Hard Core: Defeating Sexual Temptation

Did you know that the adult entertainment industry brings in more money each year than the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball combined? Did you also know that 70% of American men aged 18-34 view Internet pornography at least once a month? And did you know that even though the Bible doesn’t use the word “pornography,” it does deal with the subject? “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). In Hard Core, described as “a straightforward little book about an uncomfortable topic,” Jason Hardin applies scriptural principles to help people who are tempted by today’s sex-saturated culture. The author is a gospel preacher, married with three daughters, the son and grandson of gospel preachers. I have met him, but I know his parents well as I went to college with them and preached regularly with a congregation where his maternal grandparents and many of their family attended. He is also the author of Boot Camp, the first volume in the IMAGE series of books for men.

The fifteen short chapters of Hard Core strike at the root of the problem, unashamedly examine God’s boundaries, call sin sin, sound the call for righteous warfare, and encourage us to be steadfast and immovable as we dedicate ourselves to hard-core holiness and fighting sexual temptation with a superior satisfaction. Since most of the chapters have discussion questions, the book would be great for a men’s Bible class or small group study. Jason reminds us, “When we use God’s gift as God intends, we discover great joy. There is no reason to be ashamed. We enjoy beautiful freedom, mutual honor, and no defilement. In fact, we will have strengthened our defenses against Satan by using God’s gift in the way God envisioned. But when we neglect or abuse God’s gift, immeasurable sorrow follows closely behind. When we know God’s will for our lives and our sexuality, but allow ourselves to succumb to the alluring temptations of this world, we have every reason to be ashamed” (p. 40).

The book continues to argue, “Pornography is a problem, but it is not the problem. Pornography is a sinful symptom of the problem….The problem is treasuring other things, other people, and other pleasures more than we treasure God” (p. 75). Thus Hardin concludes, “Are the blessings that flow from your connection with God more gratifying than the sinful images that can flow through your connection to the Internet?…Until you treasure God as more precious than pornography, you will continue to be in bondage to pornography” (pp. 78-79). Did you know that, according to a 2003 survey by Barna Research Group, even among “church people” 38% of adults believe that it is “morally acceptable” to look at pictures of nudity and explicit sexual behavior and an equal percentage believe that there is nothing wrong with the use of pornography? I wonder if the numbers would be any different among churches of Christ. It appears that the teaching found in Hard Core is sorely needed.