestingly, this word has the same root word as the Greek word pornographos, from which we get our English word pornography (porno meaning prostitutes, and graphos meaning to write; literally, writing about prostitutes. So, under this definition, erotica fiction fits under the category of pornography).4
Paul in his letter to the Corinthian church was reprimanding the church for the sexual sin that was being tolerated among its members. He tells the Christians the are to flee immorality. They aren’t supposed to let it be or ignore it; they are told to run from it. Paul says that when we commit sexual sin, it’s sinning against our own bodies. I think this is why sexual sin impacts people so deeply.
A great example of someone fleeing sexual sin would be Joseph. He literally ran away from Potiphar’s wife when she tried to entice him to sin sexually with her (see Genesis 39). Any time we are presented with sexual temptation, the right response is to run away.
Now, I know there is a tendency to think, I’m just reading it in a book or watching it in a movie; that’s not the same thing as doing it. However, Jesus said that if a man looks at a woman and lusts after her in his heart, then he is an adulterer (see Matt. 5:28). God cares not only about our outward behavior, but also about our innermost being. He cares what we think about and what we set our affections on. A good question to ask when considering reading or watching a movie that contains on-page sexual content is, does this content cause me to lust after something that is not mine?
A great verse to filter the content we consume is 1 Corinthians 10:31:
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Does this mean that we can never read or watching something written by an unbeliever? No. And it also doesn’t mean that just because someone claims to be a Christian that their work is automatically written to the glory of God. The goal is to be discerning and to flee anything that would cause us to sin.
As we consider this topic, I know there are some readers who are feeling like you’ve blown it. You may feel stuck in an addiction to porn or erotica, or you know you have lust harboring in your heart. Maybe you’re looking for a new set of guardrails that will make it easier to stick to your commitment this time. Maybe you’re afraid that if anyone knew the real you, they wouldn’t accept you, and maybe God doesn’t even accept you because of your sexual sin.
The truth is, all of us are sinners, fallen far short of God’s holy standard (Rom. 3:23). No amount of guardrails will turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. The Bible says all of us are dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1); whether someone’s struggle is sexual sin or lying or pride, we are all separated from God because of our sin. There is nothing any of us can do to bridge the gap between us and God. We need a Savior, and praise God that Savior is Jesus Christ! He is able to take dead hearts and make them alive by His grace! Then, when we have been filled with the Holy Spirit by putting our faith in Christ for salvation, we are renewed day by day to pursue holiness and righteousness as He leads.
We can’t create a list of rules in order to make ourselves righteous or free from sexual sin. That is cleaning the outside of the dish when the inside is full of rottenness.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Matthew 23:25-26
There are many good steps we can and should take to help guard against sexual sin, like installing blocker apps on phones and laptops. But if we only look at the outward behavior, we will neglect the heart transformation we desperately need, just like the Pharisees did.
If sexual sin is something you’re struggling with, I encourage you to humbly bring your sin before God in repentance, and reach out to a trusted Christian mentor for help. Don’t leave sin in the dark.
“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:19-21
Jesus said that those who love evil keep their deeds in the dark, but those who practice the truth bring their deeds to the light. When we bring our sin to the light of God’s truth, when we see our sin for what it truly is in God’s eyes and acknowledge our need for God’s help in breaking free from our sin, that is where transformation happens.
Pride is what often keeps us hiding our sin in the dark. Don’t let pride keep you from finding freedom. Bring your sin before God. Talk to a trusted Christian mentor who can help you grow in this area, pray for you, and hold you accountable. Freedom is possible. God saved Rahab, a prostitute, and added her to the lineage of Christ. God confronted David in his adultery and brought him to repentance. The God of Rahab and David is the same God who is working in our lives today, and if He can transform their lives, He can transform our lives as well!
The fight to be putting sin to death and putting on righteousness is a lifelong battle. But thanks be to God that it is a victorious battle and not a battle we must fight alone! The Holy Spirit will strengthen us and enable us to continue fighting, and we can fight together as the Church. Don’t give up, dear friend!
With love,
Kelsey
P.S. If you are looking for a Bible study for yourself or a small group on this subject, I encourage you to check out Her Freedom Journey by Dr. Juli Slattery and Dr. Joy Skarka.
References:
- Stumbo, Nick. “The Latest Stats on Pornography and Why They Matter.” Pure Desire Ministries, Pure Desire Ministries International, Apr. 2025, https://puredesire.org/blog/the-latest-stats-on-pornography-and-why-they-matter. Accessed 30 Sept. 2026. ↩︎
- Weekly, The Australian Women s. “A Sex Expert Reveals the Real Reason Women Read Erotic Fiction.” The Australian Women’s Weekly, 27 Sept. 2022, https://www.womensweekly.com.au/health/why-women-read-erotic-fiction-17262/. Accessed 30 Sept. 2026. ↩︎
- “G4202 – porneia – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB95).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 28 Sep, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4202/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/>. ↩︎
- “Pornography | Etymology, Origin and Meaning of Pornography by Etymonline.” Www.Etymonline.Com, https://www.etymonline.com/word/pornography. Accessed 30 Sept. 2026. ↩︎
1 comment
Julie
A well written and needed message for the women of God! Thanks for being bold to tackle a subject not much addressed. This goes so well with the Mindset study you have and what God asks us to be thinking on – definitely not erotica!