Perversion from a Christian Viewpoint

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” –1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV

Perversion defines human conduct that strays from behavior that is generally deemed as normal and acceptable in most societies. While the term can be used to refer to a range of deviations, perversion is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are considered unusual, vile or compulsive to the average person. It is no coincidence perversion usually starts off with the desire for sex.

Sadly, because the world constantly bombards us with sexually explicit content on a daily basis, some people have become desensitized to lewd material. This means those who are tempted by sensual content may actively seek out more erotic material to fulfill their fantasies.

Perversion and pornography

It is possible for sexually stimulating material to lead people into a life of full-bloom perversion. Pornography is especially lethal to a person’s spiritual and physical well-being because this demon is the gateway to a distorted life. As a person’s pornography addiction heightens, they will notice the content they first enjoyed will not give them the same euphoric feeling it once did. Just like with a joint or drug needle, someone who becomes addicted to porn will have to “up their dosage” to obtain their initial high.

This means when tamer content does not cut it anymore, they may find themselves watching videos filled with homosexuality, bestiality, and pedophilia. After a while, films movies and magazines may not satisfy an addict’s urges, so they may be tempted to get real sex by force through rape, molestation or incest –all perverted acts that are highly immoral.

The Dangers of Yielding to Perversion

 “Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.” –Romans 1:28 NIV

Statistics show porn addiction, or problematic pornography use, affects approximately 5–8% of the adult population. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the world wide web, this figure is only expected to increase with time. Interestingly enough, while on the surface, it may appear viewers engage with this type of content for quick and easy sexual gratification, there are deep-rooted issues such as an unfulfilled longing for love, that tempts people to sneak a little peek here and there.

The catch is, every time a person goes back for more, their appetite for the inappropriate content only increases, which causes them to develop an urge that can only be satisfied with continual and increased viewership. No matter how much they try to convince themselves their actions are not that bad, slowly but surely, they grant the enemy permission to normalize things that God says are evil.

 At this point, a person’s conscience becomes seared and God gives them over to a depraved mindset so they do the things they should not do without concern for consequences. Oftentimes, at this stage, an individual will try to justify their immoral acts. Even if they do recognize their actions are wrong, they won’t be convicted or moved to change their behavior.Sadly, before they know it, they become ensnared and entangled in a messy web of sin. 

A Biblical Perspective on Perversion

In 1 Corinthians 6:18, the Apostle Paul warned believers to flee from sexual immorality. He explained this sin was specifically heinous because “all other sins a person committed were outside the body, but an individual who sinned sexually, sinned against their own body.”  This is because Paul, through revelation from God, understood the devastating effects such sexual acts could have on a person’s body, spirit and soul.

The Greek and Roman cultures that dictated the way of life in Paul’s day were characterized by idol worship. This hyper-sexualized culture was inundated with all sorts of perversion. In fact, immoral acts were so common that things like prostitution, homosexuality, pedophilia and adultery were even normalized.

Paul understood some of the Corinthians would have trouble understanding the severity of sexual immorality since they grew up in a culture that had desensitized them, so he explained how fornication violated the body by desecrating the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.