Question: Does my porn usage prove I'm not saved?

I recently received this quesiton in my inbox:

Hi. I have a question that's been on my mind for a while now and it's: At what point does the amount of sin in a person's life mean they are unsaved (even if the profess to be Christians)? For example, if a Christian watches porn almost everyday and finds it hard to repent of it permanently despite feeling terrible about it and being miserable, does this mean they were never saved to begin with even though they have trusted in Christ as their saviour? I guess it relates to the topic of lordship salvation or free grace theology. Thank you and God bless.

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Hello and thank you for asking such a great question! 

First off, there is NO quantitative litmus test that proves whether one is saved, unsaved or "never saved to begin with."  It doesn't exist in Scripture and is often extrapolated from passages pulled out of context.

That being said, I appreciate that you brought up the Lordship Salvation and Free Grace perspectives.  

That debate was strong in the 80s and still gains much attention today whether or not people know those terms. Those terms are not the best representation of the debate because it assumes Lordship pepole don't believe in Grace or that Grace people don't believe in Lordship.  That is simply not true. The debate really hinges on whether or not works proves one is "saved" or "unsaved."

The traditional Lordship view would say the person who is watching porn every day and doesn't not feel bad about it is probably not saved and was never saved to begin with.

The traditional Free Grace view would say the person who is watching porn every day is in rebellion and is a believer "out of fellowship." 

The problem for the former view is that they say "we are saved by grace through faith alone but the faith that saves is never alone." They are suggesting that works are a natural byproduct of being saved. The problem with this is that it is simply not true. Once someone professes faith in Christ works and repentance are not automatic. Spiritual growth is not an autopilot function after faith in Christ.  Growth and repentance from previous strongholds are the result of much  fasting, prayer, study in the midst of Gospel-centered community. Death to self is a daily endeavor.  The Lordship view is dangerous becuase it draws a persons eyes onto themselves instead of on God when sin is rampant in their life.  They look at their sin and feel unsaved.  And then they might feel like they need to do more works to feel saved again. That leads to a crazy cycle of binging and purging of sin.

The problem for the Free Grace view is the lack of community. A free grace person could say, "you're salvation is secure and no amount of porn can make you lose your salvation." I have never heard a true Free Grace proponent say that by the way, but people might think that's what the view proposes. 

The reality is a believer can (and often does) choose a ridiculous amount of sin every single day.  Is there any christian who would disagree with me? They're lying. Look at Peter. He publicly denies Christ three times in Jesus presence.  But Jesus never calls his salvation into question. Look at the Corinthian Church. Perhaps the most sinful of all the local chuches in the New Testament. In Chapter 5 there is a man sleeping with his Father's wife and the whole church boasts in it. Does Paul call their salvation into question? No. In fact, he calls them "saints," "in Christ," and "brothers." All those terms are familial terms addressing children of God.

The danger of putting a specific number on sin and saying there is a certain amount that proves a person is an unbeliever is it encourages people to keep tabs on sin. That lifestyle is preocccupied with sin at the expense of looking to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. 

The truth is porn is not the most evil part of the act.  It is the act of taking one's eyes off God and to something else for their joy.  It really doesn't matter what we are looking at. It could be Mickey Mouse. But if we took our eyes off of God and onto Mickey for our Joy, that would be just as sinful and evil in God's sight.  I could decide to put my joy in being a Pastor and that would be equivalent to looking to porn for my joy. 

Anyone who finds joy in something that isn't God is engaging in idolatry. In other words, they are making something matter more that doesn't matter most. Confession: I do this every day. Every Christian does this every day, if they're being honest.  Any Christian who says they are perfect and without sin make God a liar (1 John 1). Those of us who confess our sins receive the forgiveness and cleansing from God. 

That, my friend is the best Grace view.  That we cannot earn or deserve our salvation; that is was given freely to us as a gift by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  And we cannot earn or deserve to lose our salvation. It's all by God's grace that we are his children in Christ.