What would a Pharisee say to a gamer?

What would a Pharisee say to a gamer?

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” (Titus 1:15)

Legalism has a long history.

Consider the words of Jesus in Mark 7:7: “They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” Jesus is responding to the Pharisees, who think that sex, alcohol and certain foods are corrupt, and therefore make us corrupt if we consume them. Their religion is outside-in—they locate the problem externally. Jesus turns it the other way around: “Nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them ... what comes out of a person is what defiles them” (Mark 7:18, 20). Jesus locates the problem internally, in the heart.

Sex and food are not corrupt. We are the ones who make sex and food corrupt when we use them in sinful and selfish ways. It is not that we are corrupted if we come into contact with sex or food. Rather, sex and food are corrupted when they come into the contact with people with impure hearts! So things like sex, food and drink are pure when we view them as good gifts from God and use them for his glory in accordance with his word (Titus 1:15). 

Consider how these principles might apply to issues we face today.

Computer games

For example, consider the issue of computer games. Someone might argue: Computer games can be addictive, and can encourage laziness. Therefore computer games are bad.

Paul would say: Wrong. Computer games do not corrupt us. We corrupt computer games because our corrupt hearts use them in addictive ways.

So what should our attitude to computer games be? We cannot say they are always bad and should always be avoided. But neither can we say they are always good and can always be used. If someone is addicted to computer games and is spending time playing games when they should be serving others, or if they are playing long into the night so that their ability to function the following day is impaired, then it may be appropriate for them to get rid of their computer games. But the corrupting influence in this situation is not the computer games, but the user.

Romantic comedies

Or let us consider another example. Someone might argue: Romantic comedies encourage people to be discontented. Therefore romantic comedies are bad.

Paul would say: Wrong. Romantic comedies do not corrupt us. We corrupt romantic comedies because our corrupt hearts respond with discontentment.

So what should our attitude to romantic comedies be? We cannot say they are always bad and should always be avoided. But neither can we say they are always good and can always be watched. If watching romantic comedies makes you dissatisfied with your singleness or in your marriage, then it may well be appropriate for you to avoid watching them.

Pornography

Can the same argument be applied to pornography? Could we say: Pornography does not corrupt us. We corrupt porn only if our corrupt hearts respond to it with lustful thoughts? No—because porn is already a corruption of God’s gift of sex. Porn presents corrupt expressions of sex. Even if porn were between a married couple, sex is not intended as a performance, and you are not to be a participant as a voyeur in another couple’s sex. We need to distinguish between sex—a good gift that does not corrupt us—and porn—a corruption of that good gift. We corrupt sex because our corrupt hearts distort God’s good gift, and one of the ways we corrupt God’s good gift of sex is through porn.

Sin is always making promises; and the gospel exposes those promises as false promises and points to God, who is bigger and better than anything sin offers. That is good news.

This is an edited extract from Titus For You by Tim Chester.

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